Christmas: Keeping it real

John and I are very concerned that our children understand the purpose and meaning of Christmas as a spiritual holiday rather than a prop to consumerism. Plus, we are blessed with having entirely too much *stuff* (a situation we are rapidly correcting), and all too often stuff we don't need or use. I mean, really, how many travel coffee mugs does one person need?

To that end, last year, last year we tried something we heard about that limited gifts to 3: "Something you want, something you need, and something special." It went rather well, but it was a little difficult trying to figure out the difference between "want" and "special" and it felt like something was still missing.

This year, I heard a variation of this: "Something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read." I liked this better, but still felt it was missing something. After thinking it over a bit, we've decided on four gifts, but with our own twist:

Something to read,

Something to wear,

Something you want,

Something to share.

I think this will be perfect for making sure the kids enjoy Christmas but that we all keep a perspective on a holiday that can, all too easily, get away from us.