A Plan for Gifts
By Krisann Blair and Susie Glennan
Krisann: Growing up, my mother always made sure that I had ten gifts
to open under the tree. Some gifts were very inexpensive although
she was selective about what she gave. There was only one large gift
and then the other nine were mixed in price, some of them priceless.
Having two young children in more modern times means there is always
a new and updated version of something to be purchased. After several
years of giving my children more gifts than they really needed, I
decided to change the type of gifts they received. I decided to adopt
my mother¹s ten-gift rule, combining it with ideas learned from an
attendee at one of my retreats. Now at Christmas my children get
gifts based on the following:
Each Sunday leading up to advent, they each receive
- A religious item such as a nativity piece, devotional book, or
Bible
- A tree ornament
- A clothing item to wear on the first Sunday of advent and new
pajamas
On Christmas morning, they each receive
- Something to read
- Something to cuddle, such as a stuffed animal, doll, pillow,
blanket, or quilt
- Something to play with such as a toy
- Something to make such as arts and crafts
- Something for a keepsake such as jewelry, a heirloom, or collectible
item
- Something hand-made, either hand-made by me or by someone else
- A video, board, card, or electronic game
By using the above list as a guide, my Christmas gift shopping
is more organized, and I actually look forward to finding gifts
for my children each year. The children suggest ideas for each
category and then look forward to finding out how creative mom
was in her gift decisions. Many of the gifts have become items
they will keep for years, and I am sure this is a tradition they
will take into their own families one day. So I pass this tradition
on to you in the hopes that your gift shopping can be as rewarding
for you and yours as it is for me.
©2002 Krisann Blair
Susan: When I was a little girl, Hanukkah meant making decorations,
lighting candles, singing prayers and opening presents. Now that
I have children of my own, I do the same; however, with three children
in the electronic age, gifts started to get quite costly, so I
started a new family tradition.
I saw a product in a catalog with eight boxes filled with goodies,
one for each night of Hanukkah. After ordering and trying it out,
I found that I would have to purchase one for each of my three
children. That would be too costly. And the funny thing was that
the Dreidel and gelt (chocolate money) was not to be given until
the fifth and seventh night.
That is when I decided to make my own boxes. For a couple of years
now I have used the same boxes. The first night a few dreidels
and Hanukkah gelt are given. Other trinkets fill the other boxes,
such as movie tickets, fun pens and pencils, jelly beans, stickers,
gift certificates, hacky sack, squeeze ball, cookies, jewelry,
fancy socks, crayons, and markers. It varies according to age.
Now the focus is back on the tradition instead of costly gifts.
©2002 Susie Glennan
Author Bios:
Krisann Blair is the author of The Christmas Organizing Handbook
and oversees the Christmas Organizing online community at www.christmasorganizing.com that
provides various resources for getting organized for a less stressful
holiday season year-round. Visit www.ChristmasOrganizing.com for
more tips.
Susie Glennan has been happily married since 1982, is mom to 3,
and is a Home Maker, Nurturer, Teacher, Author, Professional Speaker,
Toastmaster, President of The Busy Woman, Inc., DBA - The Busy
Woman's Daily Planner®. She teaches time management seminars, offers
FREE consultations with your order, and will help you set up a
schedule that's right for you.
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