When Holiday Gifting Goes Overboard
Do you (or your family) tend to go crazy with the holiday gifts?
So the holidays are here, and that means holiday shopping is underway. I know a lot of you started your shopping weeks ago with the Black Friday hoopla. But how do you know when you’ve gotten enough gifts or if you’ve just gone overboard? Do you have a certain number of gifts for each person? Do you set a budget? Or is it a once-a-year Christmas free-for-all? Check out the featured articles this week to gain some perspective on setting some kind of limits on holiday shopping and gifting.
Also this week:
Leave a comment on our second featured article to weigh in. I’d love to hear your ideas!
Get your shopping lists ready because this week’s five family recipes are sure to please everyone, and make dinner less stressful for you!
Scroll down to FFP QUICK TIPS for 10 ways to quickly declutter before the new holiday gifts enter the house.
I hope your holiday season is kicking off with some fun and laughter. If you need more in your life, stick around. We laugh a lot here in our Substack discussions, comment threads, and podcasts.
Please Don’t Buy My Kids More Toys For Christmas. Do This Instead.
By Amy Betters-Midtvedt
Throughout the years I learned a very important lesson, and this year I vow to remember it. Ready? If you shower kids with toys, then your house will become filled with toys.
No brainer, right?
Sure, but until I bought my 500th tote to hold all the Little People, Barbie shoes, Lego pieces, and Matchbox cars, I didn’t realize what I had gotten myself into.
I found myself organizing and cleaning and reading articles with titles like: "Awesome and Attractive Toy Storage Options!" and "The Joy of Having a Toy Library in Your Basement" and "How to Build Shelves to Hold All Your Fun Stuff!"
The momentary joy we were all getting fulfilling the kids' every passing wish and whim for toys added up to my family living in a sea of crap that needed to be constantly picked up, managed, stored, and sorted through.
My kids had so much stuff that they couldn’t possibly play with and enjoy it all. That sea of toys was built on good intentions and love, but still we were drowning in it.
So, like so many things in motherhood, I learned from my mistakes and we regrouped.
We now try hard to minimize what comes into this house, and to teach our kids that stuff isn’t what life is all about. It’s no fun when your kids turn into greedy little monsters . . . which kids can do when they are constantly given too much.
In that spirit, this list was born. I’ve dug out from under the mountain of toys and I vow not to let the holiday season bury me again.
So, instead of buying my kids toys, here are 12 great alternatives:
1. Buy them tickets to fun. This could be as simple as buying movie passes that can be used anytime, or as elaborate as tickets to "Hamilton" (Mom would love this too!). Bonus points here if you buy them the tickets and take them to the event.
2. Show them some culture. Day passes or memberships to museums or zoos are awesome gifts. These are usually things that can be used right away over the Christmas break. Having a fun place to go can help cut that post-holiday letdown, too.
3. Give the gift of time. Along these same lines, time can be its own gift. Maybe it’s a day spent playing laser tag or going to a jump park. Maybe it’s a day of shopping. Or it could be a day walking the trails at a special park. One-on-one uninterrupted time is such a gift in this busy world.
4. Give them the world through books. You.Can.Never.Go.Wrong.With.Books. Books open up whole new worlds to our kids. I can remember every single Judy Blume book I received growing up. And if you want to go truly minimalist, buy a Kindle or Amazon gift card, or a subscription to Audible so they can listen to books while out and about.
5. Hand out drive-thru gift cards. Nothing makes my kids as happy as the elusive drive-thru. I am a “Nope” mom when it comes to this unless we are in a bind. What kid would not love to be able to buy their own Happy Meal?? Find out their favorite restaurant. Give gifts cards to each kid. (Bonus gift: It's a night Mom doesn’t have to cook!)
6. Head to a restaurant together. Take that special kid (or the whole gang) out for a special meal some place fun. Maybe it is the local Japanese Hibachi Grill; kids can watch their food catch fire right in front of them. Pick somewhere they love and enjoy a special meal together.
7. Give the gift of fashion. Letting kids pick their own holiday fashions is a great idea. My kids love getting t-shirts that advertise their favorite show or local sports team. Clothes can be a great gift. (Although we draw the line at underwear, they agree it’s never really a gift.)
8. Bake holiday treats together. If you have awesome recipes to pass down, share away and bake together. If you don’t, buy some prebaked sugar cookies and get to decorating. Maybe make cocoa and serve it in a special mug they get to take home.
9. Plan a group trip. Instead of giving individual gifts in a family, let a group trip BE the gift. This one works great for families or friend groups that do big exchanges. We had a blast one year all going to a weekend water park trip. The pressure was off since we didn’t have tons of shopping to do, and we made awesome memories.
10. Walk down memory lane with photobooks. One of my kids’ favorite gifts every year is a photobook I make that showcases their past year. They spend so much time leafing through the pages, remembering all the fun the year held. This keepsake is something they'll have forever.
11. Family game night or movie night. Plan a night where each family buys a game or movie and everyone participates. Add some snacks, and you have the both time and fun -- the perfect gift combo!
12. Shop together for kids who have less. Each year my kids donate a gift. We head to Target to buy a gift for a child their age and pop it in the Toys for Tots store bin. Having kids walk into a store and pick out a gift for someone they don’t know is powerful and teaches the gift of giving.
We know there will still be kids’ toys under the tree, but we will limit the extravagance. And every gift we're given is appreciated. But looking beyond the toy aisle has actually made the holiday even more fun.
We’ve made more memories and it's felt like Christmas lasted even longer. And of course, I don’t have to spend January buying more bins or figuring out how to build some more shelves!
RECIPES OF THE WEEK:
Warm comfort foods is the theme of our five family dinners this week. From mouth-watering Philly Cheesesteaks to Asparagus Alfredo, these are cozy meals to warm your family’s bellies as the temperature drops outside. Enjoy!
Shortcut Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients:
For the Chicken Stew:
1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces OR shredded rotisserie chicken
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
For the Dumplings:
2 cups biscuit mix
2/3 cup milk
Instructions:
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat some oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until the vegetables are softened.
Add minced garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the chicken pieces to the pot and cook until browned on all sides.
Pour in the chicken broth and add thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
In a mixing bowl, combine biscuit mix and milk. Stir until just combined. The mixture will be sticky.
Once the chicken is cooked, drop spoonfuls of the biscuit mix dough into the simmering stew.
Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for 10 minutes without lifting the lid. This allows the dumplings to steam and cook through.
After 10 minutes, uncover and gently stir in frozen peas if you're using them.
Continue to cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through and no longer doughy in the center.
Slow Cooker Ground Beef Stew
Ingredients: