Before I had kids I dreamed of Christmas morning being calm and quiet with all of us sitting in front of the fire with hot cocoa and matching pajamas, nicely opening gifts one at a time in a calm and thankful fashion. And then life happened.
The truth is, kids are not naturally thankful – or calm, for that matter; they are selfish and loud. So my idea of Christmas morning kind of had to change a bit from that idealistic vision to a real life morning in our house.
My kids are probably like many of yours: SPOILED by their grandparents, aunts and uncles. So when our first child approached age 2, we thought we would set a precedent for what our girls can expect on Christmas morning. We have many traditions, but one of my favorites is how we handle gifts.
Each child will receive 4 gifts:
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something they wear
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something they need
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something they want
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something they read
It’s as simple as that. Once our girls started getting a bit older we learned from the craziness around us and we didn’t want to go down the path of mass chaos, spoiled children, whining, etc. Let’s be honest. It’s not about the gifts, but gifts are fun and a big part of what makes Christmas magical and beautiful. I have a ton of friends who struggle with what Christmas gifting should look like for their family. This is just what works for us and I hope it can help someone out there!!
A good strategy. We do the ‘3 gifts’ strategy.
1 from ‘Santa’ – this is a toy they really want that mom & dad won’t buy
1 from mom & dad – usually a set of books & clothes
1 from each other – again, another toy, but with a lower price point.
They also receive a new pair of pajamas the night before Christmas. I don’t think of that as a gift, necessarily.
After figuring in the gifts from grandparents and the gift exchange with extended family, they really get more than enough.
We do something similar-
Our boys get 3 gifts from us (to represent the 3 gifts that Jesus received from the Wise Men)
and Santa brings a gift for them to share and fills the stockings.
We do the same as Katie and give three gifts representing the three gifts that Jesus received and then Santa brings little things to fill their stockings and one larger gift. Out of the three gifts we give, one is a book, one is clothing and one is a toy.
LOVE all these ideas ladies! Time for some new traditions! 😉
After birthdays and holidays we go through toys and pick out what he’s ready to give away. Some go to younger friends and others are donated. Also, presents aren’t always brand new; some are purchased on a local swap page. We can enjoy things we wouldn’t normally spend the full price on.
Bekah, how old were your kids when you started this tradition?
Michelle- We started when my oldest was 2. I love the idea of getting rid of stuff before birthday and holidays and giving it away…we do that too!