We take pride in finding nifty bargains that each one of the 12 remaining aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents would enjoy. It stems from my mom's humble roots. She was the youngest of five children from a farm family. To them, the more shiny wrapped packages you had under the tree with your name on them, the better. Even now when they can afford to do more, she and her remaining siblings seem to take pleasure in seeing a big pile of ribbons and paper and having a stack to rip open! It is fun, I have to admit.
When my son Jake, was a tiny little guy, I wanted him to take part in that tradition... and not just on the receiving end. I thought Jake should have his own gifts to pile up under the tree and hand out like a little Santa's elf.
I certainly didn't want to raise a child who had his hand out in a "what-did-you-get-me-this-year" way... not that Jake would ever have done that. But I determined from the get-go that to really learn the art of giving, he would have to make a dozen individual crafts, wrap them, and put bows and nametags on them. Only in doing all that planning and work can he fully appreciate that Christmas is a wonderful time of giving. But that it also requires a lot of work and planning.
So at age one, we collected seashells during our summer vacation with an eye towards Christmas. We kept them clean and dry in a bag until November. Then one weekend we got them out and painted them with glitter paint. 2 weeks later, he wrapped them with tissue paper (with help), stuck on the bows and proudly handed them out Christmas Day at Aunt Christine's house. You should have seen his face light up from the oohs and aahs as all the relatives unwrapped his creations! A tiny gift-giving artist was born.
By the time he was two we made bookmarks. Other years he cut out snowflake tree ornaments, made 12 colorful paper airplanes, did cardboard picture frames with his school picture inside, etc. You get the idea.
This year, he's giving snowman soup (all the ingredients for hot chocolate) in a colorful package. It's 3 envelopes glued together with red ribbon and stamped with snowman images, and inside each package are: a packet of hot chocolate, a bag of marshmallows, and a stick of peppermint to stir it with.
It doesn't have to cost anything. I think Jake's creations have cost less than 50-cents each.
It's more about having something individualized he can give to each person just as they are giving him a small, heartfelt gift.
Try having your child be a "giver" not just a "receiver" this year.
You might be surprised how proud it makes them feel, how many life lessons they learn without you having to say a word, and what a wonderful tradition it will become!
Happy Holidays!
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