Tuesday, December 16, 2014

The Toy-less Holiday

After the move this year, seeing all the stuff we had, and the way the girls' interests are developing, we have decided to make this holiday a toy-less one. So what to give to three kids aged 6, 4, and 4 months that are not toys?


Here are a few options:
- gift cards.
- puzzles or board games.
- vouchers, for example for picking up your kids' rooms, cooking their favorite meal, ice cream for dinner, etc.
- BOOKS.
- taking your kiddo on a lunch date.
- a movie or audio book.
- movie theater tickets.
- clothes they've wanted in forever.
- tickets to a theme park.
- keepsakes.

We've already bought most of the gifts for the girls; the family is also supporting us in our endeavor to make this holiday toy-less (even though the aunties have a special exempt status in this project). The girls somewhat seem to be in on it as well, discussing the letter to Santa, contemplating whether certain toys were necessary or whether they already had them. So proud of the girls, whose wish lists mostly contain books and puzzles!

What are you planning on giving the kids in your life as a holiday gift?

6 comments:

  1. I think these are great ideas!!! For our nieces and nephew we did one small toy and the rest was clothes. :) My sister was very happy with that.

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    1. Parents ALWAYS prefer clothes, and the kids were showered with clothes from their grandparents this year. I usually also give a toy or book and an outfit to all the little nieces and nephews and nice jewelry to our teenage-niece! It just seemed senseless to add more toys to the stash the kids already have because Violet still loves to play with the princesses and castle she got last year, and even Lily acknowledged that she had enough Legos for now :-)

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  2. I think this is a great idea! I know some parents who hang on to the excess presents from holidays and birthdays then dole them out throughout the year as incentive. I like the idea of that too.

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    1. I don't believe in holding on to gifts that the kids were given; they're theirs, not mine, and I have no right to their property (our opinion). But since the girls have acknowledged themselves that they have about everything they needed and even wanted, I think it will still be a great holiday for them. We may do a little holiday fashion show with all the outfits they've gotten ;-)

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  3. Absolutely great ideas, especially the books and I actually ordered the girls books from their schools' book orders. Well, Emma got given her books directly for some reason so there went that surprise, but still did it at Lily's school. So still have that ;)

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    1. One can never have enough books! What a bummer than Emma already got all her books, but hey.. BOOKS ;-) I made the girls loop scarves as stocking stuffers; they got to pick the colors earlier this year, and I can't wait for their faces when they see the finished scarves ;-)

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