Every holiday season I have an enteral dilemma with myself regarding quantity of gifts for my children. On one hand I want them to have a great experience and have a large amount of presents to open. On the other hand I worry I will spoil them and create two ungrateful monsters.

Let’s be honest, my main concern is the dread I will experience after the holiday magic dissipates. I will be left cleaning up this massive surge of new clutter that will surly take over my entire home.

So the real question is: am I worried about spoiling my children, or am I subconsciously trying to avoid the never ending task of cleaning up one thousand Legos daily? The short answer is, both.

Who in their right mind wants to double or triple the amount of toys and clutter throughout their home? Sure, I could rotate totes or donate the old toys. As soon as I drop off the kitchen set, my child will start squawking for a new one. Heck, she is already asking for a new kitchen. I don’t even have a new kitchen!

My first Christmas as a new parent, my husband and I went really overboard. Our child couldn’t even open the gifts and here we were buying all these toys that were all the rage. Hundreds of dollars later we were stuck with a pile of clutter that our child couldn’t care less about. It was more fun emptying the toy box and destroying the house than actually setting down and playing with the toy itself. Which leads me to believe it shouldn’t be about the quantity of gifts, but the quality.

I say skip the filler gifts all together. The ones that allow them to rip through 20 presents looking for the special toy they really wanted. The gifts they open and immediately lose all the parts. Thus, deeming the toy useless within the first 5 minutes of it being opened. Filler toys are a waste of money and a waste of floor space.

Obviously, we can not blame the children for showing signs of ungratefulness. They are a product of their environment. I am sure in different circumstances they would be thrilled for a $5 board game. However, when the entire Toys-R-Us isle is under the tree, I am sure it is a little overwhelming to be appreciative of everything.

This year I have decided less is more. Partly because I do not have it in me to deal with the never ending clutter! More importantly, I am trying my best to raise two grateful children.

To take the heat off my husband and I ,just in case things go sour, we are blaming Santa. Go ahead, judge me. Mr. Claus will be delivering the potentially soul crushing news that “he” had to provide gifts for the less fortunate children this year. Here is to hoping our oldest understands that she is fortunate to have all that she does and it is good to help others in need. If she has a two hour tantrum after Santa spills the news then we are dropping her off on Grandmas door step.

Regardless of how you choose to celebrate this holiday, it is important to note that every family dynamic is different in its own unique way. We all come from different back grounds and life styles. We all have our own lessons to teach and traditions to follow. The important thing is that we are trying our best to make our children happy and on the path to becoming decent and contributing members of society. So, this holiday season, whether you choose to spoil your children rotten or teach them a life lesson, just remember you cannot choose your child’s path in life, only guide them.