The Aftermath

The day after Christmas is always a bit depressing. We do all still have the glow of the holiday still fresh on us, but reality starts to sink in. We have to go back to the real world. The world were you can't just eat Christmas cookies every night without noticing your waistband tightening. The world where there is no longer a buzz of excitement in the air as we anticipate the Big Day. The world that has school and work beckoning us back in a few short days. The world were children actually want to play with the toys they got and not just look at them in their packages. The world where these new toys must find a home.

Seriously, could toy packaging be anymore difficult? I mean what are they trying to accomplish with all the twist ties,wiring, hard plastic, rubber bands, and tape? What happened to the days of just opening a box and whatever was in it CAME OUT. That would be nice. I cringed each time one of the kids were ready to explore the next toy. I think by six this evening we were finally done opening toy packaging. I was literally on my last nerve, and I think a tear may have snuck out.

After all the toys have been successfully removed from their packaging, you really get an idea of how much "stuff" you really have. All that "stuff" needs a "home".

Well, we are out of "homes" in our home. I guess you could say, "There is no more room in the inn," if you wanted to keep things festive. The realization that we must get rid of stuff to make room for stuff always goes over so well with The Little Ones.

The Girl actually did pretty well with the concept this year. I told her that if she wanted something to come into her playroom, that something about the same size must come out.

Forever.

I told her we would be giving the toys to The Goodwill, and she would not be playing with them anymore, so she needed to be wise about her decision. Like I said, she did pretty well. Until the Polly Pockets were removed from the toy room.

I had actually removed them over a year ago due to the fact that The Little Man was at the age where he was putting everything into his mouth, and Polly Pockets are basically made out of broken balloons. They were just a tad on the freaky side to me in this regard. Well, we found them again today. Since they hadn't been played with nor missed, I figured they would be easily placed into the "Going to the Goodwill" pile.

Notsomuch.

I have since convinced her that they are more at home there, and they are making room for some of our other, much more fun, stuff.

I don't even have to tell you, I am sure, that The Little Man didn't really appreciate the whole "One Out One In" concept. Nope. Didn't like it one bit. He has tried to convince me that giving up a small toy from a McDonald's Happy Meal is totally worthy of allowing him to keep an entire race track in it's place.

Ya.

So, after Christmas we have in our home a small little battlefield full of twist ties, wire, tape that doesn't break no matter how far you stretch and pull it, hard plastic packaging that could literally cut your arm off if you are not careful, and two small children trying to decide what from their beloved collections of toys and stuffed animals they are and are not going to keep.

Thankfully, Christmas vacation is 2 weeks long.

We need this next week just to work through all of this.