The kiddos and I are very excited because tomorrow morning we will be making a trip to the store to let them do some shopping of their own. I love Christmas, I love Santa, I love seeing the little ones open their gifts and giggle with joy! But I also think it's important for them to be "gift givers" themselves! Now my little ones are still pretty young (ages 3 and 4 1/2). Their understanding of money is a bit limited and the price of the gift is not what is important with this activity. I want them to enjoy picking out gifts for their siblings and mommy & daddy. That's why our big shopping trip takes place at the Dollar Store!
It's a fun tradition to take them out and let them browse the aisles of the Dollar Store for the "perfect" gift for their loved ones. I want it to be something they choose, something they are excited about, and something that doesn't cost a lot. I don't want to say "no" to any of their gift ideas with reasons like it's too much money or question their choice...we are at the Dollar Store...so they can choose whatever they'd like for each member of the family. It's not about the cost or even the quality of the gift...it's that they are experiencing the joy of giving! I want my sweet ones to develop characteristics of generosity and kindness. By letting them choose gifts for one another and come home to do their own wrapping...they are able to enjoy the gift of giving! So, tomorrow we will be off on our annual shopping trip to the Dollar Store and while the gifts they choose are not priceless...their excitement and the look in their eyes when they watch us open these gifts, is priceless! What a fun Christmas activity!
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I must tell you that after you posted this last year I went out with my kids the very next day and went dollar store shopping. It was the hit of Christmas day! My family was so enamored with these dollar store gifts because the kids picked them and took their personalities into consideration. They could only purchase one gift per person and they were so considerate in their thinking. They wrapped them themselves and were so proud to give them to our family. It was one of the first questions they asked when we pulled out the Christmas decorations this year, When are we going to the dollar store? We did our shopping this last weekend and the kids are again thrilled with their purchases. Thank you for the wonderful idea that has now become a tradition in our home. It is more fun than I expected and the gifts are better received than many of the gifts that we spend a whole lot more for!
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