By Krisann Blair and Susie GlennanKrisann: Growing up, my mother always made sure that I had ten gifts to

open under the tree. Some gifts were very inexpensive although she

was selective about what she gave. There was only one large gift and

then the other nine were mixed in price, some of them priceless. Having

two young children in more modern times means there is always a new

and updated version of something to be purchased. After several years

of giving my children more gifts than they really needed, I decided to

change the type of gifts they received. I decided to adopt my mother?

ten-gift rule, combining it with ideas learned from an attendee at one of

my retreats. Now at Christmas my children get gifts based on the

following:Each Sunday leading up to advent, they each receiveA religious item such as a nativity piece, devotional book, or BibleA tree ornamentA clothing item to wear on the first Sunday of advent and new pajamasOn Christmas morning, they each receiveSomething to readSomething to cuddle, such as a stuffed animal, doll, pillow, blanket, or

quiltSomething to play with such as a toySomething to make such as arts and craftsSomething for a keepsake such as jewelry, a heirloom, or collectible

itemSomething hand-made, either hand-made by me or by someone elseA video, board, card, or electronic gameBy using the above list as a guide, my Christmas gift shopping is more

organized, and I actually look forward to finding gifts for my children

each year. The children suggest ideas for each category and then look

forward to finding out how creative mom was in her gift decisions. Many

of the gifts have become items they will keep for years, and I am sure

this is a tradition they will take into their own families one day. So I pass

this tradition on to you in the hopes that your gift shopping can be as

rewarding for you and yours as it is for me. ?002 Krisann BlairSusan: When I was a little girl, Hanukkah meant making decorations,

lighting candles, singing prayers and opening presents. Now that I have

children of my own, I do the same; however, with three children in the

electronic age, gifts started to get quite costly, so I started a new family

tradition. I saw a product in a catalog with eight boxes filled with goodies, one for

each night of Hanukkah. After ordering and trying it out, I found that I

would have to purchase one for each of my three children. That would

be too costly. And the funny thing was that the Dreidel and gelt

(chocolate money) was not to be given until the fifth and seventh night. That is when I decided to make my own boxes. For a couple of years

now I have used the same boxes. The first night a few dreidels and

Hanukkah gelt are given. Other trinkets fill the other boxes, such as

movie tickets, fun pens and pencils, jelly beans, stickers, gift certificates,

hacky sack, squeeze ball, cookies, jewelry, fancy socks, crayons, and

markers. It varies according to age. Now the focus is back on the

tradition instead of costly gifts. ?002 Susie GlennanKrisann Blair is the author of The Christmas Organizing Handbook and

oversees the Christmas Organizing online community at www. christmasorganizing. com

that provides various resources for

getting organized for a less stressful holiday season year-round. Visit

http://www. christmasorganizing. com/

for more tips. Susie Glennan has been happily married since 1982, is mom to 3, and

is a Home Maker, Nurturer, Teacher, Author, Professional Speaker,

Toastmaster, President of The Busy Woman, Inc. , DBA - The Busy

Woman's Daily Planner? She teaches time management seminars,

offers FREE consultations with your order, and will help you set up a

schedule that's right for you. You can reach Susie at susie@thebusywoman. com or 800-848-

7715. Visit her website for great organizing products at: http://

www. thebusywoman. com

Author:
Susie Glennan