The 5-gift rule

With Christmas just around the corner, you will either be one of those super organised gift buyers, who’s probably made a start or even nearly finished, OR you are a last minute panic buyer. Either way, do you often stop to wonder how much you are buying? The answer is probably yes, but what the real question is, do they need ALL of this? Since the Covid-19 pandemic many of you may be reassessing aspects of your life, especially with the increase of cost of living, the threat of climate change and the constant daily reminder from all aspects about sustainability and our carbon footprint. Now is the time to start reassesing your spend for Birthdays and Christmas. “It's been making me feel sick for a while now. Over spending on presents for birthdays and christmas'. Useless presents, plastic-tat. And as Christmas is fast approaching, the same feeling is creeping up.” For those of you with kids, you’ll find some years they’ll have so many ideas on their Santa list and other years they don’t really know what they want and struggle to list them. Either way it’s difficult, as you are either stuck struggling for ideas and buying useless tat, or you’re feeling guilty by not getting everything or going overboard. All of which results in overwhelmed kids, frustrated parents, a huge amount of waste and a fat credit card bill at the end of it.

Something they want This can be a “big item” - the thing your child really wants off their Christmas List or something they’ve mentioned they really want.

Something they need This can be something they need or can relate to their learning or new life stage. For example a new nursery bag, lunchbox or something for their bedroom.

Something to wear Try finding a special item that’s unique and you’ve put thought into trying to find. Or look at something timeless and sustainable that will last for some time (check out our Winter Fashion article for some pointers).

Something to read Choose a book that speaks to their interests and reading level. Perhaps they have just started reading so a phonics book related to a favourite character. Or perhaps they are of reading age, but you could find a novel you could read together. Or a cook book, classic literature or something outside the box.

Something to do This is our favourite, an activity or memory they can do, or you can do together. Whether it's tickets to the cinema, a theme park or activity box or craft kit. It’s so easy for children to get wrapped up in the gifts, and even though they may know the true meaning of Christmas, it’s still all about Santa for them - it’s all about those presents under the tree. If we can teach them to be thankful for the few presents that they receive, rather than simply expecting loads – this will hopefully make them better human beings. With fewer gifts, this also can allow them to focus, engage, learn and really enjoy without being over stimulated with too many toys everywhere.

For other family members, this will also help focus our spend and make sure they don’t have endless unwanted presents.

We’ll all be adopting this rule this year and hopefully we’ve inspired you too! If we have, let us know how you got on!

To help you, we’ve created a gift guide from local shops to inspire you...