Every year I am filled with joy at the thought of being able to provide a Christmas for my children.
Seeing their little eyes light up when they open a Christmas present is priceless. It breaks my heart to think that there are so many parents who struggle with purchasing gifts for their children. Every year I feel blessed to not carry that burden. Not only am I thankful for having the funds to purchase presents, but also for all the family members who go to great lengths to shower my children with gifts.
When I was a child, money was very tight and my parents often struggled to provide presents to fill that space under the tree. There were many years I didn’t get what I’d asked Santa for. But as I look back, I can remember Christmas day as being one full of happy memories. I look back on those years with fondness—even the one I received an ugly, itchy Christmas sweater.
Now that I’m a parent, the responsibility of Christmas is on me. Well, and my husband but who am I kidding, I’m the one who does all the shopping around here! Once Thanksgiving ends, it’s GO TIME! The hunt for the year’s top selling toys begins.
I am often torn. Because although I want to give my children what they want, I also want to be sure to not get caught up in the “commercialization” of Christmas. Despite my best efforts, as Christmas Day comes to a close I realize the toys that surround my children are bigger than they are. It seems that only weeks later, the “loot” of toys becomes scattered pieces that greet me and my husband’s bare feet in the middle of the night.
Heaven forbid, we bought our kids Legos that year.
I want this year to be different!
These were the questions I had for myself: What non-toy thing does my child often ask me for? What does my child truly yearn for? How can I tailor a Christmas gift to my child’s personality? How can I get back to a traditional way of celebrating Christmas?
After a lot of thought, I’ve come up with what I think are the BEST gifts for my children that will show that I truly love and appreciate them. I should say we will probably still get them something they really want, but instead of adding more toys, we thought these would be great additions.
Here’s what I came up with:
- Put together a DVD of home videos of your child. I don’t know about your kids, but mine LOVE watching videos of themselves as babies. With today’s technology, most home videos are digital. With a simple program like Windows Movie Maker or iMovie HD, you can put together a DVD of personal memories they can watch over and over. My home videos have been sitting on my computer, and it’s about time I make a hard copy for them to watch!
- Make a scrapbook of memories about him/her. Every night my kids ask for me to tell them stories of when they were younger. They especially love to hear the story about when Lydia swallowed a penny (it was very dramatic!). What a great opportunity it would be to write them down in a book for the kids to read. You could either go the cheap route and write them on index cards and slide in a small photo album, or you could try out Shutterfly. They always have deals going on in December and it’s so fun to have a REAL book about yourself! Actually, I kinda want one myself (*wink wink,* Mom!).
- Put together a movie night basket just for him/her. My kids LOVE to watch movies together so I’m thinking of filling the basket with a new movie along with fun treats and snacks.
- Put together a “Night Under the Stars” basket for him/her. Spending time together is so important, and I would guess it’s at the top of my kid’s list. So here’s what I’m thinkin’: Tent, campfire, s’mores, and glow-in-the-dark hide and seek among other things. Of course not all of that would fit in the basket. But a printed plan along with the s’mores fixin’s will be great!
- Give a coupon for a “Date Night” with Mom or Dad. What’s better with spending time with Mom and Dad? Spending time with Mom and Dad without any siblings.
- Make and print up a “Stay up 30 min. later” pass. I just know my kids will love this!
- Make and print a “Choose Where We Go Out to Eat” pass. This probably doesn’t sound like a huge deal, but I know it will be to my kids. I’m just crossing my fingers it won’t be McDonald’s.
Instilling a Spirit of Giving
- Drop quarters on a playground for children to find (stay around to hear the squeals of joy!).
- Go through a drive-thru and pay for the person behind you.
- Purchase a gift card at the grocery store, then turn around and give it to the person behind you in line.
- Place notes wishing people a good day on their car in a parking lot.
- Help people load their groceries into their car.
- Leave coins in an envelope on the vending machines at the hospital. Or anywhere!
I am also inspired… to wash XXXX’s mouth out w soap… and your copy/paste machine for posting p__sed on a family forum. I feel glad for his feedback but hate that his parents have brought him up so materialistically. It does not speak well for whatever part of society in which his family lives and worse, entertains. He needs new friends… maybe a goat. And miles of space so he can get his thinking strait, if he is not already a lost cause. Please edit his post. Another may begin to become desensitised and feel that language AND ATTITUDE is an ACCEPTIBLE norm if the day. There were kids like that 100 years ago. Sadly, they procreated. They are only a “good example of a bad example,” as Top Cat said. Legos? Not so bad… Vacuum up, dainties bag’em and wash. They lose them for a month… first time… Only kids with a good attitude are responsible to get a gun for Christmas… or grow into adults that ought to have them. To grow their body and maybe their mind but ignore the growth of their conscience is a crime against humanity that will be reprocurative and endless… until someone ends them.
…are these gifts for your kids or for you? Scrapbooks and home videos are things parents and adult children would love. Selfish gifts are worse than no gift at all.
My kids LOVE looking through home videos and scrapbooks!
I am a kid and some of these ideas a great but no kid gives a crap about a scrapbook or a video of them as babies trust me they would act liked they loved it but deep down they would not. Really gifts like that a great just to drop in as a present to the whole family because deep down the parents just like seeing the kids as babies. Honestly some of the ideas are cool but You should still get the kid that new toy they wanted or whatever trust me this is advice from a kid and your gonna say I don’t know but if I wanted a new video game and all I got was a video of me crawling I would be pissed AH so I’m just saying make sure to get your kids the gifts they ask for.
Haha, thanks for the comment! You’re probably a bit right about that:)
These are great ideas! I think the one that sticks with me the most is making a dvd of videos and pictures!
I am going to try to talk my husband into creating one 😉
I AM INSPIRED!!!!!!!!!
DaNelle, your suggestions seem to run in 2 categories: Presents showing that the parents are caring for each child as an individual (inward focusing), and showing children how to care for others (outward focusing). These are great ideas,
Other than removing the quarters-in-the-playground idea, I’d modify the pay-for-the-car-behind-you idea. People in line behind you are able and expecting to pay for their meals. The fast-food workers at the pick-up window are likely having a harder time financially. How about a $5 gift to them, given in an envelope with a Christmas card? Unexpected, but would be appreciated.
Great ideas!
I can say that when I was younger and engaged my older cousin made a wonderful scrapbook of my life and it is today one of the most cherished gifts I have ever gotten. I think with girls things like that go so far deep it’s amazing and makes you know how much they are there even when you don’t notice they are.
When I was growing up, my mom made each of us pick out a gift for our siblings. It was tons of fun watching them open it on Christmas morning! With my kids I do the same, and I go a step further, I go to the local Good Samaritan’s and pick “little angels” off of their tree (for anyone who doesn’t know, these are local kids whose family can’t afford to buy things for Christmas) I pick a child the same age and gender as mine, and we all go shopping together. They don’t yet see the impact, but they still like spending time with mom.
Such a fantastic list! I’m thinking of ways to “unspoil” my child and came across this. LOVE it!
I would love these gifts from my mom.
I love these! Growing up, the one gift my sister and I got from “Santa” was always a family outing of some sort, and time with family is the best kind of present 🙂 I plan on continuing that tradition with my own kids.
My parents didn’t have a lot of money to spend on Christmas for the four of us kids, but we never knew it. We would take turns opening each present one at a time and ooh and ahhh at what that person opened. This made the unwrapping process a lovely family event. My most fond memory of Christmas was going to Toys R Us on Christmas eve day, with the family, and picking out a game. Then we would play that game together all evening. We did this every year; we even continued this tradition after most of us grew up and moved out.
May I offer you an idea: offer your company and friendship to a lonely person.
I remember 25 years ago when my nieces received very expensive Cabbage dolls for Christmas. They were about $30, which was a lot of money back then. I didn’t buy my young daughter a Cabbage Patch doll, but one that looked like a Cabbage Patch doll, which included .several outfits. I never heard her mention the fact that she did not have a Cabbage Patch doll. She now has her own baby to take care of and enjoy, He is much more precious than a Cabbage Patch doll.
My mom did the same thing for me. One of her co-workers made her own version of “Cabbage Patch Dolls” and my mom bought one from her for me. She even had a birth certificate and name and a couple of outfits. I still remember that her name was Lulu. I actually liked her better than the commercial dolls because her face was cuter and she had a ton of red hair in pig tails. 🙂
Special night outs are great! I am using that for sure.
I love all ideas, I have 2 boys 8 years apart. 15 & 7 and they both yearn for one on one time w me. So the coupons for sp
Please be careful about leaving quarters or change on the playground (or anywhere down low). If I may go so far, I’d even like to ask you to please don’t do that. Although it sounds like fun, it can be a severe choking hazard for little toddlers/babies. I love the idea of taping some to a vending machine or putting it in the coin return slot, though. I’d also include a note saying it’s a gift for the finder… If my son found money at a playground or taped to a vending machine I’d teach him to leave it alone.
I have six kids, the oldest two now have their own families. I’ve done cooking, sewing and craft baskets and they loved them. They got a “Santa” gift and a gift from each sibling. Stockings had needed items such as socks, hair ponies and barrettes, belts, mittens etc and a special ornament commentating an accomplishment (learning to ride a bike or learning to play an instrument or sport) or event that happened that year. Christmas eve after church where the youngest two play the harp, we drive around and look at lights. We even separated the whole gift giving from celebrating the birth of Christ which for us is the most important thing about Christmas. On Christmas we have church and then spend a quiet day of family time baking together. The next day, Boxing Day, is what our youngest termed as “Giftmas” is when Santa fills stockings and leaves a gift. The older ones and families come for gift exchanging and dinner. Giftmas eve (Christmas night) we do as Christmas eve with hanging stockings, putting out Santa’s snack and opening one gift which is traditionally a pair of pajamas and book to encourage them to head for bed. We are a now retired military and have had dad deployed for five Christmases as well as having had a child hospitalized over two Christmases and had to make new and alter traditions somewhat. We have always been low income and on a tight a tight budget and even without work and have been on the receiving end of acts of kindness. Being a part of church youth groups and Scouts the kids are always ready and enjoy volunteering and giving service. Keep on giving everyone and merry Christmas!
I love your ideas for “gift certificates” and baskets. Ive always got my kids that one thing that they really wanted then smaller things like books, a flashlight, little cars (I have boys) and when the oldest became a teen he really loved gift cards for the movies, Mc Donalds and Walmart. I also like the idea of dropping quarters at the playground, I never thought of that! But just today I handed over my last few dollars to a couple in the store parking lot who were traveling and broke down, They sure needed it more than I did.
Your a awesome person. Thanks for giving people ideas that bring a family together. Showing kindness to others. Blessings to you and your family.
One of the things I have done for my kids (who are all adults now) is chose 4 names from the giving trees at our local superstore. I buy gifts for those children and then I place a letter in an envelope for them on the tree detailing what I gave to these kids in their name.
People always look at me like I was crazy, when I tell them, we don’t buy christmas gifts for our children (or birthday presents).
They are 7 and 3 now, and haven’t missed it, yet.
They still get a lot of stuff from the rest of the family, but I make it my job to create good memories for them with lots of time spent together and fun things we do.
That is something I miss in my own memories.
Well, actually one exception: Every christmas we buy a set of family pajamas.
Silly, but fun!
You might want to rethink the idea of leaving quarters on the playground. Little kids do put everything in their mouths.
How do we avoid the spoiling? #1 we don’t do Santa Claus. Gifts are given in love so they aren’t requested. We don’t do lists mom pays attention to the kids through the year and puts in effort to address needs, things that are enjoyed and things we can do as a family. Some years we have more money than others and the extended family is large so they get a small gift from one set of grandparents (30+ grandkids). And a small amount of money from the other set. This year we will travel to see the oldest child a few states away. I’ve purchased him an electric blanket, a counter top grill, a waffle iron, and tickets to a basketball game. The teenagers are getting a large gift to share and smaller pieces that go with it to each kid. The only girl is getting a basic kindle for her reading as we travel, the younger boy gets headphones and something I haven’t decided. The youngest gets a basic tablet and one toy. This is a pretty expensive Christmas for us this year. It’s more than some families and less than many others. One is getting socks in her stocking, there will be candy and probably the promise of a ski trip to the local mountain with dad. Loved yes, but there won’t be any upset or complaining out of these kids. They thank us for the smallest thing. They know gratitude because they give
I love these ideas!! 🙂
Love your ideas! I’ll have to try some. My two grandsons have lived with me for the last six years and sometimes its hard to be “Mom ” and not Grandma. Not that I would trade it for a million dollars! We are big animal lover’s and I take them with me to volunteer at different rescues. Last year I let them look on my face book page and pick one dog that was posted in need of help with vet bills or anything else ( we always have at least one foster dog in our home) . Then they crossed off two items each off their wish list and we found the price of the items in the paper. We called the rescue and sent them that amount of money to help the dog they had picked. To my surprise …those sweet little boys ( now ages 10 & 8) asked me before Thanksgiving…. when do we get to pick our Christmas Dog!!
I love this idea! It makes it very real to the kids that they are consciously giving up something (even if it is only something they wish for) and substituting their wish with the cost of helping someone else or someone furry. 🙂 Whether everyone completely agrees with the author’s ideas or not, the basic component of teaching children to get their focus off of me, me ,me ….is an admirable one. We have raised 4 children who are now adults and are very conscious about expressing an attitude of gratitude. I like a thought I saw on pinterest….the 4 gifts to give your child. Something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read. If you started your children out at a young age with these 4 gifts they would quickly learn to be reasonable in their Christmas expectations. Best wishes to everyone this Holiday Season and sometimes the best gifts are FREE!
Thanks! My kiddo is just turning 1 this year, the 29th, and we have been trying to think of ways to keep it real! This will be great to add to our bag of idea’s!
While reading your post I thought about my family and how we handle the holidays. One of my greatest accomplishments is that I have taught my boys about donating as number 1. My boys are 7,5 and 4 and they come up with great ideas on how they can help the families that cannot afford Christmas. They already donated a bunch of coloring books and crayons to the children in the local children’s hospital, and dropped off games and treats in donation boxes for the foster children of parents that are addicts. We bring bagged lunches to the many homeless people in our area as well(we do this all year round). Christmas morning is more about our love of one another and Jesus’s birthday. Each child will get a gift and than we get one family present. We spend time appreciating one another, watch movies, go for family hikes and bike rides, etc. It was very important for our children to understand not all children are as fortunate as them. Many families struggle to even feed their kids.
These are great ideas. Thank you for share, I think I may try one or two of them.
My dad would build us things – a puppet stage, a doll house, a bookshelf. From these gifts, we could then continue creating and exploring the world with our imaginations. We had a family membership to the local science museum as a gift one year and we so enjoyed going and visiting there on weekends with the hands-on exhibits and plantarium shows.
Nurture a child’s imagination and you have gifted her/him a legacy of engagement with life, with the world.
Most zoos have an “Adopt an animal” program where the Adopter receives a whole packet of info about the animal. That with the promise of a trip to go visit makes a great gift. There are also lots of charity programs like http://www.cwsbestgift.com where you can buy things for people in extreme poverty like a goat or school supplies. My parents often gave me honeybees in my stocking.
Dear DaNelle ,
I so love all your ideas and wish there were many many more parents like you that instill such wonderful values. I’ve worked with children for over 35 years and we need parents like you!!!!!!!! Thank you. Kim kemp
Thank you!
I filled a big box with items from a thrift store or yard sales(washed of course) for dress up one year. She loved to dress up. I made up craft kits and we made things together. We made gifts for friends and family.
This is going to be our best Christmas ever! X Box, Play Station AND Nintendo Wii-U all under the tree at the ski lodge!
This is WONDERFUL! Yes – my kids would totally love any of your brilliant ideas! We’re pretty tight and I think we’ll try to do some of those! Thank you!!!
I love your blog and this is a GREAT article. As someone who works in the medical field though, I want to caution against leaving quarters on a playground. Quarters are of a size that a smaller child could put into their mouth and swallow – and they are perfect for blocking the trachea and choking a child to death. Maybe skip that idea and use one of the other wonderful ideas you have in this article! 🙂
once a child can read a good gift is a cookbook appropriate to their age. Even more special if filled with their favorite family recipes especially hand written ones from you but also aunts and grandmothers and anyone else in the family that cooks. You can make up a basket or box to go with it that contains an apron their size e-z to make or buy one in a craft shop and decorate. then whatever fits your budget. maybe some cookie cutters and rolling pin. their own easy to read measuring spoons and measuring cups. maybe a mixing bowl and wooden spoon. some nice vanilla or maple syrup a pan or cooking sheet. that is the great part. you can spend as much or little as fits your budget or child’s likes and age allows. maybe they love making pies or breakfast. one of my fondest memories is my grandmother teaching me to make bread when I was 5. Some of my treasured possessions are hand written recipes from my aunts of cookies I remember them making as a child. If your child has no interest at all in cooking or baking maybe a sewing basket or crafting kits you know your child best.
instead of dropping quarters in the playground (a bit weird) how about volunteering bat a homeless shelter to make/serve food? or a senior citizen center?
Great idea!
The best gift of all would be to never bring them to McDonalds. Ever. 😉
True, haha! Lucky for me, my kids don’t like McDonalds haha.
Love the list! Our children only get a few gifts too. We spend between $40-$60 on them each. We home school, so of course the gifts are mainly educational. We don’t have video games or that kinda junk. Our kids are happy with duct tape and string. (Yes, that was an actual request one year).
Haha, I love that!
Love this! I liked the article and your ideas, but I would add items like this (big empty boxes, too!).
We gave our kids lots of stuff when they were little but really made sure that we weren’t buying them stuff all year long. My sisters did that (it’s so easy these days) and their kids just expect to be given things all the time. The difference now is that my girls, who are grown up, have no expectations about gifts and are always so sweet and appreciative when they receive something. My niece and nephews, not so much.
We also made sure that Christmas and Hanukkah were about the activities that we did as a family – cutting down a tree, making a gingerbread house, lighting candles at dinner during the advent season, singing carols together, making decorations for the tree and gifts for friends and teachers, our annual carol-singing party at our house – and these are the things that live with them now.
As a teacher, I especially love the pay-it-forward idea – I’m now thinking about how I can challenge my students to do this in the coming weeks! Thanks!
I need MORE IDEAS! This will be the first year we are totally BROKE and our child won’t be SPOILED. Literally. She has been WAY over-gifted (thanks to tradition started by in-laws, that conveniently STOPPED when MY CHILD reached the age of being able to ENJOY stuff now, & when we actually NEED IT, & when they actually HAVE MONEY now! Ugh… SMDH!) her whole life, & will not be happy on Christmas Morning, no matter what! Seems like hubby doesn’t even give a flying poo about it even, but she is going to be EXPECTING the world (as usual) & NEEDS TO BE PREPARED for when that tree is NOT overflowing with things tagged with HER NAME! IDK what to even DO!!!!
It’s best to start early. Have little talks with her and emphasize that Christmas isn’t about getting presents, but about giving them. Encourage her to make some presents for her friends and family. Have her help you make Christmas dinner. Also discuss with her that sometimes we don’t always get what we want for Christmas, but what we need. Don’t blame other people in front of her. That will only make her feel bad, and feel that she should only love people who give her things. No one is “obliged” to make Christmas happy for your daughter, except for her parents. Bringing anger and resentment into what is supposed to be a happy and joyous time will only make her hate Christmas as an adult. I’m sure that’s not what you want. Don’t sweat it if she’s is super-dissapointed if she doesn’t get that new iPod. She will get over it. Dissapointment is a part of life.
Your gift ideas for strangers strike me as very money-oriented, for someone who had just spent effort teaching you kids to value things other than money. What about buying diapers, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and/or pet-food, and taking them to a women’s shelter? How about giving packages of winter socks out to homeless people? (Socks pretty much only come in 2 sizes so it’s an easy one to manage.) How about spending time volunteering together at a pet shelter? And here’s a really crazy one you might NOT do with your kids, but it’s remarkable how much humanity it conveys; buy a couple of boxes of cigarettes and give them to homeless people. Yeah, cancer-sticks, but you know what? It says, “I’m giving you something because you need something. Not because I judge what you do or do not want or need; I’m not your judge. I’m just one more person in this world.”
Those are great things for YOU to do. An act of kindness should never be dictated by someone else. Kindness is something that people all over can respond to without having to be justified. Handing out gloves, soup, smiles, hugs etc can all fill a need. In your quest to not judge watch that you don’t do the same by dictating how someone else express themselves
That’s the great thing about all the different personalities in our world. We can all perform different acts of kindness that we are each inspired to do. I think your ideas are great, too!
My daughter’s birthday is on Christmas Day. Since her 5 th bay we have done Service Birthdays, she well be 11 this year. She gets to pick the charity, she’s given to animal control, her big brother’s Army unit when he was deployed to Afghanistan, adopted families. She has a blast making others happy. We do Random Acts of Kindness days and we make coupons for gifts, or home made gifts. She is a caring, sweet spirit. We are so very proud to be her parents.
When my daughter was a little girl we did not have a lot of money. So, I learned to sew and make crafts. My first efforts were clumsy but I got better as time went on. I made a rag doll and used fabric from my wedding dress for her dolly’s dress. I made doll house objects for her stuffed animals out of buttons, wooden spools, yarn and wall paper samples. I read her favorite books and tape recorded it. This is just an example. She received 1 store bought gift and the rest I made. My daughter is now 26 years old and married. What she has kept over the years are the gifts I made not the store bought ones. She has memories of times we shared together. So I encourage your efforts with your children…
Be blessed.
Perola your post brought me to tears. I never thought about it but now that I look back, I have also kept all of the gifts my mother made for me when I was little. She used to do ceramics and I still have the Raggedy Ann and Andy bookends she made and painted for me, as well as a few other pieces. They are now on my own daughters shelf. I love the idea of the dolly dress made from your wedding dress fabric. I would cherish something like that as well! I am always trying to think of something special for my children and you have given me some wonderful ideas. Thank-you 🙂
You are very welcome. It is nice that you have special memories from your Mom and I am sure your daughter will have special memories when she grows up also.
Be blessed.
Wow, I love this so much Perola! What a great example!
I love these ideas…my daughter has really wanted to attend summer camp, but it’s so expensive, so that was her Christmas gift from us…knowing that she’d receive some other gifts from grandparents and aunt, I didn’t feel the need to do anything else. Well, it turned out that our son got the flu and we celebrated Christmas alone instead of with family..it felt odd to not have any “thing” to open that day, but we ended up making up veggie trays and passed them out to our local fire/police/medical departments and delivering them that night. We had a great time doing that and will prob’ly make that a new tradition. (I know – veggie trays aren’t super exciting, right? My sister is a nurse and so I know how much sweets get dropped off during the holidays so we decided to do something more healthy. We always do some craft or activity at our family get-togethers so the original idea was to have a veggie tree decorating contest for everyone who came over for the Christmas festivities and have each family drop it off on the way home…maybe this year.)
I’m completely smitten with you and this article. It’s exactly right. Thank you for inspiring me not to take the easy way out this holiday.
Well said! We were two incomes doing the guilty gifting of whatever the kids wanted we bought , then life changed we lost everything! We had to rebuild. While it was difficult, it was the best thing that could have happened to our kids. They were 11 10 and 9. They asked for an Xbox game. I told them we didn’t have the money. The nagging continued to a point I told them to get a job! Complete silence… Then they asked how. I said see that house an elderly lady lives there I bet she would give you a dollar or two if you take her trash out every week. Need less to say the three worked as a team in the neighborhood. It was a proud day for them when they earned that game and paid for it with their own money.
They appreciate money & gifts so much more!
I enjoyed your posting a lot. I live in the UK and we are fast catching up with the commercial aspect of Christmas. We have just had our first Black Friday, new to us here.
Just to say when we were kids here we made all our Christmas presents. School pictures had a tiny Calendar underneath them, felt mats, all sorts of things. This seems to have died out .. xxxx
We have often gotten a toy for Toys for tots or packed a Christmas child box.. we have also made blankets for the homeless or women’s shelter or helped out at the salvation army for their Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners. We also encourage our kids to make things for us and each other. We go through old clothes and coats and such that don’t fit around Christmas with the idea that they will prolly get new clothes so lets give some away.
We’ve added a second little one to the family this year so we’ve decided to go a little lighter this christmas. My husband and I decided 1 large toy, a few smaller ones, a few books and a few clothes. Our 3 yo daughter is getting a little drivable truck, a BB gun, and a camo outfit because she loves to hunt with her daddy and I and she can use it all squirrel hunting. Also she will get a couple of story books, a few store bought clothes, and a few hand crochet by me. Our 7 month old sons toys will consist of mostly our daughters old baby toys that we saved (I see no point in buying new if he’s not old enough to know the difference) and a few toys I bought from friends.
Hi there Breanna, I must admit, 3 years old seems to be very small to be carrying a weapon capable of discharging steel rounds. Even if low powered, they are still capable of causing injury. It is only an onbservation, and I am sure you give the utmost consideration to safety, as most hunters do. But 3 years for a firearm???? Really? Really, really????? I have to admit, I find that concerning.
I read your article and do agree that all you have suggested are wonderful ideas and help teach children about kindness and loving others. Although I like your ideas, I take offense to the idea that my children are spoiled and somehow ruined because I may have bought them some toys for Christmas. I believe children learn how to treat others and love one another by our daily actions all year around. I also believe the good you do should stay with you. Christmas shouldn’t really be about our ego.
My kids have been begging for a brother or sister for Christmas for years. We have not been blessed with that yet, but this year my husband and I are going to adopt/sponsor a child for them. They will love to communicate and see pictures of their new ‘sibling”…Love this post. I have been thinking along these same lines of meaningful gifts, giving to others and not getting spoiled!
Living about 20 mins away from Sandy Hook CT, and with the upcoming 1 year anniversary of the tragedy that happened there, a group of people from the area have been doing 26 Acts of Kindness in the 26 days leading up to the anniversary. My brother’s girlfriend is one of them, so daily she does a random act for someone. She works for the New Haven police Dept, so after the events that happened at Yale the other day, she was late leaving, and traffic was horrendous as she was leaving the city. Her act was just to put a gift card on a random car, in a random parking lot. It’s acts like these that are so fantastic.
I am a single parent of 2 children, and I just can’t afford to do this kind of random acts, but what my children and I do every year is to take a name off the giving tree at church. It has the age and wish of a child that would not normally have anything for Christmas. Last year was the first time that we did this, and I plan on doing it every year. I struggle with Christmas, and especially being out of work this year, but I am able to do it. It feels good to be able to give back, even if it is in a small way.
thats very touching thank you … hope that things are easier in the coming year.
Michelle,
GOD BLESS YOU! I have been where you are, single parent, two kids, barely made enough to keep a roof and buy a little food. Random acts of kindness doesn’t have to cost. I taught my children to open doors for others, help load someone’s groceries, or just put the cart up. My son picks up sticks in the neighbors yard (neighbor is very particular about the yard), something the neighbor has trouble doing. Now with two grown daughters, and two young teens, my older girls help teach the younger – which is a great blessing to me due to health issues. The random acts of kindness that don’t cost are just as valuable, memorable, and appreciated as the gifts of money. Thank you for sharing your story, and know you are not alone. Merry Christmas!
Great post. I read it to my son and then asked if he had any ideas for an unspoiled Christmas. He looked at me with a grin and wide sparkling eyes and said “NOPE!”
I Love this idea!!! I grew up not getting much as a young girl and I don’t feel wounded by it. Yeah, there were years that I was kinda bummed that I didn’t get what I wanted and I hated having to go to school and write the essay “What I got for Christmas”, but, I lived and I am thankful that I was not spoiled. I want the same for my son, in that, I don’t want him spoiled and I want him to start thinking of others instead of just what he gets. We’re not there yet but, I’m working on it. Every year I struggle with the relatives because his aunt and his one grandmother want to buy him everything under the sun. I feel that that would defeat the purpose of what I’m trying to do. So, I usually ask them to only purchase him just a couple of gifts. They are usually angry about this. In fact, this year my sister (his aunt) told me that I was ruining his life and by asking her to only get him 3 gifts, he would not grow up with any good memories. I was very hurt by this because I know she thinks I’m a bad mother for doing this. But, I know that my (our) intentions for our children are the best. Thank-you for not only this list but, for the comfort this post has brought me in knowing I’m not alone. 🙂
My mum was in a family of 6 kids (in 9 years span), she used to have a new sweater and an orange for Christmas. When we grow up with my sis, she would always tell us that we should feel lucky to be able to choose one gift from the store because she never had that chance. And indeed i felt like it! One year, I was 8 years old, my dad told me i only have 50 Francs (equivalent to may be 10USD) for your gift, so i chose a barbie dress. Those events made me think that when i’ll have kids, eventhough now i’m more confortable with money, i will never to spoil them; To me Christmas is much more about spending time with people i love than about spending money. One thing i used to enjoy so much was making chocolates truffes, almond filled dates and homemade biscuits with my mum; 😉
Awesome ideas!!!!!! Although, I would like to suggest dollars instead of quarters for the playground. Quarters are a serious chocking hazard for the little ones.
I was thinking the same thing about quarters…dollar bills would be good.
Wonderful! We have the same concerns with our children and I think these ideas are great.
Great ideas! I actually do quite allot of these! Im happy to see that im not the only one!! 🙂 Well done! 😉
xoxo JoAnna , Mama of 4
I really love these ideas. Thank you for sharing them. My daughter’s birthday is Christmas Eve. And between Christmas and birthday I feel that we can get so bombarded with presents, commercialism and chaos. Thank you for such wonderful ideas!
I always wondered what those kids who have birthdays around Christmas get. Fun for her, but a lot of work for you!
December 29th birthday here- I either got a Christmas gift and was told it was for my birthday, too (it usually wasn’t anything different than what my cousins got) or people would forget my birthday or be too broke after buying Christmas.
These are lovely ideas and so important as the experience of life with family, grandparents and friends are what makes memories; not plastic cluttering the home. Well done you!
Love your ideas for giving to others!! Very creative!! There is one particular street our city that always has someone homeless on it… perhaps a BofM and money would be a nice gift for the kids to give too!! 🙂 We also choose to buy a gift for a family in need… I LOVE this time of year! I am totally going to try some of the things you listed, my kids would LOVE them all!! 🙂
Thank you for linking up at the 12 Days of Christmas Goodies Party. These are great ideas and I will be trying to complete some. Coming across anyone doing a random act of kindness is rare! I envy you for still doing it! High give! We NEED more people like youf
I love your gift giving ideas. Especially the ones for random strangers.
Oh well, I just love these ideas! I know my kids would love a lot of these. 🙂 I think the thing they enjoy most is our time, and turning that into a present…well, I think they’d find that amazing! It wouldn’t just be random time that comes as it comes, it’s thought out, pre-planned, just for them time. Oh yes, I think they’ll love that. 🙂
I also love the Act of Kindness Day ideas. Be prepared to get lots of stares like you’ve lost your mind! People do that when things happen like that. Random acts of kindness are very rare these days.
Anyway, I was wondering if you’d be willing to link-up this post (and any other Christmas-y posts you’d like to link-up) to our 12 Days of Christmas {Goodies} link-up? I think it would be a great addition! If you can’t, I understand, but thought I’d ask. 🙂
Have an amazing week!
Thank you for sharing this with us! 🙂
This is a great list and I love the list of ways to instill the spirit of giving! I’m so doing some of these!