This post may contain affiliate links and I can earn a small commission when you use the link. There is no cost to you! Thank you!
If you’re like me, you love the holiday seasons. I especially love the beginning of Autumn. Everything about Autumn and the changing of the seasons brings me so much joy. We live in Florida, so it’s pretty warm and there aren’t seasons like in the Midwest where I grew up. It still cools down a bit, though. The winters are beautifully cool! It’s a little bittersweet, but we make it work. As Autumn sets in, there are still fall activities and pumpkins and all the stores put out their fall decor. We decorate the house with touches of fall and Halloween, set out candles to fill the home with the cozy scents of Autumn, and bake yummy holiday goodies as a family.
Anyway, as a parent, you know that you blink and time flies. Fall is upon us, which means the holiday season is following close behind and will be here before we know it. With the holiday season comes a multitude of blessings, generosity, and gifts galore. My husband and I are extremely blessed with family and friends that love us and our kids so much.
When it comes to children, less is definitely more. The more playthings, clothes, and just stuff in general kids have, the more overwhelming it is. Both for children and parents. When kids have way too much to choose from, they aren’t able to really hone in and focus when they play. They aren’t able to slow down, relax, and use their beloved imagination to play with just a couple of things. With so many choices, clothes don’t get worn and toys don’t really get played with as much. With so much stuff, kids may have a harder time developing gratitude for what they have, and instead may develop a mindset of just wanting more more more. It’s a tricky balance… It’s so wonderful seeing the joy in kiddos’ eyes when they receive fun, new things. As parents and caregivers, we love to pick things out with all the best intentions and love in mind to spoil our loved ones. I love seeing my daughter so excited about a new outfit or seeing how happy she gets picking something out at the store. But with kiddos and with your home in general, less is more. Decluttered is key. Simplicity is better.
So, with that being said, with the holidays coming up and just in general, it’s always great to remind yourself as parents and to share with family to be mindful of blessing your family with more.
I think what helps parents the most is when others are just mindful of what parents may want for their home and family, and what the kiddos may need. (For example, my readers probably know I’m a little picky when it comes to the types of play things in our home, haha!) Part of the fun and joy of the holidays for kids is the gifts, but I always try to remind myself to focus on bringing play things into our home that are needed, open-ended, and can lead to fun memories. As a family, we also want to emphasize experiences rather than extra things, and to build lasting memories over the years, so gifting experience-type things is something parents definitely appreciate, too. Museum or zoo tickets for a fun family day. Gifting towards a fun class or activity that a child has been wanting to try. If there are multiple children, maybe something that they all can enjoy. The experiences will cover that and can bring lots of joy, fun, family time, and lovely memories!
As a parent, it may help to have “wish list” type lists that can help provide direction to loved ones who are wanting ideas for gifts. It’s still fun to do all the fun holiday gift wrapping! This can be a written list, a typed list in your phone notes, an Amazon wishlist, etc. It’s helpful for birthdays and holidays and can easily be shared. It may be a little awkward… I know I feel a little awkward creating a list of gifts because it feels like you’re asking for things. That’s definitely not the case in my opinion! I love when there is a list or registry included with gift-giving events. It makes things so much easier for us! At the end of the day, I think it’s helpful for both you as a family to keep the holidays minimal and practical, and also for loved ones who probably want ideas. (:
I can’t remember much of the toys I had growing up. I remember my few favorite things, sure. But what I remember most about my childhood were the fun activities that led me to new interests and new friends…
Special library visits with my siblings and my mom that developed my love of reading. Swimming in the big wave pool and laughing as my dad flipped off his tube at the water park in the summer. Exploring the forest nearby with childhood friends while pretending we were surviving in the wilderness. Pretending that our bedrooms were our houses as kids and having “neighborhood parties” with my siblings. (We would create little written invitations and have snacks set up on our dressers… too fun!) Pretending to play house on our play gym and making mud and mulch “food.” The fun trips that we took as a family during the summer. The places we visited and things we did during the weekends and holidays that became special memories and special traditions.
…Those are the things that I remember, those are the things that kids will remember. Things that involve creativity, fun, friends, family, and togetherness. Things that don’t involve too much stuff.
This post can be shared with your own family and friends, hopefully it helps spread the word of a “less is more” practical approach to the holiday season. More memories, fewer gifts, and always lots of gratitude!
Enjoy the beautiful and cozy Autumn with your family, and wishing you a [quickly-approaching] happy holidays!
Lots of love from our family to yours!
Anna
