Simplifying Christmas Gifts: Want, Need, Wear, Read

It didn’t take us long after becoming parents to realize that Christmas gift giving could quickly become a financial and logistical nightmare. Even though our kids were small and didn’t need much, we couldn’t help but want to spoil them at Christmastime. But, both kids were born right before Christmas, which meant they ended up getting a ton of gifts just weeks before Christmas. We realized that we were going to end up with (a) very spoiled children, and (b) a TON of kid crap taking up room in our house. About the time our oldest daughter was 3, we decided we needed to find a way to simplify Christmas gifts now before things got out of hand. If you’re looking for simple Christmas gift ideas for kids, read on.

One day, I was at my mom group meeting and I overheard a fellow mama talking about the way they handle Christmas gifts. She said she limits gifts to four specific things per child: something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. When she described their system, a lightbulb went off in my head. This was the answer we were looking for! We decided to implement it right away and we’ve never looked back.

Now that my husband’s gone and I’m a single mama, this simplified Christmas gifting system makes things easier on me. As much as I would love to, I can’t afford to spoil my kiddos at Christmas. Especially when their birthdays fall so close to the big day. I also appreciate that this system makes coming up with gift ideas very intentional and most of the time I am able to get all of my Christmas shopping done fairly quickly.

Want, Need, Wear, Read

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Here are some ideas for gifts for kiddos in each category:

Want {stuff they would love to have}

Need {something practical}

Wear {clothes, shoes, accessories}

Read {books, comics, magazines}

We have really loved this way of simplifying the Christmas gift giving process. It makes it that much easier to shop for my kids and I don’t feel like I am buying them a bunch of stuff they will never play with. They also have learned not to expect an overwhelming plethora of gifts at Christmas, which I love. Christmas, after all, shouldn’t be about the giving and receiving of gifts. I want them to focus more on the time we get to spend together and with our extended family, as well as the ultimate gift of our Savior. I hope by simplifying Christmas for my kids, I am helping to instill in them a better sense of what’s actually important this season: family, faith, and our many, many blessings. What more do we really need?

How do you simplify Christmas gift giving in your home?