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Naive idea, but what about giving money to charity to undevelop countries? This kids get too many toys and the problem is that they don't have enough time to en

by sanbor 8y ago

Naive idea, but what about giving money to charity to undevelop countries? This kids get too many toys and the problem is that they don't have enough time to enjoy/learn with them. Here is a more important problem: kids that don't have enough resources for a proper development. Maybe every year every adult could take turns to buy an actual gift and the rest gives each 20 to charity.

dr_orpheus 8y ago
We do a combination sort of like this in our family. Immediate family members still do regular gifts at Christmas. But with all of our extended family members we do a sort of "secret Santa" for donates. Each family member gets matched up with someone else, then you make a donation in that person's name to a charity that is important to you. Then on Christmas day everyone opens a letter from their "secret donate Santa" that says what they donated to and why. It is a tradition that my wife's family had done and now we have started doing it in my family as well. I really like it for all the donations that happen, and (more selfishly) that we don't have to worry about giving/receiving unnecessary or strange presents from relatives we are not super close to.
fuzzybeard 8y ago
I've asked gift givers to instead give contributions towards my kids' college funds. They have too many toys as it is. But from their point of view I can understand not wanting to show up at a kids party empty handed. Compare that to the experience of watching a kid open up a present excitedly and play with it during the party. So I can see why givers prefer that option.
- asark 8y ago
  Is there somewhere you can set up one of those tax-advantaged college funds such that others can easily add money to it? I can imagine grandparents and such adding money from time to time, maybe even not around holidays/birthdays, if it were a quick & painless process (no more painful than buying something on Amazon). [EDIT] and I think it'd be an easier sell to discourage toy-giving. The world is drowning in toys for 0-5yo. If you're not too picky and don't mind used stuff you can stock a playroom for a kid in that range from Goodwill and garage sales (and maybe Ikea's toy section for a couple thing) for almost nothing.
- bunderbunder 8y ago
  I'm a fan of not doing presents during the party at things like birthday parties. It's boring for pretty much everyone involved. It intensifies the pressure everyone feels to not only bring the present, but try and bring the best present. Which then increases the volume of presents, which then makes it even more boring. I suspect it also reduces the quality of individual presents, too, since the public-ness of the might psych people out a bit. Depending on the kid's personality and whether or not they like being on display like that, it might also be exhausting or intimidating for them. Long story short, parties are more fun when you spend your time at them partying.
- sanbor 8y ago
  If you do it from an early age kids wont expect that every party attendant should bring a gif. Of course culture is hard to change. Maybe asking for a drink something to drink/share to give the sharing feeling. I tried a no gifts party and it's hard and you don't want to make people feel uncomfortable.
lozenge 8y ago
That is OP's way of life - donating half his income to charity. Perhaps his family feels it would be a gift to him instead of a gift to his kids? https://www.jefftk.com/donations https://www.jefftk.com/donations
- sanbor 8y ago
  That's really impressive. Thanks for sharing.

by sanbor 8y ago

dr_orpheus 8y ago

We do a combination sort of like this in our family. Immediate family members still do regular gifts at Christmas. But with all of our extended family members we do a sort of "secret Santa" for donates. Each family member gets matched up with someone else, then you make a donation in that person's name to a charity that is important to you. Then on Christmas day everyone opens a letter from their "secret donate Santa" that says what they donated to and why. It is a tradition that my wife's family had done and now we have started doing it in my family as well. I really like it for all the donations that happen, and (more selfishly) that we don't have to worry about giving/receiving unnecessary or strange presents from relatives we are not super close to.

fuzzybeard 8y ago

I've asked gift givers to instead give contributions towards my kids' college funds. They have too many toys as it is. But from their point of view I can understand not wanting to show up at a kids party empty handed. Compare that to the experience of watching a kid open up a present excitedly and play with it during the party. So I can see why givers prefer that option.

asark 8y ago
Is there somewhere you can set up one of those tax-advantaged college funds such that others can easily add money to it? I can imagine grandparents and such adding money from time to time, maybe even not around holidays/birthdays, if it were a quick & painless process (no more painful than buying something on Amazon). [EDIT] and I think it'd be an easier sell to discourage toy-giving. The world is drowning in toys for 0-5yo. If you're not too picky and don't mind used stuff you can stock a playroom for a kid in that range from Goodwill and garage sales (and maybe Ikea's toy section for a couple thing) for almost nothing.
bunderbunder 8y ago
I'm a fan of not doing presents during the party at things like birthday parties. It's boring for pretty much everyone involved. It intensifies the pressure everyone feels to not only bring the present, but try and bring the best present. Which then increases the volume of presents, which then makes it even more boring. I suspect it also reduces the quality of individual presents, too, since the public-ness of the might psych people out a bit. Depending on the kid's personality and whether or not they like being on display like that, it might also be exhausting or intimidating for them. Long story short, parties are more fun when you spend your time at them partying.
sanbor 8y ago
If you do it from an early age kids wont expect that every party attendant should bring a gif. Of course culture is hard to change. Maybe asking for a drink something to drink/share to give the sharing feeling. I tried a no gifts party and it's hard and you don't want to make people feel uncomfortable.

lozenge 8y ago

That is OP's way of life - donating half his income to charity. Perhaps his family feels it would be a gift to him instead of a gift to his kids? https://www.jefftk.com/donations https://www.jefftk.com/donations

sanbor 8y ago
That's really impressive. Thanks for sharing.