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From the Desk of the Superintendent

What’s the Best Gift You Can Give Your Children This Holiday Season?

Listen, I know what you’re thinking: at this time of year, your kids probably have a gift wish list a mile long, and giving them anything on that list will help you feel like a parenting superhero. To be fair, you’re not wrong. Giving our kids what they ask for is a traditional way to help the holidays feel more joyful, or at least less stressful once all the gift-wrapping is done.

But do you know what your kids could really use this holiday season?

A happy memory with you that they’ll never forget.

For example, over the recent Thanksgiving holiday, my family and I had a great time creating gingerbread houses. It was a laughter-filled day spent together.  Reflecting on how each of us made our gingerbread house a little different gave us an appreciation of everyone’s creative skills. Plus, now when we see other gingerbread houses, we’ll get a chance to remember our own holiday spent laughing and making memories together.

The unfortunate downside of gift-giving holidays is that most of the “stuff” we exchange will eventually wear out, break down, get lost, cease to be cool, or otherwise fall by the wayside. That’s the nature of things. But memories are special because they last forever.

And the best part? Lots of memories are free.

You don’t need to spend money to build a snowman with your kids. You can use existing ingredients to show them how to make a favorite family recipe. You can read them a book that’s already on the shelf, or use old crayons and markers to make new pictures to hang on the refrigerator. Singing songs, playing board games, taking a walk to look at homes that are decorated for the holidays — your free memory-making opportunities are almost endless.

So this year, as you’re trying to responsibly navigate the gift-giving experience, make sure you’re also thinking about the kinds of timeless gifts that never go out of style: love, kindness, gratitude, encouragement, a helping hand, an ear to listen, time spent doing something fun together, or even time together spent doing nothing at all.

Years from now, when your kids are looking through old photo albums, they may happily remember the cool new gadget they got from Santa long ago, but what they’ll remember even more fondly is the quality time they got to spend with the people they love.