A Reasonable Christmas List

Well, here I am, with my kids all grown up and grandkids to buy Christmas Gifts for, and I have finally figured out how to make a reasonable Christmas List.  Better late than never, right?  So I decided to share it with you in hopes that it might help many of you at an earlier stage of your lives!

When my girls were little my main focus at Christmas time was to make it magical for them!  When we adopted our boys we wanted to provide a “traditional Christmas experience” for them, whatever that is.  So I believe I was guilty, more than once of being an over indulgent mom and making Christmas a little too extravagant!

Now that I’m older I’m a  little more conscious of the necessity to make wise financial decisions.  I also realize that it’s very important to teach children to manage money properly and by example is one of the best ways to teach that lesson.  Spending a reasonable amount of money at Christmas time is much less stressful and less stress makes for a Merrier Christmas!

Another great reason to make a reasonable  Christmas List is that kids are just as happy, probably even happier, receiving a reasonable  amount of gifts rather than an extravagant amount of gifts.  They learn to have realistic expectations and be happy with moderation and that will serve them well all through their lives.

My youngest daughter has a little boy who will be be just 19 months this Christmas.  She has been talking about her Christmas list, and I was surprised that it is very reasonable (she must be wise beyond her years, or at least wiser than I was at her age).  So I got to thinking about what exactly a Reasonable Christmas List should be comprised of and this is what I came up with.

1.  Something They Want  – Every child (every person, really) deserves to receive at least one gift that is something they really want.  Santa is usually pretty good about getting each child something they really want.  Take special note that it says “something” they want, and not “everything” they want.
2. Something They Need – We should all find happiness in having our needs met.  It’s important to teach kids to be grateful to have the things they need.  This is also a frugal addition to the Reasonable Christmas List, because the money spent on this gift, is money that has to be spent anyway.
3. Something to Wear – This goes right along with number 2, we all need things to wear so this is a practical gift.  Perhaps at Christmas time our “something to wear” gift could be a little bit more special or fancy than the clothing items we would normally buy.
4. Something to Read – Putting this item on the list for children is a great way to encourage a love of reading, which will in turn enrich their education.  Now that sounds like a very reasonable gift to me.  Just take special care to make sure it’s something the recipient will enjoy!
5. Something to See (a DVD) – My family has always enjoyed a family tradition of giving favorite movie on DVD for Christmas.  After all the excitement of Christmas morning we spend the afternoon and evening watching the movies we all received as gifts.  A gift that fosters a feeling of family togetherness is always a great idea, not to mention very reasonable!
6. Something Extra from Me – This item is my “one little splurge” on top of an otherwise incredibly reasonable gift list!  So, I’m not totally reformed!  Oh well, that’s okay!

There you have it!  A Reasonable Christmas List – you won’t have to spend hours, or days or weeks trying to figure out what to buy all the people on your list.  As far as the cost goes, one special gift from the list can be moderately expensive, but for the most part, with a little work you can find bargains and sales and such so that the cost isn’t outrageous or  extravagant.  Now that’s what I call REASONABLE!!

You can download a free printable Christmas List HERE.