If you are a blog follower or any kind, you know I am not the only person counting down 'til the holidays. In my reader, the posts regarding planning and the holidays are coming up faster than I can read! I really recommend heading over to The Lettered Cottage for some inspiration. Decoration ideas are already bouncing around in my skull as I write.
So far, I've mostly been inspired to create new lists! Lists of things I need to do, things I want to do and, of course, the big list of gifts. When I started typing the list out (because I'm all about spreadsheets these days), I found myself in the age old quandary… how much to buy? And what to buy? Educational toys? Clothing? A big family gift? Budgetary issues aside, the how much is too little? or too much? has always been a question for me. The media would have you believing that a tree buried under presents is the norm, but it doesn't seem like that much fun for my kids. They get tired of unwrapping after about three presents and really just want to play with the new toys or try on the new clothes. (ok, that would be Lala who wants to try on new clothes… the cuddler could care less.)
One of my co-workers had an idea that I thought was pretty good. Her brother-in-law does this every Christmas and everyone is happy. Each kid gets five presents along the following lines:
something to wear
something to create with
something to watch
something to play with
something to read
Good idea, no? Not too many presents, but with the addition of all the usual holiday events, foods and family members to play with, there will still be tons to do! I started purchasing stuff for the kids back in August when school supplies were on sale, so now my list of shopping is pretty small. My budget loves that!
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