I'm just gonna go ahead and admit it. Riley got a LOT of gifts this Christmas. A lot. She got tons of books, and clothes, some shoes, some teething toys, various bath toys, stacking blocks, a baby bike, a pillow pet, a duck bath and a bath seat, SEVEN ornaments, a snow globe, a baby pool, some stuffed animals... and I'm probably forgetting something. She got a lot. Mark and I were only responsible for a small fraction of those items. (I bought her the "R" ornament, the rest were gifts.
Some might say she was spoiled. I don't believe that nonsense. Not for a second. Was she lucky? Definitely. Loved? Of course. But spoiled... I don't think so. I know Christmas is not about the presents, and when Riley is older, she will know that too. We'll teach her about Jesus, and about giving, about being thankful and grateful, and all that good stuff, because in my opinion, you are not spoiled simply because you receive a lot of gifts. Spoiled is the wrong word for that. And I think it's silly when people believe buying their children presents will inherently spoil them... I think being spoiled comes as a result of not teaching good values, which is totally separate from how many gifts you receive. But I suppose that's my opinion.
There are many people out there a lot less fortunate than us. And I am so thankful for what we have. And in the coming years, Riley will be too. We'll teach her that Christmas is about GIVING, not receiving. We'll show her how good it feels to watch someone's face light up as they receive a gift hand-picked or hand-made by her. This was her gift to daddy this year...
And a few of her other fave gifts...
Many many more not pictured, I think you get the idea. We love Christmas!
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