the best Christmas gifts

This Christmas we started a new tradition with the girls, which quickly became one of my favorites. I stole the idea from one of my sisters who has done this for years with her kids (thanks SBBBB). I think it helped the girls focus more on gifts they were giving rather than gifts they were receiving. Of course the girls are going to be excited about their 4 gifts under the tree (something to wear, something to read, something you want, something you need- thank you to whomever I got this idea from!!), but we want them to also be excited about the birth of our Savior, and we want them to learn to be grateful and generous.

A week before Christmas I took Belle and Bug to buy presents for their sisters and Dad. We got a bag full of quarters out of their piggy banks, and then I took each girl by herself to the Dollar Tree to pick out some gifts. I had so much fun on this one-on-one shopping trip with the girls. They both loved looking through the aisles to find something their sisters or Dad would like, and they loved giving their quarters to the clerk at the check-out. Afterward they loved helping me wrap the presents, and they loved watching everyone open them and play with them. I was so impressed with how well Belle knew her sisters... she picked perfect gifts for both of them. She picked two gifts for Bug, and those were 2 of Bug's favorite gifts. I also enjoyed watching them pick gifts for their Daddy. Everything Belle found that her Dad might actually use she very practically pointed out that he already had it... "he already has socks", "he already has a candle", "he already has tools".... so instead she got him a giant coloring book (he didn't have one of those). These 2 trips to the Dollar Tree with my girls were my favorite Christmas shopping, and it was definitely the best $7.00 our family spent all season.  I look forward to doing this each year with my girls. I'm so glad I got this idea from my sister, and I thought I'd share it in case anyone else was looking for an idea to encourage some generosity at Christmas.

I really think these might have been the Officer's favorite presents. A giant coloring book and an alligator hat that Bug knew her Daddy would just love.

Another shot of the alligator hat, because it is just too good