We celebrated the season a little early when we made my daughter’s No. 1 present on her list of things she wanted for Christmas come true: She got a kitten! (Actually it’s for the whole family). You should have seen her face when she picked one out and we told her yes to actually taking it home. I don’t think there’s anything else out there that could have compared.
So while the love of an adorable little kitten was enough to keep my kids busy, my wife and I were still faced with the endless “what do you want?” “I don’t know, what do you want?” “I don’t know, what do you want?” routine. Every other day the two of us would say things to each other like “make me a list” or “give me some ideas”. But we’ve both been super delinquent at coming up with much of anything. And I think I know the reason why …
Christmas When You’re a Child:
It’s a funny thing. When I was my son’s age (8), I couldn’t wait to wake up on Christmas morning and see what I got. I’d literally make myself sick thinking about what I’d find under the tree everyday leading up to the actual morning of Christmas. I knew that no matter what, even if I didn’t get any of the things I want for Christmas on the list I gave to my parents, it was still going to be awesome
Perhaps that’s where the magic all started. Perhaps all that excitement and fulfillment is how little kids learn to associate Christmas as a time of hope in their lives.
No matter what happens, they come to discover that the people who love them will take care of them on this one special day.
The Things I Want for Christmas Now:
So like many things in our lives that get internalized at a young age, we never give up on that hope and looking forward to that one special day.
But “hope” carries such a different meaning as you mature into an adult. As a grown man with a family to look after, no longer do toys and gadgets really satisfy my true fears and things that keep me up at night.
So what are the things I really want?
- To make sure that everyone in my family is healthy, safe, and happy.
- To make sure that my children grow up to be good people.
- To know that they will grow up and be loved.
- To know that my wife and I will always still love each other. After all – once the kids leave the roost for college, it’s just you and me babe!
- To make sure that I can provide enough financial security to my family that we never have to worry about money ever again.
- To see my kids go off to college in search of better opportunities without getting saddled with years of insurmountable debt.
- Accomplishing what I want to get out of my job and more importantly my career.
- Succeeding in my passive income goals outside my job such as building up this blog and my other websites.
- To succeed in bringing in over $1,000 per month (or better) every month starting in 2014!
- Making a difference in the lives of complete strangers.
- Succeeding in whatever my I put my mind to.
- Creating a legacy that will change people’s lives.
- To feel loved and know that what I do matters.
So sorry to be so sappy, but those are the things I really want.
Yes, material gifts are still a lot of fun to open up on Christmas morning. And I’m very appreciative of everything that people get me. But like I said – long after the glow of Christmas morning wears away and reality sets in, these are all the things that I know I must work towards in order to feel fulfilled.
I think most of the parents and responsible adults reading this post can identify with wanting so much for their household. We still look to Christmas with that same sense of optimism and hope that we used to when it came to wanting to find that one toy on Christmas morning. But now we get much more satisfaction out of seeing that same enthusiasm in the people we care for. Now it is us who gets to make those dreams come true for others.
I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas!
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1) The Value of Time and Money
2) Believing In Yourself After Finding Out That You Suck
3) Want Some Financial Motivation? Get Off Your Computer and Go Outside!
Images courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Hey MMD,
Great list you have there. Family and health is the best gift of all. Happy Holidays, see you in 2014.
I’m right there with you buddy. If anything, and this is a little Grinchy of me, but I almost actively DON’T want anything material because there isn’t much that I really want and I don’t want to feel like we’ve wasted money. Terrible right? Anyways, hope you have a great Christmas!
When I was a child all I want are candies and chocolates! But now Christmas for me would be perfect if I can see my family happy with good health always. Merry Christmas to you!
Great list MMD and I can totally relate. We went through a lot of the same thing this year and came to the final realization that we just need to stop going through the motions and do something else we budget for gifts for each other. We get so much joy out of watching our kids open their gifts that we want that, but it almost feels like work when you have to come up with things to ask for from each other. I think we’ve decided that we’re going to spend the money on each other next year on something for the whole family or a night out at a nice hotel for my wife and I. At the end of the day, there are so many other things that are more important that coming up with a list for each other and would rather have the time instead.
I want health and safety for my family but I always keep a list of tangible things too. New sheets for my bed, a new blow dryer, kitchen knives, kind bars, and chapstick 🙂
Yes, presents just aren’t that important at this stage of the game. I would much rather have some quiet time at home than any sort of store bought item. Our daughter wants a cat really badly, and I keep telling her she can have one when she is willing to scoop the poop from the litter box. So far that has held her off!
My mom insists on buying me presents each year even though I’ll be 34! So, what did I ask for? A new skillet, a cheap calculator, and some yoga pants.
“Creating a legacy that will change people’s lives.” The older I get the more important this becomes, especially in relation to my children. I’m not even anticipating getting anything this Christmas and that’s completely OK by me.
So true! Right now I want more than anything in the world for my cousin to get through her double mastectomy today and hope it gets rid of all the cancer. And for a healthy, speedy recovery. And for myself to get back to feeling 100% so I can get back to my 1/2 marathon training. The somewhat intangible things….Hope you have a lovely Christmas.
Great post! I especially like “Creating a legacy that will change people’s lives.” It reminded me of a famous quote from Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Showing an act of kindness every day can help make our world a happy place. Merry Christmas MMD!
I’m so with you! When I was younger all I could think about was the STUFF I wanted every Christmas. Now I’m perfectly happy getting no presents because what I really want can’t be wrapped and is a list very similar to yours.
Its weird, when I was six I wanted ‘peace on Earth’ when I was thirty I wanted a Corvette, Now that I’m sixty I want ‘peace on Earth’ go figure Money, Find Love, Happiness, Success