Gifting Time, Not Toys, This Holiday Season

Lately, I’ve been finding myself stuck in the same scene as Cindy Lou Who in the movie, The Grinch. The one where she starts singing, “Where Are You, Christmas?”

I usually love this time of year. Christmas is so much more fun after you have kids of your own. I love seeing the way their faces light up when they see us pull out the Christmas tree. Or when we spend time driving around while looking at all of the lights.

But nothing beats Christmas morning! Being gathered around the tree, still in our PJs, watching the joy and excitement unfold with each new gift being unwrapped. My husband and I pass a quick wink from across the living room; like a silent high-five to each other for pulling off another “best Christmas ever!”

Usually, I spend the month of November counting down the days until I can bring out my Christmas decorations.

But this year is different.

Where is My Holiday Spirit?

I’ve been struggling to find the same level of holiday spirit and excitement as my kids. Maybe I lost it after cleaning out the basement. We tossed and donated SO MANY toys! The same ones my kids desperately wanted from Santa a couple of years ago. The lifespan of toys around here is shorter than the lifespan of a fish without water.

Or maybe I lost my holiday spirit when I took my kids shopping during the first weekend of November and we saw stores everywhere had already begun Black Friday sales. People were already lining up to dump hundreds of dollars on materialistic junk.

Or maybe I lost it this summer, when the news started predicting there would be supply shortages on lots of items due to the after effects of COVID. The message was basically to get your shopping done early this year to ensure you had everything you wanted.

Now, here I am, just trying to figure out how I got sucked into this belief that the only way to show the magnitude of your love to those you care about is to go into debt for them.

Power of Connection

Every year, we participate in a family gift exchange with my family. In the past, we have drawn names and each person was responsible for shopping for one other person in the extended family. Last year, we decided to change it up a bit and have one family shopping for another family in hopes to keep gifts affordable.

We took it a step further and challenged ourselves to gift “experiences” instead of just things. I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember many of the gifts I received as a kid. So the purpose of gifting experiences was to hopefully create lasting memories instead.

It was a great idea at the time, but trying to gift experiences when most places weren’t fully open was extremely difficult.

So, this year, we introduced a new challenge, the gift of connection. Because surface level relationships suck.

As adults, we all understand the amount of hard work that goes into surviving this crazy thing called life. Some of us have full time jobs, some of us have families, and some of us have both.

We all know the importance of friends and family. It is really hard to maintain those relationships when life gets busy for everyone. But what would happen if we stopped letting time slip away and instead, were intentional about prioritizing those relationships?

Time is a Precious Gift

I know, at least for the foreseeable future, that I won’t be able to pull off a completely toy-free Christmas. Just like every parent, I want to instill good morals and values in my kids. They should always value those around the Christmas tree more than what is under it.

So as I accept this challenge and we begin rediscovering the meaning of Christmas as a family, I want to know what traditions or activities you enjoy together. Please share in the comments!

If you’re wanting to accept this challenge but don’t know where to start, I encourage you to check out my post, Best Non-Toy Gifts for Kids.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season!