For young children, gifts are the centerpiece of Christmas. Surely they also enjoy a few days without class, being able to spend more time with their family and certain activities typical of these dates, such as going to an ice skating rink or watching the Three Wise Men parade.
But at the end of the day, they feel the greatest excitement about opening the gifts that Santa Claus or the Three Wise Men will leave under the tree. This expectation begins much earlier, with toy advertisements on television and store catalogs. They flip through them non-stop, marking everything they will add to their wish list.
No matter how much parents want to make their wishes come true, the truth is that their disappointment often makes an appearance. Perhaps they were asking for too much and the parents have not granted it, either for financial reasons or in order to avoid what is known as the over-gifted child syndrome. It could also be that their most desired toy was out of stock, that there was some confusion, that they changed their mind at the last minute, or that they didn’t even express a desire for something that they suddenly crave.
Whatever the cause, facing the child’s disappointment in their Christmas gifts is important so that they learn manners and values, in order to prevent them from being ungrateful and overly capricious.
