Ritz: Back to Basics

I've always been all about Christmas. This year is different. The recession has taken a huge toll on us this year. David hasn't worked since Thanksgiving. It's been rough on us. I'm just grateful that the kids are grown and have all moved out. It could be worse... I'm grateful I have a home, food on the table, car to get to work, and that I still am able to work. We are all healthy and together for Christmas, that's all that really matters. Tony is here even though he leaves tomorrow.

So this year I decided we would do Dollar Store Christmas and make it easier on all of us and still be able to exchange presents. The kids thought it would be fun too. They are all pretty broke and agreed that Christmas should be about family being together. Anyway they are grown, and Desi is the only one we really had to buy for.

Any other year, I start getting excited once the month of December rolls around. I make myself nuts with shopping for just the right gifts and getting the perfect Christmas tree. But not this year. I was bummed. I wasn't feeling it. My Christmas cheer had disappeared. Christmas Eve I worked a half day, I still hadn't bought much and I still didn't have any decorations up...NO CHRISTMAS TREE!!! At least we had Desi taken care of. I went and bought little things at the dollar store. I had a $15 gift certificate for Target, so I figured I'd just go look. I ended up crying inside Target. Crying because my Christmas was going to suck. So I bought Tony and Anjelika little things so that they would wake up Christmas morning to something under the tree...hmmm what tree? I had nothing. I went home feeling a little better. David had found a small 3 inch Christmas tree that I had from long ago as a table decoration and had decorated it and set it up on the corner of the living room. he sure knows how to make me happy. We started cleaning up and I started dinner. I finally went into Christmas eve mode and wrapped all the presents and put them under the little tree.

Not bad even though you can see the house under construction.

Anjelika had come over to borrow the car so she could pick up some last minute gifts and pick up her things from her week of house sitting for her boss. She laughed at the sight of our little Christmas corner. When she got back, she had brought back with her a real Christmas tree. David had sent her to buy one. Have I mentioned how much I love this man. It's going on 30 years we've been together and he still never ceases to amaze me. Anjelika brought out all the home made and the ornaments we've collected through the years. She decorated and arranged all the gifts I had wrapped.

At 7:30 we sat down to eat our traditional Cuban meal. We ate till we were all in a food coma. Then on to the exchanging of the presents. This year Desi got into at least tearing open his presents.. Notice how quickly he got comfy and got down to basics too. Down to his diaper!

I learned a valuable lesson this year. It's not about what new tech gadget I could buy, what new guitar stuff to get, having Santa for 2 grown children, it's about family. We were all together and we laughed and had fun. The kids got into the whole dollar store gift giving. It was hilarious. David got a target gun so that when someone steps on a mike or guitar cords during jam night he doesn't have to shout across the room..he can just aim and shoot to get their attention.

Somehow we were able to get these on Desi long enough for Laura to take a picture. Gotta love the look on his face..."WTF Mima!!"