When you buy a gift for someone, especially for Christmas, you spend a lot of time and put a lot of thought into what it should be. Being a Santa and planning gifts for your kids can be hard. That’s why we’re stepping in for those last-minute tips to help you out.
Parents do this a lot in their attempt to buy the best possible gifts for their kids or what they had asked for. In the end, they end up spending a lot more than they originally intended. Buying expensive gifts or multiple gifts can make Christmas shopping stressful.
Christmas shopping and stress
Given that many families struggle all through the year to make ends meet, shopping for Christmas can take quite a toll on their finances as well as peace of mind. Parents spend months figuring out what to get. And then if their kids don’t like the gifts, they have to put up with the complaints or make up for it with more spending.
Children are made to believe that Santa is magical and can get them anything they wish for if they have been “good” that year. By this logic, kids assume that they will get anything they wish for. And when that doesn’t happen, they start to question whether they haven’t been good enough that year. This hurts, especially when they see their friends getting the things they asked for.
Giving in to peer pressure
Parents face severe peer pressure too, especially during Christmas. The pressure to make sure the best possible presents are wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree is immense. They need to keep their children on par with other kids in the neighborhood or in school.
This has led thousands of parents in the US to make their kids understand that the biggest gifts come from parents while Santa brings the smaller ones. However, here are our strategies on holiday gifts for kids.
So how many gifts should come from Santa?
We’ve probably come a long way from the days when kids would go to school after Christmas and compare themselves to find out who got more gifts than the other. Research suggests that kids are more concerned about the quality of the gifts they get today rather than the quantity.
Of course, there may be rules in every household about the number of gifts a person can or should get during the holiday season. But, according to child specialists, kids should be made to understand that they are not entitled to get gifts by default. A sense of entitlement can severely damage the idea of gift receiving as a child grows up.
Quality over quantity
The idea today is about what Santa is bringing this year rather than how many he is bringing. Let’s look at this example. Let’s say Santa gets your child a doll and a storybook for Christmas. And then your kid finds out that their friend got the latest Apple gadget. Which gift do you think your child would prefer? The two ordinary gifts you got or the fancy one the friend got?
The best way to get gifts is to understand what your child really needs and get stuff that they will cherish. But that doesn’t mean you splash the cash. Be reasonable and stay within your budget.
The ideal number
Studies show that the ideal number of presents to give kids is three. Anything more than this and kids will be busy ripping through the wrapping. They may not stop to appreciate the gifts they have received. Sticking to buying just three gifts works well for both kids and adults.
Kids are usually happy with this number and parents don’t need to worry about busting their wallets to get more. If you want to get one single gift and make it big, that is fine too. Just make sure your kid knows that it comes from their parents and not from Santa.
