What do I want for Christmas?
Besides the usual world peace? ha
Makes me stop and think, because honestly, what do I want for Christmas?
We (mommies) have this habit of putting ourselves last when it comes to gifts.
Don't believe me?
Go ask your own mom what she wants for Christmas, and she'll probably say, "Oh, I can't think of anything I'd like for myself."
Or she'll give you a list of things for the house, for your father, and for the family pet before she'll think of anything just for her.
Me? When it comes to gifts I love to give rather than recieve.
However if you REALLY want to get a gift....here are a few "idea's"...not just for me...but ANY mom out there.... ;o)
Time off - Kids, work, and a house tend to eat up all of the time a mom has. If you want her to have a special treat, give her an afternoon where she is ordered to do nothing except read, relax in a bath, or whatever it is she likes to do to unwind. Take the kids elsewhere. On those rare times when I'm alone in the house (and I mean totally alone - no child up in bed), I almost don't know what to do with myself. I can turn the music up loud! I can eat without anyone else begging for my food! I can take a bath without a toddler knocking on the door saying, "Come in?" And I can just relax.
Pampering - I barely have time to shower 3 days a week, much less do my hair, exfoliate, or apply a moisturizing mask to my face. A gift certificate for a spa service would be a welcome gift for many moms. Not only does it give us the first gift of time off, but we also are doing something to look better and feel better about ourselves, which has a bonus for our guys, right? One of the best gifts I ever received from Brad was last year when I was pregnant with McKayla and he got me a $150 Spa certificate to "Heavenly Spa" where I got a pre-natal massage and some much needed "down" time. It was a very welcome, and well-planned, gift.
Assistance - I never like to ask for help, even when I know I need it. But I have a dream of someday having a maid service come to the house once a month to help with the deep cleaning. It's a frivolous expense for us, and one we can't afford, so we continue to split our chores and do them regularly (OK, maybe not as regularly as we should). However, even the gift of one maid service visit would be an awesome gift, especially now with 2 rugrats..who has the time to dust....then you have the "helpers"...enough said!
Food - Does the mom you know like chocolates? Get her some of the best chocolates out there, then. And if you have thieving little hands in the house, buy a box to lock the chocolates in, too, so mom can be the only one to enjoy them, after the kids are in bed.
Date nights - Truthfully, this gift is a benefit to both a mom and her husband/partner. But if mom's the one who gets to pick the restaurant, the movie, and isn't the one required to find the babysitter, it's a real treat. If this is a gift from another member of the family, it makes a great gift for the couple, if presented with the offer of babysitting, of course. I want to go out with my husband more, just the two of us, and spend time together as an adult couple, instead of just parents. When we don't get time together over a long period of time, I feel like I'm less wife and more mom than anything. And well, it was the wonderful time we had together as a couple that led to parenthood, so I'd like to keep as much of that couple-time as possible.
So there's my list for what to get a mom for Christmas. Did I miss anything?
Amen sister! I love your list!!!! I wish I would have thought of that when I was being asked what I wanted!!!!!
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