Buying Less this Holiday Season

According to a new article in the Huffington Post, New York parents do not have the space to buy their children the amount of gifts suburban children receive for the holidays. However, the article explains that New York parents are actually happier than parents who buy their children a house worth of presents. Three reasons why limited gift giving can increase a parent’s (and child’s) long-term happiness is below:

• When kids receive a large number of presents, they then expect to always receive a large amount of presents. Children will enjoy one or two well-though out presents for a longer period of time. Additionally, children can be over stimulated with too many gifts.
• Special, personal time with their parents is one gift children will remember for Christmases to come. Experiences are usually more enjoyable and satisfying than personal items, and they tend to last much longer as they become family stories and cherished memories.
• Grandparents can get in on the “giving less” craze by taking grandchildren to museums and other kid friendly attractions instead of buying many small presents. Or, if the grandparents want to give sizeable presents, ask them to pay for a month of music lessons or to contribute to a college fund instead of buying a lot of toys and other stuff for Christmas.

See Jacoba Urist, Do Happier Parents Buy Less?, The Huffington Post, Dec. 16, 2011.