You Won’t Remember Your Christmas Gifts

When you’ve had as many or more Christmas Eves and Christmas Days as I have, the gifts you’ve received tend to run together. I was thinking about this today while trying to remember some of the best Christmas gifts I’ve ever received.

I had an unusually difficult time trying to recall gifts that I’ve gotten for Christmas. And not even ones from childhood or my teenage years. I had a difficult time remembering things I’ve been given during the 11 years I’ve been with my Bride and our three kids. This was surprising to me.

Thinking back to childhood, the only Christmas gifts I really remember are ones that I can still picture seeing in my mother’s photo albums.

G.I. Joe was a big, big deal one Christmas. We seemed to have gotten a LOT of action figures and even a few of the bigger vehicles. I can remember my mother spending a lot of time putting them together and carefully placing the stickers that came with them on the vehicles.

The only gift I recall that stands out from our teenage years was a weight set. We both wanted one pretty badly and when we went to pick up the box, it was HEAVY. There was no doubt we received what we’d asked for that Christmas.

During the years of young adulthood up until I met Mai, I honestly can’t remember even one specific gift I received. I just remember some of the family memories and feelings of togetherness during Christmas Eve and Day, great memories of family, food, and fun.

When Mai and I were a new couple, we were only two weeks away from Christmas. Even though I was pretty poor at the time, I made a point to get her and our 3 kids gifts. I remember exactly what I gave all of them because it was done with happiness and a bit of sadness, both.

Happiness, because we all were having a blast getting to know each other and were in the early stages of becoming a family. Sadness, because I was fairly broke and wanted to do so much more for them all.

It didn’t matter, they were young kids. They were just happy to be opening presents and I’m sure were thrilled by a Nerf Dart gun set, an all-in-one art kit, and some used Playstation 2 games from the nearby pawn shop. I was relieved that they seemed to like them.

I didn’t fully appreciate back then what I do right now. That Christmas isn’t about the gifts, the newest, most expensive things, or any of that. It’s about the people you spend time with. The memories you share during the holiday season.

We had our kids on Christmas Eve that first year. Our exes had them on Christmas Day. This left Mai and alone together on December 25th. And here’s what I remember about that:

Coffee with Bailey’s in it, first thing that morning. Dropping my mother’s wonderful homemade fudge in my coffee. Hanging out together in bed while watching Kick-Ass, Superbad, Bad Santa, and A Christmas Story. Loving on the new wonderful person in my life.

That was all so much better than any gifts I received that Christmas.

That’s one thing I feel good about as I get older, each Christmas. Giving gifts more than receiving them. I wouldn’t care if I didn’t get even one, as long as I could give a few things my Bride, kids, and loved ones enjoyed.

Our kids have scored pretty well during a number of Christmases. Ten years ago it was the XBOX Christmas, with the system, controllers, a virtual reality attachment, and games. We did a similar thing when the Nintendo Switch was newer. The gaming systems have brought us closer together as a family, with many hours spent gaming together.

We usually do more simple things for Christmas gifts, now that they’re older. It’s a tradition to get t-shirts of our favorite bands and pop culture things for each other. We usually get Libby a new toy and some dog treats. She’s quite fond of the treats.

Speaking of treats, that’s another favorite aspect of Christmas Day. Mai usually will make a complete turkey dinner or prime rib, if it’s a year where we have all of the kids with us on Christmas Day. Otherwise, we do snacky-type stuff for the two of us. Give her a couple of mimosas and me a bit of wine and we’re all set.

For our family, it’s the memories and time spent together that matter more than the gifts. The kids get excited about giving more than receiving, just as we do. Maybe we’ve raised them right. It seems like it.

I hope you make some amazing Christmas memories with your family this holiday season. You don’t have to break the bank or max out your credit cards to have an enjoyable Christmas.

I’ll leave you with the 12 Days of Christmas photos from the Provencio Family’s Christmases gone by. Hope you enjoy these random pictures. Happy holidays to you and yours from all of us. &:^)