I have to admit I was nervous that first year about how it would all go down. But the truth is my kids did not lack for presents even though they were getting less from us than they had in the past. Four Christmas gifts from mom and dad proved to be plenty. They still got gifts from their grandparents and great-grandparents, they still got gifts from their cousins, and we allowed them to pick out a small gift for each other as well. Our budget and the amount of new stuff that entered into our home in such a short span of time stayed under control and we were very relieved.
And so, the four Christmas gifts (and four birthday gifts) is a tradition I think we will always continue until our kids are adults. It’s helped rein in my parental tendency to go overboard and it has helped the kids keep their “gimme’s” under control as well. It is much easier for me to keep track of my birthday and Christmas spending (handy dandy Google spreadsheet with 4 slots for each kid for Christmas and the two holiday-time birthdays!) and it helps our family to both keep the focus on Christ’s birthday at Christmas and add a little extra in our budget to give to others.
Do you use the four Christmas gifts in your family, or do you have another way you moderate gift-giving at Christmas? I’d love to hear about it. If you don’t already have a system I highly recommend that you give the four Christmas gifts a whirl this year!
