Thank you so much for watching! You can find the Decluttering by Faith Devotional here: cli.re/Devotional ($16.00 -- includes access to a 6 week video study and a special group for those who want to lead a group study around it!) We also have discounted rates for ordering five or more. I hope you have a great day! - Dawn
@Potatoes Dawn and her sister usually reserve sharing their faith for another series of videos. They have openly shared their love for Jesus in several past videos, but respectfully try not to alienate viewers of their minimizing audience.
My kids are grown and gone but they still talk about the year we got them appliance boxes, rolls of masking tape, glue, construction paper, and markers. I didn't see them for days! They even slept in the structures they made. Best Christmas ever!
I don’t celebrate Christmas, but for my holiday we also give gifts. I seriously wrote down that I wanted to get all of the children in my life a couple of boxes, tape, scissors and some markers for them to have at it! 😂 they would seriously love it!
Pam here…..I haven’t celebrated Xmas since 21, my family taught me all the stuff don’t equal happiness. We focused on togetherness, building and doing something together. Stuff separate…they take their thing and retreat in their room to ‘use’ they thing…away from everyone else. They always made sure to give us what we need…clothes, comfortable home, good food, and good fun.
That's awesome!! Mine are also good with that sort of thing!! My son has had "rolls of tape" on his list for multiple years (put there by me), hahaha and always loves whe. He gets that!
I am a teacher in a very diverse school, there are kids thst live in a million dollar house and kids whose family cannot afford to buy lunch for them. After christmas break I always ask, what was your favorite thing you did? I also start first and tell them about our family dinner together. I know it doesnt solve all their problems but I hope that conversation helps them to feel connected to eachother.
I have to tell you a funny story...I used to drive my kids to school and one morning it had snowed...not enough to cancel school but enough to make great snowballs so when we were going out to the car to leave for school we started throwing snowballs at each other...we were having THE BEST TIME!!! Hiding behind trees and the the car...the kids had a blast!!! Once we got to school we were late of course, and the bell had already rang and when we drove up the principal opened the door to let the kids out and asked why they were late getting to school and both of them yelled, "We had the best snowball fight ever!!!" I loved it...those memories are the best...who cares if you are a little late to something if it means you get to have a fun moment with your kiddos!!!
Our child had a normal, low key Birthday Party each year with a homemade sheet cake that was themed (as she wished)… for the real fun, the children got to wash our cars in the parking lot of our apartment building🤣🤣. The kids still remember that fun 22 Yrs later😃🎉! They came from wealthy homes with ELABORATE/EXPENSIVE parties… they remember ours with fond memories ❤️
The discussion of hotel pools cracked me up! We went to Disney World for my daughter’s 8th birthday. At one point, we were killing some time at the resort, and went down to the itty bitty, empty playground. As I was chasing the kids around (8 year old, a toddler son, and I’m pregnant, so I’m extra slow, LOL), it started POURING rain. We stayed out on the playground, because I’m from Florida, so I knew the rain wouldn’t stick around for long. We were all 3 absolutely soaked within minutes, and the kids splashed through puddles, slid down the now slippery slides, and generally had a great time. If you ask our daughter about that trip, she will say that playing on the playground in the rain was her favorite part!
We attended a family funeral last week. The main memories each of his three children recalled was their daddy taking each child on their own day of adventure each year: a fun activity they did together, lunch out, treats and dinner out before they returned home. These kids are all in their 50s snd 60s and these special dates with dad were their most cherished memories. ❤️❤️❤️
One of my prominent memories when I was about 20 was my aunt saying she wanted to take me out to lunch . It was such a nice experience. She had 5 children , worked full time , but she wanted one on one time with me . She’s always been wonderful to me !
My Aunt is a nun so it was aways understood that she could not afford to buy us presents. But, she took us out to dinner on our birthday every year. I hardly remember the gifts through the years, but I remember those special birthday dinners!
Dawn, Thank you. I grew up with a mom who has mental health issues and hoarding. I hated being home because it was always all about the stuff. I got married in 2019 and we moved into our first house together. My mom had filled our garage from floor to ceiling. I was desperate to break this cycle. I found your channel in 2019 , and your advice and views have absolutely changed my life and has taken the tension out of our relationship. It has translated into all aspects of our life. Thank you for giving me permission to break the cycle happy holidays ⛄
Wow great work: same here. Grew up in a hordes and mental health issue home. Mom and Dad bring a lot of stuff over and make it challenging. It’s gotten better but 😊I’m working hard on my home
We raised our family in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. We started a business in 1986 so there were many years when we lived below the poverty level. The best thing that we ever did for our children was to provide them with the opportunities to work for the things they wanted. They got things at Christmas and on their birthdays, but anything they wanted during the year they had to work for. Their friends would have new things that our kids wanted but to get it they had to work and save for it. I can still remember the pride on my youngest son's face when he had saved $100 to purchase a boom box that he desperately wanted. I took him to the store where he picked it out and then paid for it at the counter. When his friend asked him if his mother and father had finally bought it for him, he beamed when he said that he purchased it with his own money. Those are lessons that have paid big dividends in their lives as adults.
My kids favorite part of the holidays is our advent calendar. Each day "Santa" leaves an activity for the family to do. We read a favorite Christmas book, do a puzzle, watch a Christmas movie, do Christmas madlibs, bake cookies, cook a red and green dinner and eat by candlelight, look at Christmas lights while drinking hot cocoa, write letters to the seniors in the local retirement home, enjoy a local tree lighting or holiday event in town, visit Santa, crack walnuts, buy gifts for Angel tree kids, see a local theater groups holiday show...the options are endless and my kids look forward to finding out what the daily activity is each day and to doing that activity as a family. They are now 17 and 14 and still love it!
I’m from a family of SIX. I never remember my parents “agonizing” over Christmas traditions. We didn’t have extra money, but always had a lovely Christmas AND the traditions were what mattered most…at least to me. These dilemmas are recent (since the 80’s) when parents decided to be their kids friends, not their parents. If the birth of Christ is at the CENTER of your holiday, it cannot be bad. 💚🎄❤
@@jessicasellers7645 Well, in some families, perhaps. Our parents didn’t “hide” anything from us. We didn’t have discussions necessarily but we were aware of budgets. Merry Christmas. 🎄
What an interesting last name I'm Valentin. I have been called Valentine, Valentino, and Valenti. It the first time I see a Valentiner. Many blessings.
The getting straight As comment punched me in the gut. I immediately started crying. He hit on something i didnt know i had done in my life. At the core, i just wanted to be seen. Thank you!
In the spirit of decluttering I had some of my jewelry repurposed for my granddaughters and daughter-in-laws this year. I only need a couple of pieces and they are all way more glamorous than me so they will actually wear it instead of leaving it in a box for decades until I die.
Remembering gifts is such a rarity- it really is the gift that makes you feel SEEN that you'll remember- like they indulged in something that is unique about you and your interests. And the fact is those are hard to come by, but feeling seen by experiences together has better odds of happening.
When I was young enough to still believe in Santa, I wondered why Santa loved other kids more with more gifts. Once I understood that my mom bought the gifts, I understood the reality of finances. That's why I never had my kids believe in Santa.
I told my kids that a long time ago I wrote a letter to Santa asking him to only bring 3 small gifts to my children so we can focus on the birth of Jesus instead of our own wants.
I could not break my son's heart so I always told him Santa was a spirit and the different santas in the stores were actors portraying santa to keep children happy. We never had to break his heart by telling him lies. I just don't agree with that part of the holidays.
Totally agree! We, as a society, set our children up for heartbreak at Christmas! I hate this so much. We decided to take the best of family traditions related to Santa ( we leave out cookies, milk and carrots, then he fills our stockings only, bc "PARENTS get to tell Santa how they want to do gifts at their house" 😉 so that puts us parents as the heavy, not Santa) and we leave the gifts for mom and dad to bestow. Plus, if I'm forking out the $$$ for presents, Santa is NOT getting the credit! Lol
Oh Dawn I don't know if you are aware of how awesome your work is! I still remember your very first video where you just wanted other parents to experience that it doesn't have to be so hard to maintain a household. And look how much more you have taught all of us over the last years ranging from finances and getting out of debt to mental health and changing social norms. You are my favourite, favourite youtuber and I am so grateful for everything I have learned from you. You are an incredible human being. Thank you
I absolutely agree with Dr. Delony's point. I struggled to make sure I got straight A's all through school and in retrospect, yes, it was totally approval-seeking and trying to "keep the peace" in a very stressful family.
I'm 65, and I don't remember more than a couple gifts I received as a kid, but I vividly remember the big family get together every Christmas Eve (my Mom's sisters and brothers took turns hosting), the family camping trips, and the times we got together with extended family for a wedding, funeral, or picnic. Material stuff fades. Memories are about experiences.
Our family has slowly dropped most Christmas traditions. We try to keep food and gifts minimal and simple. We do not buy decorations, but sometimes make decorations from natural objects or craft supplies we have on hand. After getting married, we learned about giving "living gifts" to persecuted Christians and poor people overseas through missions like Voice of the Martyrs and Samaritan's Purse. We do the Operation Christmas Child gift boxes with my in-laws every year. Our extended family still want the big family gathering, gifts, feasting, etc. We enjoy those traditions with thankful hearts. We have very much enjoyed the "living gifts" because we just do not need anything and are so thankful we can help brothers and sisters in Christ around the world with donations and prayers - their hard times are more extreme than ours.
Great video! One thing I learned is when someone asks you something that is none of their business is to say “ why do you ask?” That usually shuts them down. Sometimes I’ll just respond with “ I don’t want to talk about that”.
Meanwhile thinking that if you don't know me well enough to already have been told, you don't know me well enough to ask! The people who asked/ commented on having a big age gap beween kids: Planned? Is it the teenage girl's or mine? Why?
@@marcidevries5515 Yep. My daughter was a teen when my baby was born. Been there, done that. I must have been too fierce to ask directly, but there were some who really thought it was hers. Hey, I put in the work on making this kid, I deserve the credit!!
I remind myself that often the things others pick at us for is just them projecting THEIR insecurities. (Eg. The mum who goes on about your weight could actually be worried about her own figure).
Me personally I _really_ ask my questions out of interest & curiousity. Not everybody asking is criticizing, please remember. All those critical "fake-question-askers" ruin it for us.. 🙁
I have been having trouble sleeping and my anxiety is currently through the roof because of these topics. You don’t know how much I needed this video and I can’t thank you enough for it. This calms my heart that I’m not alone. I’m so not alone in these topics that you made a RUclips video about it so clearly I’m not the only one to feel these ways that were discussed. Thank you, thank you for this RUclips video! God bless! ❤️
Best video I've watched this holiday season so far! Thank you. My biggest take-aways are: "choose guilt over resentment," and to talk with our kids about what they want, not material things, but expectations and hopes for the family.
Growing up, we didn’t have any $ and my parents agonized over it. Every weekend we had a family day where we took nature walks and Sunday dinner with my grandma. They were the best memories and I never knew we had “less”. Being with and there for your kids means more than anything. The $ is not the thing.
My best childhood memories are walks with my parents and interacting with them. Apart from a couple of toys, they were no way things I look back on... xx
Wow! THANK YOU for presenting this topic! I just spent Thanksgiving with family members and came home feeling AWFUL & anxiety-ridden. I tried to understand why I felt this way because on the surface, I LOVE these people...but it was disturbing. I think, for me, it's the feeling of being judged. Hearing this discussion helped me understand that I'm not alone in how I feel and that it's OK to say "No" sometimes. I can't avoid these family members, but I like the idea of taking the control of the situation and addressing the "elephant in the room" head-on. NOW, I have a strategy! :)🙌🙌
i write on color pieces of paper all the fun things we did that year and the fun experiences we did, and put these notes in the stockings!!! as we do the fun things, we present it to them as part of the gift, we are able to do this instead of stuff that doesnt give us this type of experience. its the best part! my oldest has put them in a flip photo album and saved all the fun things we have done over the years
Awesome message. Stop swiping the cards, swiping the phone and swap out for experiences/memories. For me it's been a declutter of toxic relationships and not forcing anyone to be a part of my life. Thank you !
This was the best, most real and practical advise that is at the core of all holiday issues. Thank you both for covering it. I'm going to listen to this video multiple times to get it set in my mind for this season and future ones.
I agree! I've listened to it twice. The comments also have some great perspectives. With things getting more expensive, it's nice to be reminded that people remember their experiences more. :)
Thanks so much for having John on your show! You and Dave Ramsey changed my life...for the best!! You are such a gift to parents who struggle with everything you both spoke about in this video. I was in your shoes 20+ years ago and it was not easy being the parents who couldn't and wouldn't keep up with the Jones'. It was hard but so worth the struggle! My five kids are amazing and they really did listen and learn from our experiences! We were all in Nashville to do our "Debt Free Scream" in 2016 and we're still living the dream! Thank you again Dawn!!💞
This is such a wonderful conversation, Dawn! 💕 I really need to internalize this process with my kids, since we're Jewish and don't celebrate Christmas. My son said 'I want a big man in a red suit to visit us'. After watching this video, I know I need to explain 2 things: 1) Yes, it's tough when we don't always do the same things other kids do. 2) We can still do fun things together. I love how you described fun 'holiday' things that aren't necessarily Christmas-y, and that we can do as a family. An indoor waterpark is a great idea. We're in Canada, so we can do all the outdoor wintery things, too - sledding, skiing, skating, building snowpeople, and then cozy-ing up indoors with hot cocoa and a movie.
I wish my parents had sat me down and said. "Here's the economic reality for our family". Instead nobody would talk, it was a taboo subject, and I lived in fear that things were going to go wrong. I refused to take my tiny amount of pocket money because I wanted to help the family. I became scared of money, didn't know how to handle it, and as an adult I have been incompetent with it - not a spendthrift, the opposite - always saving in fear of rainy days, but not enjoying what my money can bring.
I am so thankful for this video! I decided to return 4 gifts (adding up to about $90) because I feel the weight lifted from having to give so many gifts to my kids. Each kid gets 2 gifts🙌🏽 great work Dawn! Thank you for all you do! We have been in the simplifying journey for about 2 years and decided to start homeschooling!
My daughter (7) asked me this week why we don't have an elf (I made it 7 years before she had heard of it - win!). I just said simply, yeah, some people have one of those and we don't. I was worried she was going to be sad or ask more questions, but she quickly moved on. She is having a great holiday season. She is not missing out because we don't have an elf that I have to move around every day.
My boy asked for a naughty elf and I said: "Why would I invite someone to our home for them to be deliberately disrespectful?" It was a great way to talk with him (him joining in) about why we have our house rules and make it a nice place for all of us to live.
"The next two or three days, our relationship was magic." Ahhhh soooo sweet! Connecting with our kids is so important, and sometimes so simply done. Love it!
When my kids were still little, we asked my parents to give the grandkids experiences. Birthdays were a special dinner and sleepover, and we all did something big after Christmas--Wolf Creek Lodge one year, a bus tour another. Instead of plastic crap.on the floor, we have memories and pictures
I give my grandkids and nieces and nephews craft supplies and the pieces/parts and instructions to make crafts. They love it! It's not expensive, and you can find a ton of stuff cheaply. I also watch for sales and pick up some things during the year, and on the tax-free weekend.
I enjoyed the lovely conversation I heard between you. Thank you both. What you said reinforced my belief I am blessed that my family have done and still do Christmas "just enough" to make it so much fun we look forward to every year. We have 4 generations, 16 adults and 3 children round the table. In October the adults are given their secret santa to buy for and the max spend is £20. Every year the thought we all put in to our one gift to our nominated family member is from the heart x A joyous experience being together and the children see the joy to be had receiving one gift ❤
I haven't got to the part about Santa, but after reading some of the comments, I will share me. I have 3 kids. They have never believed in Santa. Why would I give a mythical person credit for something making my kids smile. No. That's me. My kids know this. I tell them we give gifts because God gave us the gift of Christ.
One of my best Christmases as a kid was when my Dad got the four of us together and said, “either we can have our usual Christmas presents or we can scale back to one gift each and buy Grandma and Grandpa a new color tv for Christmas. We immediately unanimously voted for the really great gift for our grandparents! My Grandpa actually cried with gratitude. The next year we bought a dishwasher “for Mom” (which we all knew was really for our family). It set us up for thinking about what one really great thing we could do for someone else that would make Their Christmas special and keep our focus on giving over getting. I consider it the best gift I ever got as a child to learn the joy of helping someone who needs it. Probably my best Christmas ever was as a young adult I had the opportunity to direct a children’s choir (ages 6 to 18) for midnight Mass at my Mom’s church. It was absolutely magic and brought so much joy to everyone in attendance that night that I’m sure it was a lasting and lovely holiday memory for all. Gifts take many forms and the best gift we can give our children is that realization.
My fondest and best memory from a Disney Cruise is that my three year old was amazed by the automatic sink in the bathroom. 😂 I would say “bibbidi bobbidi boo!” and then I made it turn on. He was entertained for a good 10 minutes. The lady cleaning the bathroom was laughing with us. It really was magical but not the kind I expected when I booked a very expensive cruise 😂❤
I. needed to hear this today. My children are all grown, but I keep feeling like I need to get one more gift for my daughter, even thought I spent hours refurbishing the fireplace tool set that was my grandfather's for the fireplace in her new house. Listening to this today, I will keep reminding myself that I do not need to get her anything else. We will have a wonderful Christmas together. Thank you.
This is such good advice! My advice is that parents should be 100 % honest with their kids from baby upwards. My kids knew from their first Christmas that Santa is a fun make believe pretend game.
As a kid, we had wonderful Chritmas 'es. We set a limit for gifts...say $5 etc. Bought small gifts for each other, created our own Xmas decorations. The gifts are only symbols ... not an end in itself. We had wonderful homemade meals. Still cherish the wonderful Xmas times and love we shared.
Great conversation!! Favorite point was "you don't get permission to hurt my feelings". I just employed that position and I felt so great. I'm looking forward to the ongoing discussion.
My dad once jokingly said 'we were so poor we had to watch other people Christmas shop'. They didn't have a lot but my dad and uncles have great memories of so many life events together. I spent years collecting the Nancy Drew hard cover book series. They were not very expensive so relatives could get me 1 (for like $10) & I was so happy! 😊 The best Christmas gift will always be my adopted sister arriving Dec 24th after a long wait and delays. 🎉 The second best was my adopted brother arriving several years later in early December. ❤
This conversation was so helpful! I love the "guilt over resentment" and also the "go right to that awkward person" at the party and get it over with. Thank you for this!!!
I am a retired teacher. Every two or three months I get together with three other retired teachers with whom I used to teach. Somehow, we started celebrating birthdays and then Christmas by giving gifts. This year my own expenses make it impossible for me to do all this purchasing, so I asked the others if we couldn’t just have our usual breakfast get-together and exchange Christmas cards but no gifts. They were all agreeable and perhaps even relieved. We met for breakfast today - and one still persisted and gave each of us a goodie-bag. We accepted them with pleasure, but I for one felt no guilt over not being able to buy gifts for everyone. Thank you Dawn for this interview! And Merry Christmas to you and all your family!! 🎄⛄️❄️
I can not remember one specific gift that I received for Christmas or birthdays other than the birthday when my father and mother bought me a bike, and my Dad and I rode bikes home together from the bike store. It was the memory of that bike ride with Dad, even more than the new bike, that I cherished.
WOW! Two of my favorite personalities sharing fantastic advice! Grab a pencil and paper to take notes - so much wisdom and truth!!! Thanks so much Dawn and John!🤗God bless your holidays as you bless ours!
I value this video so much! I’m 20 years old and am only really aware of my family’s financial situation is because I help with the business and ask questions. I really struggle with my parents feeling like they shouldn’t express that they’re tight on money and want to show that they’ve spent money on us. For me, I would much rather spend time together again as a family. I valued those family experiences so so much and cannot wait to share life experiences with my future family and show them how to do life whilst enjoying it as much as we possibly can!
Dawn, Great video. I like how he said find that person that annoys you 1st & get them out of the way. I'm learning to think more about experiences vs junk gifts. I don't remember a lot of gifts I got for Christmas, but I do remember my Dad taking his old beater truck or the station wagon up a hill on a snowy day just to see if he could get up it. Fun memories.
I ran an arts nonprofit and we received many donations of stuff. We had an all day event every year where we invited the public in to make whatever they wanted with this stuff- it was our most popular event ever! It was so fun to see what the kids made and they extremely proud faces!
My 2 kids actually remember every gift they get for Christmas for years, especially my daughter. My son may not remember the year, but my daughter can give you exact details down to the weather and what we had for Christmas dinner, lol.
My kids are adults and we have always showed them our budgets. They know our financial goals…which they have seen some of our goals met. So they see that you can save/sacrifice and be rewarded for the sacrifices. My kids did not have a smart phone or texting until college. They survived and we did have experiences instead of paying cell phone charges.
Dawn, I never comment on videos but I HAVE to say, this was an incredible video! So many great ideas to implement and think on. Honestly, I watch many of your videos multiple times over because you have such thoughtful and in depth content. Thank you!!!
I gave my son total autonomy over his savings and money when he was 10 years old. He is now a very capable 19 year old who manages his own money and has savings. He’s at university. I’ve always been very honest with him over budget and life choices. I guess you just do your best.
I love this, I have done this for a long long time. It takes some time. I have not gone to party’s for many many years, I don’t like them and it is not my thing. You don’t have to answer every question, and hummm. Can be the answer. And return the answer in a a question back to them…. I don’t like to play the “game”. It is so very freeing!!
Minimal mom WOW oh WOW what a video! I don't comment of people's videos but I can't NOT comment on this. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! As a mum I feel heard and now have tools coz of ur awesome talk with Dr John Delony!! ❤
This is the best parenting video I have seen in my life. I have worked in early childhood Education and raised 3 amazing kids and this advice is golden! GOLDEN.
Love that! It's true. What I remember the most of my childhood is the time spend with my family and the trips that we had. Just a week in the summer or camping or a little week-end get away. They are my favorite memories and now, I'm doing the same with my kids. They don't remember gifts, they remember moments.
I'm 66 years old and my most memorable Christmas as a kid was my dad going outside and building a snow house with us. Couldn't tell you what our gifts were that year.
I love this video!!! He is amazing and yes I totally agree with making the memories and since I'm a widow raising my 3 grandsons on a fixed income I don't have the extra money especially now days with the prices of everything. I totally get what he's saying! ❤️ Thank you for the awesome video! 🥰🥰
We buy our children clothes at Once upon a child and at Platos for our 15yo and sometimes for us too. I thank God they haven’t complained. Whenever we can and see it as necessary We do buy new for them or for us💙thank you for this educational video
Omgoodness! I can't even tell you how you both confirmed my thoughts and feelings across the board!!! Thank you to you both for all you do to help others live a deeper more meaningful life! Hoping you have a beautiful Christmas and Very Happy New year too! ♥️
i LOVE it when you and the Ramsey personalities share a video, It's like when Grey's Anatomy and 911 share a "special" episode sometimes! Woohoo, can't miss THAT! Good talk...great info!
We always had the stockings from Santa, everything else from mum and dad. So they got to show gratitude. We also had a no thank you pile every year. They simple said thank you but no thank to it’s,s they didn’t want. At the end of the present opening anyone can pick anything they want out of the no thank pile. No guilt, no keeping something for years that you don’t want, no getting the same gift year after because we thought they like them. This year we asked the boys if they wanted experiences or gifts and they chose experiences. Will see how it goes x
Wow. This dude has mirrored my thoughts exactly. Yeah your kids are not going to be happy with every decision we make but there are so many ways to show our kids we care. Quite frankly, gift giving isn't one of them. And yes, COMMUNICATION! SO IMPORTANT.
I love this so much. I wish someone would have had these kind of conversations with me when I was a kid. If I am ever blessed with children I will be having these types of conversations with them. 🥰
Thank you so much for watching! You can find the Decluttering by Faith Devotional here: cli.re/Devotional ($16.00 -- includes access to a 6 week video study and a special group for those who want to lead a group study around it!) We also have discounted rates for ordering five or more. I hope you have a great day! - Dawn
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Thank you so much 💓
I hope you and your family have a very Merry 🎄 Christmas!
@Potatoes Dawn and her sister usually reserve sharing their faith for another series of videos. They have openly shared their love for Jesus in several past videos, but respectfully try not to alienate viewers of their minimizing audience.
@Potatoes you should love everyone regardless or you've missed the point.
I just ordered your decluttering by faith book. I am excited.
My kids are grown and gone but they still talk about the year we got them appliance boxes, rolls of masking tape, glue, construction paper, and markers. I didn't see them for days! They even slept in the structures they made. Best Christmas ever!
I literally asked for a box of tape and scissors for my birthday once😁😁😁 unfortunately I didn't get it 😜
My kids would be so happy with that!
I don’t celebrate Christmas, but for my holiday we also give gifts. I seriously wrote down that I wanted to get all of the children in my life a couple of boxes, tape, scissors and some markers for them to have at it! 😂 they would seriously love it!
Pam here…..I haven’t celebrated Xmas since 21, my family taught me all the stuff don’t equal happiness. We focused on togetherness, building and doing something together. Stuff separate…they take their thing and retreat in their room to ‘use’ they thing…away from everyone else. They always made sure to give us what we need…clothes, comfortable home, good food, and good fun.
That's awesome!! Mine are also good with that sort of thing!! My son has had "rolls of tape" on his list for multiple years (put there by me), hahaha and always loves whe. He gets that!
I am a teacher in a very diverse school, there are kids thst live in a million dollar house and kids whose family cannot afford to buy lunch for them. After christmas break I always ask, what was your favorite thing you did? I also start first and tell them about our family
dinner together. I know it doesnt solve all their problems but I hope that conversation helps them to feel connected to eachother.
Oh I love this!!!!! Great way to focus on memories
You are what’s right with humanity. Thank you.
I have to tell you a funny story...I used to drive my kids to school and one morning it had snowed...not enough to cancel school but enough to make great snowballs so when we were going out to the car to leave for school we started throwing snowballs at each other...we were having THE BEST TIME!!! Hiding behind trees and the the car...the kids had a blast!!! Once we got to school we were late of course, and the bell had already rang and when we drove up the principal opened the door to let the kids out and asked why they were late getting to school and both of them yelled, "We had the best snowball fight ever!!!" I loved it...those memories are the best...who cares if you are a little late to something if it means you get to have a fun moment with your kiddos!!!
I love this story so much Kayleen!
Our child had a normal, low key Birthday Party each year with a homemade sheet cake that was themed (as she wished)… for the real fun, the children got to wash our cars in the parking lot of our apartment building🤣🤣. The kids still remember that fun 22 Yrs later😃🎉! They came from wealthy homes with ELABORATE/EXPENSIVE parties… they remember ours with fond memories ❤️
@@DH-qz2so that is awesome!!! I love it!!
Absolutely!!!!🤩
I love this so much 💗 so so much!
The discussion of hotel pools cracked me up! We went to Disney World for my daughter’s 8th birthday. At one point, we were killing some time at the resort, and went down to the itty bitty, empty playground. As I was chasing the kids around (8 year old, a toddler son, and I’m pregnant, so I’m extra slow, LOL), it started POURING rain. We stayed out on the playground, because I’m from Florida, so I knew the rain wouldn’t stick around for long. We were all 3 absolutely soaked within minutes, and the kids splashed through puddles, slid down the now slippery slides, and generally had a great time. If you ask our daughter about that trip, she will say that playing on the playground in the rain was her favorite part!
We attended a family funeral last week. The main memories each of his three children recalled was their daddy taking each child on their own day of adventure each year: a fun activity they did together, lunch out, treats and dinner out before they returned home. These kids are all in their 50s snd 60s and these special dates with dad were their most cherished memories. ❤️❤️❤️
Wow! Thank you for sharing this!!!! This is so beautiful and so affirming of the fact that children value time and fun with us!
@@heidibonjour ❤️
One of my prominent memories when I was about 20 was my aunt saying she wanted to take me out to lunch . It was such a nice experience. She had 5 children , worked full time , but she wanted one on one time with me . She’s always been wonderful to me !
This actually brought a tear to my eye 😪Very sweet.
My Aunt is a nun so it was aways understood that she could not afford to buy us presents. But, she took us out to dinner on our birthday every year. I hardly remember the gifts through the years, but I remember those special birthday dinners!
Dawn,
Thank you. I grew up with a mom who has mental health issues and hoarding. I hated being home because it was always all about the stuff. I got married in 2019 and we moved into our first house together. My mom had filled our garage from floor to ceiling. I was desperate to break this cycle. I found your channel in 2019 , and your advice and views have absolutely changed my life and has taken the tension out of our relationship. It has translated into all aspects of our life. Thank you for giving me permission to break the cycle happy holidays ⛄
Wow great work: same here. Grew up in a hordes and mental health issue home. Mom and Dad bring a lot of stuff over and make it challenging. It’s gotten better but 😊I’m working hard on my home
What a beautiful testimony!
We raised our family in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. We started a business in 1986 so there were many years when we lived below the poverty level. The best thing that we ever did for our children was to provide them with the opportunities to work for the things they wanted. They got things at Christmas and on their birthdays, but anything they wanted during the year they had to work for. Their friends would have new things that our kids wanted but to get it they had to work and save for it. I can still remember the pride on my youngest son's face when he had saved $100 to purchase a boom box that he desperately wanted. I took him to the store where he picked it out and then paid for it at the counter. When his friend asked him if his mother and father had finally bought it for him, he beamed when he said that he purchased it with his own money. Those are lessons that have paid big dividends in their lives as adults.
My kids favorite part of the holidays is our advent calendar. Each day "Santa" leaves an activity for the family to do. We read a favorite Christmas book, do a puzzle, watch a Christmas movie, do Christmas madlibs, bake cookies, cook a red and green dinner and eat by candlelight, look at Christmas lights while drinking hot cocoa, write letters to the seniors in the local retirement home, enjoy a local tree lighting or holiday event in town, visit Santa, crack walnuts, buy gifts for Angel tree kids, see a local theater groups holiday show...the options are endless and my kids look forward to finding out what the daily activity is each day and to doing that activity as a family. They are now 17 and 14 and still love it!
I’m from a family of SIX. I never remember my parents “agonizing” over Christmas traditions. We didn’t have extra money, but always had a lovely Christmas AND the traditions were what mattered most…at least to me. These dilemmas are recent (since the 80’s) when parents decided to be their kids friends, not their parents. If the birth of Christ is at the CENTER of your holiday, it cannot be bad. 💚🎄❤
They were possibly hiding it well. Our generation of parents were taught to not discuss finances with the kids like their lives depended on it.
@@jessicasellers7645 Well, in some families, perhaps. Our parents didn’t “hide” anything from us. We didn’t have discussions necessarily but we were aware of budgets. Merry Christmas. 🎄
What an interesting last name
I'm Valentin. I have been called Valentine, Valentino, and Valenti. It the first time I see a Valentiner. Many blessings.
The getting straight As comment punched me in the gut. I immediately started crying. He hit on something i didnt know i had done in my life. At the core, i just wanted to be seen. Thank you!
In the spirit of decluttering I had some of my jewelry repurposed for my granddaughters and daughter-in-laws this year. I only need a couple of pieces and they are all way more glamorous than me so they will actually wear it instead of leaving it in a box for decades until I die.
Remembering gifts is such a rarity- it really is the gift that makes you feel SEEN that you'll remember- like they indulged in something that is unique about you and your interests.
And the fact is those are hard to come by, but feeling seen by experiences together has better odds of happening.
When I was young enough to still believe in Santa, I wondered why Santa loved other kids more with more gifts. Once I understood that my mom bought the gifts, I understood the reality of finances. That's why I never had my kids believe in Santa.
I told my kids that a long time ago I wrote a letter to Santa asking him to only bring 3 small gifts to my children so we can focus on the birth of Jesus instead of our own wants.
What an important point!
To both comments!!!
I could not break my son's heart so I always told him Santa was a spirit and the different santas in the stores were actors portraying santa to keep children happy. We never had to break his heart by telling him lies. I just don't agree with that part of the holidays.
Totally agree! We, as a society, set our children up for heartbreak at Christmas! I hate this so much. We decided to take the best of family traditions related to Santa ( we leave out cookies, milk and carrots, then he fills our stockings only, bc "PARENTS get to tell Santa how they want to do gifts at their house" 😉 so that puts us parents as the heavy, not Santa) and we leave the gifts for mom and dad to bestow. Plus, if I'm forking out the $$$ for presents, Santa is NOT getting the credit! Lol
"I'm not responsible for their reaction to my boundary". THIS! Great video.
This!
Oh Dawn I don't know if you are aware of how awesome your work is! I still remember your very first video where you just wanted other parents to experience that it doesn't have to be so hard to maintain a household. And look how much more you have taught all of us over the last years ranging from finances and getting out of debt to mental health and changing social norms. You are my favourite, favourite youtuber and I am so grateful for everything I have learned from you. You are an incredible human being. Thank you
Amen to that! 🙌
I absolutely agree with Dr. Delony's point. I struggled to make sure I got straight A's all through school and in retrospect, yes, it was totally approval-seeking and trying to "keep the peace" in a very stressful family.
“You get to decide who hurts your feelings.” Wow ❤ I’m getting ready to take counseling myself so that is especially awesome to realize
I'm 65, and I don't remember more than a couple gifts I received as a kid, but I vividly remember the big family get together every Christmas Eve (my Mom's sisters and brothers took turns hosting), the family camping trips, and the times we got together with extended family for a wedding, funeral, or picnic. Material stuff fades. Memories are about experiences.
Our family has slowly dropped most Christmas traditions. We try to keep food and gifts minimal and simple. We do not buy decorations, but sometimes make decorations from natural objects or craft supplies we have on hand. After getting married, we learned about giving "living gifts" to persecuted Christians and poor people overseas through missions like Voice of the Martyrs and Samaritan's Purse. We do the Operation Christmas Child gift boxes with my in-laws every year. Our extended family still want the big family gathering, gifts, feasting, etc. We enjoy those traditions with thankful hearts. We have very much enjoyed the "living gifts" because we just do not need anything and are so thankful we can help brothers and sisters in Christ around the world with donations and prayers - their hard times are more extreme than ours.
Dawn, you are getting so so great at "interviews" and transitions! Amazing job!
Thank you Shauna, that really means a lot to me!!!
@@TheMinimalMom you're welcome, Dawn!
Great video! One thing I learned is when someone asks you something that is none of their business is to say “ why do you ask?” That usually shuts them down. Sometimes I’ll just respond with “ I don’t want to talk about that”.
Or maybe, “ I consider that a private matter”.
Meanwhile thinking that if you don't know me well enough to already have been told, you don't know me well enough to ask! The people who asked/ commented on having a big age gap beween kids: Planned? Is it the teenage girl's or mine? Why?
@@marcidevries5515 Yep. My daughter was a teen when my baby was born. Been there, done that. I must have been too fierce to ask directly, but there were some who really thought it was hers. Hey, I put in the work on making this kid, I deserve the credit!!
I remind myself that often the things others pick at us for is just them projecting THEIR insecurities. (Eg. The mum who goes on about your weight could actually be worried about her own figure).
Me personally I _really_ ask my questions out of interest & curiousity.
Not everybody asking is criticizing, please remember.
All those critical "fake-question-askers" ruin it for us.. 🙁
I have been having trouble sleeping and my anxiety is currently through the roof because of these topics. You don’t know how much I needed this video and I can’t thank you enough for it. This calms my heart that I’m not alone. I’m so not alone in these topics that you made a RUclips video about it so clearly I’m not the only one to feel these ways that were discussed. Thank you, thank you for this RUclips video! God bless! ❤️
Best video I've watched this holiday season so far! Thank you. My biggest take-aways are: "choose guilt over resentment," and to talk with our kids about what they want, not material things, but expectations and hopes for the family.
Growing up, we didn’t have any $ and my parents agonized over it. Every weekend we had a family day where we took nature walks and Sunday dinner with my grandma. They were the best memories and I never knew we had “less”. Being with and there for your kids means more than anything. The $ is not the thing.
My mom still apologizes to me for this! I tell her to STOP, it gave me such an appreciation for things!
My best childhood memories are walks with my parents and interacting with them. Apart from a couple of toys, they were no way things I look back on... xx
We don’t remember the “gifts” but we sure remember the time spent together!
Dawn, I cried all through this video…it was exactly what I needed! Thank you for this truth and freedom!
Wow! THANK YOU for presenting this topic! I just spent Thanksgiving with family members and came home feeling AWFUL & anxiety-ridden. I tried to understand why I felt this way because on the surface, I LOVE these people...but it was disturbing. I think, for me, it's the feeling of being judged. Hearing this discussion helped me understand that I'm not alone in how I feel and that it's OK to say "No" sometimes. I can't avoid these family members, but I like the idea of taking the control of the situation and addressing the "elephant in the room" head-on. NOW, I have a strategy! :)🙌🙌
i write on color pieces of paper all the fun things we did that year and the fun experiences we did, and put these notes in the stockings!!! as we do the fun things, we present it to them as part of the gift, we are able to do this instead of stuff that doesnt give us this type of experience. its the best part! my oldest has put them in a flip photo album and saved all the fun things we have done over the years
Awesome message. Stop swiping the cards, swiping the phone and swap out for experiences/memories. For me it's been a declutter of toxic relationships and not forcing anyone to be a part of my life. Thank you !
A toxic relationship is something I ended when I first found Dawn's videos and started decluttering, it just felt natural and it was such a relief
We always feel obligated to tell people our deep seated reasons. You can not lie, but just keep it on a surface level, "We enjoy it."
This was the best, most real and practical advise that is at the core of all holiday issues. Thank you both for covering it. I'm going to listen to this video multiple times to get it set in my mind for this season and future ones.
I agree! I've listened to it twice. The comments also have some great perspectives. With things getting more expensive, it's nice to be reminded that people remember their experiences more. :)
Thanks so much for having John on your show! You and Dave Ramsey changed my life...for the best!! You are such a gift to parents who struggle with everything you both spoke about in this video. I was in your shoes 20+ years ago and it was not easy being the parents who couldn't and wouldn't keep up with the Jones'. It was hard but so worth the struggle! My five kids are amazing and they really did listen and learn from our experiences! We were all in Nashville to do our "Debt Free Scream" in 2016 and we're still living the dream! Thank you again Dawn!!💞
This is such a wonderful conversation, Dawn! 💕 I really need to internalize this process with my kids, since we're Jewish and don't celebrate Christmas. My son said 'I want a big man in a red suit to visit us'. After watching this video, I know I need to explain 2 things: 1) Yes, it's tough when we don't always do the same things other kids do. 2) We can still do fun things together. I love how you described fun 'holiday' things that aren't necessarily Christmas-y, and that we can do as a family. An indoor waterpark is a great idea. We're in Canada, so we can do all the outdoor wintery things, too - sledding, skiing, skating, building snowpeople, and then cozy-ing up indoors with hot cocoa and a movie.
I wish my parents had sat me down and said. "Here's the economic reality for our family". Instead nobody would talk, it was a taboo subject, and I lived in fear that things were going to go wrong. I refused to take my tiny amount of pocket money because I wanted to help the family. I became scared of money, didn't know how to handle it, and as an adult I have been incompetent with it - not a spendthrift, the opposite - always saving in fear of rainy days, but not enjoying what my money can bring.
I am so thankful for this video! I decided to return 4 gifts (adding up to about $90) because I feel the weight lifted from having to give so many gifts to my kids. Each kid gets 2 gifts🙌🏽 great work Dawn! Thank you for all you do! We have been in the simplifying journey for about 2 years and decided to start homeschooling!
GOOOD FOR YOU!!!!!!
My daughter (7) asked me this week why we don't have an elf (I made it 7 years before she had heard of it - win!). I just said simply, yeah, some people have one of those and we don't. I was worried she was going to be sad or ask more questions, but she quickly moved on. She is having a great holiday season. She is not missing out because we don't have an elf that I have to move around every day.
Good for you!!! I'm so glad that silly Elf wasn't a thing when my child was young - my house would have been another house with no Elf.
My boy asked for a naughty elf and I said: "Why would I invite someone to our home for them to be deliberately disrespectful?" It was a great way to talk with him (him joining in) about why we have our house rules and make it a nice place for all of us to live.
We have one because my grandma sent it to us. I put it out as a decoration lol. It just sits there on the shelf. I mean it is an elf on the shelf! 😂
"The next two or three days, our relationship was magic." Ahhhh soooo sweet! Connecting with our kids is so important, and sometimes so simply done. Love it!
Your collaborations with Ramsey people is the best!
Definitely needed to hear this video!! Thank you!
Gosh this was amazing to listen to while I folded my laundry! Thank you both for the free therapy!
When my kids were still little, we asked my parents to give the grandkids experiences. Birthdays were a special dinner and sleepover, and we all did something big after Christmas--Wolf Creek Lodge one year, a bus tour another.
Instead of plastic crap.on the floor, we have memories and pictures
I give my grandkids and nieces and nephews craft supplies and the pieces/parts and instructions to make crafts. They love it! It's not expensive, and you can find a ton of stuff cheaply. I also watch for sales and pick up some things during the year, and on the tax-free weekend.
I enjoyed the lovely conversation I heard between you. Thank you both. What you said reinforced my belief I am blessed that my family have done and still do Christmas "just enough" to make it so much fun we look forward to every year. We have 4 generations, 16 adults and 3 children round the table. In October the adults are given their secret santa to buy for and the max spend is £20. Every year the thought we all put in to our one gift to our nominated family member is from the heart x A joyous experience being together and the children see the joy to be had receiving one gift ❤
“Outsourced their score card to their child” chills. Well said thanks for the perspective
I haven't got to the part about Santa, but after reading some of the comments, I will share me. I have 3 kids. They have never believed in Santa. Why would I give a mythical person credit for something making my kids smile. No. That's me. My kids know this. I tell them we give gifts because God gave us the gift of Christ.
One of my best Christmases as a kid was when my Dad got the four of us together and said, “either we can have our usual Christmas presents or we can scale back to one gift each and buy Grandma and Grandpa a new color tv for Christmas. We immediately unanimously voted for the really great gift for our grandparents! My Grandpa actually cried with gratitude. The next year we bought a dishwasher “for Mom” (which we all knew was really for our family). It set us up for thinking about what one really great thing we could do for someone else that would make Their Christmas special and keep our focus on giving over getting. I consider it the best gift I ever got as a child to learn the joy of helping someone who needs it. Probably my best Christmas ever was as a young adult I had the opportunity to direct a children’s choir (ages 6 to 18) for midnight Mass at my Mom’s church. It was absolutely magic and brought so much joy to everyone in attendance that night that I’m sure it was a lasting and lovely holiday memory for all. Gifts take many forms and the best gift we can give our children is that realization.
My fondest and best memory from a Disney Cruise is that my three year old was amazed by the automatic sink in the bathroom. 😂 I would say “bibbidi bobbidi boo!” and then I made it turn on. He was entertained for a good 10 minutes. The lady cleaning the bathroom was laughing with us. It really was magical but not the kind I expected when I booked a very expensive cruise 😂❤
This video was so great. Definitely hit on a deep level. Thank you for these interviews with Dr. John. I want a huge series with him!
Yes a series please!
I. needed to hear this today. My children are all grown, but I keep feeling like I need to get one more gift for my daughter, even thought I spent hours refurbishing the fireplace tool set that was my grandfather's for the fireplace in her new house. Listening to this today, I will keep reminding myself that I do not need to get her anything else. We will have a wonderful Christmas together. Thank you.
I LOVE this so much!! Thank you Dawn, for looking at what our hearts need at this stressful time of the year! Wise counsel is always welcome ❤️
This is such good advice! My advice is that parents should be 100 % honest with their kids from baby upwards. My kids knew from their first Christmas that Santa is a fun make believe pretend game.
As a kid, we had wonderful Chritmas 'es. We set a limit for gifts...say $5 etc. Bought small gifts for each other, created our own Xmas decorations. The gifts are only symbols ... not an end in itself. We had wonderful homemade meals. Still cherish the wonderful Xmas times and love we shared.
Great conversation!! Favorite point was "you don't get permission to hurt my feelings". I just employed that position and I felt so great.
I'm looking forward to the ongoing discussion.
Guilt not resentment Brilliant! And go face the person you don't want to talk to. So good! Thanks
My dad once jokingly said 'we were so poor we had to watch other people Christmas shop'. They didn't have a lot but my dad and uncles have great memories of so many life events together. I spent years collecting the Nancy Drew hard cover book series. They were not very expensive so relatives could get me 1 (for like $10) & I was so happy! 😊 The best Christmas gift will always be my adopted sister arriving Dec 24th after a long wait and delays. 🎉 The second best was my adopted brother arriving several years later in early December. ❤
I’m back for a refresher because this is just SO good!
I have enjoyed these interviews so much. I am sharing them with my 21-year-old daughter. THANK YOU
This conversation was so helpful! I love the "guilt over resentment" and also the "go right to that awkward person" at the party and get it over with. Thank you for this!!!
I am a retired teacher. Every two or three months I get together with three other retired teachers with whom I used to teach.
Somehow, we started celebrating birthdays and then Christmas by giving gifts. This year my own expenses make it impossible for me to do all this purchasing, so I asked the others if we couldn’t just have our usual breakfast get-together and exchange Christmas cards but no gifts. They were all agreeable and perhaps even relieved. We met for breakfast today - and one still persisted and gave each of us a goodie-bag. We accepted them with pleasure, but I for one felt no guilt over not being able to buy gifts for everyone. Thank you Dawn for this interview! And Merry Christmas to you and all your family!! 🎄⛄️❄️
I enjoy listening to both you and Dr John! I love all your interviews with ppl with great advice to do with life and money matters as well!
Thank you Debbie-- I really appreciate this!
I can not remember one specific gift that I received for Christmas or birthdays other than the birthday when my father and mother bought me a bike, and my Dad and I rode bikes home together from the bike store. It was the memory of that bike ride with Dad, even more than the new bike, that I cherished.
WOW! Two of my favorite personalities sharing fantastic advice! Grab a pencil and paper to take notes - so much wisdom and truth!!! Thanks so much Dawn and John!🤗God bless your holidays as you bless ours!
I value this video so much! I’m 20 years old and am only really aware of my family’s financial situation is because I help with the business and ask questions. I really struggle with my parents feeling like they shouldn’t express that they’re tight on money and want to show that they’ve spent money on us. For me, I would much rather spend time together again as a family. I valued those family experiences so so much and cannot wait to share life experiences with my future family and show them how to do life whilst enjoying it as much as we possibly can!
How have i missed this one, love you and love John delony! Throughly enjoyed this x
Love these interviews with Dr. John. Thank you!
Dawn, Great video. I like how he said find that person that annoys you 1st & get them out of the way. I'm learning to think more about experiences vs junk gifts. I don't remember a lot of gifts I got for Christmas, but I do remember my Dad taking his old beater truck or the station wagon up a hill on a snowy day just to see if he could get up it. Fun memories.
I'm glad Jesus doesn't have that heart toward people.
I ran an arts nonprofit and we received many donations of stuff. We had an all day event every year where we invited the public in to make whatever they wanted with this stuff- it was our most popular event ever! It was so fun to see what the kids made and they extremely proud faces!
My 2 kids actually remember every gift they get for Christmas for years, especially my daughter. My son may not remember the year, but my daughter can give you exact details down to the weather and what we had for Christmas dinner, lol.
These are two of my favorite influencers.
I’m amazed by this. I count stuff all the time. Thought it was just me. So happy it’s not. Wise words as usual
My kids are adults and we have always showed them our budgets. They know our financial goals…which they have seen some of our goals met. So they see that you can save/sacrifice and be rewarded for the sacrifices. My kids did not have a smart phone or texting until college. They survived and we did have experiences instead of paying cell phone charges.
Dawn, I never comment on videos but I HAVE to say, this was an incredible video! So many great ideas to implement and think on. Honestly, I watch many of your videos multiple times over because you have such thoughtful and in depth content. Thank you!!!
Wonderful and helpful conversation- thank you!!!
This is awesome and I love the way you say 'I love you' at the end of each of your videos.
I gave my son total autonomy over his savings and money when he was 10 years old. He is now a very capable 19 year old who manages his own money and has savings. He’s at university. I’ve always been very honest with him over budget and life choices. I guess you just do your best.
I love this, I have done this for a long long time. It takes some time. I have not gone to party’s for many many years, I don’t like them and it is not my thing. You don’t have to answer every question, and hummm. Can be the answer. And return the answer in a a question back to them…. I don’t like to play the “game”. It is so very freeing!!
I absolutely loved this as well as the last one with John
This was invaluable information!!
I thank you both so much
Thank You
Minimal mom WOW oh WOW what a video! I don't comment of people's videos but I can't NOT comment on this. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! As a mum I feel heard and now have tools coz of ur awesome talk with Dr John Delony!! ❤
This collaboration is top notch!
This is the best parenting video I have seen in my life. I have worked in early childhood Education and raised 3 amazing kids and this advice is golden! GOLDEN.
Love the "feel guilt, not resentment." I can do that!
I ❤ this interview. Please have him on more often. Thanks for these wise words
This is great! I love your discussions with John!
Thank you. Just what I needed ❤
I am not responsible for your response to my boundary.
That is exactly what I needed to hear.
He is awesome.
Oh my gosh! Thank you! I needed this. ❤
Love that! It's true. What I remember the most of my childhood is the time spend with my family and the trips that we had. Just a week in the summer or camping or a little week-end get away. They are my favorite memories and now, I'm doing the same with my kids. They don't remember gifts, they remember moments.
I'm 66 years old and my most memorable Christmas as a kid was my dad going outside and building a snow house with us. Couldn't tell you what our gifts were that year.
I love this video!!! He is amazing and yes I totally agree with making the memories and since I'm a widow raising my 3 grandsons on a fixed income I don't have the extra money especially now days with the prices of everything. I totally get what he's saying! ❤️ Thank you for the awesome video! 🥰🥰
We buy our children clothes at Once upon a child and at Platos for our 15yo and sometimes for us too. I thank God they haven’t complained. Whenever we can and see it as necessary We do buy new for them or for us💙thank you for this educational video
Omgoodness! I can't even tell you how you both confirmed my thoughts and feelings across the board!!! Thank you to you both for all you do to help others live a deeper more meaningful life! Hoping you have a beautiful Christmas and Very Happy New year too! ♥️
i LOVE it when you and the Ramsey personalities share a video, It's like when Grey's Anatomy and 911 share a "special" episode sometimes! Woohoo, can't miss THAT! Good talk...great info!
So good! Thank you! I wanted to tell Dr. Delony, I count, too!
Thank you ❤
We always had the stockings from Santa, everything else from mum and dad. So they got to show gratitude. We also had a no thank you pile every year. They simple said thank you but no thank to it’s,s they didn’t want. At the end of the present opening anyone can pick anything they want out of the no thank pile. No guilt, no keeping something for years that you don’t want, no getting the same gift year after because we thought they like them. This year we asked the boys if they wanted experiences or gifts and they chose experiences. Will see how it goes x
Wow. This dude has mirrored my thoughts exactly. Yeah your kids are not going to be happy with every decision we make but there are so many ways to show our kids we care. Quite frankly, gift giving isn't one of them.
And yes, COMMUNICATION! SO IMPORTANT.
I love this so much. I wish someone would have had these kind of conversations with me when I was a kid. If I am ever blessed with children I will be having these types of conversations with them. 🥰
John is delightful and refreshing! Great conversation! TY
What awesome advice, thank-you!🌻
I love the message of choosing guilt over resentment! Such good advice.