tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856376880321909394.post5400066346292767737..comments2016-08-08T10:08:44.276-04:00Comments on It's Just Change: Alternative to the Holiday MadnessJoannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12937512054883534573noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856376880321909394.post-37715321338104057662009-09-22T23:51:53.681-04:002009-09-22T23:51:53.681-04:00Disclaimer to all: The gifts in the picture don...Disclaimer to all: The gifts in the picture don't all belong to my son :)<br />We too are starting to look at gifts differently, but the reasoning is due to us trying to budget and get out of debt. My boys definitely would enjoy alone time with you two,doing something fun, just as much as they would receiving a gift. We get so busy that I think the gift of 1 on 1 time from anyone would be awesome. We need to do a better job of having regular extended family time. I know we just gave Treyson the birthday gift of bowling (time yet to be arranged). Mandi didn't want more toys to store/move.<br />Every year our kids give away a few of their gently used toys to kids who wouldn't have gotten any toys for Christmas. This helps to lighten the toy room and remind them of others less fortunate. <br />We are happy to call a gift giving truce between the 4 of us as adults. I am all for less shopping/stress. We like going out to dinner with everyone, but it is very hard to visit with everyone at a long table. <br />Don't worry, when you have kids we'll get them a card and a cardboard box. Until they are about 3, they will be fascinated purely by those 2 items!Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12583369071701027378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856376880321909394.post-14927477862324116352009-09-22T16:35:34.120-04:002009-09-22T16:35:34.120-04:00Joanna - you may like this idea my sister did for ...Joanna - you may like this idea my sister did for her kids when they were young. They got 3 gifts; same as baby Jesus who got one gift from each of the three kings. My nieces and nephews gifts were from Mom, Dad, and Santa -- yes, this crosses both the secular and non-secular. In addition the three larger gifts, the kids also had a full stocking with smaller games and treats. As the kids have gotten older this tradition has been fading, but it really did a nice job of keeping the little ones understanding the Christmas connection and focus on baby Jesus.Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10712891778885095611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856376880321909394.post-76735347361667671112009-09-22T11:20:10.502-04:002009-09-22T11:20:10.502-04:00I know all about birthdays around Christmas- my si...I know all about birthdays around Christmas- my sister's is a week before Christmas, and mine's a week after. We'd just make one "gift list" and some things would come for our birthday, and others for Christmas... and nothing the rest of the year.<br /><br />For our kids, they'll be spoiled by my parents & my husband's large family, so we're going to have to be diligent about keeping the gift numbers down, to avoid having our house taken over by toys.Joannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12937512054883534573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856376880321909394.post-36717485533684491492009-09-22T00:16:57.396-04:002009-09-22T00:16:57.396-04:00Gifts aren't our love languages either, thankf...Gifts aren't our love languages either, thankfully.<br /><br />My son's birthday is Dec. 20. We will ideally be in Indiana for that (and Christmas) so long as the weather holds up.<br /><br />He doesn't care about toys now, and I doubt he'll care about them in three months. We probably won't get him much. Maybe one thing this year. I know the grandparents will give him things, anyway.<br /><br />We'll have to figure out what we'll do for his 2nd birthday and Christmas and beyond. I do hope we keep Christmas Christ-focused.Kaciehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03068520824047487960noreply@blogger.com