Minimizing at Christmas
The push to buying Christmas presents starts earlier and earlier every year. This year I felt that we were being bombarded with commercials, sales and best present ideas even before Halloween was over. It gives our children lots of time to come up with umpteen ideas of what presents they “need” and gives us more time to spend more money. All the coolest, newest toys are popping up everywhere, a lot of which are gimic toys that won’t keep their attention for longer than the Christmas holidays but are extremely over-priced and terribly sought after and of course exactly what our kids request.
The pressure to ensure we fork over all of our money on presents is very real. It is so stressful. The idea of minimizing presents and reducing our children’s expectations sounds wonderful to me. There are some great ideas and ways to cut down on buying over the holidays. Perhaps your family is looking for just such an idea. Here are some ideas I found:
Four gift rule – Something you need, something you want, something to read and something to wear. Most kids really don’t need that many toys. I can’t count how many parents I’ve spoken to that have said they just don’t know what to get their child.
Many children are very fortunate and have everything they can possibly need or want. Why then do we feel the need to go out and buy umpteen gifts, spend tons of money we don’t necessarily have and then watch them tear through package after package? Because we think we should, that’s why. This rhyme helps us focus on four things per person.
Five gift rule – Something you need, something you want, something to read, something to wear and something you make. I love this one.
I often think something homemade is what will be treasured the most over time. Whether it be a handmade photo album or scrapbook, something for their room, a decoration, a handmade bracelet by mom or dad will also be something treasured.
Experiences/Outings: I love the idea of experiences for Christmas. These moments are ones that children often remember forever, “that time you took me to the museum”. No toy can actually trump an outing with someone they love.
Wrapping items for the stocking so that opening each item individually is more fun than tearing through the stocking.
Using printed coupons as gifts is super cute. Coupons that say one extra movie night, one week of no chores, dessert before dinner… these are sure to get a nice smile and they’ll be so excited to “spend” them.
Buying used items on yard sale sites helps cut down cost on expensive toys.
Slowing down the present opening process so that they can really enjoy each present helps them appreciate what they’ve received and it won’t feel like there’s less even if there is. There are some fun games using dice to decide who gets to open a present first/next/last. It also allows each person in the family the chance to see what the other has received.
Stay tuned for more Christmas articles leading up to the big day. I absolutely love Christmas traditions and can’t wait to share more tips and tricks I’ve read about.
