Why You Don’t Need to Buy All the Things on Your Child’s Christmas List

Most people say that Christmas is supposed to be the season of giving and that family is usually the most important people to spend this with. It has also been a tradition for almost everyone to give gifts to one another during this time of year.

Some families even have their own little traditions and one of the most popular things they do is that the parents would make their children create their own Christmas list. This list is often said to be given to Santa, which is literally just an excuse for the parents to know what kind of things do their children wish for this holiday season.
However, it was revealed that buying almost everything you can on your children’s Christmas list may lead to emotional and financial struggles.

Most middle-class parents in the United States usually spend around $500 to $1500 on gifts for their children every Christmas

Buying Something You Can’t Afford

Christmas is indeed very special, but this does not necessarily mean that you are willing to be in so much debt just so you could buy all the toys your kids want. It is definitely not worth using your credit card to its full extent to buy something for your children during the holidays.

Giving them gifts is perfectly understandable but you have to be honest with them and yourself as well. The Christmas list does not always have to be obeyed, it can also be a list wherein Santa could choose which one to give them and that means which one you think they would like best and which one you can afford.

This will also teach your children that they cannot get whatever they wish for during Christmas. There may be times that they don’t get it now but they dan someday, which they might forget anyway. It is not about being okay with not having what they want, it’s about the fact that they must learn to accept that they cannot have everything they wish for. Parents who are willing to go broke to be able to get their kids whatever that won’t usually end up having kids who are really spoiled.

Christmas Is Not All About Just Receiving Gifts

Getting everything they want for Christmas may also lead to believing that it is always about them, that this is the season when they could simply write what they want and their parents or Santa will give it to them. It is very important to let children remember why almost the entire world celebrate this holiday season.

It is also important to let them know that they could give as well and not just receive gifts. This is the perfect opportunity for you as their parent to teach your children how to give back and help those who are in need this Christmas. Some families gather some of the toys and clothes they no longer want and donate them, some families go shopping for groceries and toys to give out to families and kids, and there are also times when families even do a fundraising to get enough money to give to charity. There are tons of ways to celebrate Christmas and it is not always about receiving gifts.

Financial experts say that parents must not spend over 1 percent of their annual income on gifts during the holidays.

Practicing Money Management

Finally, by not getting all the things your children want on their list, will be a chance for you to teach them something about money. There will be times when your kids would want something but you will have to tell them no since it is not on your budget.

This will be a perfect opportunity for you to give them a certain budget every Christmas. For instance, your budget for every child is a hundred bucks, with your help they can look for the prices of the things they want and if they realize it exceeds the budget, then it would be easy for them t accept the fact that they can’t get it or they could make some adjustments and pick something else.

It can also be a way for you to explain to them that you may not have enough money to buy them lots of gifts. This will allow you to explain that gifts do not always have to be bought and their value does not define the meaning. Not because you get the most expensive gift does not necessarily mean that you are favored.