Giving Only Three Gifts for Christmas

The family tradition I remember the most growing up was opening one small gift on Christmas Eve.  My brothers and I would be SO excited about this and would go crazy tearing that gift open only to find something simple like socks or a pajama set just to work our nerves :)!  It was still so much fun and something I’ll always remember about Christmas with my mom.

As I got older, I found that I didn’t quite like the gift-giving part. I’m sure I sound like the Grinch right now or you’re probably thinking “yeah, right”…but I came to understand that my mother sacrificed a lot during this time of year to make sure we received everything we wanted for Christmas. I’ll always be so thankful for that but I wish I could go back and tell her that it was the time together, the cookie baking, the laughing and “cutting up” that meant so much more…it’s actually why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday (no gifts involved).

I wonder how many other families go / went through this sort of thing every year.  Instead of focusing on what Christmas is really about, we focus on the gift giving part, making sure we get everything on each list.  Oftentimes, we spend money we don’t have, or spend just to spend because it’s “that time of the year”.

Now that we have a child of our own, we wanted to start our own tradition and do something that would keep with the spirit of Christmas but would also keep us from getting carried away since we, of course, want, intend and strive to give our child(ren) the world!

ALSO READ:  Simple, Cute & Inexpensive Gifts for Your Child’s Teacher(s)

So for Christmas this year, and every year, our child(ren) will get THREE GIFTS…just like Jesus!

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:1-12, NIV)