Holiday shopping
pamelamyers | December 9, 2015
Today was the holiday shop at school. This was totally new to me. This was not something they did in preschool, that’s for sure. It’s funny, Sam has gotten interested in my reading her chapter books, so we started with a Junie B. Jones book that was Christmas themed. (Side note – I am not so sure I like Junie B. Jones. I don’t love all the language the kids use.) At any rate, in this book, the kids were going to their holiday shop so I sort of learned what it was about. I couldn’t be there to help her shop since it was a day I was at work and also a time when I couldn’t slip out for lunch and run to the school, but it was just as well since Sam was excited to buy her gifts all by herself. They sent the kids home with an envelope about a week before where I was supposed to write who she was allowed to shop for (including her, if I wanted to), and how much money she could spend on each person. Then I put the money in the envelope. Parent volunteers helped the kids shop and figure out the money. That is too much pressure! How much she can spend on each person? I know my kid and dividing up the money will not work, I guarantee you. She will find something for one person that is half the money she is allowed to spend and then something else for another person that is twice as much. I wound up writing the names of the people she could shop for with an amount per person, but then writing a note that she is allowed to spend all the money in the envelope (I gave her $20) no matter how it divides out.
Most of the items they were selling ranged from 50 cents to $5.00 with a few items being up to $7.00. Luckily, I was a library volunteer the day before her shopping day and I was able to scope out the tables while I was there. I wanted to get an idea of what she most likely would want to buy before sending her to school with her envelope.
At the end, she would up coming home with about $12.00. She picked really nice things. She had told me that if they had a purse, she was buying it for me. Lo and behold, the kid found me a purse (one of those tiny ones that hold some money, a phone and keys). I think finding it made her day. She bought Mark a flashlight that said, #1 Dad on it, and a few other things. Of course, we had to open our gifts immediately. I knew she’d never wait until Christmas. The look on her face as she waited for us to open the gifts she picked was priceless. She was so proud of her choices. She did a great job, honestly, she made good choices and spent her money wisely. Thanks, Sammy. You love getting presents, but you are also truly a giver.