How To Be A Christmas Minimalist With Children
I definitely used to be materialistic growing up. But as I got older I learned to be a minimalist. Thanks to my husband, of course. Quality over quantity with clothes. And I have to say my closet has kept nicely with clothes that has lasted with classic outfits. As adults it is easy to become a minimalist. Is it easy to be a minimalist with children? Especially for Christmas? Of course it is! With my tips I can help you and everyone in your home to become a minimalist!
Growing Up
Growing up my mom would buy tons of gifts for my sisters and I, for birthdays and Christmas. Of course, it was so much fun getting EVERYTHING we wanted on our list. I remember the large Toys ‘R’ Us catalog come in the mail and my sisters and I would circle all the Barbies, dolls and accessories we wanted. My mom had so many hiding spots for the many gifts. One Christmas she had to work the evening shift. We opened many gifts that morning but it’s Christmas, so we stayed up and waited for mom to come home from work. Surprise! There was our Barbie Dream house and more gifts! Now this doesn’t include all the gifts we would get from family and friends.
Of course, it was awesome opening gift after gift and I am grateful for everything I received. But when I think of it now, I couldn’t tell you what most of those gifts were. Of course, I remember the Barbie dream house. Every little girl dreams of this! The only other 2 gifts I vividly remember is a metal bookmark my mom purchased me for Christmas, as a teenager. I loved it and had it for many years until it broke. My one other gift was my first diary, which had a lock.
Too Many Toys
Gifts should be special and there honestly isn’t a need for so many toys! Every Christmas my kids get tons of gifts from both of our families. Then there are things, they won’t ever use. Such as an action figure or toy they aren’t interested in. From the very beginning my husband and I have stuck to 3-4 gifts per kiddo. I have to say my kids are very grateful. They never expect more. There is no need for us to purchase more than 3-4 gifts, as they will receive PLENTY more from family.
How To Become a Minimalist With Children
My boys receive one gift for their birthday and they decide what they would like to do on their birthday. For Christmas, Santa brings one gift and my husband and I get the other 2-3 gifts. What has made this NORMAL for my children, is that we talk about being grateful for everything we have. We explain not every child has everything they have. Every month we collect clothes and toys the kids no longer use to donate. I love using the Big Brother Big Sister Foundation. Again, we explain the donations will benefit families in need. It’s important to explain to my children that many people are not as fortunate as us and need to be grateful for what we have.
Cost of Gifts
Here I go again, with Quality over Quantity. My 10 year old loves basketball and fashion. He doesn’t play with toys and only likes to wear certain things. Very fashionable at such a young age! This year he has asked Santa for a bike. He also wants a new pair of basketball shoes. Expensive items and he didn’t ask for anything else!
He will get:
- Sneakers
- Bike
- Game (we do game nights)
- He will get boots and Playstation gift card from family and some other things
My middle child, who is 9, he loves art. Simple as that.
He will get:
- Art -tabletop art with easel and chalkboard side
- Pipe cleaners and drawing pad
- Candy (he loves candy as gifts)
- He will get boots and more art supplies from family
My youngest is 15 months and he doesn’t need much. I have saved the classic Disney toys and a few others when my boys were younger. He loves Woody and Jessie from Toy Story.
He will get:
- Megablocks dog walker (2 toys in one)
- Drawing pad with markers (Mess Free version)
- Ride on Toy
- Will get gifts from family as well
They will each get three gifts from my husband and I and the rest from family. I can spend a little more on the bike, for example, for a good quality bike since I am only purchasing three gifts!
Keeping It Simple
By keeping gifts to a limited amount, you are able to splurge on the things they really want (expensive or not). An easy way to gift, would be, to buy something they want, need and use.
Still Looking for Gift Ideas?
- Top Christmas Food Gift Ideas (Edible Gifts)
- How to Make a Wine Gift Basket
- Mommy and Baby Gift Basket (Holiday Theme)
- 25 Christmas Gift Ideas on a Budget (Under $20)
Happy Holidays!
Excellent advice and suggestions! We have four grandchildren and we only give them 5 things each; any more than that and it becomes overwhelming and they lose interest. And two of those gifts are clothes, not toys. However, it took us a long time of spoiling our own sons with LOTS of presents before we learned the concept of quality over quantity. Did our sons grow up thinking everything would be handed to them on a silver platter? Thankfully, no! But we can see how easily that can happen. One son has three kids who are 11, 9 and 7 years old. Our other son became a dad for the first time in February; his 10 month old daughter will get a few wonderful new gifts for Christmas and plenty of hand-me-downs from her older cousins. As for me and my husband, after 48 years of marriage we have everything we could ever want or need. Just being safe and healthy with our family is all we want for Christmas!
Love this Nancy! Thanks for sharing ??
I 100% remember Toys ‘R’ Us catalogs and cutting out nearly every single toy in the whole catalog that I just “had” to have for Christmas or my birthday as a kid! I really love these gift ideas, not just for Christmas, but for any holiday or occasion. And they’re good lists to share with other family members planning to give gifts as well. ?
I loved the toys “r” us catalog! Thank you so much! Happy new year! ??