{"id":1728,"date":"2024-11-19T01:00:44","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T02:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.singhaparatech.com\/?p=1728"},"modified":"2025-04-16T15:10:43","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T15:10:43","slug":"the-5-gift-rule-on-christmas-changed-everything-for-my-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.singhaparatech.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/19\/the-5-gift-rule-on-christmas-changed-everything-for-my-family\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 Gift Rule on Christmas Changed Everything for My Family"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Christmas tradition will change how your family celebrates…forever. <\/em><\/p>\n

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The “4 Gift Rule” is a simple Christmas tradition that makes gift-giving less stressful and more meaningful for everyone. Read on to find out how it works – and why I’ve since switched to the 5<\/em> Gift Rule!<\/p>\n

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Here’s why we started with the 4 Gift Rule…<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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When I became a mom in 2010 I started doing exactly what my mom did – buy for my kids in extreme excess.<\/p>\n

I used to believe more gifts meant more joy, but I soon found it had the opposite effect.<\/h3>\n

Christmas<\/a> can quickly get taken over by frivolous gifts by the unconscious habits of “I didn’t buy enough,<\/em>“ “Just one more gift<\/em>,” “I need to even them out<\/em>,” or simply falling for a hot, new, trendy toy on the market only for its joy to be short-lived.<\/span><\/p>\n

Above is a photo from Christmas 2012 – just 8 months after I had my second son. Presents were packed so deep under the tree, and every single one was for my two boys. I had spent so much I didn’t have a penny left. Yet I remember feeling so proud placing the last gift under the tree, knowing my boys would wake up to a “magical” looking Christmas.<\/p>\n

Deep down inside, I felt empty and very stressed over the financial burden I had chosen to create. I was a very young mom living off one income, and I knew I couldn’t afford to keep this up. I didn’t want <\/em>to keep this up. You see, when you buy in excess, you create an expectation for yourself and others. Almost always, these high expectations lead to unnecessary stress for you and<\/em> your finances.<\/p>\n

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I LOVE gift giving…but what I realized is that I love gift giving with intention.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That’s when I opened the idea of starting the 4 Gift Rule…<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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I toyed with this minimalist idea for a few years, but I found myself making every excuse for not being able to start yet. “My kids still believed in Santa<\/em>. They’re still too little. I’ll do it next year. It’ll be easier when they’re older.” etc.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2017 (yes, 5 Christmases later 😳), I finally committed myself to the 4 gift rule. No excuses. No ifs, ands, or buts. I knew I deserved the stress-free and simple Christmas season my heart yearned for every year. More importantly, I wanted my children to have realistic expectations and a new sense of gratitude.<\/p>\n

Starting the 4 Gift Rule was the best thing I ever did for myself and for my kids.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Can you imagine the idea of giving just 4 or 5 gifts to each of your children?<\/em><\/p>\n

I know this tradition might come off shocking if you’re used to going completely overboard like I used to, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen parents asking on Facebook<\/a> or Instagram<\/a> what even to gift their kids because they already have it all…🤔.<\/p>\n

What I can tell you is that starting this tradition has been extremely freeing. I also love that it has forced me to think much deeper about every gift I give.<\/p>\n

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These are my 5 Gift Rules:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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