The 4 Presents of Christmas
Having a child that strives on continuity and schedule can make the holidays a bit challenging. Having 4 of them can make you wonder how you are going to make it through. Early on, we realized that less was more for our children. Tons of gifts and presents only lead to overwhelm and melt down, so we adopted the 4 Present Rule. This is our 12th year of this tradition and our Christmas mornings go so much more smoothly.
The 4 present rule is as follows:
Something they need (clothes, shoes, etc)
Something to read (2-3 books wrapped as one package)
Something they want (this would be the gift they are really hoping for.)
The Christmas Eve PJ tradition is something both Jason and myself had growing up. They open on Christmas Eve, new PJ's.
The 4 present rule does not include stocking stuffers. We wrap all of our stocking stuffers, this is another tradition from my childhood. Each child takes turns unwrapping a stocking stuffer as everyone else watches. This allows for some down time, and gives them time to look a bit more closely at what they got in their own stocking. It also has become a game to guess what their sibling may be unwrapping.
After stockings, we take a break for breakfast, we always have homemade cinnamon rolls. Then we open our 3 remaining presents. We do not put tags on our Christmas Presents, instead each child gets their own wrapping paper. They find out on Christmas Eve what their special wrapping paper is for this Christmas, as they open their PJ's.
Taking breaks, limiting gifts, and starting or keeping a holiday routine or schedule, helps to ensure peace and goodwill during the holiday season.
