Towards the end of the year, power as well as money is gradually decreasing. I want to finish everything faster, report, buy gifts, and immediately move on to the salads on my to-do list. But at this very moment, while the last nerve cell is holding on with all its might, the children come to Santa Claus with a letter.
A few years ago I first encountered this phenomenon. By that time, I had already experienced all possible colic, hospitalizations and battles in the sandbox, so I pointlessly decided that I could somehow cope with the letter.
The children put the letter on the window sill, because it is known that letters go from the window sill directly to the North Pole, which is the most reliable route. Two years ago the letters were put in the freezer and happily forgotten there by my grandfather. The youngest daughter, Rose, then four years old, beaming like polished nickel, told me I needn’t worry anymore. Nothing unsettles an experienced mother more than the words “you don’t need to worry.”
– What happened? – I asked immediately.
“You don’t need to buy us a house for the hedgehogs,” said Rose.
I exhaled. This hedgehog house is a black hole for my wallet. The scheme is as in Barbie. First you buy a cute toy hedgehog, then they run out of places to live! You see, they can’t live in a simple shoebox! They already have a two-storey cottage with a swimming pool, barbecue, beds and even a set of dishes. To be honest, the apartment I rented looked worse than this country house at the time. And then suddenly great joy – you don’t need to buy a house!
– We found everything! We ordered a hedgehog house for Santa! So you don’t need to buy it.
My eye twitched sharply. The most approximate arithmetic showed that it would be cheaper to buy live hedgehogs.
There was active correspondence with Santa Claus for the next two weeks. In the morning, letters appeared on the windowsill, and the grandfather complained that the house was full of gifts and there was nowhere to store them. The dwarves were swept off their feet. Horses also do not drag such heavy weights through the snow. Rosa and her older sister did not back down and offered to bring the gift in pieces. As a result, we agreed that a few chairs and a cradle would be enough for the hedgehogs at first. The children received all this under the Christmas tree.
A year later, remembering the mistakes, I began to prepare in advance. I carefully held educational conversations with the children, trying to find out what their desires were. He even went so far as to wonder if the grandfather was already suffering from memory loss. She is old and forgets a lot of things.
– What about Snow Maiden? Will he remind her? – came right back to me.
I can say that it is clearly an unequal struggle. A flock of mothers versus fairytale characters. Since Santa and I were on a budget for two, it was a little disappointing that Santa gave better gifts than I did. And the children were more happy with his gifts than mine. Competing may seem funny. But somehow I didn’t want to look pale compared to this spender.
Over the years I have developed a strategy. Gifts cannot be more expensive than a certain amount. Even though Santa Claus is a wizard, he has a limited amount of money. Don’t believe it? If Santa gave everyone expensive gifts, everyone would already have those limited edition sneakers that half the class wanted.
The second rule was: Santa Claus does not give anything electronic, everything is given by parents. That’s why you shouldn’t want an electric scooter, set-top box or a new phone.
Over time, the children became so practiced that they began to order gifts, immediately indicating the order link on the sites where they could be purchased. I began to suspect that the children no longer believed in Santa Claus, but they strictly followed the rules of the game.
Over time, we came to the conclusion that not all gifts are measured in money. After all, you can plan more entertainment, for example. Or you have many friends. Or just be happy.
It turns out that “being happy” is probably on a different list for adults. From me. From the list of a mother who is tired at the end of the year. What a simple wish, Grandfather Frost. So how much does this cost you?
The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the position of the editors.
Source: Gazeta
Dolores Johnson is a voice of reason at “Social Bites”. As an opinion writer, she provides her readers with insightful commentary on the most pressing issues of the day. With her well-informed perspectives and clear writing style, Dolores helps readers navigate the complex world of news and politics, providing a balanced and thoughtful view on the most important topics of the moment.