I’m thrilled to be guest posting over on GotchaBaby, my friend Lady Michelle’s site. Check out Six Ways to Cultivate Contentment in Your Family this Christmas.
Picture it with me. Christmas morning breakfast is over. Paper and ribbons are strewn around the tree. Toys are half opened. Stockings spill out with trinkets and candy. Your smallest of child is playing inside of a box. Your eldest is whining about being bored . . . already . . . before noon . . . on Christmas Day. You’re wishing you would have had a few spare moments to teach a few valuable lessons earlier in the month.
HOORAY, it’s not too late. It’s not Christmas day (yet) and you have plenty of time to instill the virtue of contentment into the hearts of your family this holiday season. Here are six easy ways to keep the Christmas gimmes at bay while tending a spirit of generosity and gratitude.
- Create a Thankful List FIRST. Before reeling out the wish list to Santa or Grandma, be sure to write down some blessings. Have kids list their favorite toys. Write down memories from the past year that you all treasure. Bonus points: make sure the thankful list is longer than the wish list. We really do have a lot.
- Talk About the Difference Between Needs & Wants. If you have ever shopped with a toddler before, you have probably experienced meltdown in aisle four as your sweet cherub morphs demonic in front of your terror-stricken eyes over a box of crackers. Your kids *might* be even better at identifying this than you are (i.e. Starbucks is never a need, friends). Make a game of it, having your kids identify if something is a “need” or a “want.” Use basics like toilet paper (certain to make them giggle) or exaggerations like a water park in the backyard to warm up. Then begin to drill down their list through that filter.
Finish reading the other four ways & the rest of this post over at GotchaBaby . . .
Giving good gifts to your children is a joy. But any good gift pushed beyond its limit becomes a weakness. These simple steps just might make your seasons a little more merry and bright this Christmas.
For more tips on Christmas, kids, gifts, & contentment, check out:
- Give Up the Dream for a Perfect Christmas
- Christmas Shopping Temptations to Avoid
- A Debt Free Christmas Promise & Plea
- The One Woman Who Wants to Ruin Your Marriage AND Your Christmas
Cherie Lowe, a.k.a. the Queen of Free, delights in sharing her family’s story of paying off over $127k in debt. Through speaking and the written word, more than anything, she longs for people to realize there is HOPE for their finances. Find her online at www.queenoffree.net and mark your calendar to pick up her new book Slaying the Debt Dragon, due to release Fall 2014.
Gain inspiration to pay off debt! Check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
