The Professional Wife's Guide to The Best Christmas Your Kids Have Ever Had! and the most stree-free, budget friendly Christmas for Mom More Than Gifts Have you ever noticed that it’s incredibly hard to stay full after eating fast food. Of course you ate and the burger and fries were good but now you’re starving only one hour later. I’m going somewhere with this, I promise. Adding substance to your Christmas will leave your kids happy and satisfied. Being stressed out and rushed and randomly throwing the gifts together at the last minute will leave your kids longing for more. You don’t want them left longing for more. Much like a real, preservative-free, home cooked meal can keep you full all day, a true and real Christmas experience will leave you and your children with memories that last a lifetime. Here are some ideas that you can implement this Holiday Season: i ] the build up: Do a 25 Days Until Christmas countdown with your kids that includes a piece of candy every day during the month of December. You can make cute little small goody bags using tissue paper and tie ribbon. Then, write or print labels with the date and a scripture about Jesus and His birth. You can also purchase a candy countdown at Walmart. christmas movies: There are tons of great Christmas movies for kids and Redbox will have them available for a little over $1 per night. Do a Christmas movie night once a week during the month of December. Be sure to pop some popcorn or make some s’mores. s fun family activity: Take the kids out for a family outing during the Christmas break. Your city may not have an ice-skating rink but most cities have a traditional skating rink or kids activity/ party center. { the night before christmas: Provide a stocking for each of your children. In the stocking, be sure to include cool pens and other small items that your child might like. Wait until the end of the night, right before bed, to open the stocking. Kids love the build up! 8 christmas day: Before opening gifts, read the Christmas story straight from the Bible. We let my daughter read it (she’s 7). Then, start opening the gifts! Copyright by Be Freeplay Company, LLC 2012 All Rights Reserved. | www.iamvirtue.org t date night baskets To save time and money, I do “Date Night” Baskets for all of my married immediate family. The basket comes complete with: • A couple’s devotion calendar • Tickets to the movies • a restaurant gift card For my parents, in the past, I’ve included a gift card for a couple’s massage at the beach. The basket really depends on your budget but they usually range around 40-50 bucks (unless you go the couple’s massage route.). family night baskets: These work as a gift for an entire family. HUGE money and time saver and it’s super practical! They will love it! Include: • Fun Board Game • Domino’s Pizza Gift Certificate • Family Movie on DVD • Box of Popcorn • 2 liter of soda life enrichment gift For single siblings/close family I like to give gifts that keep you company: • New Bible and Devotion Set • New Journal and Bible • Encouraging Book/Bookstore Gift Certificate Why You've Got To Start Shopping At Least 3 Months In Advance Less stress. More Control. Less Spending. More Time. Is that not the perfect combination of Christmas shopping factors? Isn’t that what we all kind of wish for when we’re out in the mall the day before Christmas trying to rub pennies together and figure out which stores don’t close until midnight? All of that running around and stressing about money can really zap the joyful and peaceful energy that we all love so much about the Christmas season. Shopping early gives you a chance to take your Christmas season back! It gives you control of your budget and allows you to give gifts that make an impact without impacting your finances going into the new year. For example, a new laptop bought the day before Christmas can be pretty expensive but a new laptop purchased online on “Black Friday” may be half the price. Or, if you don’t feel like camping out for a good deal, you can put certain items on layaway and pay for them in small amounts leading up to Christmas. A lot less stressful and a lot more control over your money. If you plan on having a stress free Christmas and put that plan into action, you will succeed! Prowife Gift Buying Tip 10 gifts look great under the tree! Not too much and not too little. if you buy too many gifts, they will not appreciate most of them. It’s too overwhelming. children are pretty simple when it comes to gift giving. Don’t overthink it :) Because I shop all year and find the most ridiculously amazing gifts at the lowest prices I am often tempted to go crazy on quantity. Don’t do it! I’ve learned that my oldest will only want to play with a couple of the gifts that I buy especially since she gets gifts from so many people in our family. My youngest just wants the boxes! However, If you can find the deals and you have the time, this should only be a guide. All children are different. Give based on what you feel is right for your children. Remember when buying for multiple children, one board game or video game is everyone’s game! Be sure to start talking about sharing well before Christmas. That way, they’ll be excited for one another while opening gifts because they know what’s theirs is mine and what’s mine is theirs. Beats jealousy and covetiousness anyday! 8 3 bonus traditional gift: This item should be something that you can do for years to come. Lillien’s tradition gift will be a new Bedtime Bible Story book and Bible Cover. Because she is in Christian school she has to have a Bible at the start of the school year. If this were not the case, I would probably do a new Bible every school year. You may want to try that. stocking stuffers: The night before Christmas let your children open up a stocking filled with small and inexpensive items. I buy markers, crayons, nail polish, lip gloss etc. Nothing should cost more than a buck or two! If you’re not going to do stockings, don’t worry. They won’t miss it if you’ve never done it before but it does add something special to Christmas Eve :) Here's An Idea Of How To Break Those Gifts Down 2 small gifts– These gifts should Retail @ $10 or less per item (Gifts you wouldn’t mind seeing trashed and ruined the day after Christmas) examples: Toy Cars, Baby doll or Barbie Clothing, Coloring Books 5 medium gifts – These gifts should Retail @ $20 or less (Gifts that you hope can make it until July at least) examples: Educational games, books, board games, Baby Doll or Barbie Doll, Nerf Set, etc 2 necessary items – These gifts should Retail at $20 or less examples: New cool battery powered toothbrush, New bike helmet and knee/elbow pads, New Jacket, scarf, gloves, etc. 1 large item – This gift should Retail at NO MORE than $150 (max price could go higher or lower based on age) examples: new gaming system, tablet/e-reader, bicycle never pay retail price for a christmas gift! never ever ever ever ever!!! Copyright by Be Freeplay Company, LLC 2012 All Rights Reserved. | www.iamvirtue.org