Will it 4 gift rule work for our family this Christmas?
This was the question I asked myself for a couple of years on our parenting path. We now have children of four and two years old whose toys are falling out of every accessible place in our house.
Christmas, birthdays and even other holidays like Easter or Valentine’s Day can bring tons of gifts for our children. The Rule of 4 Gifts for Christmas Frames has greatly reduced the chaos in our home ahead of the holidays. And to be honest, it has increased the joy and happiness of our children as the emphasis has shifted from revealing ALL THINGS to being together with the whole family and actually spending time exploring the gifts they really received.
Thus, the four-gift rule changed my family’s Christmas traditions. But before I get to that, let’s make a scene …
How much do families spend on Christmas? (Hint: A LOT)
Did you know that the average consumer spends over $ 900 on Christmas gifts? Or that the total annual US holiday spending is greater than one trillion dollars?!
It’s no secret that the retail marketing machine has long since taken over the holidays. What should have been a relaxing holiday with friends and family has turned into an opportunity to squeeze a few more dollars out of you, the consumer.
The costs even go beyond Christmas gifts. LendEDU conducted a survey of what people expect to spend on Christmas, including gifts, travel, decorations, and more. Below is a graph of their results. Interestingly, their figure of $ 633 is less than other figures suggest actual spending. Perhaps people are not covering all their expenses? I know I always spend more than I expected.
Christmas shopping rules of concern
Every year I fall into the trap of Christmas gifts.
I am not a gifted person by nature, which makes the whole process even more stressful. Letters and text messages roll in asking, “What do you want for Christmas?” I have to rack my brains to figure out what I want, what I don’t have yet, and in the end I inevitably offer a weak gift card offer for one or the other, feeling a little guilty, but also relieved that I might stop trying artificially. invent desires and needs.
The same thing works the other way as I try to figure out what I can give my friends and family who are thoughtful and helpful with ease.
Maybe you are not quite like me and you love giving and receiving gifts. More power for you – I admire those who have the gift of giving gifts and want to be you.
Even if you enjoy the process, it’s clear that we, as a society, are investing more and more ourselves in debt in pursuit of the consumer’s perspective on the holiday season. More than half of Christmas shoppers admit to going into debt buying gifts for others. And if you asked them why I’m betting, you would look puzzled, “This is exactly what we should be doing!”
While everyone and everything is pushing you to spend, spend, spend this season, I want to give you permission STOP THE MADNESS…
Connected: Top Seasonal Jobs to Earn Extra Cash During the Holidays
Gift Rule 4: How to Stop Madness
A few years ago, I learned from a friend of mine that she and her family had reduced their Christmas wish list to 4 gifts:
- Something they want
- Something they need
- Something to wear
- Something to read
I thought it was ingenious – it not only gets rid of a lot of “things” that you accumulate, but also provides a useful basis for gift ideas. Now that my wife and I go shopping for the kids, it’s easier to narrow down the list and make sure we’re on budget and not overdoing it. It also allows us to splurge on one or two big gifts that we hope they’ll appreciate more than a bunch of small ones.
Benefits of the Christmas Four Gift Rule
If your kids are still young, now is the perfect time to set up this routine. Our children now just love to tear open paper and play with boxes. Maybe “what they want” may just be an empty, wrapped box!
For older children, the four-gift rule can help teach them the value of gifts and their meaning. The beauty of this system is that it allows them to give quality gifts that they can truly appreciate without overwhelming them with things.
As our children grow up, we hope this becomes a good topic of conversation about why we chose to deliberately indicate the number and type of gifts when they compare themselves to what their friends receive. I want to teach them good money habits at a young age by example. More importantly, I hope we can talk about other children who are less fortunate than us and help them choose gifts for others.
While you can still go overboard with the 4-gift rule, it makes budgeting much easier. You will not constantly find “one more thing” that you need to buy because you know that every gift needs to be considered.
Connected: Why should we pay tithing? Connection effect
4 gift rule ideas for your family
If you need a little help figuring out what to give your kids who fall under the 4 rules of gifts, here are some ideas for different ages.
4 Rule of gifts for babies and toddlers
- What they want: If your children are like mine, they were showered with an abundance of toys even before they were born. But getting a nice quality toy (we love Melissa and Doug) is always a good idea.
- Something they need: Add or open an investment account for your future.
- Something to wear: New pair of pajamas. How do we never have clean pajamas without holes? Only we?
- Something to read: Anything that helps them learn words and sounds with funny pictures. Here are some ideas.
4 Rule of gifts for high school students
- What they want: Bicycle or art supplies for creative people.
- Something they need: New backpack and school supplies (children always seem to need school supplies …)
- Something to wear: Those fancy jeans they asked for.
- Something to read: I remember that as a child I was fond of a series of books (anyone from Redwall?) Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia; there are so many good options.
4 Rule of gifts for teens
- What they want: I’m not on the parenting journey yet, but I’m betting I’ll fold and buy my teen a smartphone.
- Something they need: Continuing the electronics theme, a laptop for school work.
- Something to wear: Good luck picking whatever they want. The gift card is in a hurry to help!
- Something to read: A Kindle gift card so they can choose their favorite book or graphic novel.
Lesson summary – make the 4 gift rules work for you
The whole point of the 4 Gift Rule is to be a little more deliberate and selective about giving gifts (and hopefully make it easier to stick to your budget). We don’t strictly adhere to the formula every year. Do what works for you. For example, you want to take the whole family on a special trip instead of one or more gifts. Sometimes a shared experience is the best gift you can give.
And nothing in this article was said about how much you should conduct. This will change depending on your situation and your budget. But hopefully it gives you a foundation to help you better give gifts with any budget, big or small.
And you? Have you tried the four-gift rule or something similar? How was it?
