So this year we did a new thing and let the kids draw names out of a paper bag for Christmas. They each drew a name and then we took them shopping in pairs to pick out a gift with a limit of ten dollars.

It was such a cute idea at the time.

And in the back of my mind I was little worried about how it would go.

So far so good.

They have had so much fun finding stuff for each other.

With a couple of the shoppers it seemed to be a contest of ‘How small of a gift can you get and how much candy can you get with the remainder of the money.’

Four the four year old boy it was so painful to be in a store FILLED with all the things you could ever want and be told you are shopping for someone else.

So he switched from ‘I want this mom!’ to ‘Mom come here I have to show you something for Savanna..’ and brought me to a Paw Patrol riding toy.

I had to gently tell him his thirteen year old sister wouldn’t be able to ride it.

He never did find anything except what he would want for himself so one of the girls and I found some calligraphy markers and a new sketchbook while he drooled and dreamed.

He did really well picking out a gift for his preschool teacher, or rather he didn’t take his eyes away from all the treats in the Ross checkout lane long enough to object to what his big sister picked out.

After an hour in the store and we loaded up into the car and as he is buckling he says:

‘I want to pick out something or Savanna.’

We convinced him that he would have so much fun wrapping her present and let’s go eat.

And whew he was ok with that.

The fourteen year old boy went off on his own and came back with the ‘PERFECT’ gift for his big brother…and I couldn’t disagree. The kid had been constantly bugging us to get him this thing and here it was. And only a little over the limit.

‘I’ll pay the extra $3!’

That was fine.

There of course had to be the severely indecisive child who ended up with ten ten dollar items in the cart and had to decide on one and then got something completely different anyway.

She also wanted to buy something for everyone and their baby sister.

‘Sure sugar, as long as you’re buying’

‘Aww man…’

The oldest boy just picked up his phone and called home and asked his ‘name’ what she wanted. And she told him even where it was in the store.

Worked for me.

Then we get home with the gifts.

It is the loudest covert operation in history.

The kids waiting at home RUN out to meet the car.

The ones who we have bought gifts for are told explicitly and repeatedly and loudly ‘DON’T COME OUT HERE!’ ‘HIDE YOUR EYES!’

And there is a bunch of discussion at the trunk of the car about how to carry these gifts in while hiding them.

‘Here I can put this one in my shirt…you put these in your pockets…I’ll go get a paper bag…put your coat over that big one..wait what is it? OOOH He’s gonna LOVE that!

‘Are they looking?’

‘Ok you go first and make sure they are not looking and we will go straight to mom and dad’s room!’

We hear more ‘YOU can’t come in here! YOU can! Hurry shut the door!

‘Lock it!’

And some scuffling around.

There is so much excitement and they use way too much tape and wrapping paper.,

They poke their heads out and holler for more.

I don’t ever buy more tape or wrapping paper until we run out and we are using last year’s stash so when they holler I say sorry I’ll get some tomorrow.

But they are not to be deterred. They scrounge up painters tape and washi tape and piece together scraps of wrapping paper even if it doesn’t match and they WRAP those gifts.

After that comes the hinting and guessing and shaking and squishing of the gifts.

And we will see how much is still a secret by the time the gifts are opened.

Tis the season. With kids.