How to Avoid Drowning in Toys at Home During Christmas?

Have you ever had it happen during the Christmas season that your entire household is so filled with toys brought by one Santa or another that there's no room to sit or even step? And where to put all these things after Christmas, since the children's room is already bursting with stuff?

We're giving you some advice today on how not to go overboard with gift-giving, because toys don't make children into children, and besides, those who have fewer toys are more creative and probably get along better in life as a result.

Small children don't have many wishes. A couple of years ago, a three-year-old boy named Ott, who we knew, asked his mother to write to Santa: "Dear Santa, please bring Ott one truck wheel." Of course, one of the truck's wheels had broken and it needed a new one. He didn't have any other wishes!

Although we really love seeing the Christmas tree full of colorful packages, we are also in favor of reasonable consumption and we're giving you a few tips on how to make sure your children have just as much joy from Christmas this year with slightly fewer gifts.

• A couple of gifts

If your children are still quite small, you have a good opportunity to avoid overwhelming them with gifts from the start. Believe us, they feel just as much joy from less as they would from more! Fewer gifts doesn't mean you love your children less.

• Talk to your child

You can talk to your child about how their wish to get an entire toy store is nice, but Santa wants to reach all children, so let them choose one thing that would bring them the most joy.

• Christmas money to a travel fund

When children are older, you can't suddenly replace last year's seven gifts with just one this year. Again, the key is communication and discussing things together with your children. Since older children know where Santa actually lives and how much money he has in his wallet, you can talk to them and together decide that the money meant for Christmas gifts could go into, for example, a warm country trip fund, and everyone gets a more modest surprise from Santa.

• Christmas money for furnishing the child's room

Some children have long dreamed of an interesting furnishing detail. For example, as far as we know, Santa is bringing a space lamp as a gift this year for a little boy named Artur, which he has long dreamed of. Or can you imagine the joy of a little girl if she gets a canopy hanging above her bed from Santa this year? Even adults would want that!

• Thematic lottery gifts for older children

You can also make lottery packages with older children or prepare gifts yourself. Or make gifts with a specific theme. There's plenty of fun to be had and possibilities are endless!

• One, but nicer gift

You can give children one gift between several of them, but a more expensive and better one, such as some long-awaited electronics item.

• Make gifts yourself

If making multiple gifts doesn't fit your budget, it's also possible to make gifts for your children yourself. You can find lots of great ideas, for example here>>.

• Wish, need, and the whole family

In some families, where they haven't wanted to give up multiple gifts, it's a nice tradition to give a child three gifts in total. One thing that they wish for; one thing that they need, and one thing that can be shared with the whole family.

We are wholeheartedly in favor of gifts being part of Christmas, but we also believe that to be happy, you don't need things, but time spent together.

Happy holidays to all!