It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. At least I was feeling that way when I entered the stores starting in November! I still have a hard time with rushing Christmas. It seems we celebrate Halloween and then we mention Thanksgiving but we rush Christmas.

The decorations are in the stores, the music is playing, and the streets are lined with decorations in anticipation of the holly jolly spirit of Christmas. I must admit it is easy to get caught up in the frenzy of buying Christmas gifts when the season starts so early. The problem I have is that even if I start early I am never done by Christmas because I always see one more thing that would be fun to buy for my grandchildren.

However, the younger parents that I know are being Bah Humbug and Scrooge this Christmas. I spent part of the afternoon explaining to a young friend of mine that grandparents love to spoil their grandchildren. When the parents of these children tell their parents that there are only to be one or two gifts this season they completely do not understand the ‘Tis the season for grandparents to be jolly.”

I get the same thing from my children when it comes to their children’s presents. Last year I was told that I was only allowed one toy each and one outfit. I agreed to that. So the gifts I gave my grandchildren last year were a CD, a Spider-Man camp bed, slippers, necklaces and music boxes. They are not toys! I love to spoil my grandchildren.

This year they are on to me and have tried to make me promise only one gift per child. I do not know if I can stick to that promise but because I do not want to teach my grandchildren that their life is about things I will be more careful with my gifts. I do want to teach them about giving from the heart.

This year my gifts to my grandchildren will not cost a great deal of money. My gifts will be made with love. They will receive grandma made scarves and grandma made necklaces. The boys will receive wooden toys made by their grandfather. Together I hope to sit down with my older grandchildren and help them pick out something from a world vision or heifer international catalog that we can donate in their name. And since I have told you what these children are receiving I am swearing you all to secrecy.

I might have to make them some fudge and some brownies and some homemade ice cream. Of course, after they eat all of those things, I can send them home with their parents before they are hanging from the ceiling from all that sugar. I can make my grandchildren feel special without spending a lot of money on material things.

In reality I believe my young friend and my children have the right idea. They want their children to grow up with the true meaning of Christmas. They also want their houses uncluttered with too many toys that are not always appreciated because there are too many.

We spend a great deal of money trying to give our children the biggest and the best toys because they see the ads on television and they know they have to have it. I have to admit I am a catalog junkie. I see all the toys on television and in the catalogs and think my grandchildren would love those toys. I want to spend and spend and spend. Then the bills arrive and I must face reality. Long after the toys are tossed away my credit card bills will still be there and I will still be paying for those tossed away toys.

My youngest grandson just turned one. His favorite toy at my house in the midst of all of grandma’s toys is a 69 cent ball. My 3-year-old grandson’s favorite toy is a plastic eagle that cost me 25 cents. The two girls play with Barbies that were my daughters when she was young. Their favorite books are golden books that were mine when I was young. It does not take expensive toys to make them happy.

Many of us seem to struggle with the holiday season. The advertisers set the tone for the holiday season by having us believe we are missing out if we can’t buy or give the latest and the greatest. I happen to think the latest and the greatest gift can’t be bought.

My greatest gifts would be health for my family. My greatest gifts would be a grandchild sitting on my lap. My greatest gift would be attending church on Christmas. My greatest gift would be spending time with my family and friends. These gifts do not make me feel guilty or broke long after the holiday season is over.

So if you shopped till you dropped the Friday after Thanksgiving and are wondering if it was all worth it, I would like you to ask yourself this question. At the end of your life, will what you bought and gave this holiday season still matter in someone’s life?

It’s time to take Sambo, my trusty canine, shopping. He wasn’t given the one-gift rule.

Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send e-mail to her at thecolumn@bevcomm.net.