Following the five gift rule at Christmas 

The Elf on the Shelf has made its mischievous return to this house, and as disruptive as this might feel, it certainly brings some giggles and fun to our mornings.

By the time you read this, the Toy Show will also have passed us by – it’s officially the festive season!

This broadcasting a week later than normal this year has led to it feeling that Christmas has almost crept up on us – despite the fact that decorations and selection boxes have been in the shops since November 1.

If your house hasn’t written the letters to Santa yet, and the children are still poring over toy catalogues, it’s helpful to remind them and ourselves that quality over quantity is the way to go.

The consumerism and faff of it all can become all-consuming – a feeling of never enough, swiftly followed on Christmas Day by the feeling of almost too much.

Toys that are barely looked at, not to mind appreciated. Unopened boxes and discarded trinkets galore.

With that in mind, a really useful way to encourage those Santa requests to be streamlined a little is the five gift rule (five being a limit, rather than a target to reach!)

And it doesn’t have to apply just to the Santa list, but to any present swaps that you might be involved in yourself too.

The five items should fall into the categories of Want, Need, Wear, Read and Do.

Something they Want – the catalogue browsing doesn’t need to go to waste – encourage them to focus their search however, and narrow it down to something that they would really LOVE to get – rather than something they’ve picked out on a whim with a view to adding it to their haul. On Christmas morning, if Santa meets their request, they’ll have so much more appreciation for that item.

Something they Need – Christmas is a great time to overlap the Santa requests and/or present-giving from family with something that is actually needed, rather than nice to have. It reduces the financial burden of needing to buy it later in the year, and brings additional appreciation when it’s going to actually be used. Some may say this is boring, but there’s never anything wrong with being practical. Practical can also be enjoyable!

Something to Wear – similar to the above, asking for or receiving clothes might not jump to mind immediately as a gifting option, but it’s a wonderful way to update a wardrobe, and allows for choosing of a special piece or outfit that the person may not have otherwise splashed out on.

Something to Read – I was very lucky that our childhood was jam-packed full of books. Just last year, a big clear out at home led to boxes of my childhood books making their way back to me. The fond memories contained in the pages were vast. The adventures and learning that these stories facilitated were such a huge part of my childhood.

Even today, a gorgeous set of Christmas books gifted to me by neighbours remain carefully stored at home for my own kids to pore over during the festive period. The gift of reading is probably the greatest gift of all, so jump at the chance to give it to somebody you love.

Something to Do – whether it’s a jigsaw or a board game, a painting or a dance mat, gifting something that promotes connection, presence and fun is never a bad choice. Something that encourages creativity, gets our heads out of our phones or tablets, and gets us playing and laughing together is a really beneficial part of any Santa list. Make sure that something from this category features in all the letters to the North Pole this year!

We can very quickly get caught up in these lists, and lose sight of what Christmas is really all about.

Remembering initiatives like the Shoebox appeal, or Cork Penny Dinners helps to remind us of what we have, and the real spirit of Christmas.

So, as we pop those letters to Santa in the postbox, we can hopefully keep things in perspective, and not let silly season get the better of us.

We can very quickly get caught up in these lists, and lose sight of what Christmas is really all about...