I hope you had a merry Christmas; #merryandbright, as they say in our social media world. We stayed home and enjoyed wrapping gifts for our children on Christmas Eve. When it is -2 F (-16.7 C) outside, you do not feel like going anywhere.
Our children building their respective LEGO kits
Now that they are older, our teens give us a list of wishes. One of the wishes is that we also give them something they do not expect or know about. They like to be surprised.
Something new for me this year: I discovered the “rule of four categories” about Christmas gifts. We were abiding by it unwittingly. It was nice to discover we were doing things by the book.
Just in case I am not the last person in the world to discover this rule, here it is:
- something they want
- something they need
- something to wear
- something to read
The surprise they ask for can be anything they do not expect but would like or need or want. This is where knowing your child comes in handy.
Of course, the “something to wear” part is tricky for boys because they do not care about clothes. Merch to the rescue!
Our son likes certain YouTubers, video games, music producers, and camps (Cohutta Springs, TeenPact). Of course, all of the above produce ridiculously priced merchandise like hoodies, mugs, hats, T-shirts etc.
Forget the price. We buy it anyway as we breathe a sigh of relief that we can get him “something to wear.” He will wear it because it helps him identify with his tribe. Everybody is happy.
LEGO bricks can be the surprise, especially since they have sort of moved on from them. They still love a LEGO set which connects them to their interests.
