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Oh I love Christmas – everything about it. I love the decorating, baking, music, gathering, and I love coming up with Christmas gifts for grandkids!
I also know that Christmas gifts for grandkids can be a source of tension between grown kids and grandparents.
Today we are going to look for common ground that will have everyone singing “Here Comes Santa Claus” without hesitation!
Some Things for Grandparents to Remember:
Our grown kids are managing a lot of ‘stuff’.
Lisa Woodruff (a favorite productivity/organization expert of mine) describes this life phase our grown kids are in as the ‘accumulation phase’.
They are accumulating items for their homes. They are storing clothing for the ‘next’ baby. They are storing sports gear that one kid is done with and that someone else may need someday. They have bins of baby toys and furniture in the garage, and the list goes on!
To add to that, a lot of our grandkids aren’t exactly a ton of help in the organization process!
Our grown kids simply may not have room for all the ‘fun’ we want to bring!
Our grown kids have their own idea of what gifts are appropriate for the age and stage of their children. They know the reality of their available space.
And at the same time, they are developing their own philosophy about gift-giving.
We need to lean hard into understanding this truth and keep it at the forefront of our thoughts as we excitedly browse for Christmas gifts for grandkids.
So what’s a grandparent to do, especially a grandparent like me who loves to buy, and yes, even loves to wrap those Christmas gifts for grandkids?
We don’t want tension surrounding gifts to negatively impact our family relationships, but we still want to have fun, so here are some tips we all can use this year:
Initiate a conversation with your grown kids regarding Christmas gifts for grandkids.
They may not feel comfortable starting this conversation, as they don’t want to appear ungrateful or stifle your fun with the grandkids. Let them know you are eagerly anticipating giving gifts to the kids again this year and would love their input. Here are some conversation starters:
- What are the kids excited about right now?
- Do you have room for, or would you prefer inside or outside toys/activities?
- Is there a need coming up that we could help purchase something for? (sports, a vacation need, an upcoming class….)
- How do you feel about technology gifts?
- What are you enjoying together as a family?
Questions like these are helpful for everyone!
Think through and share your own gift-giving and receiving stories.
Our own history plays quite a role in how we approach gift-giving occasions.
For example, my dad’s family had very little during the holidays, not even a Christmas tree.
They woke up one morning to a tree, some decorations, food for dinner, and gifts on their front porch!
As my dad grew up, he relished the Christmas season and could not wait to celebrate and provide gifts for people.
My mom, whose family had ‘enough’, approaches Christmas in a much more measured manner. She makes sure that absolutely everyone has what would be considered ‘equal’ gifts.
We tease her that she would add a postage stamp to someone’s gift to make sure all is fair!
This contemplative process may help you as you approach your own gift-giving and will be a fun opportunity to share your unique history with your family.
A Gift Giving Strategy
If you enjoy giving multiple gifts, you might consider this popular strategy. We have found this is fun and practice some version of it each year.
The good news is that it is also a strategy that can be accomplished at just about any price point – yay!
Each grandchild receives:
- A fun gift that matches their interest
- Something they need – for example, we know that they are trying a new sport soon, so we will purchase those soccer shin guards.
- An item to wear – some years it really is socks, and right now they love them – especially if they are princess socks!
- Something to read
We also gift the entire family with something to do together, such as a game, or outing.
Our hope is that the manner in which we approach gift-giving reflects our knowledge of who they are and our hope that they have wonderful moments celebrating together as a family.
Now, cue the Christmas music and the Hallmark movies, because this grandma is about to search for some gifts that are just perfect for a couple of cute little girls. We hope you have a wonderful time preparing gifts for your grandkids as well!
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