Do you buy your kids afikomen presents?

Mirabelle

Sun, Mar 14 2010, 9:18 pm

Yes, AFAIK, this has always been done in my family. In fact, even if I didnt want to do this my father already say my 3 year old down at Purim and explained to her the whole afikomen process in detail and then proceeded to ask her which Princess doll she wanted...

chaylizi

Sun, Mar 14 2010, 9:29 pm

I don't know what the source is- maybe it stems from buying your kids something new for yom tov. Unless it is specifically part of the education aspects of the seder.

(Please don't jump! I did say that I don't know.)

4cutekids

Sun, Mar 14 2010, 9:30 pm

My kids get pesach, sukkos and chanukah presents and trip and birthday presents too.
The reason for the Yom tov presents is to make Yomtovs a super big cellebration to them! Men have simcha with Basar and Yayin, Meat and Wine, Women with clothing and Jewlery, and kids should get toys! That way they wait for Yom tov, are happy and love it!

4cutekids

Sun, Mar 14 2010, 9:31 pm

Simple1

Sun, Mar 14 2010, 9:56 pm

It's not really our minhag, but I sometimes get so much pressure from my kids who see their friends get it, and I want to make Pesach a good experience for them, so I'll usually try to buy them something at this time, not too expenesive that I had wanted to get them anyway.

life'sgreat

Sun, Mar 14 2010, 10:13 pm

There's definitely mention of buying afikomen in pretty early hagaddos. I'm not sure of the sources though. Someone more learned than me will hopefully pipe in. (Although I'm sure that the original afikomen presents weren't iPods (or am I so outdated and today they get iPhones?).)

kitov

Sun, Mar 14 2010, 10:39 pm

We do it very practically. We buy the kids afikoman with their Purim Gelt, and add a little here and there.

Makes for two happy parties.

5S5Sr7z3

Sun, Mar 14 2010, 10:55 pm

We do, but only bec we don't have much money for toys (unless I find them secondhand) so we save up till Pesach and the each of the kids something. not too over-the-top, but just a little extra.we don't give chanuka or birthday presents.

Mirabelle

Mon, Mar 15 2010, 6:42 am

I have no recollection of where I heard this, but isnt there something about afikomen presents keeping the kids interested in the seder until the end?

Like I said before, this is a long standing tradition in my family (going back at least several generations).
I'm going to ask my father today how far he thinks this tradition goes back. We also have the tradition that the grandparents are the ones who buy the present. By the way, in my family we are talking about like a 6 dollar barbie, not a $200 iphone or whatever.

I am also pretty sure that we don't really do the afikomen presents passed Bar/Bas Mitzvah....although knowing my kids they will make it last past that.. Rolling Eyes

Seraph

Mon, Mar 15 2010, 8:50 am

4cutekids wrote:

Ok, I dont think I bought my son a present on sukkos, but I do think that buying a gift is what makes kids "visamachta bichagecha". I'm not getting a huge something, but a little something for his simchas yom tov.

amother

Mon, Mar 15 2010, 9:07 am

Mommy F. wrote:

Is there a source for this custom?

Growing up, whoever stole the afikoman asked for something in return, but it was something inexpensive, like a set of markers, or a new sidur.....and was usually never bought, or bought a long time later after much nudging....nowadays, on chol hamoed, one day(usually Friday when nothing much else can be done) is devoted to the Toys R Us or other huge toy place where kids spend hours choosing what they want.... in some families, the grandparents were so excited with the new generation after the war, that they bought all their grandchildren toys, bikes, and such....but then the grandchildren became too numerous to continue with that custom... no matter how many toys our kids have, they want more and more.... a bi gezint!

torahtots

Mon, Mar 15 2010, 2:11 pm

We always got something that our parents chose in advance. Everyone got a present and it was usually pretty small - maybe a $5 value. When I was pregnant my parents said once you have kids you don't get an afikoman present, your kids get presents. But by that time my aunt was in charge of afikoman presents and continued to get us presents - a maternity shirt for me one year, a frying pan another year, a sweatshirt for DH, etc.

This is the first year I'm making Seder. I told my SIL to buy something for her kids - she's going to get them a board game to share. I think I'm going to get my kids books. One each, hopefully relating to Pesach.

cubbie

Mon, Mar 15 2010, 2:42 pm

Growing up my father hid the afikoman near him then either my brother or I would steal it and then hide it and we would negotiate with my father for our present to give it back. But those days we were just 2 kids with 2 seders so it would be one seder each. Here dh hides and the kids look for it, it doesn't matter who finds it, all the children get a small present (that we already bought).

Rodent

Mon, Mar 15 2010, 9:49 pm

We don't do afikomen presents. We don't see much point as we don't hold that THAT piece of matza has any significance, it can be any piece of matza used for the afikomen. And we don't think blackmailing is something we want our kids to see in any positive light for an circumstance. At this point we have no plans to do presents specifically for yom tov, they get treats though that they don't get at other times. That does them well enough for now.

amother

Tue, Mar 16 2010, 12:21 pm

Ruchel wrote:

We don't do that, and we certainly don't steal anything c'v!

It isn't really stealing.... it's a custom like hide and seek to keep the kids busy, happy, excited, and awake.
Father pretends to hide it, and kids see exactly where he puts it. He pretends to be upset when it is missing, and obviously excited when he gets it back. It makes the seder so much fun, after the serious parts where everyone is crying for the geula shelaima.... and we reward our kids through out the seder, little sweet treats after they say the Mah Nishtana, a tradition that was passed down over generations.
These are family traditions, and who are we to change/ignore/judge them?
I gotta get to Paris one day!

amother

Tue, Mar 16 2010, 1:03 pm

Ruchel wrote:

Tell me when you come here, whoever you are lol

I actually have some very distant relatives in Paris, discovered on Geni. com.
Also I have some first cousins, but lost contact with them.....they are not frum.
And I have relatives in London. My kids are dying to go, but we speak no French.
And the last time I was in Paris, was when I was a little girl of 6, a long time ago.
I just bought my daughter, who is 11, an eiffel tower charm and she loves it. She keeps asking me, when are we going to Paris? And that is what she wants for her Afikoman present. I told her the present is limited to less than $100. (she is my baby and quite spoiled! So she gets more than most kids got!)
So if I do get to Paris one day, I will PM you and we can meet! It may be sooner than you think!
Who knows? You may be a cousin too!