If ever the girls decide to look back and compare the number of gifts they got for Christmas, this will be the year that they will both say, “Hey, I was robbed!” There was a looooot less under the tree for them both and it was by design.
For Mila, the issue was that she really doesn’t care what’s in a present; she just wants to unwrap the present. Unwrapping presents is magical and mystical and go ahead, wrap a lump of coal. She will happily declare it ”So pretty!” and move onto the next present. Thus, she had clothes under the tree, but only a couple of toys. I assumed her grandparents would fill in the toy gap (Which was an error on my part. SORRY, MILA!) and Santa was responsible for toiletries and a bike. All-in-all, it was plenty, but it was less than other years.
Alexis’ situation was even starker. She basically had one big present to open from her parental units, so there were some clothes and little things, but nothing that cost more than $10. Seriously. That was my cap on gifts for her.
Because she finally got a phone.
I don’t know how exactly it happened, but somewhere along the line, Alexis got it in her head that she wasn’t allowed to get a cell phone until she turns 14. If I ever told her that was the rule, it was purely out of a desire to get her to stop talking because that was never the plan. For the childless who are reading this and thinking it’s crazypants for a 6th grader to have a phone, I’m not even joking when I say Alexis was the last of her crew to get one. Her friends have had them for a year or longer depending on the situation.
And holy smokes was her not having a phone turning into an inconvenience for me. I mean, I have been known to text her friends to ask them to give her a message because I couldn’t tell her myself. Nothing says “adulting” like telling a 6th grader to tell another 6th grader something important. I honestly have no idea how previous generations managed to arrange for pickups and drop-offs without cell phones. Changing plans on the fly necessitates communication, y’know?
ANYWAY. I made up my mind that Alexis would get a phone months ago. She had absolutely, positively no idea it was going to happen. To keep it that way, I didn’t go get it until a few hours before we planned to open presents. Even then, I wrapped the phone box in a plastic bag, wrapped that all the way around with duct tape, then wrapped that with wrapping paper. When that part was done, I placed it inside a gift box and wrapped it again. TWICE. If Alexis had tried to peek, she would have found herself down a dangerous rabbit hole with no good way out.
Even when it was officially time to open things up, it took her a good ten minutes to find her way to the treasure. There were scissors involved and lots of help and it would have been HILARIOUS if I had wrapped coal for her just because by the time she got to the actual gift, she was so frustrated. And then she screamed. And then she was deliriously happy.
And then she cried.
I think that’s how you know you successfully executed a surprise. Happy tears are the best, y’all.