I was reading on the Dollar Stretcher site this morning, and ran across this quote. During the Victorian era, many people used peer pressure on the parents to keep them from spoiling their kids. This little poem was their "motto" for Christmas gift buying.

Give them 4 presents: "something they want, something they need, something to play with, something to read..."

I love this!!! I wish I had heard it years ago!!

www.stretcher.com is the site if you haven't been there before.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), November 27, 2001

Answers

Thanks for the ideas. I am planning on making it simple this year. We have also decided to help another family with Christmas instead of spending on ourselves. The kids get lots of stuff from other people and I want them to learn the joys of giving back. We are going to get a big basket and fill it with toys clothing and food and put it on someones doorstep Christmas Eve, I am hoping to make this a yearly tradition.

-- mindy (speciallady@countrylife.net), November 27, 2001.

I love that! Its pretty much what we do anyway, but I like putting it in those words!

-- Kelly in Ky. (ksaderholm@yahoo.com), November 27, 2001.

Our oldest son is 27. So when I started buying gifts for the kids things were a lot cheaper. I always bought a book, a video, and a board game for each one. They would get a article of clothing they needed and their stockings got something they wanted. Now that things are more expensive I have to buy a video for 2 kids, etc. We have six kids. I don't know what we will do when they get married. Cindy

-- Cindy Herbek (dh40203@navix.net), November 27, 2001.

I make my grown children and their spouses candy for Christmas. They love it! I buy gifts for the granchildren - I have 6 - so have to keep the price down!

-- Barb in Ky. (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), November 27, 2001.

The only thing I might add to that notable list is "something to share". I do this to my two daughters every year. There is always one wrapped gift under the tree addressed to both of them. They have to open it together, too. Often, this is the favorite gift, and it really does encourage sharing!

-- Lori Jackson (wondrmom@swbell.net), November 30, 2001.