Literally Can't Wait for Christmas

Post Reply New Topic

My son loves Christmas. He is so excited, but at the same time, he's having a hard time dealing with the wait. He cries almost daily whenever he sees something that reminds him of Christmas. He says that it's just too hard to wait and that every time he thinks about it, it makes him sad because it's not here yet.

Last night I put a couple of presents sent from family under the tree, and he was on the verge of meltdown because he knew he couldn't open them yet. If he turns on the TV and a Christmas show is on, he gets very excited at first (because he loves it), but then turns to tears because he literally can't wait.

We've talked endlessly about how the spirit of Christmas is about giving and not getting. He seems to understand this. He is grateful for all that he has, but he's almost 6, so naturally he's most excited about the presents. Unfortunately, Santa's sack is going to be a little light this year, so I'm hoping Christmas itself won't be a big let down since his list is massive.

So I'm wondering if I should make an attempt to avoid all things Christmassy because I don't want him to be upset. We normally do a lot of festive activities and he also has a younger sister that we must consider as well. I know that he actually loves Christmas and everything about it, because he's told me so. He's just been so unable to deal with the anticipation this year that he's asked me to take away the Christmas tree and the presents so he's not reminded of it. In his own words he says "they make me so sad, mommy."

huh so what you 're asking is : my son ADORES christmas, should i stop doing christmas?
or did i get it wrong?
My son also can't wait for christmas. but for him, it is indeed "literally". he has opened a few presents already. he doesn't enjoy the wait and doesn't care about the surprise, so i had him put aside a few presents to put under the tree so he wouldn't feel like he got nothing. he told me "but if i open the presents now i will still know that they are my christmas presents you know...."very well then go ahead, why torture the kid....

Does he have an advent calendar? My sons are into Lego, and for the past few years we have bought them each a Lego advent calendar. Every day they get a new toy to put together, and it really helps them wait. We also open a few presents throughout the month too. This not only spreads out the excitement and makes the wait less difficult, but it diffuses how overwhelming Christmas morning can be.

I made my youngest sister an advent calendar (she is 17 and has William's syndrome and autism). Every four days throughout December she gets a small gift or treat from us. I put rhyming clues in the pockets, and she reads them over and over again and tries to guess what the gifts could be (they only magically appear in their hiding places on the correct day, so she can't get into them early). This has really helped her to understand how long the wait will be, and to have things to look forward to along the way.

Also, we don't put any presents under the tree until Christmas Eve. That way it isn't soooooo hard for the kids, staring at them but not being able to open. And I say keep doing all the wonderful festive activities that he enjoys, just maybe spread out those presents a little so the wait isn't so painful.

Oh, I so badly wanted to get that Lego calendar. My son is a Lego junkie. We just couldn't afford it. Our budget is absurdly tight this year. We're still recovering from a long stretch of unemployment that ate up most of our savings. We're paycheck to paycheck and it took us months to save up the little that we could for the few presents that we bought. I'd love to let him open a few here and there, but then there would be nothing left for Christmas morning.

In retrospect, I shouldn't have put the few presents from family out, but in the past, he liked seeing presents under the tree so I didn't think this year would be different. But aside from money, gifts, and stuff, our little traditions that we've always enjoyed so much are causing him distress this year. Our favorite thing used to be driving around, hot chocolates in hand, and trying to find the coolest Christmas light display. This year, he spent half the time crying. He also cried when we made our Christmas cards and said he doesn't want to help with making cookies this year.

He's not normally like this. He generally a very happy child, both at home and in school. He also has a birthday coming up very soon after Christmas which he's also very excited for. Maybe it's just too overwhelming for him. It's almost like the anticipation is causing a bit of depression. Outside of giving him stuff (which we can't afford anyway), what would be a good way of helping him to cope?

Having Christmas on a set date doesn't make much sense, anyway. Even if you're celebrating it in a religious context, Jesus wasn't actually born on Christmas. I think someone smart would have Christmas earlier or later when there are lots of sales.

I obsess over Christmas, but not to the point of crying. When I was little I'd line up the gifts or stack them and carry them from one room to the other. If your child doesn't put any significance in the specific date of Christmas, why not celebrate it early at least when he is young?

Blasphemy! No, I'm just kidding.

That's actually not a bad idea. Unfortunately, my hubby works on weekends and my son has school on weekdays, so Christmas will be one of the few days that our whole family can be home together. The togetherness is a very important part of it and we all look forward to having the whole day together.

Oh, that is so sad that he is crying and not enjoying himself. The holidays can be such an overwhelming time. Maybe some of the usual traditions will have to be put aside if it is just too much for him.

And yes, those lego calendars are expensive. All lego is so overpriced! We have had many lean years where it was out of the question for us too. The first advent calendars that my sons had, I made myself out of old felt blankets, and filled with candies. We also did one where we got outgrown baby socks and mittens, put numbers on them with fabric paint and then hung them from a wire with clothespins. It cost us almost nothing (just a few dollars for candies, stickers etc. to put in each day), but really helped them to visualize the countdown to the big day. There are also tonnes of clickable online advent calendars (all free).

Perhaps you could find some little, cheap things that he likes, wrap them, and let him unwrap one every few days.

It might also help to engage him in christmas activities if you can redirect his attention and association of christmas with only presents.

For example, though my family is not christian, we still celebrated christmas (short story) and I always looked forward to the cookies.

You can still give him 'presents' as long as they are cheep enough.

Just go to a nearby dollar store and pick up a few dollars worth of small candies (M+Ms, skittles, bit sized candy bars, etc). Then you take a small handful of the candies and wrap them up in a little pouch of wrapping paper (also available at the dollar store). You can then let your child unwrap a little present after dinner. Basically, it will just be his desert, but he gets to think it is a gift. All it will cost you is maybe 3-4 bucks to get him through to Christmas. You probably would have spent that much on ice cream or other deserts anyways.

Since it sounds like this year is different, I wonder if he has some unexpressed anxiety? He has to be aware things have been tight for the family, and young imaginations can get really creative - and inappropriate - translating that to life. Could he be afraid he won't get anything? Or could he be worried the celebration is costing the family too much? Or is there something he wants super duper badly, more than in the past, and that is why he can't wait? I'd spend a lot of time talking with him about all sorts of things related to the holidays and family life and see what slips out.

I hadn't really considered the possibility of him having financial anxiety. We do our very best to keep such adult problems away from our kids. We don't discuss difficulties around them and my hubby and I have been getting along just as well as we always do (thankfully). We're not very materialistic and have always tried to teach our kids that there's so much more to life than just stuff, and just how lucky we are to have each other and a roof over our heads. But maybe our good intentions backfired by causing unnecessary fear in our boy. He is very perceptive and as I think of it now, I have probably grossly underestimated his level of understanding.

We have been through a lot over the past year or so. We lost our house and had to move out of state just to find employment. We've tried to make it a fun adventure for them and focus on the positive. He's in a school now that he loves and we actually live closer to family, but still, it's quite an adjustment.

Thank you all for your replies and suggestions. I think a long talk and a trip to the dollar store is in order.