The very last thing we need is Christmas present.
If you are looking for ways to simplify things in your home this Christmas season, I would love to share with you how we shop for Christmas presents with our kids.
For the most part, there is not a single household in America that needs more stuff. I know that for so many moms, the last thing we need is more toys and junk for our children to leave all around the house. I want to give my children good gifts, but I also know that the more gifts they get, they don't magically become grateful. In fact, the opposite ensues.
Several years ago, we decided to minimize the number of Christmas gifts coming into our home. We have done this by putting a system in place that allows every child to get something to read, something to wear, something to play, and something to share. Something to share is typically a big gift that they can all share together or that a group of them can share together. Something to play creates the space to get done something that they have been wanting, and it's something to read and something to share pretty self-explanatory. If you have been around with Mama Systems for a while, you have heard me talk about this before. So I thought I would share with you some benefits that I haven't talked about yet.
Number one, it helps me keep track of who and what I have bought for each child. It is a fear of mine that one of our kids will have fewer gifts to open than another. Because we take turns opening Christmas presents, it becomes very obvious when the numbers are disproportionate.
Number two, it makes for a more peaceful Christmas morning. With this system in place, we can all open something to read, give everybody a turn, and then move on to the next gift group.
Number three helps keep the focus on where I want the focus to be. Because we are people of faith, we believe wholeheartedly that the Christmas season is about Jesus and his great love for us. I have noticed that, not only for my kids but also for me, when I don't limit the number of gifts, the whole holiday can become all about stuff.
So if you want to join me for a lighter Christmas, download this little gift guide.
