I am not sure where the concept of a Christmas Wish List came from but I wonder if it had something to do with having to remember all the things you wanted when confronted by Santa at the Mall? When we were children there was no such thing as writing down every conceivable thing you wanted. I can see that there is no harm in allowing kids to write things down that they want, and being told they could only have two or three gifts from the list. But many parents cave into the pressure of buying everything on the list which gives the child the idea there is a money tree growing outside the back door!
Points and suggestions
- It is important to create a Christmas shopping budget and stick to it. A guide line would be to only buy what you can pay off your credit card by the end of the January following.
- Kids will survive without the latest in fashion in clothing or toys.
- Encourage your kids to make gifts for one another and for you. When a gift has been hand made, it means much more than a store bought item and it is usually infinitely cheaper to produce. Kids can create all sorts of things that are fun to play with. Make cookies and put them in sealed jars as a gift for friends and relatives. Inexpensive and tasty. We have done it and it worked a treat.
- Suggest each child choose a gift from their list to give away to another child
- Grandparents love to give gifts to their little ones which often results in a huge pile. Take half of them away and store them for 6 months, then bring them out and store the others.
- Have the children go through their toys prior to Christmas to donate to Goodwill.
We need to teach our kids the principle that it is more fun to give than to receive. Expose them to the feeling.
By Sally Burgess
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