My kids got a lot of toys for Christmas this year. Too many, in fact. My brother-in-law described his family’s similar windfall as “an embarrassment of riches”. This, in addition to a mountains of toys they already have, is a source of much cognitive dissonance for me. The older I get, the more I want to live simply and have less stuff. I want to teach my kids to be thankful for what they have, and to avoid the pitfalls of materialism. But I am up against doting grandparents and in-laws who are incurable shoppers and gift-givers. To deny them their ingrained demonstration of affection only serves to make me look like miserly Ebenezer Scrooge. It is a losing battle.
So for now I will focus my energies on the most pressing issue: finding a place for all this stuff. I have a feeling that many trips to Goodwill are in my future.
