When Christmas morning comes, there will be lots of presents for the kid under the tree, but none of them will be from us.
No, we didn't blow all our Christmas money on diapers, or even a babysitter for date night (Grandma's free!), but we decided that this six-month-old didn't need a present from us this year.
Between the kid's four grandparents, aunt, uncle, great uncle and unrelated-but-chosen aunties and uncles, he will have a deluge of gifts.
Most likely the kid will have more fun tearing the wrapping paper than playing with the toys, and he won't remember who bought him such cute outfits, but we will and we will be grateful to our community for keeping him clothed, adorable and entertained.
To be fair, there won't be any presents for mom and dad under the tree either. We aren't completely against , we'll be giving to our family and friends, but this year we decided to focus our new family on the parts of Christmas that are beyond presents. We have taken full advantage of Alameda's Christmas spirit — which it has in abundance. Tree lightings, caroling, and, of course, Alameda's own — we have focused on giving the kid the Christmas experience.
Next year, Santa will probably leave quite a haul under our tree.
