Better Christmas Gifts
Gabby and I recently asked the kids what their favorite toy was that they have ever received on Christmas or their birthday. 
🎉
The answer was surprising.
😱
They couldn’t think of ONE toy. The crazy thing is EACH year they are writing lists of what they MUST have and it’s all they can think about. They wake up early, rip it open, start playing, and within a couple of days it’s forgotten and they are on the the next “want”. It’s a FLEETING happiness that is learned from such a young age and destroys people as they grow into adults.
It’s not just my kids, your kids as well.
So how do we give better Christmas gifts?
Well we have a better idea but first let share a story with you.
We asked the kids what they liked best about Christmas and they could list what we actually DID over for the past 3 YEARS.
“I loved renting and staying at the house with the pool with our cousins!”
“I loved going to Disney on Ice!”
“I loved riding the Ferris Wheel at that one store!”
I was reading a book that shares “Contrary to popular saying, money CAN buy happiness, but only if used to DO things as opposed to simply HAVE things.”
The positive feelings that we get from material things are FRUSTRATINGLY FLEETING but on the other hand, spending money on experiences, especially with other people, produces more positive emotion that are both more meaningful AND more lasting.
So this year as we prepare for Christmas, what your child really wants from Grandma or Auntie is a movie date 
🎥, a day to the amusement park 
🐄, a painting class 
🖌, or collecting food with you to donate to a shelter.
If you live FAR away. Pay for piano lessons
🎹, a dance class
💃🏽, a museum pass or your favorite book/journal
📚 with a personalized note to them letting them know how much you love and adore them 
YOU and the child with both experience higher levels of joy and happiness which is the true meaning behind Christmas.
*BONUS*
Here is an activity.
What are your own spending habits? I want you to draw two columns on a piece of paper and track your purchases over the next month.
1. Are you spending money on things or experiences?
2. At the end of the month, look back over each column and then think about the pleasure that each purchase brought you and for how long you felt that pleasure.
You’ll quickly find that you will want to begin changing some priorities and applying more money to the “DOING” column.