Do you buy your kids a lot of stuff? Or do they get just one or two things? How do you let them open? Is it a free-for-all or do you direct how they open? I usually have a set budget amount and just buy what I can within that budget. Most years before, I have bought one more expensive gift, and then a few smaller/inexpensive items to open and fill stockings. This year has been different. I didn't have any big gift ideas, so I've been buying a lot of smaller items. My older son keeps hinting about me going shopping by myself. I think he thinks there's not enough presents under the tree or something. I told him I'm all done shopping. He keeps talking about how it doesn't look like there's much under the tree. Now I keep bouncing back between the idea that my son is being a spoiled brat and the other idea that maybe I should have shopped differently. Well, and maybe I could wrap some bigger boxes and put the little stuff in there. :lol: I keep telling him that good things come in small packages! Usually I just let the kids open their presents all at once, but this year I think I'm going to set them in order and have them open in turns. I don't know...
We have the kids take turns so we can all watch each gift. The tricky thing to this is getting all the kids the same number of gifts! We also normally get one large gift and some smaller ones, but this year we are not doing a large gift. Also, the kids are getting older and their gifts are getting more expensive! A few staples I always get, that really don't hit the gift budget because they are necessities: ream of paper for each kid (they love having their own paper that they don't have to ask to use), crayons, paints, pajamas, slippers, chap stick. You could pick up stuff like that if you want to bulk up the tree. But I'm with you on kids being spoiled! I try to keep the focus on "what are we buying / making for those on our list" rather than "what's your Christmas wish list?" Anyway, I'm in the same boat as you. They are getting older and just don't play with toys as much, so there is not as much they need or want!
We do the "three present thing" in our home. I cannot say enough good things that have come of it. We didn't start it until a couple years ago and it was very well received by my teenagers. It has refocused the opening of gifts back to the way it symbolizes Jesus's three gifts He received and the joy of giving itself. Even Dh and I get three presents each, though not of the same caliber as the kids'. We take turns going around the room opening one present at a time. That way the giver and receiver are able to devote attention to the act of giving and receiving. It makes each gift very special and purposeful. My kids are more grateful because they know who picked out each gift specially for them. They have appreciated their presents well beyond Christmas, too. *side note: since our family has 4 people it works out nicely for each of us to give each other person a present.....and I should also mention we still do stocking stuffers.
We do the three gift, thing also. A Gold (what they really want), a Frankinsense (a covering gift or clothing), Myrrh (spiritual or educational gift). We also stuff stockings for our kids, but they aren't from Santa. Little things, they used to get the same exact things in their stockings, but as they've grown older and "different" they get very specialized things in their stockings, just the same number of things. We also do "pickle" presents. It's an old German (?) tradition? Anyway, we have a very special ornament that's shaped like a pickle. On Christmas Eve after the kids go to bed, we hang the pickle. When they find it, they get a special little present.
Wow, the three gift symbolism is nice! I might have to try that sometime. I always get the kids the same number of items and spend about the same. This year I have a difference of about $4, so I'm close! It is a struggle keeping the mushy, "buy two dozen gifts" mom within me down. You know, what is fun, isn't always the best. My kids really wanted Lego sets, but they already have more than anyone cares to pick up. That, and one set pretty much eats up most of my budget. I had to practically bite my arm off at Target yesterday to keep from pulling my credit card out. They had Lego City sets at BOGO 50% off!!
Thanks. THESE are the parts of our season I hope they remember and take with them when they're grown. vs. the presents themselves.
My DDs attitude has been HORRIBLE recently. Not finishing her work in school due to talking and horseplay, yelling, just in general rude, my mother bought her a color book and crayons and she yelled and was rude to her saying it wasnt good enough! I have bought one present and a handful of stocking stuffers for DD but if the attitude doesnt improve she may not even get that! Normally we have a 4 gift maximum.
We do three gifts from mom and dad to open on Christmas Day (one bigger, two smaller). On Christmas Eve, each child gets new pj's and a gift from a sibling. They draw names among each other and LOVE shopping for each other. They are allotted $5 each for sibling gifts to keep that from getting out of hand! We also do stockings and a family gift (something all will enjoy).
We also get new PJs on Christmas eve! Each family member also gets a new ornament for the tree with their name on it- I try to make it something meaningful to the individual. I tend to go a little nuts on Christmas- but the kids are always very grateful and have terrific attitudes about material possessions so I don't feel the need to guard that too much. As far as how many presents or whatever I usually set a certain budget per kid and work with that (though I did go over). The older kids know that their items cost more so the little one will get a larger number of things and they are all fine with that. It's usually one larger item and a handful of smaller ones.
We do the pj's on Christmas eve too. As for gifts I have a budget for birthday and Christmas presents. Dd always gets more at Christmas than sd because her birthday is only a week before. We end up combining dd's birthday and Christmas money so she gets a couple of small things on her birthday and a bunch of stuff on Christmas unlike sd whose birthday is in June. Ok that was every year except when she got her Nintendo Ds, that she got for her birthday From that budget dd gets 3 gifts from Santa to remind her what the Wise Men gave and the focus is on the gift that God gave us. For opening we pass out one to each person and after everyone else runs out dd can just open anything that is left for her.
My kids really do have good attitudes too! Even though my oldest made a couple comments this year, they were more lighthearted than anything. But I don't want to feed the greed seed either! I'm always teetering on the edge of wanting to buy them a bunch of stuff, but then worried that then they will start expecting more. I'm not sure if it is a fine line or not? My kids are the most generous kids I've ever met, and are always giving away little things to other people. In fact, they've wrapped and put more stuff under the tree and in the stockings than I have. :love:
we have the presents passed out by 2 of the kids..... and after everyone has their gifts it goes youngest to oldest. That way everyone gets to see the others open up presents from each other and it lasts a little longer.
We buy presents from us but also from my dad because its cheaper for him to do it that way and he can't wrap gifts very well anymore.......... we usually get a lot of small presents from him for the kids but this year 2 of the kids are getting the Coby Kyros and a cover with the keyboard to attach..... so thats just 2 gifts for them, while one of the other children is getting 3-4 and the other is getting about 5 total...... I try to keep the numbers of presents the same but this year it might not be so.......... I asked the kids before I really started wrapping gifts "how many gifts do you think you'll be getting from under the tree?"....... answers varried a bit, but I reminded them that some gifts cost more and they would be getting less.
I've got one son with a June Birthday and 3 kids with October Birthdays (twins + one other & my mom too)....... so it does seam that birthdays are a bit un even ....... it seams I say every year I'll get a better head start on getting gifts to put up, but what happens when new toys or products come out and the bargain gifts don't seam as special..........:? I'm lucky because between my swagbucks amazon gift cards and the Amazon gift cards I get each month for doing a product panel I can get a lot of the gifts we give for free. I"ve also learned how to maxamize my scholastic book orders to get gifts too.
I don't think it matters how many you get them, but don't them pressure you into more gifts. If you really think about it, there are few gifts that people remember other people for specifically years later. As I am sitting here right now the most memorable gift that I ever received was a quilt from my son's great-grandmother (his dad's side, we weren't married). If I jog my memory I can remember a few things from my childhood, but not with the same feeling. Don't get me wrong; my parents did great and I enjoyed what they bought me. I think we get caught up in making our kids happy and we forget that it is the motivation behind the presents that they remember more than the presents themselves.
The gift I remember most as a child was a set of hand-stitched doll clothes from the lady who kept my sister and me after school. This sweet lady was so poor, but lovingly made us doll clothes from scraps she had on hand. I still have some of them that my girls have used.
I agree that I don't want to unwittingly create an issue. We don't typically buy 'just because' toys or whatever- we buy gifts on birthdays and Christmas. Other than that they have to save up for what they want- and they do! They get an allowance and that is what they have to use for treats throughout the year.
Our kids get one gift from us and one gift from santa and a stocking. Then all the relatives and god parents give their gifts We open gifts one at a time while everyone watches. After the giver has been thanked and the gift admired for a couple moments then the next person opens a gift. I'm trying to teach my kids that relationships are much more important than material things.
