Hear Hear.
My 12 and 14yr old slept until 9:30, which is a treat for them.
Christmas seems much less "busy" now.
Friday's highlight was lunch as a family at a Chinese restaurant and going to see StarWars. (I'd been looking forward to this day for weeks, usually hubby and I are working through Christmas Eve but we both took off Friday.)
Saturday's highlight was my 12yr daughter's Girl Scout troop went "Caroling for Cans", singing carols by candlelight to neighbors in exchange for canned goods or donations to the local food bank. They received $100 and 70# of food. We admired Christmas lights on the drive to and fro. My 14 year old son helped make dinner, a recipe he'd been begging for for weeks--coriander wings with homemade mac&cheese.
Here it is, Christmas Eve, and I'm sitting on my laptop, admiring my tree. Everything's done, planned out, keeping it simple with the meals--pizza and salad tonight, ham, dirty rice and veggies tomorrow. The presents are wrapped, and it didn't take forever. We set a budget and stuck to it, a few gifts each.
Church this afternoon, then a little time with the grandparents. Maybe a nice long walk with the dog on the greenline tomorrow. It won't be crowded!
The teen years are stereotypically bad years, but so far, I've enjoyed seeing them grow into young adults. It's my goal to see them turn into fully functioning adults, so we regularly work on cooking, cleaning, budgeting, life skills. The job of the adolescent is separating from the parents.
I agree the holidays are easier and more laid back. We don't have to keep up the Santa charade, and the kids understand that the budget is not limitless. We can choose activities that are fun but don't break the bank.