Despite being a good girl this year, Lena isn't going to have any presents waiting for her to open under her Christmas tree. In fact, there won't be a decorated pine in her home or stockings waiting to be filled either. This 4-year-old girl's lack of Christmas gifts has nothing to do with religion, behavior, or budget — it's simply because her mom refuses to feel pressured into thinking her kid needs things that she doesn't, and she wants to break the cycle from her own childhood.
Mom Jess Wolf explained that just because her house doesn't partake in the annual Santa magic doesn't mean that her child feels like she's missing out or is jealous of her friends in preschool. "She just accepts that we don't," Jess told the Sun. "We do enjoy wandering around the shops at Christmas together, with the fairy lights and the music — but I feel that a walk in the park or reading a book together is just as magical."
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The mom from London is sickened over how many gifts other kids open on Christmas morning and thinks the consumerism of this holiday is making kids way too materialistic. "For most children, Christmas just means a massive present fest," she said. "The true meaning has been lost, and I don't believe in giving kids a present for no reason."
Instead, she feels that kids should be rewarded with gifts that they've earned when they deserve them and not because it's a certain date on the calendar. "I've explained how I feel to my daughter Lena, and she is absolutely fine with it," she said. "Christmas for us is just another day — we go for a walk in the park, we play cards, we have a lovely quiet day together."
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Jess — who works as a therapist for the terminally ill — explained that she decided to change the tradition when she became a parent after witnessing the stress that engulfed her mom every holiday season of her childhood. "She'd argue with everyone, and drag us all around the shops," she said. "There wasn't a lot of money around and I think she desperately wanted to give us a load of presents, but couldn't afford it. So I grew up associating Christmas with stress, and I vowed that when I had kids, I would not celebrate it."
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Rather than making the holiday all about the things Lena doesn't need, Jess is avoiding overloading her kid with a bunch of toys that she most likely won't even play with for very long. "To me, the important things in life are food, water, and shelter — everything else is a luxury that should be earned," she said. "What's the point of spending hours decorating your house when you only have to take it down again? I don't see why you, as a parent, should be forced into spending a load of money you can't afford on just one day."
Although there are parents every year who agree with Jess's thinking and vow to cut back on Christmas, when the holiday approaches it can be much harder to follow through and opt out of the gift-giving spirit. Between the pressure, guilt, and desire to live vicariously through your kids, not everyone can resist the Christmas rush, even if they want to — but this mom is staying strong to do what she thinks is best for her family.
