Want Need Wear Read

Gift giving can be a beautiful monster. Every birthday and holiday seems to revolve around getting "stuff" for the girls. Now don't get me wrong: people show love through gift giving, and I'm always appreciative of the gift giver's thoughtfulness and generosity. But the bottom line is that my kids don't really need much. They have a playroom full of dress up clothes, dolls, Barbies, and arts and crafts materials. And to tell you the truth, about a third of it sees actual play time.

So this year I'm going to adopt a principal I saw on Pinterest.

I folded a piece of paper into four columns and had the girls dictate their lists to me. Maddie enjoyed sorting out where each of her items belonged. When all was said and done the lists looked manageable. They've been circling items out of catalogs for weeks, but very few of those items made it to the final list. Perhaps they're already learning the difference between needs and wants?

It might be difficult to hold to four gifts. But perhaps those four gifts will be more meaningful and useful in the long run. I want my girls to learn that joy doesn't come from things. Joy comes from serving others. Joy comes from being happy with what you have. Joy comes from God.

What are your holiday gift giving rules or traditions?