Giving thanks for all the stuff

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! The day we give thanks for everything that we have and show our gratitude for for our homes, families, toys, and other good stuff. Unless you're my kids. They can't wait until their grandparents come because "they are going to buy me stuff." *sigh* I really don't want my kids to emulate Madonna and the whole "living in a material world" attitude, but somehow that seems to be where they firmly stand.

What to do? Granted, my children are not exactly lacking in the toy department, but we certainly don't buy them toys every time we're out, half the time, or even a quarter of the time. We value books and family time. They play independently with the same toys for hours at a time. So why, when their grandparents visit, are they obsessed with "what they brought us" rather than enjoying the fact that we get to see them for one of the few times each year?

I'm considering declaring a moratorium on gift bringing and buying when my parents and my mother-in-law visit. Part of me wants to lay down the law and say no presents unless it's a birthday or Christmas, their presence (rather than presents) should be a gift in itself. But I also don't want to be THAT daughter-in-law who doesn't allow a grandma to give presents to her grandchildren. But I also don't want them to be spoiled brats with the gimmes-gimmees.

Of course, this weekend we celebrate Dominic's birthday, so there will be presents. With a December birthday, it's too overwhelming to celebrate at the same time we see the family for Christmas. Not only would it be too many gifts at once (so that he wouldn't appreciate most of them), but his birthday would be a bit lost in the craziness that is the Ruffo-family Christmas celebration. So we celebrate at Thanksgiving instead. And of course, heaven forbid one child get presents while the other is left out. (Isn't that the point of birthdays?) That means that Francesca gets gifts at Dominic's birthday and vice versa.

Maybe I can request that the grandparents don't buy them additional stuff while they are here this weekend. I have a feeling that would be akin to asking them to cut off a limb considering the amount of Black Friday and Thanksgiving weekend shopping we are apt to do. I guess we'll wait and see what happens. Hopefully I can nip any extra random gift purchasing in the bud....

In the meantime, where am I going to put all this stuff???