Does the level of happiness in your home depend on the gifts exchanged?
When your kids tug on your sleeve as they look up to you with puppy-dog eyes, asking “Mommy, can I have this?” …it’s hard to say no, even if you don’t have the money, because you want your kids to be happy.
With a tighter budget, getting ready for the holidays can be a bit tricky. Maybe you don’t have the money to buy your child a new phone or video game or that expensive toy everyone has.
Luckily, there’s more to life than tangible gifts.
I sat down and made a list of all the gifts I received over the years for the holidays. I couldn’t remember anything other than the stuffed animal my sister gave me last year.
What I do remember is…
…ice skating in San Francisco with my family, singing along to the Christmas songs that played on the radio, and decorating our first real Christmas tree while my mom sniffed and sneezed the whole time because she was allergic to pine.
Aim for holiday traditions because those are worthwhile. Some parents suggest giving multiple small, inexpensive gifts for younger children. For the older kids, add on to the previous year’s gift, like better headphones for their mp3 player.
Michele Borba, an educational psychologist, suggests…
Announce your scale-down plan, with specifics, such as fewer gifts for everyone, or just adults, or a specific money cap. Preface the plan by explaining calmly and briefly that money is tighter this year so everyone will be receiving fewer presents. “The key is to give your kids a heads-up far enough in advance to keep their expectations in check as the holiday season rolls around,” she says.
For more tips from Borba and other parents on how to help kids deal with a tighter holiday budget, visit this link before you end up giving in and purchasing gifts that your children probably won’t remember a couple years from now anyway.
What’s your story? What did you get your children these past couple of holidays, and do they even use those gifts anymore? Do you have a tradition that you’d like to share for the readers? Post them in the comments below…
Tighter holiday budget? Help kids deal with it. [Seattle Times]
