ly, belief.” Many families will limit Santa’s contribution to one
special gift. Some suggestions for enhancing a child’s sense of
awe: Leave ink-smudged “coal” fingerprints as proof of Santa’s
snack. Spray-paint red “sleigh” landing strips on the lawn. Ring
sleigh bells at bedtime. Use apps to track and communicate
with Santa. (Older siblings love setting up these experiences for
younger kids.)
Make Decorating A Group Effort: It may seem more ef-
ficient to leave holiday decorating to the adults, but joint fam-
ily decorating offers a unique opportunity to create a festive
environment as a team. Some families use a children’s tree or
wreath to safely include kids in the process. Others string pop-
corn or make paper snowflakes. Another idea is to allow kids to
choose or make an ornament that reflects their accomplishments
or experiences for that year.
Get Creative With Gift Giving: To demonstrate that the
thought behind a gift is more important than the price tag, many
families find inexpensive but creative ways to limit spending
and to maximize meaning. Examples include drawing names
and mandating that all gifts for adults be either hand-made,
contributions to charity, or under $10. These limitations mean
that thoughtful effort goes into gift giving, which makes the
exchange much more meaningful.
Most of us want a holiday that is about “connections, fam-
ily, and caring for others,” says Kilikevich. “We have to stop
buying into the notion that more is better and that extravagant,
expensive gifts are equal to how much we care for and love one
another.”
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Very few of us still have the possessions of Christmases
past. Instead, we have lasting memories that will always warm
us. With a little creativity, we can provide the same for our own
families.
Shannon Dean’s favorite Christmas gift last year was a $10 pair
of vintage bobby pins that were similar to a pair owned by her
grandmother.
Resources:
Here are some free or inexpensive resources that you
can use to make Christmas more meaningful.
Stationery For Stocking Letters: This website offers
Christmas-themed paper that you can print out for your
stocking appreciation letters. There are many free pat-
terns from which to choose. https://www.freeprintablesta-
tionery.net/category/christmas
Local Holiday Displays: Type in your address to find
Christmas light displays near you. https://www.christmas-
lightfinder.com
To Volunteer Your Time To Help Others: Volun-
teerMatch allows you to enter your location and interests
to then be matched with organizations that could use your
help. You can limit your search to opportunities that in-
clude children. https://www.volunteermatch.org/
December 2018 WNY Family 7