How do you decide how much you are giving your kids for Christmas?
Christmas is literally my favorite time of the year. However it is easy to get “caught up” in the season. When I was waiting on Peyton to come home from Guatemala what got me through the wait was long talks with my friends who were also waiting and making plans for upcoming holidays. I immediately starting planning traditions and one of the traditions that we decided is that “Santa” would only bring (3) gifts to Peyton to represent the 3 wise men. This was important for us so that we didn’t go overboard both in terms of budget and in terms of “spoiling”. So every year since Peyton came home we have stuck to our tradition of (3) gifts from Santa. What we love about this is that he is now 10 and he doesn’t “expect” more than 3 gifts each year!
How do you decide how much you are giving your kids for Christmas?
We give three gifts and (1) is for Gold – It is something they want, (1) is for Frankincense – It is something Spiritual and the final (1) is for Myrrh and it is something for the body.
How do you decide how much you are giving your kids for Christmas?
I was talking with some of my girlfriends about Christmas giving and we were talking about how we have all scaled back. One of my friends told me that they give (4) gifts each year to their kids. They do (1) Something You Want, (1) Something You Need, (1) Something You Wear and (1) Something to Read. I really like this idea so much! This is a great way to limit your giving too!
Another friend told me that now that their kids no longer “believe” in Santa that they do (3) small gifts from Mom and Dad and a “Family Adventure”. I am in LOVE with this idea. Now that Peyton is no longer”believing” I really am thinking this may be in our future as far as Christmas Traditions. Not only will he continue to get his three gifts but a Family Adventure is a memory that will last him a lifetime!
The Family “experience” is a way to give to your kids for Christmas instead of tons of “stuff”. They have done things like plan an overnight to an indoor water park, purchase a Ziplining adventure and spend the night in a cabin, plan a trip to a Cavern or a Cave and then stay in a cabin or tent camp, book a night at a hotel with an indoor pool or even purchase tickets to a movie and go on a carriage ride downtown after. The sky is really endless when it comes to planning a Family “Experience”. You may even give the family a season pass or pool membership. One way to save money is to purchase through Groupon or Living Social. They have some amazing travel deals that you can take advantage of. Just be sure to read the fine print for any exclusions.
I hope these three ideas help you not only in simplifying the season but also in reducing your expenses at Christmas time.
So what do you think about these gift giving ideas? Do you have any that you have created?
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Melissa is a football and soccer mom who has been married to her best friend for 24 years. She loves sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.
Great ideas! We’ll have to try a set like this. Thanks for sharing.