There was a television show on last night and the boy was sitting in Santa’s lap telling all the things he wanted for Christmas. When the boy mentioned they were all games, Santa offered him a checker set. “What is checkers?”
The point was that times have changed. The magic of Christmas is lost. Fortunately the end of the movie brought the return of the magic of the season. In the end it was a testimony that it’s never to late.
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1. Limit the amount that is spent for Christmas and birthdays and other events. My oldest son recently turned 12 and we spent a total of $160 for his birthday. That includes the party at the local skating rink (where all the parents skated as well as the kids). He had a great time – the whole family had a great time – and we didn’t have to break the bank to get there.
2. Just say NO! There is no one that NEEDS a Wii (or what ever electronics is top on the list this year). I can remember growing up and having to rent a VCR when I rented movies because we didn’t have one. The same goes for a personal computer (granted that was a few years back). The point is the same. They will survive, uninjured, if they don’t get everything they want.
3. Limit family giving. Grandparents can be especially dangerous. There is a three present limit for the grandparents in out home. Any more than three and we put them up to be opened the next year (or never). It makes the grandparents think long and hard about what gifts the kids will really enjoy.
4. Teach the joy of giving. Each of our boys began purchasing gifts (or making gifts) for friends, family and teacher when they were about six. Although we help to steer them along, they use their own money and make their own final decisions. They are learning to see what a person already enjoys and then try to match that. The season is as much about the giving as it is about the getting for them.
The kids will survive. It doesn’t take a bank breaking gift giving moment to make cherished holiday memories. Think back to your own childhood and the memories that ring clear – then find ways to take the monetary out of the holiday and bring the Christmas spirit back to life.