Again, this one is about being honest, having a talk with the children and explaining your situation. They need to know that it isn't their fault but sometimes, being thankful for what they have is part of the Christmas spirit too.
Here are some ideas to help ease their worries if they ask:
One big present
We all know expensive presents are always asked for and personally I'd rather purchase that one big gift for them and explain that that is it. That one gift would take all the budget up if it meant they were happy and that there was no need for small trinket presents, the idea is to not overspend it's a budget for a reason. Also asking for other family members to club together for that one main gift.
Stocking fillers
There will be some years when they don't know what they want, this is where you can now be clever and buy the smallest presents but spread them out in a way that makes it special, like putting them in their stockings, followed maybe by a treasure hunt to keep them entertained too. This does not include big presents, it's small token gifts only.
Photo from Unsplash
Collections
There may be something the child is collecting, be it LOL dolls or Star Wars figures. An idea would be to buy the majority of the collection and nothing else. Explaining of course that as this is their hobby/passion, you would rather they have the collection rather than stuff that will get overlooked or chocolate.
Memories not presents
I don't know about you, but I can't remember what presents I received last year, let alone asking a child to remember. It's like with anything, a child may remember a day out over what they bought on that day, or a specific birthday party over what they received from a friend.
In my opinion photos of treasured times are more precious than yet another toy they will forget about before you know it. A great small gift for them to treasure would be a book of photos from the year. I understand of course this is not ideal for toddlers but definitely for those who appreciate it. Looking through an album rather than scrolling through a phone is far more precious.
Photo from Unsplash
My guide number 11 will give you some great ideas for creating memories.
Younger Children
You need not worry about explaining the difficulties to a very young child, but those that are older, will respond to your explanation with some level of understanding, as for the younger ones, perhaps make more of a game of the unwrapping process, a box within a box for example, making it easier for you to accept there is nothing wrong with them just receiving your one extra special present. I also find that with family or friends they will buy the small trinket gifts anyway.
Times are hard and it's just about making that one first change that will help with future Christmas'. Traditions are usually carried from family to family and now you can help generations to change their habits and hopefully remember the true spirit of Christmas. The time is about what you want to make of it, not what big corporations say it should be.
What was your most favourite or treasured Christmas gift from your childhood?
Tomorrows instalment : Couples gift guide
J x
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Comments
I believe that communication with children is the best thing to do when it comes to gift giving. I think if you communicate the plan from the beginning it helps them with understanding. We try to do many activities for memory making that are low budget but high in quality time around the holidays. Because it can be easy to get caught up in the buying.
Absolutely, times are hard it's true
I 100% believe that the memories are more important than the presents. We're trying to scale down presents but there are still some people in our family that are taking a little longer to convince.
Georgia
I agree others may not understand why we're even suggesting this, but you have to do what's best for you.