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OT: CHRISTMAS: How to Do Useful Gifts (when we need NOTHING)
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Hi Everyone. I am so hoping to get ahead of the game with gifts this year. We moved a year ago, and really do not need anything. I am still trying to simplify and pare down….and need to alot (No laughing, Julie!).
I have 6 girls (12yo-1yo). We have a ton of books, Jonathan Park, enough craft stuff to fill a store…..and toys are probably not going to make it on the list of things to buy.
I only spend $50/kid…..
I am wondering what kinds of purposeful, intentional, CM style, low-budget gifts you guys do with your kids.
Thanks Everyone….. This should be a good one!
If you want less stuff, then purchase tickets to events or parks. I am gifting season passes to both of my kids this year. This could work for children’s museums or to a water park for the older ones.
Some people think it is cruel not to give a toy, but sometimes the anticipation of going somewhere is almost as good as the trip. I It also helps to builds patience, since they do have to wait to go.
Last year I gave tickets to a nearby ranch. REal live working cattle ranch that does demonstrations. Anyway, we studied a bit before we went about the time period when the ranch was at it’s peak and then kids had great questions for the tour guides!
We love giving experience gifts and do it pretty much for every birthday and Christmas. One year we gave our oldest son three tickets to a college basketball game for our family’s team whan they were playing the school in our state. He went with my husband and his younger brother and loved it. My next son got a boys camping trip for his birthday where, again, my husband and older son and he went on a weekend hiking trip together where they could do a much harder trail than we can ever do as a family with little ones along. For my daughter’s 9th birthday last year I made up a little book of nine dates she and I would do together while she was nine. WE’re still working through them and it’s been lovely! One Christmas we got our three littlest boys passes for snow tubing (an activity that was near our home) and then our three bigger kids got an overnight ski trip with us (again, just a short drive away. But the three big kids stayed with friends on the afternoon that we took the little boys and then the three little boys stayed with grandparents for the weekend so that we could be with just the three big kids. It was so great to have that time with each little set! THis year, since we’ve recently moved into a home on land, we’re giving our kids plans for a treehouse and a gift card to a hardware store so they can do the shopping for supplies.
We try to think of things that we already want to do with our kids and then find a fun way to turn it into their gifts.
I second the idea of giving experiences rather than things!! We have done this as well, because we really do not want more “stuff” in our house 🙂
Here are some things we have done, just to give some ideas:
trip to the Empire State Building (we live nearby)
money for lessons (in our case, horseback riding)
put the money together and use it for a family get-away – one year it was a weekend in the poconos and a day of skiing
coupon for each child for a special day with mom or dad or both – with a maximum $$ value – they get to plan it 🙂
We keep gifts to a minimum at Christmas, so we typically give one gift of greater monetary value, and a small family gift (like a new Jonathon Park CD set), and maybe one other small thing to each child.
As our kids get older, if we don’t give an experience gift, we may also give something that goes along with their interests, such as a camera (basic starter type – when they want a really good one, they need to save up, or we’d be broke!), or this year I may give a gift card to a store of their interest (one of my sons is a photographer, so perhaps a card to Shutterfly, and another is into his guitar, so maybe a card to an online music store…
Hope that give some ideas!!
This is great. As we were discussing just doing a “family” Christmas this year. Each child would get one thing specific to their interests and then the rest family ideas. I am loving the suggestions keep them coming.
I’m getting lots of good ideas for our Christmas this year!!
We’ve frequently given them things that they can use for a family activity. One year we got the older kids tents for camping. We’ve also given them all camp chairs.
Personal outdoor equipment is good too, like scooters or bikes.One year we did a “disposable” Christmas. They got things like duct tape, food, movie tickets, etc. Everything was something that would be used up.
We also frequently give things for their future. For the boys, this has been tools, and a tool box. For either, we’ve given pocket knives, a leatherman, compass, binoculars. For my girls, when they are older, I plan on starting a hope chest with things for their houses. We usually start the tools at around 12 (and probably will start the hope chests for my daughters then too).
Rebecca
We just give them each one small, very inexpensive thing; and then when we go visit grandparents we go shopping for the food pantry in their town. The kids love taking the food in and it’s in a small town, so the people there know my husband’s family and love to show us around and talk a while.
Also, we make fleece blankets for the children’s hospital where my son has been a few times. We love that because he got a blanket there when he went, and it was such a comfort. It’s easy for the kids to cut little strips at the edges and tie knots.
Oh, and when I say inexpensive, I mean we probably don’t spend $40 on all 4 kids combined.
I love this thread! The tough part is convincing the family, though I have done pretty good with most about the electronic toys (He’s only turned 3), now to come up with other ideas. Maybe a play date with Aunt J, a book list for the future school years, money towards college, hmm, what else for a little?
This is very interesting. I, too, want to cut back on the number of ‘things’ given as gifts. I could have used these ideas when my three adult children were young
For some reason, giving Christmas gifts was always buying toys, books, or clothes. Or tools or things for the house for adults. I was thinking about a parakeet for my 11yo dd, and no toys. She always talks about a little dog, but dh says ‘no dogs in the house’. My older girls had hamsters when they were young, but I would prefer the parakeet. God has given me a love for birds, so it would be for me as well But you all have given me other ideas, so now I have to decide. We do a few “family” gifts like board games, jigsaw puzzles, books, movies, or sleds. I’m thinking of getting them a few Geopuzzles this year. I try to only do consumable items in their stockings (character toothbrushes, cocoa mix, candy, hairbands, etc.). I also try to think of things they need…last year they all got a pair of Thinsulate mittens.
My kids are constantly running out of clay and drawing paper, so they make good gifts as well.
For some reason, giving Christmas gifts was always buying toys, books, or clothes. Or tools or things for the house for adults. I was thinking about a parakeet for my 11yo dd, and no toys. She always talks about a little dog, but dh says ‘no dogs in the house’. My older girls had hamsters when they were young, but I would prefer the parakeet. God has given me a love for birds, so it would be for me as well
But you all have given me other ideas, so now I have to decide. 
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