The Holiday Tradition You Need to Tweak Immediately | Toronto Cleaning Service

I’m so glad you’re here, because I’ve got tell you about the holiday tradition you need to tweak immediately! Though spoiling kids during the holidays is imbedded in our blood, when does too much become too much? Unfortunately, if a holiday involves gifts- they can quickly become all children think about. This is especially true on holidays like Christmas, where there’s emphasis on receiving more than one gift (in fact, a list of gifts). And when you’re living in a world of cultural norms, it can be hard to set boundaries.

Why do you need boundaries? Well, have you considered that your kids may not even notice the difference? That, like a Tasmanian devil they ravage the bounty of gifts you’ve laid before them, leaving you to clean a room strewn with wrappings? Additionally, you may not have considered that spoiling your kids could have harmful psychological effects. Do you cringe when you see spoiled kids like Dudley Dursley opening up a mountain of presents? I know I do. So let’s get into into the thick of it.

Is “Spoiling” really Tradition?

The fact is, we live in a culture of ever-increasing materialism aimed at children- the next consumer generation. Although it’s easy to say “say no to your kids”. It’s not always so easy in practice, especially around the holidays. Luckily, mass amounts of toys are not what make kids happy, smart or healthy. In fact, the onslaught of gifts may be doing more harm than good! If you’re a serial present buyer, you could be making it difficult for your child to focus on more important traditions. You’re living in a present trap. Ultimately, the key is to be conscious of whether you’re giving kids whatever they want, whenever they want it.

But this doesn’t mean you have to become a Grinch. There are plenty of things you can do to divert your child’s attention away from gifts, and make the holidays even more special in the process! When you focus on putting energy into creating fun family traditions, you are actually emphasizing positive values, versus nurturing traits of ego and competition. So if you have any hesitations, just think how good it will feel to cleanse your family of mental toxicity!

Tradition Tweaking 101

The Explanation

Instead of thinking about your child’s face when they receive three less gifts than they expected, think about the lessons you’re instilling within them. Whether you’re cutting back because of the psychological, traditional or financial reasons, you may struggle to explain the downsizing to your kids. However, you have a few options. For instance, if you want to be honest, simply tell them that you’ve decided to cut back, and that they can choose one thing on the list they will definitely get. And don’t forget to mention they’ll be getting a few small surprises! Kids love surprises.

Alternatively, instruct your kids to prioritize their wish list and write an explanation as to why they want each item. If you really want to help develop their young minds- don’t buy everything on their list. Even though it will cost your offspring five seconds of emotional despair, they’ll thank you when they’re older! I promise. And remember, gifts don’t have to be material! You can get them tickets to a concert, passes to Ripley’s Aquarium, a membership to the zoo… you name it! Just don’t clean their bedroom- that’s one of the many gifts only adults will appreciate.

Emphasize Other Things

The truth is- there’s more to holidays then presents! In fact, holidays are the best time to create memorable family traditions that will live on in your child’s heart forever. As a way to shift the focus off the presents, start putting more emphasis on family time! If you’re not exactly sure what you should do, ask your kids what would make the day special- and do that. You need to fill the void by emphasizing family activities like skating, decorating, baking, gift clean-up and volunteering. Your family can even do a good deed from the comfort of home, by creating care packages for the homeless! Because, it’s important for kids to learn the joy of giving as well as receiving. Plus, find out how you can make your holiday clean-up much easier.

The magic of childhood lies in the family rituals. And it’s those family traditions that will carry on later in their life and in their own families (evidence: the NBC series “This is Us”). Feeling connected and loved is what makes a holiday a celebration, rather than an event of tearing paper off boxes. So are you ready to stop spoiling your kids? Just remember that at the end of the day, you can give your child more love than 3 new toys ever could. Though this certainly won’t make parenting any easier, it will make it a whole lot better.

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Written by Savannah Binder, Maid4Condos