The Joy Of Non-Gifting

       A few years ago my oldest daughter, Maria,

...came up with the best idea ever for a wonderful family Christmas. 
      I remember very clearly the moment Maria came up with her idea. 
      It was a Christmas morning, Tom, myself, and whichever of our adult children and their spouses were home that year had finished our Christmas morning brunch and were sitting around the living room, where we'd spent the last hour or so opening gifts in the traditional way we'd done since my children were young - going in a circle, each person opening a gift at a time. 
       After the last person had opened their last gift, Maria said,  "Can we not do this anymore?  Can  we stop giving Christmas presents from now on?"
       Rather than throwing a wet blanket on the moment, Maria's  suggestion was warmly welcomed.  We all agreed that the chore of trying figure out what gifts to buy for all our adult relatives, then having to run around and buy them brought more physical, mental and financial stress than joy to the season.   In fact I'd made the same suggestion to my parents and adult siblings the first Christmas after Tom and I were married and  I still recall my brother Joe's enthusiastic response: "Now that's the best G-D idea anybody's ever come up with around here!"
      

My brother Joe.

    I'm not sure it was the best G-D idea anyone had ever come up with, but it was definitely liberating, as was my daughter's idea.  At least for us.
    I've since observed that there are two camps in the world: To the first belong those who love Christmas gifting; to the second belong those who don't.   I believe my family members are the only people  in the world who belong to the second camp.
     Now I should clarify here that I'm talking strictly about  the exchange of Christmas gifts among adults;  of course I buy a few toys for my grand babies. 

Christmas is, after all, for children.

    At least the Christmas-present end of it.  Or so say we non-gifters.
    But though my family members are not Christmas gifters, we are most definitely Christmas feasters, and the feasting that began on Christmas Eve (see yesterday's post),

...continued yesterday with our Christmas morning brunch,  the preparation of which involved all available hands. 

(for us it wouldn't be Christmas morning without Pillsbury cinnamon rolls)

...as did the eating of which.

     When we finished eating we stayed around the table a long time talking.  With each of my children living in a different city, this was the first time in years that they'd all been home at the same time.  I wondered when the next time would be that we'd all be together like this.

   After breakfast there was some playing,

...and some more sitting around,

...and a visit from my good friend and Panera Posse member.

    Then the youngsters settled in for an afternoon of Star Wars marathoning in preparation for seeing the newest Star Wars movie, "The Force Awakens".  (I might have to see that one myself).

   However, two Star Wars episodes later it was time to eat again.
   So we hauled ourselves up and headed out for Christmas Dinner at the Iron Chef Japanese Steak House in Pickerington,

...where the show was fun,

...and the food was delicious. 

     Though one of my sons-in-law suggested that maybe the food tasted so good this time because we were all together.  This could be true

     After dinner the young'uns picked up where they'd left off on Star Wars,

      It was a good Christmas.