Christmas is usually a time of excess, over-indulgence, and a chance to spoil loved ones with countless gifts.
Jolly Christmas stockings bulge at the seams, stuffed with presents that are often not wanted, later tossed aside, or even destined for landfill.
As the ever rising cost of living continues to hit millions of families across the country, many parents will be worrying over how they'll manage to afford Christmas gifts for their little ones this year.
While the pressure of Christmas shopping can often cause people to get swept up in endless shopping sprees, this year will prove to be a big challenge for mums and dads struggling to stay afloat with soaring inflation and energy bills.
But don’t despair because, even though times are tough, it doesn’t mean Christmas has to be Scrooge-like. It will instead be a Christmas of quality rather than quantity - that is if you follow the ‘four present rule’.
More and more parents are becoming devotees to this new way of festive giving, that is all about the gesture rather than how much it cost.
This simple approach to the annual Christmas shopping frenzy is likely to give some relief to those who are already struggling to make ends meet.
There are other pluses of course, including no more soulless hours and hours trudging from shop to shop, panic buying things your recipient won't actually like.
So how does it work? There will be no more grabbing things at the checkout to fill those Christmas stockings - items that, let’s face it, will not last the festive period.
So instead of buying dozens of toys and other things that will clutter up your home, you simply buy four items that will make for much more meaningful gifts.
It will mean a far more focussed shopping trip, but that is another big fat plus, as it takes the last minute stress out of festive pressies.
The gifting method suggests that the first present should be something they want and the second will be something they need - so far, so good.
Meanwhile, the third is 'something to wear' and the fourth is 'something to read'.
As this gifting hack will involve a far more streamlined approach to festive shopping, you'll need to do a bit more preparation ahead of hittin the shops to really consider what your lucky recipient likes and needs.
But hopefully it will save you precious pennies, and you might even feel less pressured or stressed.
One mum shared the rule on a Facebook page called, Quirky Momma, and her post quickly went viral.
"I’m going with… something they wear, something to read and something to do. The Santa gift is something they want," commented a fellow parent.
A different user said: "Yes we have done that for the past three years, I love it. We also add one gift from Santa".
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