Christmas! Ready or Not...

Well, I don't know how to say it, but Christmas IS coming! I have to say, for being one of my favorite times of the year, this one is looking a tad bleak. I know that the spirit of the season is SO not about gifts and treats and money and retail...but it sure does make it more fun :O( I fear that this Holiday is going to be a sparse one for us and I don't know how my kids are going to feel about that. I pray that they have enough grace and understanding that they will not be dissapointed or hurt or even worse, greedy and nasty to us. We totally went above and beyond last year for Christmas, so I have a hunch they are expecting Santa to be the party dude he was last year too! LOL So, I am starting to make lists (because THAT is what I do...) and I am starting to think of homemade/made with love things I can do to keep the costs down for us, but when it comes to the kids... somehow a paperbag album or altered notebook just isn't going to do it :O( I wish that I could think of a good way to really treat each of them. Guess we'll see the true blessings of Christmas and hopefully, my kids will be filled with love and peace and enjoy the celebration no matter what is (or is not) under the tree...