Christmas Gifting

It's no secret that Christmas, like most other holidays, has become completely commercialized. The vast majority of us, myself included, get so caught up in gift giving, and receiving. We end up broke, frazzled, grumpy...and we miss out on all the wonder of Christmastime.

Noah is getting older and more aware of what's happening, so it's becoming more important for us to start traditions and set the stage for what holidays will be like at our house for years to come. I don't want gifts and money to overshadow the birth of Jesus. So when I came across this little idea on Pinterest a few months back, I immediately knew I wanted to start it in our home.

So simple. It won't tarnish the true meaning of Christmas and give my son outrageous expectations of what each Christmas morning should look like. Let's face it, some years Santa's budget will be more lean than others. Four gifts are reasonable, and it will encourage Noah to put a lot of thought into his list. 

So that covers receiving, but what about giving?

I can remember as a little girl, my Mom would take me to the Dollar Tree store and let me use my allowance to buy gifts for everyone in our family. These gifts were from me alone and a lot of thought went into each one. They were only a dollar, but I felt so proud that I could give my loved ones something that I chose and something I knew they would love. Honestly, that was one of my favorite parts of Christmas as a kid. I always looked forward to that Dollar Tree trip! I fully plan to continue that little tradition with Noah as he gets old enough to earn an allowance.

Another thing I came across this year really got me. I thought back to my childhood and the week I returned to school from Christmas break. Did I brag about all the gifts Santa brought me? I'm sure I did, only because I was excited about them. The possibility of fellow classmates not receiving gifts from Santa never really crossed my mind...

So if there are "big" gifts that Noah wants, those will come from Josh and myself and we'll stick to the four low-key gift rule for Santa. I would never want Noah to inadvertently make another child feel less worthy. I think it's a great suggestion for all parents to consider.

We are beyond excited to start these traditions and others with Noah. He'll just be 18 months this Christmas, but next year it will all start to make much more sense to him. So I'm happy to get these ideas in place early!