One of our family traditions during Christmas is that our kids do a “Secret Santa” with each other. We put each child’s name in a hat & they take turns drawing names.
The rules:
- They can’t tell anyone who they have, except mom & dad. (We keep a master list in case anyone forgets, too.)
- There is a minimum amount they must spend. Mom & Dad contribute to this, too. (The amount depends on age, as the younger kids don’t have jobs or the same ability to make money.) We don’t set a maximum amount, however.
- You can also buy gifts for other siblings, if you want. Some years a child or two will buy a small gift for everyone, some kids make things. It depends on the year. There is no pressure to do this, but we also don’t limit their generosity either! Some kids LOVE giving gifts & it is important to them to do so. Other times a child will want to give a gift related to a special moment or connection they have with a sibling, even though that sibling is not their “Secret Santa”. We are okay with this. Our concern is that all in our home are treated very well, so we are not concerned with being “fair”.
- Even our youngest children participate (though mom & dad do most of the work when they are quite young).
We also create a list together of gift ideas with a reasonable price range & then we find a day (or two) to shop together! This is always so much fun!! While we go together as a large group, we split up when necessary to make secret purchases, etc. It seems like it would be difficult to do this & keep our secrets, but everyone does a good job of not paying too much attention to what others are doing & instead concentrating on their own mission of finding a gift for their assigned person.
I love this tradition because we have a lot of fun doing it, but also because it draws our kids’ hearts towards each other as they excitedly plan good surprises for one another. It also leaves them with treasured gifts & memories.