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Sunday, January 3, 2010

Simplify your Christmas

With the Holiday season recently ending it's a good time to take a look around at the bounty of gifts your family just received. Gain some perspective on the Holiday loot. Is it too much? Just right? Feel like it's not enough?

Several years ago I hear a great poem shared by my friend, Heather, over at Inepensively. It has saved my family from the Holiday over gifting habit!

"Something you want. Something you need. Something to wear, and something to read."

Each of our 4 children receive so many gifts. With a great grandma, 2 sets of grandparents, great aunts & uncles, and 2 uncles, they receive more gifts than any family of 16 should!

We startd the 4 gift rule, and the kids took to it without a single complaint. Instead of getting 3-5 toys, they get one big thing...something they want, and the small stuff, we let the extended family buy those items.

Something you need could be a new coat, new shoes, socks, new bedding, etc.

Something to wear is usually a new outfit. I stalk the clearance racks and black friday sales so I always get the outfit on the super cheap! Last year our daughter received a Miley Cyrus T-shirt, Jeans, & Scarf outfit which I purchased for $3!!!

Something to read is an easy one. We may buy a chapter book, or a years subscription to a magazine, like National Geographic kids. I love the magazine idea because it's the gift that keeps on giving all year long!

No matter how you celebrate the Holidays it's a great time to remind children about those less fortunate. We purge toys and clothes around the Holiday season and donate to local shelters for thse whom are less fortunate. 

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