One of our goals is teaching giving as part of our family discipleship, which is a sort of Bible lesson. One easy way to start is giving Christmas presents. Each year the kids go out and buy presents for their siblings and for their parents.
We split up the kids, one per adult (drafting my Mom to help), and we each take them to dinner somewhere they enjoy (and us mean parents rule out McDonald’s, Mimi is much nicer and is willing to take them). Then we go to a store and wander around and buy presents for their brother and sister. And we go wrap all the presents then.
Teaching giving doesn’t have to be elaborate
[Future Ticia here] I look back on this post and I see how well this worked. The aspect of Christmas my kids enjoy most is buying presents for their siblings and for their parents. They pester us until we schedule this outing and last year they have learned to keep secrets well enough we can buy fairly early in December.
Even more Future Ticia 2023, now my kids use their own money and they drive cars, and this spirit of giving now applies to friends and other family members.
Teaching giving is a skill we often make too complicated. We want to put certain criteria on how to give and what to give. Sometimes it’s as simple as buying a present for your brother or a birthday present for your friend. Start with who they interact with and their giving will grow from there.
Last year I went with Princess, and this year I went with her again (luck of the draw).
Princess and I went to Olive Garden and we colored pictures.
We shared a salad and “White noodles,” also known as fettuccine Alfredo. And I learned from Princess remembered that food stolen from someone else’s plate tastes much better.
Then we went to Wal-Mart and got the boys Christmas presents and some extra pajamas, because who doesn’t love footed pajamas? Princess insisted that she needs to push the cart, which is a little exciting….
And Princess showed me how to exercise using the shopping cart. Oh to be a kid again, when hanging from a cart is the most fun you can have.
Of course, the instant we saw her brother she had to tell them exactly what she bought them. We’re still working on the concept of secrets, as in none of my kids has any concept of it.
I love traditions like this. Does anyone have any fun Christmas traditions?
Meghan HATES footed pjs…or even fleece zip type without feet! She strips down within an hour of bedtime if we put her in them!
I like your tradition of shopping for siblings as a special date night.
Nice tradition. My kids can't keep secrets either. They tell immediately.
We love-love-love footed pjs here and totally in the same boat on secret keeping 🙂 She is getting better at it though. We are still forming our Christmas traditions – for example, today Anna begged her papa to make a wooden manger for Baby Jesus. They compromised on Lego manger 🙂 Now we have a Nativity set with Lego people and structures and Playmobil animals.
Our kids draw names, so it's only one present each one has to buy – but I still spent 2 1/2 hours, carting my twelve year old around town today, looking for a present for his sister. We went to every store in town, and one twice, before he settled on something. It turned out, he was looking for something she would like, but that was not pink – because he didn't want to be seen buying something pink!
I love that you do this. And I love that Princess told the boys what she got them! Crumpet told me last year what he and Daddy got me – they're just so proud of themselves for shopping and they get so excited!