Christmas has gotten a little out of control when it comes to spending, buying and consumerism, and this has had a big impact on our children and how they view Christmas.
In fact, the true meaning of Christmas really has fallen to the wayside.
To bring this back, we need to look at Christmas in our homes in a much more balanced way.
It’s not to say that we need to cut out all buying and spending, of course, we don’t. Getting and giving presents is fun and it helps us show our loved ones that we care and that we are thinking about them.
But what is also important is that we are showing this to our loved ones in different ways that aren’t just material.
It’s also important that we are showing our children that there is more to Christmas than just presents.
Balance is key, and here are some great ways to achieve a more balanced Christmas.
Do Secret Santa
I’m sure we all know what Secret Santa is. It’s the way of buying Christmas presents for others in a group wherein everybody picks a name at random and buys only that one person in the group a gift.
If you have lots of children or you meet up with lots of different relatives at Christmas, Secret Santa can be a great, balanced way of taking part in the fun and joy of giving and receiving presents, without overdoing it.
It limits everyone’s spending and usually ends up in better quality gifts which are bought with more thought and sentiment attached.
It is also a very social way of gift-giving as everyone in the Secret Santa group usually meets up to exchange presents together.
This activity helps you balance giving gifts with connection and thought, and I think it’s truly great.
Plan activities and experiences over presents
Sometimes our children can get really excited about Christmas but only for the presents part of it.
It’s important that we plan things over the Christmas period for them that involves more than just toys and gifts.
Try and balance your Christmas this year by adding in activities and experiences that you can do with your children as a family.
Whatever it is will depend on what you and your children enjoy doing, but the main thing is that you are placing importance on spending time together on Christmas and truly connecting with each other.
Presents are great, but they can’t be the only reason that we are looking forward to Christmas time with our families.
Practice gratitude
Teaching your children to practice gratitude over Christmas is one of the best things you can do for them.
Gratitude isn’t just about saying thank you for presents, it’s about taking time to acknowledge what you have, in every sense, and be actively grateful for it.
You can try this by taking time together and saying what you are grateful for this Christmas. Or you can each write it on a slip of paper, mix them up, and read one out each.
Doing such activities will help everybody remember what the real spirit behind Christmas is and your presents won’t be the highlight of your day anymore.
Isn’t that lovely?
