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A "G-Rated" Holiday
10 Tips to De-stress the Season and Focus on What Matters Most
"I have a friend who throws the toy ads away on her way from the mailbox to the house," says Phelecia Hatch. "Another friend had a child who was begging for a particular toy one year. When his parents asked him what it did, he responded, 'I don't know, but I want it anyway.'" Children have much less interest in the latest gadgets if television time is restricted and ads are thrown away. If they aren't spending time being bombarded with well-funded advertisements, they won't be enticed by things they may not really want anyway.
2. Watch what you ask for.
Parents are the best example for their children. If you fill your wish list with expensive items or demand a sleigh full of things under the tree, your children will do likewise. Keep your own list simple and tell your children that you want non-material things for the holidays. Ask them to give you the gift of getting along with their siblings or of voluntarily cleaning their room for a week. 3. Wrap up memories.
"One year, before the holidays, we asked our children to make a list of the things they liked best about Christmas," Phelecia Hatch says. "The lists were quite revealing and gave us guidelines for how we wanted to spend our time and money from that point on." The Hatch children listed things like caroling together, going on a drive to see light displays, attending church services and other things that cost very little and created wonderful memories. Want to see more?
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