Do you believe that kids would rather have time with their parents than more stuff? I do, but not everybody seems to agree with me. I know parents who work overtime so that they’ll be able to be in a position to provide more stuff for their kids. I recently witnessed a couple of kids who became upset their their Mom had to go into work because she volunteered to take overtime. Her explanation was, “If you guys want nice stuff, then Mom has to work more to be able to give you stuff.” The kids’ response: “We would rather be able to spend time with you.” I think the comment went right over her head.

Kids want ‘time with parents, not gifts’:

Forget the expensive presents for the kids this Christmas and spend more time with them instead, a new guide to the festive season says.

British charity, The Children’s Society, is recommending parents this year put more effort into baking delicious treats, dressing up and making decorations with their kids to ensure a more memorable Christmas for the entire family.

The charity’s 16-page guide says children are more likely to value the memory of baking, a treasure hunt or finding “snowy footprints” from Santa than the toys under the tree.

Spokesman Tim Linehan said findings from the charity’s two-year investigation into modern British childhood had revealed that children want to spend more time with their parents.

“If you ask a child what they remember about Christmas they are far more likely to tell you about something funny that happened or something they did with their parents than a present,” he told The Times newspaper.

“We are not trying to write-off TV or computer games … but these are more solitary pursuits than the games of the past.”

The guide recommends 100 cheap and simple things for parents to do with their children, including dressing up as Santa and watching a family movie such as the classic It’s a Wonderful Life.

In a post on Get Rich Slowly, the book Unplug the Christmas Machine, a book about escaping the commercialism of Christmas, is excerpted and the authors list four things that they say that kids really want:

1. A relaxed and loving time with the family.
2. Realistic expectations about gifts.
3. An evenly paced holiday season.
4. Reliable family traditions.

I was unable to find the 16-page guide online at The Children’s Society website. It looks like you have to request a hardcopy.

Ironically, this organization also recently got an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest Christmas stocking. What would you do with the largest Christmas stocking? Fill it with more stuff? Dooah! :-)