As the holidays approach we look forward to visiting with family and friends, enjoying delicious food, attending office parties and getting caught up in the holiday spirit. Gifts are part of every holiday whether giving or receiving. When it comes to gifts for children parents at times feel conflicted. Watching a child open a gift brings a smile to everyone’s face. The question sometimes arises, how much Lego and Barbies can one child own? Certainly that is an individual decision by each family. Yet, for some parents gift exchanging can be a nightmare. Relatives send piles of toys which are not needed, homes that can’t hold the multitude of stuff, and the pressure to reciprocate can be challenging.
As professional organizers we always recommend experiences over physical gifts. For example, tickets to a show, a movie and ice cream gift cards, a day at a museum, a pottery making class, a mini golf outing are a few examples. Children enjoy spending quality time and having attention from the adults in their lives.
One of the picture books we recommend for young children to open the discussion that less is more, is MORE by I.C. Springman with illustrations by Brian Lies. The book asks the question when is MORE, more than enough? The author only uses several words in the entire book . Words like something, few, several, more, lots plenty, much, enough and less. It is the beautiful illustrations which bring the words to life, and the visuals are exquisite.
In the beginning of the book a lone magpie has nothing. A mouse friend brings the magpie a marble which is SOMETHING. The magpie is happy. But then things get quickly out of control and so does the magpie’s nest. Words do not do justice to the incredible illustrations, and when the tree limb breaks and the nest falls to the ground we can all relate to when the mouse yells, “ENOUGH!”
In the end, the lesson learned is that as long as the mouse and magpie are friends (as they fly off together) all the supposed treasures the magpie had accumulated were meaningless. Friendship and experiences are truly ENOUGH. MORE is a wonderful book to teach young children to be thankful for what they have and to understand the message that less is really more.
