Parents urged to plan before Christmas collectible card season

Parents should decide in advance how their family will handle collectible cards linked to Christmas calendars, DR reports, as the cards can bring children together but also create pressure and conflict.

Lotte Wibe, head of the Parents’ Advisory Service at Skole og Forældre, a parents’ organisation, says families should make a plan before December rather than waiting until a child wants to start collecting.

What will it take for me to get the cards?

Cards for DR’s Christmas calendar will be available at Kvickly and SuperBrugsen from October 30, with one card offered for every 100 kroner spent. Wibe advises parents to find out what cards are available, where to get them, how many there are and whether some are more valuable than others.

Parents should consider whether collecting will require regular shopping at particular supermarkets throughout December, and whether their child should collect cards for both Christmas calendars or just one.

Will collecting be a family activity or the child’s?

Collecting can be a shared family activity, Wibe says, with parents and children watching the Christmas calendar and talking about its stories and characters. But families should decide whether cards can go to school as well as stay at home, since that can create dilemmas for children and parents.

Parents should also consider how to handle siblings who want to collect. Buying a separate album for each child could become expensive, Wibe says.

What do the other parents think?

Wibe recommends talking with other parents in the class beforehand and agreeing whether children can bring cards to school. Not every family can afford to collect them all, she says, and parents should consider what they want to determine access to children’s social groups.

Agreeing on a shared approach early can prevent a small number of families from setting the expectations for the whole class. It can also help parents explain the rules to their own children, Wibe says.

What rules does the school have?

Parents should check with the child’s teacher or school board before allowing cards at school. Some schools do not allow collecting cards, some permit them in after-school care, and others organise specific trading days.

Families should also consider whether any children in the class do not celebrate Christmas. Wibe recalled a school where staff discussed Christmas traditions because some pupils, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, did not celebrate the holiday. The experience highlighted how much activities such as Christmas elf buddies and calendar gifts can feature in December.