The thought of presents patiently waiting under the tree causes a restless night of anticipation; but once day breaks, it’s time to rip open a lot of gifts.

Christmas is meant to be spent with loved ones, spread joy to others, and celebrate the act of giving. As the years go on, however, these values are beginning to slowly vanish. With days such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday putting an emphasis on material things, kids these days might never learn and appreciate these values.

Now a days, kids are exposed to so many new toys and technology that a three page Christmas list may be expected. However, is it really necessary to get a child everything they ask for? Christmas is a time to celebrate each other with gifts; though for younger kids, the actual presents they open are not always age appropriate.

For example, some kids as young as five have received presents like iPhones, pricey tablets, gaming systems, and even laptops for Christmas in past years. In some opinions, the number of gifts is not that big of an issue compared to the expense of other technology based gifts.

On a nontechnical basis, toy manufacturers and retailers are raising the prices on items like Legos and doll houses; some being sold for hundreds of dollars alone. Looking from this point of view, children in this day and age are being more spoiled in expensive presents rather than the amount they receive.

From experience, there is a limit on how many toys Santa is to bring on Christmas. In other words, some mothers insist that Santa is only to bring a small amount of gifts, this way more little kids who don’t have much will get presents as well. Though children might still receive gifts from parents and other family members, a limit on Santa’s giving teaches an important lesson.
Spoiled children tend to think that anything they want will be handed to them with one beckoning call. Receiving a smaller amount or less expensive gifts teaches them to honor greater things like family and friends.

Perhaps asking children to give away some of their previous toys or even some of their new gifts can help to further the lesson in giving. Families and children who can not necessarily get the presents they wanted for Christmas will be given the chance to receive something great.

Some people think that it shouldn’t matter how many gifts a child receives on Christmas; presents are meant to be given out on this holiday after all. But this mind set is well flawed.

Checking off everything from a child’s three page Christmas list does nothing but spread a craving for material things rather than teaching them to enjoy the little things like family, friends, and the feeling you get when you give to others.