Christmas is, for many children, the highlight of their year. With all the hype that can gather around the festive season, it’s important to try and balance your child’s expectations. This can be a difficult balancing act between encouraging them to be excited and take joy in the Christmas spirit, but without letting them get carried away. Here are three ways you can manage your child’s expectations this Christmas.
Discuss What Gifts Might Be Realistic For Your Child
Presents are a massive part of Christmas, especially for young children. If you are on a budget, it can be important to let your child know ahead of Christmas Day that you are not able to grant them everything on their wishlist. More generally, it is also healthy to encourage your child to focus on other elements of Christmas other than presents. This way, you can be more sure of having a happy family Christmas if your child isn’t banking on receiving a particular gift.
Create Traditions as a Family
One way of encouraging your children to appreciate the significance of Christmas beyond presents and gifts is to introduce traditions within your family. This might be a set day each year where you put up your decorations or a day dedicated to baking Christmas confectionary. These traditions will also help your children appreciate the joy of a Christmas that is unique to your family and hopefully discourage them from making comparisons with their peers at school.
Get Involved With the Community
Encouraging your family to get involved with your community this Christmas is a great way to instill a wider appreciation of the significance of Christmas. You could volunteer at a local charity, or help out with a school production of the Nativity. This might also help your children to feel appreciative of what they have and a wider understanding of how people do Christmas differently.