But it's July, I hear you say.
Yes. But sticking to the 4 Gift rule means you have very little room to move if you leave it too late.
In case you don't know, the tradition of giving just four gifts for Christmas is a simple guideline that’s supposed to help you keep the holiday season focused on what really matters. With the 4-gift rule, each person gets just four gifts for Christmas:
Something you want,
Something you need,
Something to wear, and
Something to read.
It's actually a great idea and means that you can really think about the gifts you are giving, their meaning, their quality and their value to your child in terms of development, engagement and happiness.
But...
It also means that unless you are organised in advance, the whole thing can blow up in your face, particularly in regard to rule number one.
You see traditionally, the "something you want" rule has meant a big ticket item - a bike, trike, something expensive, something hard to find or wanted more than anything.
And if you leave it too late, that thing can sometimes be impossible to get by December. We know because we've seen it. Parents coming into the store in October, deciding on the big thing and then returning in December to find that we're out of stock and the manufacturers are closed.
So please, if you see the one big thing you're going to get - get it straight away - "buy and hide" or layby and pick up but just don't wait until it's too late.
Because trust me, then you'll blow the budget trying to make up for it.