The Rule of 4 Christmas Gifts

I, like most Americans, struggle with rampant consumerism. This trait went into remission while I lived abroad, but came back with a vengeance once I had access to Target again.  And I hardly ever buy anything for myself, even things I objectively ‘need’. But buying for Forest is a totally different issue. I absolutely cannot stop and one of my most time consuming hobbies is adding items to his infinitely growing Amazon wish list. And try walking in and out of Carter’s without spending the entire year’s clothing budget. Not possible. 

I certainly don’t want to raise him to be spoiled or to feel like he’s entitled to the latest and greatest gear and gadgets so I have really tried to start reigning in my spending. And even if it’s not a money issue, it’s a STUFF issue. How much stuff does one kid need? Does he constantly need something new and novel to keep him engaged? I certainly hope not, but it’s a concept I struggle with constantly and has really been convicting me lately. So now anytime I buy him so much as a pack of goldfish I have an inner back and forth dialogue that sends my stomach into  flips over whether he really needs it, to which of course the answer is typically a buzz-killing NO. 

Christmas and Birthdays are really dangerous for me because I could totally go overboard without some guidelines and restrictions. We tried the '3 gifts symbolizing the 3 gifts Jesus received from the wise men' last year, but even that was a bit wide open and I ended up buying him 3 toys and then a slew of things he needed that 'didn't count'. So when I heard about the 'Rule of 4' Christmas gift tradition, I was immediately sold. 

Basically everyone in the family gets  1) something they want 2) something they need 3)something to wear and 4) something to read. And that’s it. This outline has helped keep my toy shopping obsession in check and has kept my heart and wallet accountable when it comes to really thinking about what Forest should get this Christmas. 

Jon and I discussed a few options for each item and purchased them. And the best part??? All 4 of Forest’s Christmas gifts came in under $64 total!!! I felt like it also cut down on the stress of shopping and took much less time since we had a plan in place.

The ‘something you want’ item was certainly the most time consuming in terms of narrowing down the playing field. "Forest’s" wishlist has no less that 40 toys on it at any given time. But he’s been really into playdoh lately and since he doesn’t have any clay tools we decided to go with this set from Melissa and Doug. 

It has a few patterned rollers, some scissors, molds, and a rolling pin plus a few more cups of clay. The best part is it only cost $12 and I know Forest will get hours of enjoyment out of it. 

For ‘something he needs’ we got an ‘aqueduck’ faucet extender. Mr. Independent wants zero help with washing his hands so this little extender will help him to reach the water without a boost from mommy. Cost: $9. 

For ‘something to wear’ we decided on a pair of slippers. He’s always trying to wear ours and since he’s out of footie pajamas we thought he may want some warm shoes to play around in in the mornings now that it’s chilly out. These super cute ‘trainers’ from Next cost $22. 

'Something to Read' was another category that took some time to narrow down. He loves books so much so I wanted to make sure to pick one that would really add to his library. Since he loves the ‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie’ book by Laura Numeroff, I decided to buy another book from her series. We went with ‘If You Take a Mouse to the Movies’ since it has a Christmas-y theme to it. I can’t wait to read it to him. Cost: $17. 

I know it will get more challenging as Forest gets older and a bit more opinionated about what he finds under the Christmas tree, but I really do like this guideline and hope to follow it for years to come. We want to start off on the right foot and make sure that gifts aren't the climax of the holiday. What God gave us for Christmas over 2,000 years ago is the only gift we really need. The rest is just lagniappe.

(And y’all, seriously, Forest has received 3 new toys in the mail just this week from his Nana and Pops so don’t go feeling sorry for the kid. The one time I did buy a big ticket item for Forest (his easel) my mom texted me 2 hours later saying that she had just ordered him an easel to go with his train table for his birthday. She is always beating me to the punch so I’ve just given up trying to hit the ‘wow’ factor. I can never mention anything I’m thinking about getting him to either grandma without it showing up on our doorstep within the week. With grandparents like his, Forest has zero need for presents from Santa or his lame parents! )