The Holidays - The Greedydays
Presents, presents, more presents....
The holidays have come and gone, but the memories, clean up and presents still linger! I am not one to spoil my kids on a regular basis. I rarely by them toys, gadgets, etc.. but I'm guilty of buying them one to many gifts for Christmas! I think of things that could be their xmas present over time and order them when I see them on sale, or online and then stash it away somewhere "safe". Of course, with the million things that go through my brain daily, I tend to forget and think "OH NO I don't have anything to give them".. so back on my search I go!
Well, last year was insane because we probably spent an hour or so with just the three of them opening gifts, so we definitely turned it down a notch this year, but still might have gone overboard. At least this year, we didn't wrap each individual item, but grouped things together! Of course, if I don't have the exact number of gifts per child, it's not about wow - look at this awesome gift that I got (Droid Robot), it's how come she got 4 gifts and I only got 3.....
Anyway, this year we did much better and didn't spoil them as much, but still had an abundance of gifts they could have gone without.
We got the girls Bebe house slippers and snow boots (from Zulily.com) and Descendants dolls. Ariya loves The Little Mermaid, so we got her ariel legos and she was begging for an Ariel Doll House, but a 6 year old should not be getting such an expensive gift, especially if she is a triplet given that there are 2 other kids you have to get presents for. We got her a knockoff mermaid doll house - she was NOT thrilled!! Seriously, where is the appreciation! Jasmin loves Robotics, so we decided to get her a Droid Robot. We got Dhilan a Hotwheels garage and Justice League Cars because he can spend hours playing with his cars and organizing them by size and color :)! We also got them some more legos, puzzles, books, arts and crafts, etc.. and not to mention the mini gifts in their stockings. Of course this was just from momma, papa and Santa. This isn't inclusive of all the other presents they got from their loving family!
I'm very very very big on manners and appreciation so when I don't hear 'THANK YOU', I have to stop them and ask. However I can not deal with NO 'THANK YOU's' and greed! So Dhilan gets overly excited and opens a gift, puts it aside and opens another and keeps going. When he is all done, he puts all his gifts aside and asks for more, and more and more... touching all the gifts looking for more and more and more.
I about lost it at this time - seriously kid! I get it you, you're a kid and it's Christmas and you're so excited to open presents, but where is the appreciation and the THANK YOU?!! No way!!
I saw a post from someone where they actually gave their kid a sack of black coal - boy o boy was that kid not thrilled. I'm thinking of doing this next year, but I also think it's super cruel - though it's a good way to teach them a lesson... or is it??
We have Jack who is our "Elf", but don't do a very good job on being creative with his moves... they still believe in Santa :)!!
So I think next year, we are only going to give them 1 present from Santa and 1 present from momma and papa! Please remind me if you hear me talking about what I'm giving my kids for Christmas 2018!! Goal: They shouldn't feel entitled and will be more appreciative!! The kids Santa list should only include three items: (1) A Need, (2) A Want, (3) Something Fun!!
I am always being asked by family - what should we get the kids for Christmas or their Birthdays and I always have a hard time coming up with a list of things. I think the best thing to do is keep a running list throughout the year and highlight things that the kids really need. This way you are not over-buying and also gives others a chance to get the kids things they need instead of just something random and everyone wins!
As kids get older, buying presents for them gets more and more complicated and more and more expensive. Their wish list this year included a Nintendo Switch.. umm NO!!! It was so easy before just getting socks, gloves, hats, pjs, stuffed animals, small games and toys, but now it's mansions, droids and video game consoles! I think depending on individual budgets, no more then $80-$100 should be spent per kid totaling all items.
At 6.5 they are old enough to understand responsibility, but still young to really be mature about taking care of their stuff.. Of course everyone is different, but in my experience, this is what I have learned. My kids are amazing when they are alone, but together it's a mad house. They play with things nicely, but together, pieces go flying everywhere and then go missing within the hour of opening the item! I am trying to instill the rule that you play with one toy, put it away and then play with another, but it's still a work in progress!
I've added links above to the items that I purchased - if you have any of these, please let me know your thoughts and at what age you bought them for your kid(s) and if you buy any of them, please tag me!!