How to keep your kids grounded, stay within budget, and provide all the Christmas cheer they need.
Children writing long lists for Santa, the constant exposure to Christmas advertisements, listening to their friends’ expectations: there are many reasons while parents feel under huge pressure to provide their children with all their Christmas wishes. This, along with the other pressures that the holidays can bring, can place a huge emotional and financial burden on families.
One way to counter this is to manage your children’s expectations. Not only will it relieve some of the pressure around the holidays, it will also contribute to your efforts to raise grateful, appreciative children.
Here are 6 ways to manage your child’s expectations at Christmas:
1. Make memories
Many parents worry about disappointing their children come Christmas morning. But not receiving a mountain of gifts will do nothing to hinder your child’s development. In years to come, when they are grown and reminisce over Christmases gone by, it is not the toys that they will remember but the time spent together.
Whether it is making decorations, putting up the tree, or drinking hot chocolate by the fire, coming up with little Christmas traditions for you to do together will be what makes Christmas really special and will help take the emphasis off the all-important Santa list.
2. Experiences rather than gifts
Encourage your children to put experiences down on their Santa list instead of some of the material presents they would usually ask for. For example, your child can ask Santa for a family walk through a forest, to sing Christmas carols together, or to watch their favourite Christmas movie. Then, come Christmas day, you can surprise them and say that Santa left instructions to do just that!
3. Put the emphasis on giving
While everyone loves receiving a great gift, oftentimes it is watching someone else receive one that can bring the most joy and fulfilment. Teach your children that a lot of the joy of gifts is in the giving. As a family, you can make homemade Christmas decorations, put together hampers with small gifts or bake Christmas treats and deliver them to nearby women’s shelters, soup kitchens or any location of your choice. When your children see how happy they have made others, they won’t rely on receiving gifts to bring all their Christmas joy.
4. Instil values all year round
It will be easier to manage Christmas present expectations if your child is consistently encouraged to appreciate the giving and receiving of gifts. Teach your children to appreciate every gift they receive. It can be a tough and guilt-ridden experience for everyone if your child is visibly upset when they receive a present from a grandparent or other relative. Teach your child that what makes a gift special is appreciating the person who gave it to you.
5. Involve older kids in the process
If your children are older and Santa no longer visits, talking to your kids about their Christmas wish list can be very helpful. Go through their wish list together and discuss what they need, what they want and what you can afford. You do not need to burden your teenagers with financial woes, but letting them know that certain items are out of range will help them manage their expectations and not be disappointed come Christmas morning.
6. Kris Kindle
Perhaps one of the best and easiest ways to manage Christmas expectations is to have a family Kris Kindle. So, instead of your children expecting a pile of presents under the tree, they can look forward to getting one really special present. This way, no one misses out!
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