So I've been starting to think about Christmas. Trying to come up with good ideas for gifts for the kids. With 4 boys, things are starting to feel a little redundant. How many balls, cars and Legos can you fit in one house?! What do you do for the littlest ones who already have a house full of toys to play with? A few weeks ago I came across this great post from Design Mom. She's got a house full of kids, and they get three gifts each. Period. That feels a little sparse to me. I always feel like I want to give the kids a really magical Christmas morning, and I certainly don't want any of them to be disappointed. But, I admit that by the end of the day when they've opened gifts from grandparents it always seems like we've gone overboard with the gifts. Now, don't get me wrong, as most of you know, Reed and I are super cheap. We've always set a pretty reasonable budget for Christmas, but as the kids have gotten older, costs are going up. Plus, that's not really the point. The point is that I want them to be grateful for the gifts they receive, and be happy with fewer items, even if each item costs a little bit more. Also, I'm feeling the need to simplify. I really need a break from managing all of their toys! Some of the Design Mom readers said they have a tradition of each child receiving "something to wear, something to read, something they want, and something they need." I think this is a fun idea and it's been bouncing around in my head this year, but wonder how to scale back without disappointing the kids.
How about you? Do any of you have traditions like this? Also, do any of you have great gift ideas for little boys? How about for my parents? ;)
7 comments:
So, we do the three gift thing too, but not "something to wear, something to read and something to play with." I think it is great others do it, but if I gave my three boys something to wear for Christmas, they would cry. I just can't do it. We do a small, medium and large gift (and not necessarily size, sometimes cost). I pick a budget for each child and find the three best gifts for them and go with it. (Oh and on Christmas Eve they get pajamas and a book to read, so that kind of cancels out the reading thing.)
As far as preparing them, I would say something like this (in your most excited voice possible), "Boys, I am so excited! I've talked to Santa and he is bringing the best gifts to you this year! But in order to bring some pretty incredible gifts, I asked him to bring less gifts. So just be ready to not have as many gifts this year, but to have the coolest gifts ever." I am a firm believer that as a parent, it is all about presentation. Not about lying or making something it is not, but about preparing them for something in a positive, happy way. Kids do really well when you let them know ahead of time and point out the great parts of things. I promise it works. There is my opinion.
And I just finished choosing the gifs for all of the kids and am really excited about what they are getting. If you want me to send you some links, just email me and I will go through our Amazon cart and share them with you. Good luck!
PS. That made it sound like I chose a different budget for each child. Not so, same budget. Just to clarify.
If you get a lot of good ideas for parents, please share! And I desperately need help for good ideas for husbands!! Especially when his birthday is a month before Christmas and our anniversary is in the middle. Aahhh!
I don't have 4 boys, but even with just 2 kids I find that I am already getting rid of stuff. I sell some of it and have decided I can repurchase it on Craigslist if I decide I need the same thing later.
We the 3 gifts too- something to wear, something to read, and something to play with. Grandparents give money.
I don't believe in each kid getting the same amount of money for gifts. Because a baby toy for jr. is much cheaper than a new bike.
Forget Santa!!!! He teaches greed. Focus on the true meaning of Christmas!! Do something like 'The Angel Tree'
Thanks for your comments and ideas. I definitely think the true meaning of Christmas can include both Santa and giving trees. Santa is magical and fun, and something I plan to continue with my boys. But, I also like the idea of including them in our plans to give to others at Christmastime.
At our house Santa always brings just one thing for each kid (and fills up stockings which sometimes have small little things wrapped up, just for fun). We give them a couple things, too. I have found that after gifts from grandparents and a cousin or two who has drawn their name, they always seem to have plenty of stuff. My kids have never said they wished there were more presents. I like this method for a couple reasons: 1) If I'm going to go to all the effort of wrapping gifts, I like them to sit under the tree all season long! They look pretty. So, once I buy something, it gets wrapped and goes straight under the tree. Only Santa has to hide his gifts. 2) Santa (an unknown and unseen fellow) doesn't get all the credit if most of the gifts come from real people (aka mom and dad, grandma, etc). It seems to me that there is less gratitude when there isn't any PERSON to thank. 3) Just seeing the gifts under the tree builds anticipation. And, anticipation is really MOST of the fun at Christmastime.
P.S. In order to avoid having my kids buy each other lots of junk from the dollar store, we work together to make homemade gifts for siblings. It has been fun to see the ideas my kids have come up with over the years. Homemade gifts have included: bookmarks, magnets, hand made stuffed toys, and a decorated pillow case.
P.P.S. This year we are thinking of getting just one BIG thing for everyone (trampoline...don't tell), so I'll let you know how that goes over. :)
Tanner told me that one year they woke up and there weren't any presents, just a giant banner above the tree that said "WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!" they packed left the next day. the kids loved it and...no toys for you to deal with!
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