Christmas Gift Exchange

Every year in our family we do the traditional gift exchange between siblings. Kids are just so naturally generous and want to give a gift to their brothers and sisters. So instead of having them wrap up a random object they found in the bottom of their toy box, we let them buy a real gift. In the past we have just given them a set amount of money and taken them to the toy store to buy presents for whoever they've drawn that year. This year though we decided they are all big enough that they should be able to do something to earn the money themselves. I'm not real big on paying them to do their regular chores. I think they should just do those without compensation just because they are part of the family and need to help pull their weight. Call me a meanie I guess! BUT.....we do have an extraordinary amount of leaves to take care of in the Fall, so we made a deal with the kids that they could earn their Christmas money by bagging up leaves. It was amazing to see how hard they worked, how many hours they put in, and how excited they were that they were earning money. Not money for themselves, but money to spend on someone else. I think our leaf duties were so much more enjoyable this year because of the attitudes of the kids. No, we didn't have fewer leaves than usual (dang it!), but the time spent gathering them was a lot more enjoyable and seemed to go by so much faster. We gave the kids each $15, which probably comes out to only 50 cents an hour per kid, so I felt like we made a pretty good deal! They were happy and we were happy! Win-win! Oh, and they did have some fun playing in the leaves too....we're not ALL about hard labor around here!

Then instead of going to the toy store, each kid got to spend time with mom ordering something online for their person. I was very impressed with how well each one of the kids really thought about their chosen sibling and what they would like the most. I thought I was going to have to make suggestions for them but, no, they all came up with their own ideas, and I think everyone is going to be very happy with what they are getting. This last picture is supposed to show them exchanging gifts.  Each person is holding two gifts....the one they will be receiving and the one they are giving.