Follow the rule of 4 gifts you give to your children and then give a special gift from “Santa Claus”. If your children are used to more gifts than that, you can explain it to them. That's what it's for to give 4 gifts. However, we changed it just a little.
I removed the “wear and tear” part. When our children need new clothes, we usually buy them when they need them. Children grow so fast, they sometimes grow a full size in less than two months, so they can't wait until a holiday to buy longer pants or larger shoes. Here are some ideas for the “Something They Want” category in Becky (Your Modern Family) says.
You've probably heard of the 4 gifts rule. Then, on Christmas morning, his gift from Santa Claus was his most desired item, within a reasonable price range, in addition to a sock. That Christmas morning, it took Abby forever to finish opening all the toys, gadgets and gifts. Encouraging siblings to think about each other is a good thing, but giving each other a gift should be enough to help children learn the art of gifting.
Then I had another friend who said that she had bought each of her children a gift because she was teaching her children the true meaning of Christmas. Obviously, a gift for each of the four categories will vary depending on the child depending on their age, needs, and interests, but we've put together some ideas to get you started buying gifts. Get this printable rule of 4 gifts with lots of cute ideas and gift tags to help keep the gifts right for all your children and friends this year. But here are some common “drawbacks” when going on to give 4 gifts for Christmas and tips on how to avoid them.
Other families can't give great gifts to Santa Claus, and that can make some children think they're not as good as other children because they didn't get an expensive gift from him. Because when you give away just 4 gifts for Christmas, they end up being incredibly well thought out gifts, not random gadgets or trinkets that you get just to get something, even though you know they'll soon end up stuck in a closet or somewhere else out of sight, forgotten and gathering dust. First of all, I think it would be great to have a rule of five gifts and, in addition to the four, to include a gift of their choice for a child or a vet in need (something like that). Considering that four gifts aren't an overwhelming amount, it might make the gift in this category a little better than new socks or underwear.
Check out this list of accessories for socks, gifts for 14-year-olds, or things for five-year-old girls—options that might be better than a gift card. If your children are old enough to remember how many gifts they received last year and expect the same or more this year, they're old enough to talk frankly about gift giving and what's most important during the holiday season.
