The Best Christmas Your Kids Have Ever Had!

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:
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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
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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!
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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