I saw a video the other day of a young girl opening up a present by the tree. It was a scarf and her disappointment was absolutely palatable! She kept looking at the scarf and then at her dad and finally said, "Dad you know that I wanted a cellphone" A few minutes later another "present" began to ring and she excitedly ripped it open to find her hidden gift.
We've all seen it and some have probably acted it out..... disappointment.
Well Christmas is in a couple of days and I think you would all be wise to have a talk before hand.
Christmas is for giving. We so often let our children off the hook because its a child's holiday but what are your children giving? They can make cards or small ornaments, cookies etc. The dollar store is a good shopping place for them. You need to teach them that it is not all about them and the earlier the better.
Speak to them also about attitude. Remind them that Aunt Lois always gives clothes that don't fit. But that it is the thought that counts and teach them how to go about being sincerely thankful and not throwing the artical in the pile to pounce on the next present. Teach them to say thank you personally. Have them write thank you notes between Christmas and New Years.
Talk to them about words like "spoiled", "ungrateful", "rude" , sharing, blessing etc etc. Talk about the Christmas Story and read the story in the book of Luke in the Bible.
Prepare and teach, this is a parents job.
Remember your actions speak very lout also!
Blessings!
You're right that most of us have forgotten that Christmas should be about giving. This year, we "adopted" a golden angel from a retirement home. This person is bedridden, has no friends or family, and without us wouldn't have had a Christmas. My kids were very excited about buying gifts for him, and they put a lot of thought into the gifts that they gave. It was a blessing to see them get such a thrill out of giving rather than receiving.
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