In Celebrating the Holidays – Do the GIFTS Really Matter?

Thinking back to last year around Christmas, what do you remember?

I actually asked my kids this question Sunday as we drove back from Bearizona and got all kinds of answers. They had such a great time this past weekend, and it was a spurt of the moment trip.

We are probably one of the FEW who just don’t do gifts at Christmas – and before you assume we just mean parents, we aren’t.. we have been there, and done that, and it just doesn’t work out well for us.

David doesn’t like the focus on gifts, he’d rather go somewhere – and the same with me. Because NEXT year at this time, chances are they will not have ha CLUE what they got this year at Christmas.

My kids definitely don’t need any screen time (in fact, we have turned screens OFF the last few months with great success…), and they don’t need any clothes – they get their books at the library (and I’m thankful for that, because books get tore up here quite fast…) so once again this year we are going to continue our tradition of going somewhere.

Right now, we aren’t sure “where” but we’ll figure it out sometime this next few weeks.

On the way back from going to Bearizona this past weekend, we actually asked the kids what they remember getting last year, I was just curious to see what they remembered.

It was neat to hear their answers…

Grandpa came from Minnesota! (Easton..)

We went on a horse with Grandpa! (Wendy…)

We went to the North Pole Experience! (Rylan)

The baby just sat in her car seat and said “A Train, Alphabet Train. B Train Banana Train. C Train COOKIE Train, Choo…. Choo …Choo!”

(I don’t think she had a clue what I was asking, she’s just super chatty and loves to sing – that is her favorite song right now!)

If you think about last year, you’ll probably remember all the things you did with the kids – from ice skating to the Circle of Lights, Tree Lighting Ceremonies or Cookie Decorating.

But do you remember what you GOT last year?  Chances are, if you ask your kids what they got last year, they won’t be able to remember. I don’t even remember what I got last year – though I remember WHO got me gifts. I can’t put a finger on what gifts I received.  I know I gave beauty baskets, but I can’t remember for the life of me what I put IN them. Crazy horrible memory these days.

Do the Gifts Really Matter?

When Christmas is all said and done, it’s the people and experiences that your kids will remember more than the stuff they received. 

And that, may change your entire perspective on the Holiday Shopping Season…  We aren’t telling you not to shop, we are just hoping that in the midst of the stress of the holidays, you consider taking a step back to determine what’s really important in the big picture.

What they Really Want

What your Kids really want is to see you watch a family movie with them with the electronics put away.  At least MINE do…  they tell me that all the time :)

They want you to take them to the park and spend an afternoon there. They don’t really care about the Kohl’s sale you need to get in on, they just want you to consider doing something fun with them.

Your friends won’t get upset if you choose not to gift this year; they’ll just be happy to get a phone call from you asking them to join you one day for lunch at their favorite spot.  And I can guarantee that your in laws really won’t mind if you just don’t “do gifts” one year, if they do, then perhaps they need to step back and recognize what’s important because if they are hung up on gifts, then some self reflection may come in handy.

Gifts can be important, but the relationships you have are even greater.

Consider starting a tradition with your kids… in lieu of gifts, offer to take them somewhere like the North Pole Experience, San Diego Zoo, or Polar Express. Shift the focus off the gifts, you might be surprised to find that they will come out of holiday mode JUST fine – in fact, they might even be happier WITHOUT all those toys — which, they’ll eventually forget about anyways.