I'm on a roll here so in keeping with the Christmas theme my Works-For-Me Wednesday has a Christmas flare to it again this week.
Mary's great WFMW last week got me thinking our children's gift giving at Christmas.
We have five kids - two girls and three boys, ranging in age from almost five up to 14. We have a veritable plethora of toys and games and stuffed animals and gadgets and clothes, etc. etc. (You get the picture.) There are regular times throughout the year we go through things together and give things away or donate them to charity or throw things away. And we still have A LOT of stuff. At Christmas, naturally, they all want to give each other gifts. Isn’t that sweet?! Here’s the dilemma - most of them don’t have jobs and honesty, do we really need a lot more stuff? Really no. They're going to get plenty more from aunts and uncles and grandparents and us. So, we encourage re-gifting. Just before Christmas each year (and on birthdays for that matter) we encourage each of the kids to look closely at all his/her stuff to see if there is something that he/she already has that isn’t played with much anymore or is outgrown and can be given as a Christmas gift to one of his/her siblings. Something nice, which isn't hard because we really encourage our kids to take good care of their things. Inevitably, I hear something like this, “Shorty has always liked this (fill-in-the-blank) and I don’t play with it much anymore (or didn’t ever), I think I’ll give that to him for Christmas.” And I have NEVER EVER heard from the receiver of such a gift, “What?! This old thing? I don’t want your used-up old (fill-in-the-blank)!” More often, it’s, “I have always liked/wanted this! Thanks you so much!”
Re-gifting. In our home, it works for us!
There are a bunch of great ideas over at Rocks in My Dryer. Head over there and pick up a nice little idea or two for yourself - something to make life a little easier or more enjoyable.
10 comments:
That is a great idea and so thoughtful as well. By the way, you might want to check your link at Shannon's, I kept getting a page not found error.
I really like this idea, too. I think it's a wonderful thing to teach your children--both the givers and the receivers.
Brilliant! I wish I had thought of that as a kid! I could never afford to get my brother anything great and my parents were big on us contributing to gifts.
This is a good thing, I like ways to teach the kids to let go of their "stuff".
Great idea! We do this sometimes, but it gets tricky because one of my kids plays with totally different things than the rest of the kids.
BTW, love your look and your theme!
This really is a good idea. My youngest son is always thrilled when one of his older siblings pass something down to him. Why not use those things as gifts instead?!!
Great idea! Thanks for sharing =)
Great idea! Thanks so much!
I am already a big fan of re-gifting - I consider it my bit to save the planet. I have been thinking of ways to clear out the toys here too and this works well, especially for the many wooden toys we have that he has outgrown.
I think I will take your idea and use it after the holidays, though. I've been trying to think of ways to instill “giving to others” in my DS, in a more personal way. I’m going to dedicate a shelf in the playroom of old toys that he selects to give away – then let him spontaneously give them to friends throughout the year. Perhaps he’ll take the initiative to replenish the shelf himself.
Re-gifting within your own home, I love this idea! :) Thanks for sharing. :)
And thanks for your comment on my Adoption #2- We’ve Got a Lead! post. I do appreciate your prayers!
This is a great idea. Really great. I think we are going to institute something like this!
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