What my daughter’s letter to Santa taught me

I know I haven’t written a post in quite some time. At first I was just really busy with work and holiday preparations and I kept putting it off. Then after what happened in Connecticut…I honestly just haven’t had the desire to write about anything. Like many other parents throughout the country, I’ve taken what happened at that school pretty hard. Having a school-aged child myself, it’s been hard not to imagine myrself in the shoes of one of the parents that lost a child so tragically and inexplicably. But, in an effort to move past the grief and sadness, I’m writing this post in the spirit of Christmas, Childhood and Innocence lost too soon. I dedicate this post to my daughter—whom I’ve held extra close, loved extra hard and thanked the lord for many, many times these past few days.

This is my 9-year olds letter to Santa (I added a transcript at the end in case it's hard to read): 

Leilani is her name. It means heavenly flower in Hawaiian and when I first heard it, I knew it was perfect for her. So far she’s lived up to her moniker effortlessly. Ever since she’s been old enough to write letters to Santa she has never forgotten to thank him for the gifts she received the year before. I love this about her. You can teach your kids to be polite and show them manners, but gratitude is something that cannot be taught. She has a grateful soul and a compassion for others that far exceeds anything I’ve been able to teach her. Like all children she will test her limits—she knows she’s not getting an iphone or a Soda Stream! But she’ll never get angry or upset about it. She’s always happy and thankful for whatever she receives. Her witt and cretivigy shine through her personality...I don’t know where she got the idea that Santa’s mailing address is “Santa’s Groto, North Pole” lol. This year she was also thoughtful enough to write a letter to Santa on behalf of her 1-year old half-brother. Again, nobody asked her to do this…it’s just the type of kind-hearted soul she is.

I never thought I could get so much out of a letter to Santa! Reading it really brought me joy this year. Perhaps it’s because of what happened in Newtown. Perhaps it’s because she’s at an age where she definitely questions whether Santa is real and I know there won’t be too many more of these letters to come. Whatever it was, it really struck home with me and reminded me to really treasure what I have…the little things…the subtleties.

Letter to Santa Transcript
Dear Santa,
This year for Christmas I would like...
1. Soda Stream with powdered soda
2. iphone
3. Shimmer tattoo
4. American Girl doll Josefina with accesories
5. Movie-The Nightmare Before Christmas
6. A new sled
P.S. Thank you for last years gifts
I live at ____________
(heart) Leilani N.

Holiday Gifts for Teens/Pre-Teens

If you are the parent of a teen/pre-teen you probably already have a pretty good idea of what types of gifts they want this holiday season. But if you have a teenaged niece, granddaughter or family member on your list that you are a little clueless about what to get for the holidays, here are some simple guidelines to help you:

If you ask me, the best types of gifts for this age group are gift cards and gift certificates. Teens and pre-teens are at an age where they are trying to assert their independence; giving them the power to make their own buying decisions will surely go over well with this age group. They also happen to be old enough now to appreciate the value of getting, well… basically money. But unlike cash, with a gift card you have some control over the type of merchandise they can purchase, and this tech-savvy generation will appreciate being able to make purchases online. Here are some suggestions for gift cards that will definitely keep you out of the lame zone this holiday season:
 

• Movie Theatres
• Amazon
• i-Tunes
• Bookstores
• Department Stores
• Mall Gift Cards
• Cosmetic, Bath or Jewelry Boutiques
• Specialty Sports/Athletic Stores
• Specialty Gaming Stores
• Electronic Stores
• Restaurants
• Specialty Hobby Shops
• Summer Camps
• Spas, Hair/Nail Shops
• Facebook Credits

Photo via Flickr by Mr. T in DC

Now that you know what’s hot, here are some gift-giving pitfalls you will want to avoid:

Fashion- Avoid buying clothes, shoes etc…unless you are sure it is something they want. At this developmental stage adolescents are trying to find their identities and fashion provides a sense of identity for many teens. But with this age group, clothing is much more than just style. Fashion also serves as a way of identifying which social groups (jocks, preppy, goth, etc) they belong to or wish to identify with. Rebellion, pop culture, peer pressure and many other factors also influence what teens want to wear. Needless to say, no matter how good your sense of style may be, picking out clothes for adolescents is never simple.

Beauty Products- Beauty product gifts are usually popular with teen girls because most of them want to explore new looks and they want to get noticed. But, unless you know what rules their parents have about wearing makeup, nail polish etc… it’s best to stay away from this type of gift. To be safe, go with non-makeup beauty products such as soaps, lotions, shampoos and perfumes instead.

Cell Phones- The same rationale in paragraph above also applies to cell phones and electronics. If the teen you are shopping for doesn’t already have their own a cell phone, tablet, TV etc.; find out first if it’s because their parents don’t want them to have one yet.

Shopping for the teen/pre-teen age group (which usually covers ages 9-19) doesn’t have to be a nightmare as long as you keep these few simple rules in mind. As with anything else, use your common sense when picking out age-appropriate gifts and if you’re ever in doubt ask the parents. I hope some of these tips will help you make that special young person in your life exclaim OMG! this holiday season.