The Holidays and gifts

[Rebecca]

I haven't read this book, but thought this was worth passing along. How are you handling the holidays this year? What gifts are you giving? We also have a great article in the ARTICLES section on this topic, too. It gives some great ideas about how to handle the holidays! Let me know what you think about this and/or the article.

What DO Kids Really Want That Money Can't Buy?

THIS BOOK is for any parent who has been asked-okay, begged-for the latest toy, item of clothing, electronic gadget, or junk food. It's for any moms or dads who have spent money they didn't really have to meet their kids' demands, or bought something they didn't really approve of in response to those demands. If you've ever been mind-boggled by the sheer amount of stuff in your kids' rooms, or wondered if it is possible to escape the excessive materialism

Nine-year-old Mary touched on nearly every aspect of what kids said they want in life with this lovely poem:What do I want that money can't buy?
A raindrop, a dewdrop, the fourth of July.
The pride that comes with a job well done,
My name on the honor roll or a medal I've won.
My mom's bedtime stories-whether funny or scary,
A nighttime visit from the generous Tooth Fairy.
Snow days that keep me home from school,
The sand between my toes and the public pool.
Fireflies illuminating a dark summer night,
The prefect autumn day to fly a kite.
Wrestling with my brothers or hugging my dad,
Helping my little sister read makes me feel so glad.
What I really want more than anything, are the
Things that money can't buy,
Like love, laughter, happiness-
and the beauty of a sunset that makes me just sigh.

http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/books/92/0446691895/chapter_excerpt19671.html

[Lianne]

Aww, sweet! I'll have to read the article later today, but wanted to reply.

The major toy recalls have actually helped us a lot this year, ironically. The recalls gave us the perfect opportunity to talk to the grandparents and extended family about toys, and it has been so nice! My MIL gave us money to order a lovely European wooden train set from a co-op (and actually we got all gifts for Christmas and birthday in Feb. from co-ops as well, so we saved a bundle and got really good quality toys) and my mom is going to pay for us to do Music Together classes next semester :D I am so thrilled! We had a list of ideas for them as well and it worked out nicely that we had a reason to bring it up, rather than just sounding ungrateful and picky, you know?

So anyway, that is one solution for us - more intangible gifts like music classes that are about spending time together doing something fun (Allen will frequently tell me, "Mama, music makes me happy.") and not about having more stuff sitting around.

I started reading the book Unplug the Christmas Machine (I think, must check on the exact title) but have gotten sidetracked. Our family has naturally been moving toward a more simple lifestyle and weeding out the junk, so it all just kind of fits together right now. I have personally gone through times in my life where, for different reasons, I would spend money on things b/c it made me feel good or I thought the stuff would make me happy, and it's such a bad cycle. I really hope to help my kids avoid that if possible, though I'm not entirely sure how to go about it. I mean it's not as if my family was super materialistic or anything as I was growing up. I'd love a good discussion on this topic, actually. LOL :)

[Lianne]

OH another thing I did this year was find a couple of families in need (another parenting website sets up a whole database for families to post needs and others to fill them) to send stuff to. I found two families who requested toys and things that I had in my home unused, so I was able to send gifts to these families for basically the cost of postage. Allen actually saw them before I had sealed them and asked to play with something inside, so I just simply told him that we were sending those to another family who needed them. As he gets older I hope to involve him more and really make it a big deal to help other families around the holidays. We did this when I was growing up and my sister and I really loved it.