Wednesday, December 16, 2009

The Great Gift Dilemma

Daddy and I have been avoiding shopping for Gracie and Luke. We can't really agree on what to buy them for Christmas. Should we get them Mr. Potato Head? A Sit and Spin? Big Wheels? Food for their play kitchen? What?

I think what is bothering me is they already have so many toys; toys they don't seem to play with. They have puzzles whose pieces are strewn about their room. They have books that are read, but mostly destroyed (their new favorite thing is tearing the covers off of their books). They have dolls and stuffed animals that they sometimes cuddle, but mostly live in a storage box. They have Lego Duplos and they like those, but I'm always finding them in crazy places and am terrified that Daddy will trip on them.

It's frustrating. We want Gracie and Luke to have toys that will spark their imaginations and give them the opportunity to play. But, we don't want to add to the unused toys and we don't want them to get the message that Christmas is all about gifts.

Today, a writer on a How Do You Do It?, a multiples mommy blog, wrote about this very topic. She added that she is making service as a part of her family's traditions. I love this idea and I'm going to have to work on how we can contribute during the holiday season.

One thing that caught my attention was this: limiting the gifts we give our children to 4.
  • Something they want
  • Something they need
  • Something to wear
  • Something to read
This makes total sense to me and will be a great guideline as we go forward. Strangely, this is what Grandma and Grandpa have been doing for years (minus the "read" gift). They always give Daddy and his brothers one thing they want, underwear/shaving supplies/cologne they need, and a new outfit or jacket to wear.

I'm feeling a little better now that I can focus myself. Hey! Maybe we will actually go shopping this week!

3 comments:

  1. That is a wonderful idea! I've heard of people doing three gifts too (symbolic of the gifts the wisemen brought Jesus) - I really like both ideas. Maybe we'll have to change up our traditions next year!

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  2. What a great idea! My girls color all day long - I highly suggest Crayola washable pip squeak markers and plain white paper - plain white paper is GREAT for imagination!

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  3. I'm in the same boat Jen! I've only bought 2 things for the girls, but now I have a few ideas. The pip squeak markers sounds great too! And I second the plain white paper - greatest addition to the art box.

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