Less Is More This Christmas: The ‘Four Gifts’ Guide
At Christmas, we can often get caught up in consumerism. Whilst it can feel great to buy gifts and spoil the ones we love, it’s important to not overindulge at Christmas. This is especially true when it comes to gifts for our children.
A recent trend to combat the overspending that often takes place at Christmas is the ‘Four Gifts Guide’. This initiative sees parents pledging to buy their children gifts from 4 categories.
These being:
Something they want
Something they need
Something to wear
Something to read
This ensures your child(ren) is getting a well-rounded gift, and you don’t end up spending a fortune.
By getting into the habit of receiving four gifts from you or Santa Claus every Christmas, your child learns to really appreciate what they get, and they don’t get caught up in always wanting (or worse, expecting) more. This leaves you time to teach them the true meaning of Christmas, whatever that may be in your family.
The 4 Gifts Guide also allows your children to become more thoughtful in their choice of gifts.
Some Ideas…
Here are some things you may find helpful for the 4 gifts guide.
Something they want…
Toy trends change a lot throughout the year. The hottest toy or game in summer can be completely off the trend by Christmas. Luckily, Amazon is here to help with their Holiday Toy List, featuring some of the most wanted toys of the year. They even break the list down into shopping by age, as well as a list of different toy based categories so it’s easy to find something to suit everyone.
Something they need…
Wants and needs are two very different things, but this can be hard for younger children to grasp. Things like new stationery for school, lessons for an extracurricular activity, or sports equipment can be categorised as a ‘need’, that they’ll still find fun and get a lot of use out of.
Something to wear…
Some kids love clothes and fashion, others are far from interested. No matter what your child’s interests, choosing something they’ll get a lot of use out of during the year is ideal. A new coat (an essential really, because you know, Irish weather…), trainers, or a jersey are all great ideas and make a great gift.
Something to read…
Reading is such an important part of life, so it’s great to incorporate it into Christmas. Depending on your child’s age category, you can choose from Christmas classics like The Snowman, and ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.
David Walliams books are always very popular with kids at Christmas, and his new book The Beast of Buckingham Palace. Waterstones have compiled a list of their ‘10 Gift Books for Children This Christmas’, featuring books like Into the Jungle and Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls 2.