Woo hoo! It's officially December, which means it's appropriate to start listening to Christmas music, decorate your house in tinsel and lights and spend an exorbitant amount of money to prove you love someone. Oh wait.
I love the holidays, I really do. There's nothing better than waking up Christmas morning and spending time with your loved ones. But Christmas presents definitely add up. And now that my husband and I have a child, things could get out of hand quickly. Since Baby C really has no concept of Christmas this year, we're really not doing much for her. I got her a pair of Christmas pajamas (I love the tradition of getting new PJs for Christmas Eve), and we may get her one more toy. But I know she'll be totally spoiled a lot of other people (grandparents are currently going bananas), so I just don't feel we need to spend a ton of money.
Then I heard about a great way to keep spending on your kids in check during the holidays. Each kid gets 3 presents: one thing they need, one thing they want, and one thing that's educational. Or if you want to do four presents: one thing they want, one thing they need, one thing they wear, one thing they read. I love that idea and I think it's a great way to a) keep things in check and b) not have your child expect a dozen presents on Christmas. Don't we want to teach our kids the true meaning of the holidays?
I'd love to hear some ideas from all of you - how are you planning on keeping Christmas spending in check?
Bonus - any fun holiday traditions you do with your family?
