Christmas Conversation #9: How much is too much when it comes to giving your kids gifts for Christmas?
Since we were just talking about guarding our kids from focusing solely on the gifts they will be getting, another related question came to mind. It’s the question of excess. How much is too much?
How does your family handle the temptation toward excess in this season? What boundaries have you set? Do those boundaries change as they grow? Do they change with the changing economics? What are some guiding principles you find helpful as you navigate this with your family?
Or, if you are honest, maybe you haven’t really thought that intentionally about this before and have just kind of gone with flow year to year?
No matter where you are on the spectrum, we’d love to hear from you. You never know how your honesty and your ideas may encourage someone else!
Check out our other Christmas Conversations:
We have 25 different “conversations” going online and we’d love to hear your thoughts! See the list below and add your two cents when and where you can, and benefit from the collective think tank as you go!
- How do you keep the spirit of giving in your Cristmas shopping?
- How do you bring Jesus into your shopping experience?
- What do you think about Christmas music?
- What’s the worst Christmas song and why?
- What’s your best idea for using a Christmas movie to spark a conversation about Christ?
- What’s the worst Christmas movie and why?
- What’s the most meaningful Christmas tradition that your family has?
- How do you get your kids attention (or even your own) off of the gifts you get?
- How much is too much when it comes to giving your kids gifts for Christmas?
- What are your favorite service-oriented things to do during Christmas?
- Is Santa a naughty or nice Christmas tradition and why?
- What Christmas traditions have you chosen not to follow, and what have you replaced them with?
- If you’ve chosen to do Santa, how can you use him to point your kids to Jesus?
- Do lighting displays add to or detract from the real meaning of Christmas?
- What kinds of gifts can you give to non-Christian friends that make Jesus attractive?
- What are your best ideas for using Christmas to spur conversations about Jesus?
- Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas – Does it really matter?
- Should we boycott stores based on Christian principles during the Holidays?
- How do you deal with the Grinches in your life this Christmas?
- How do you deal with Christmas as a joyous family time when family is hard?
- What do you know about the Biblical concept of hospitality and how do you apply that during the Christmas season?
- How do you find spiritual refreshment in the midst of an exhausting season?
- When do the excesses of Christmas cross the line from communicating the lavishness of God’s love for us to fostering excess, greed and pride?
- How do you respond to feeling like someone else “does Christmas better” than you?
- What is the most meaningful Christmas memory you have?