When I first heard about this idea, I wasn't really sure if it was for us. I had always envisioned myself stacking gifts around our family christmas tree until they spread like a brightly colored sea of green, red and gold, threatening to spill over into every inch of the living room.
Then, I actually sat down and thought about how I wanted James (and our future children) to experience Christmas. Did I want him to spend Christmas morning counting his presents? No. Did I want him comparing the size of his present pile to that of his siblings? No. Did I want him to add item after item to his Christmas wish list with little thought beyond "I want"? No. Did I want him to focus on receiving rather than giving? No. Did I want the focus of Christmas to be on materialism rather than celebrating with friends and family? Absolutely not.
That's when I realized that this three gifts idea might be just right for our family:
1. Since each child gets only three gifts, the kids will have think hard about what items they really want and will really play with all year long when making their wish lists.
2. Since each child receives the same number of gifts, it will help to prevent feelings of envy and competitiveness, so the kids won't spend time worrying about whether or not one sibling got more.
3. As we are still currently planning on having four kids, limiting the number of Christmas gifts will also cut back on clutter. Three quality gifts per kid are much easier to organize than a small mountain of cheaper gifts.
We did decide to tweak two of category descriptions a little from what I read on "Habits for a Happy Home" to make this system better fit our family:
1. Gold Gift: The big item that the child is longing for: James absolutely loves kitchens. He spends a lot of time opening drawers and cabinets and banging pots and pans. He can also frequently be found in the play kitchen at the YMCA Child Watch Center when I go to pick him up. So, this year James' gold gift will be this wooden play kitchen:
2. Myrrh Gift: For The Body: While most people seem to restrict this category to clothes and toiletries, Mike and I feel that "for the body" can include anything that aids physical wellness and development. Sports equipment, athletic lessons, and building sets would all fit in this category by our definition. So, this year, to enhance his gross and fine motor skills, we have purchased these awesome Tree Blocks for James:
3. Frankincense Gift: Spiritual Growth: This seems to normally be restricted to only religious items, however Mike and I agree that for us, spirituality and the arts go hand in hand, so we will include things such as drawing supplies and musical instruments in this category. This year, however, we decided on the religious route and bought James these wonderful CDs. We've heard some of the songs on Pandora and absolutely love their sense of humor and kid friendly language. They bring the bible stories to life and present their messages in a way that children can relate to their own lives.
We also plan on giving the kids a stocking. This will likely be filled with little, often handmade gifts and treats. This year, I will most likely sew some felt food to go with James' play kitchen and put it in his stocking.
No comments:
Post a Comment