In your families, do your kids each give a gift to every adult/member? Or do they just assume they will be included in the "family" gift to other people?
EACH of my kids, EVERY year, feels they MUST give a gift to EVERY SINGLE member of the family. Not just dad and mom and siblings, but to aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents too.
They don't go together, though they will help each other out if one comes up short or needs help with something they are making.
I am not sure if other families do this or not.
Jessie didn't have much money, so she took and baked. And baked. And baked.
and she even cleaned up after.
thank you bought some small gifts. he also painted some small items I let him choose at Hobby Lobby. AND we had a bunch of little items from the college recruiting fairs husband works at for his company. Pads of paper, pens, flashdrives, screwdrivers, etc... I let thank you pick from some of that stuff.
At first this season it sent me into a panic. We just do NOT have $ for each kid to buy a gift for each person, even at the Dollar Store. So first when I had a little I let thank you pick things to paint (I have a ton of paints). Then I told Jess she would have to get creative. I would HELP with ideas, and other stuff if she needed, but she needed to think about things to make, or items of her own in good shape to give away.
Jessie asked husband about favorite foods on his side of the family. Anything with-peanut butter. So she and I looked online for a pbutter choc chip cookie recipe (it is awesome, better than our reg choc chip cookie recipe!). husband & I paid for the ingredients, and she used containers we had at home. She also baked brownies on a jelly roll pan so they would be thinner, then cut them with cookie cutters (My suggestion). It took 2 batches to get the baking time right. She worked HARD for 3 days straight doing this.
Wiz had projects from his vocational program that he made for us. husband and I got these interesting steel squares, that are gradually taller. 4 of them. They are to help stabilize tables or chairs that are uneven, rather than shoving a book under them. He gave my bro a set of various threaded pieces of metal he had drilled holes through. They are projects he did at school that did not work out properly. He said it was a "Do It Yourself Windchime Kit"
It just meant so much to me to see them thinking and working and planning to GIVE to others. (thank you didn't even have a fit when he couldn't have $79 to buy all the stuff from the Santa Shop at school he wanted to get! He didn't cry, whine, or even act disappointed!)
anyway, do your kids do this stuff too?
EACH of my kids, EVERY year, feels they MUST give a gift to EVERY SINGLE member of the family. Not just dad and mom and siblings, but to aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents too.
They don't go together, though they will help each other out if one comes up short or needs help with something they are making.
I am not sure if other families do this or not.
Jessie didn't have much money, so she took and baked. And baked. And baked.
and she even cleaned up after.
thank you bought some small gifts. he also painted some small items I let him choose at Hobby Lobby. AND we had a bunch of little items from the college recruiting fairs husband works at for his company. Pads of paper, pens, flashdrives, screwdrivers, etc... I let thank you pick from some of that stuff.
At first this season it sent me into a panic. We just do NOT have $ for each kid to buy a gift for each person, even at the Dollar Store. So first when I had a little I let thank you pick things to paint (I have a ton of paints). Then I told Jess she would have to get creative. I would HELP with ideas, and other stuff if she needed, but she needed to think about things to make, or items of her own in good shape to give away.
Jessie asked husband about favorite foods on his side of the family. Anything with-peanut butter. So she and I looked online for a pbutter choc chip cookie recipe (it is awesome, better than our reg choc chip cookie recipe!). husband & I paid for the ingredients, and she used containers we had at home. She also baked brownies on a jelly roll pan so they would be thinner, then cut them with cookie cutters (My suggestion). It took 2 batches to get the baking time right. She worked HARD for 3 days straight doing this.
Wiz had projects from his vocational program that he made for us. husband and I got these interesting steel squares, that are gradually taller. 4 of them. They are to help stabilize tables or chairs that are uneven, rather than shoving a book under them. He gave my bro a set of various threaded pieces of metal he had drilled holes through. They are projects he did at school that did not work out properly. He said it was a "Do It Yourself Windchime Kit"
It just meant so much to me to see them thinking and working and planning to GIVE to others. (thank you didn't even have a fit when he couldn't have $79 to buy all the stuff from the Santa Shop at school he wanted to get! He didn't cry, whine, or even act disappointed!)
anyway, do your kids do this stuff too?
