Simplicity, a reminder to myself

Moving up here I saw this as a breath of fresh air, and chance to simplify, a chance for peace and simplicity, to get away from consumerism and materialism....and yet while browsing online for Christmas gifts, I come across a million things that I want, not for me but for A. I am having to forcibly make myself step back and examine does she really need them. She is so happy with the things she has, that she has had a hard time even coming up with anything to ask Santa for, besides the playmobil hospital she has wanted for over a year. It really helps that she watches very little TV, thus she sees very little commercials of things she must have. It amazed me few weeks ago when I kept my friends little one and A actually watched some morning TV (ie Diego, Dore, etc) just how striking the advertisements were. There were so many all aimed at my precious child telling her she Needs this or that to be happy. Things she would play with for one moment and be done with. How had I missed this before we moved here and she watched a little TV every morning while I was getting ready for the day. The materialism of it all is shocking. So back to my struggle, I am reminding myself, that she does not need all these things. I am not depriving my child by not filling her life with mindless stuff. She does not need an over the top Christmas to be happy. Thus, she will have one large purchase and gift from Santa....Either the Playmobil Hospital or the Playmobil Pyramid (I told her she would have to chose because Santa has a budget and those are both expensive toys. That she can chose one for Santa to bring her for Christmas and one for Mom and Dad to get her for her b-day). The rest of her presents will be homemade, simple presents and a few books. She will be just as happy as if we spent hundreds of dollars. And this I work on reminding myself of tonight as I close the amazon window of my Internet. Just some thoughts to myself tonight.