Every Christmas we try to simply our gifts to our children. They get a ton from grandparents and other relatives so keeping our gifts to a minimum makes them more special (in our experience). It also keeps me sane during the busyness of the season.
When we had our first son, his first Christmas was two months after he was born. We went all out even then. It was ridiculous. When we had our second son, we started to do a little less here and there. In the past five years, we have scaled down the gift giving a lot. At first it was because of financial reasons but it turned out to be a huge blessing to my family.
I have tried many different ways to simply our Christmas gifts. The only thing I have found to work is doing four bags of gifts each. That may still sound like a lot but it’s had an impact on our Christmases ever since. Each child gets four bags filled with themed gifts. The gifts inside are wrapped so it makes it more fun for them.
Four Bags of Christmas:
- Clothing bag– my boys have just gotten into wanting certain clothes. They like a certain kind of sporty pants and shorts. They also love the Washington Redskins. I always give them each a new pair of shoes for Christmas also. I purchase some of these clothing items and shoes and wrap them in this themed bag. I also add in cool socks, new underwear, a new hat, and so on. It’s been a favorite bag in our home.
- Art/book bag– we love to do art projects and read a ton of books. This bag is dedicated to those two things and I kind of go a little crazy. This year I will be purchasing some chalk pastels, painting canvases, acrylic paints, rocks (to paint), paint brushes, and watercolor paper. I also purchase at least one new book that is unique to each of my boy’s interests. Sometimes it’s an educational book I know they will love and sometimes it’s a new family read aloud they will all enjoy.
- Need bag– I know my boys “need” certain things that they may not particularly want. For instance, a new blanket for their bed. Although once they get it, they realize how much they wanted it. I have to look for things that they actually need. This year, my youngest actually does need a new blanket for his bed. My oldest needs a new pillow, and my middle son needs sheets. I do add other things to this bag but it’s specifically for things we deem as a “need” item.
- Toy bag– yup, we do purchase a few “toys”. This year it will be a Lego set each, Lion King figures for my youngest, and a Nerf gun for each of my oldest boys. I throw in a few little surprises like a new puzzle and a game. We love playing games as a family so we stock up on them during Christmas and play all year.
So, as you can see, they get plenty of things in these bags while also getting things they need and will actually use. We found that years ago when we went all out, most of the items never even got played with more than an hour on Christmas day. What a waste. Now we have seen them enjoy each item and actually put them to use and appreciate them more. It’s been a complete attitude change about Christmas in our family.
