Let me inform you one thing about Christmas with an enormous household: It’s stunning, chaotic, and, in case you’re not cautious, it may well shortly turn out to be a marathon of stuff. As a mother of 5 children, I’ve been there. However the extra children we’ve added to our household (and the older I’ve gotten), the extra I’ve realized that scaling down the holiday doesn’t mean losing the magic—it actually makes it even better.
That is why a viral TikTok by mom Mercedes Lynn (@mercedeslynnnn8) actually hit house for me. She’s elevating eight children (sure, eight!) and has mastered a Christmas system that’s each easy and candy.
Right here’s the way it works: On Christmas Eve, every youngster opens 4 presents—one e book, one outfit, and two enjoyable issues, like toys or video games. On Christmas morning, they open their stockings, the place they discover a bit piece of wrapping paper that matches a particular present underneath the tree. One “massive” present per child. That’s it.
@mercedeslynnnn8 Replying to @bmcguff #chirstmas #christmaspresents #santa #largefamily #bigfamily #moms #momsoftiktok #momtiktok #momtok #momlife #momsupportingmoms #mercedeslynnnn7 #mercedeslynnnn8 ♬ original sound – Mercedeslynnnn8
Positive, 5 presents per child won’t sound “scaled again” at first, however while you’re speaking about 40 presents complete (!!!), it’s all about holding issues organized and significant. As Mercedes defined in People, his routine is one thing her children genuinely sit up for, and it retains the vacation from spinning uncontrolled.
The TikTok video explaining her system has resonated with so many individuals, amassing over half one million views—and counting! Clearly, Mercedes’ method is inspiring households to rethink how they have fun the season, proving that typically much less actually is extra.
Why our household retains it easy
Right here’s what I’ve discovered: The much less overwhelming Christmas is, the higher it’s. Years in the past, we used to do the entire piles-of-gifts extravaganza factor, and guess what? It was overwhelming—for the youngsters and for me (together with my pockets). There’s solely a lot pleasure in a mountain of toys they neglect about two days later.
Now, we’ve flipped the script. Fewer presents, extra intentionality. I wrote a piece for Motherly a while back about why we’ve started asking for experiences instead of toys for birthdays and holidays. And truthfully, the identical thought applies right here. Toys? They break. They get misplaced underneath the sofa. However these cozy Christmas recollections? Watching the lights twinkle on the tree, smelling cookies baking within the oven, or listening to your children belly-laugh over a foolish board recreation? That’s what all of us keep in mind.
Wait, no Santa?!
Now right here’s the place issues get fascinating. In Mercedes’ household, Santa doesn’t make an look. Mercedes defined that, as Christians, they emphasize the non secular which means of the season, and never the jolly previous fellow. Is sensible.
For her, the choice is rooted in religion. However for different mothers, it’s about private choice or simply eager to simplify the entire manufacturing. And truthfully? It really works.
In our circle of relatives, we don’t emphasize Santa, and so I haven’t felt a whole lot of strain to maintain up the Santa story. We don’t completely reject him, we simply maintain it mild. I don’t threaten my children about presents within the month of December. I don’t warn that Santa is perhaps watching you so that you “higher be good for goodness sakes.” We simply sit up for presents and celebrations and recollections made on vacation collectively. And I’m pleasantly stunned to report that it has taken away none of the magic of the season.
Associated: To Santa or not to Santa, that’s the latest internet debate
It’s concerning the second, not the stuff
Right here’s what I’ve realized: The magic of Christmas isn’t discovered within the variety of presents underneath the tree. It’s within the little issues—the glint of the lights, the odor of cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, the sound of your children laughing as they rip open that one current they’ve been ready for. It’s the sort of magic that stays with you, lengthy after the wrapping paper is gone.
So in case you’re feeling overwhelmed by the “stuff” this 12 months, take a web page from Mercedes’ playbook—or mine. Scale it again. Concentrate on the true moments of connection. As a result of while you let go of the surplus, you’ll be able to concentrate on the fantastic thing about what actually issues, collectively.
Associated: It’s true: Giving your kids fewer toys at Christmas makes them happier
