The best holiday gift for your children

This is the season of finding the "exact" perfect gift for everyone in your life.  Kids, especially, get innudated by toys, toys and more as parents, grandparents and relatives want to show their love.  However, this article from Business Insider struck a chord with me. "A Holiday Gift your Kids Will Still have in Twenty Years" talks about the most important gift you can give a child--the gift of your time and undivided attention.  Making memories to last literally a lifetime is by far the most important thing a parent can do for children.

I was a single mom for many years and didn't have a lot to spend on Christmas.  I also never knew from year to year if my daughter would be home with me or at her dad's.  So I tried to make the holidays meaningful in different ways--we'd bake cookies together and make decorating the Christmas tree a big day.  She would get so many gifts from all the family I would hide some to make New Year's presents so she could open them later and enjoy them.  I don't know if it was the right thing to do but I do know it's still a memory we have together.

I would love to see more parents reading to their children over the holidays--share the poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" or as it is more commonly known, Twas the Night Before Christmas. 



 Sing carols together or drive around looking at lights. These activities share the true meaning of the season--time for your family.

But too many people these days buy, buy and buy for their kids.  I know when school starts back we'll see the proliferation of new gadgets, clothes, shoes, etc (these are the toys of high school kids!)  I would ask how many of the kids got time with their folks but I'm afraid the answer would be too depressing.

So just for this year, let's all make a pact to do something for our family to make a memory.  I'll share mine--my grandson is far away from me so I bought some some books that I can read and record for him.  Right now he's still a toddler and Gramma isn't all that important, but hopefully "reading" with me over the years will help bridge the distance and make a memory for the future.

Merry Christmas!