If you celebrate Hanukkah AND Christmas how do you handle gift giving for the kids?

[beltm]

Do you just do gifts for one holiday? Big gifts for Christmas and smaller ones for Hanukkah? A few on each holiday? Or 8 nights of Hanukkah gifts and a bunch under the tree? I'd love to hear some perspectives on this! Every year I try to cut down on what ds receives, and between sales, deals (this board does not help!) etc., I always end up with an abundance of "stuff" for ds. We have been doing 8 nights of Hanukkah gifts and multiple gifts on Xmas morning. This year I am having my family gift ds on some of the nights, so not every night is from us. But next year ds will have a little brother and i need a better way to do this so it's not such a massive influx of stuff, since it will be buying for two kids. In my defense:), we don't buy much for ds throughout the year toy wise and there are things he's been asking for since the summer which we said we'd put on a wish list for him and he has been patiently waiting for them - no fits, tantrums, etc, and he is appreciative of what he gets. What would you propose is a good way to handle celebrating both holidays and how to curtail the massive influx of toys we seem to acquire this time of the year? How do you (or would you) handle this holiday set up in your house? Thanks! I had originally planned to gift for five nights of Hanukkah and then have 5-6 gifts for Xmas plus stocking, which seemed pretty reasonable to me, but then dh shopped for ds on his own, I got a couple of great amazon lightening deals, etc. saving a couple of things for his birthday though, but I just need a plan for next year!

[citymama]

I have the same question, even though I'm a veteran of 6 Chrismukkahs. DH's family does a present every night of Hanukkah (which I find nuts). We do one-two nice gifts (read: toys) over Hanukkah, and the rest of the nights the gifts could include new clothes (they they don't usually consider gifts), a book, gelt, and one gift to a charity of their choice. While we usually do both a stocking per kid and a gift from us, this year we are doing just stocking stuffers for Christmas because we are going to Disneyland soon after and they will no doubt buy a gift there.

[sidmand]

I'm still working on it! And me loving deals isn't helping.

This year I'm hoping to do much smaller things on Chanukah (my family always did 8 days of gifts so I'm having trouble getting away from that). Although I really liked what someone had last year about one day of getting gifts/one day of giving gifts, etc. This year I'm going to have them exchange the gifts they got each other for 1 night, the gifts my Dad got them for 1 night, and small things for the other nights (like books one night, one DS game, etc.)

And I'm trying to cut down on Christmas gifts too because they get an awful lot from relatives.

But talk to me after the holidays. My plans will probably be shot. :(

[egoldber]

Well...... we are not a shining example. :)

We do a present (varying from large to small) for all 8 nights of Hanukkah. Some nights it is something little like new mittens or cute socks and some nights it is something big like a new scooter. Last year for one of the "nights" I did a lunch for the girls at the American Girl store.

And then for Christmas we do a small (2-3 small presents) and a biggish Santa present. This year Santa is bringing younger DD the AG double stroller and older DD a phone. :o

ETA: Oh, and also stockings for the 4 of us. ;) (But the adults only get stockings, DH and I do not exchange gifts.) Although DH's birthday is in December and this year it falls during Hanukkah. Oy!

ETA2: Also, I don't deal shop. I just don't. It ends up costing me money because I get too much stuff. I make a list where I lay out all 8 nights + Christmas + Santa and then plan it out. I try to alternate big and small things, things they need, things they would be getting anyway (new winter PJs, mittens, etc.), a new book in a series they like, etc. Something "big" from Santa. And then whatever is leftover I jam into a stocking LOL!!!! ;)

[weech]

I'll be watching this thread. We've been doing "Chrismukkah" but DH is not helping me much at all on the Hanukkah part of it, so we've only done gifts on Christmas. I'd really like to do small gifts or treats on Hanukkah but I don't really know how it all works because I'm not Jewish. Maybe I can get some ideas from here :)

[123LuckyMom]

We do a Chanukah grab bag with 8 presents in it. They are all from my mom and are smaller gifts or Judaism themed ones (like the Noah's Ark Menorah DS got last year). We are observant Christians, and we try to keep the focus of Christmas away from the gifts. DH and I buy stocking stuffers and one big gift for each other and DS and now DD. Santa stuffs the stockings, but the gift is from us. My sister and mom come for Christmas, and we all give each other gifts. They also bring gifts for the kids, and other relatives and friends send gifts, too, so there are plenty of gifts under the tree!

[Roleysmom]

My approach is a lot like Beth's. We do make sure the girls have a present for every night of Hanukkah but they aren't always from us. Grandma will send presents and we'll use those to fill in. They range from something really desired to tiny things or a candy treat.

For Christmas we do stockings and then one present but it's not that big. The big nice thing is part of Hanukkah because we want to emphasize Hanukkah over Christmas. So DD1 got a nice scooter during Hanukkah last year and DD2 (who was two) got a little tykes basketball hoop - usually the last night is the special present. DD1's birthday is in early January so that's when she gets her heart's desire gift. Last year when she turned 10 it was a Kindle Fire. Not sure what it is this year!

Oh, I should say that the Christmas present is from us. We don't do Santa. Although that may change. My big girl knew from early on that Santa isn't real and she was fine with it. My little girl is in love with Santa eventhough her exposure hasn't been that great. I think she's not ready to understand he's not real and, unlike my big girl, could never keep that a secret.

[Philly Mom]

We don't do 8 nights of gifts. I didn't as a child either. My parents always believed in the big gift not the volume gifts. Oddly, my in-laws gift giving would be much better suited to Hanukkah but alas they are not Jewish. I will probably do 2 gifts this year (DD is only 16 months) and next year, 3-4 small gifts. My parents give the large holiday gifts but they don't come at a particular time, just when I order them. We go to my in-laws for xmas (in the UK). They will have most of the gifts for her. We will bring two, both small. One from Santa and one from us. My brother also only does a few gifts during Hanukkah, but lights the candles every night with his kids (oldest is 5).

[BabyBearsMom]

I really limit what comes from us. My kids get one Hannukah present from us, one Christmas present from us, one Santa present and their stockings. I consider the grandparents outside of my control though and they go overboard on everything.

[mommylamb]

We host a family dinner on one night during Hanukkah each year, and give the kids (my two and my two nieces) one or two presents on that night only for Hanukkah, but then end up getting a lot because they're also getting Hanukkah gifts from my sister and BIL and from my parents that night.

Then on Christmas they get some gifts too. I have a larger Santa gift for each of them and then some small things from us. and of course they get presents again from the rest of the family.

Too much stuff... and yet, I can't stop.

[sophiesmom03]

We do 8 nights of gifts because that's what DH's family did. They had humor about it, though, and siblings were known to give one new sock one night and the mate didn't show up for a couple of nights after that.

We do quite a few books and family games for Hanukkah as DC know that we do tend to value those things and spend $ on them. DH and I usually sit down and pool all the gifts together and decide on one highly desired item for each DC as well - the rest of the "list" (those that are purchased, e.g. no pony, lol) is for Christmas.

Christmas everything for DC is from Santa, there are no gifts from Mom & Dad. That's how my parents did it when I was growing up. As young adults we'd get stuff from S. Claus, Mrs. Claus, etc. - my parents had some fun with it.

Santa only brings gifts to the kids so DH and I exchange a few small things.

[FSUMama]

This year doesn't really count because DS is only 2 months old. But in the future we'll light candles all 8 nights and probably give him 1-2 big things and smaller things on the other nights. We want to emphasize giving rather than receiving so we want to try and have him do something nice for other on all 8 days.

Family can decide whether they want to send presents for Christmas or Chanukah but we won't do Santa or put up a Christmas tree. But we usually do a brunch or dinner with family or friends on the 25th. We do want to do an alternative to an "advent" calendar with a countdown to New Years rather than Christmas so we can celebrate the whole month with seasonal and charitable activities.