We are so blessed and Christmas is a time that I really feel it! Not only are we blessed to be able to do the things we want at Christmas, but we are also surrounded by friends and family who bless us with presents and their presence.
To make sure I don't go overboard at Christmas (which is really easy for me to do!), we have some traditions around presents. We get our kids one big present each from Mom and Dad as well as a combined present for all of them. We also have stockings, which we have a budget for that I try to not go over, as well as a Christmas Eve present for each family member.
Today I wanted to share the presents I'm giving to each family member.
Ashtyn, age 9
This year, Ashtyn saved up and bought her own Nintendo Switch. She bought a used one without joy cons off of eBay and then bought a Nitrodeck to play it in. For Christmas, we are getting her an SD card for her Switch so it can hold more games and a Nintendo eShop gift card so she can buy some games.
Parker, age 7
Parker is really into tumbling and gymnastics right now and really wants a gymnastics mat to practice on at home. We are getting her a 4' by 8' by 2" mat off of Amazon.
Rylee, age 5
This year, Rylee has consistently wanted a play kitchen. She loves to play with pretend food and has loved using play kitchens at friends' houses. I got this one from Amazon during a sale.
Oliver, age 2
Because Oliver is the fourth child, I wasn't sure what to get him. We decided to go for an open-ended climbing toy, that I got from Amazon during a sale.
Combined Gift for Kids
We like to give the kids a combined gift that they all share. We've done things like Switch games, magnet blocks, and experiences. This year, we are thinking of giving them a pet leapord gecko lizard. Growing up, my brothers and I had one and loved it. My mom still has all the stuff for one and is willing to give it to us. Our kids really want a pet, but we aren't quite ready for something like a cat or dog. I think they will love this if we decide to do it.
Benjamin
Ben can be particularly difficult to buy presents for. This year, I had the brilliant idea of getting him a nice stainless steel water bottle that he has been wanting. It's the perfect price for our Christmas budget and he is excited (he likes to pick out his present rather than being surprised). As an extra little gift, I have another surprise for him that's more of a sentimental gift. During the latter half of this year, I've been working on writing out the birth stories of each our children in story form. I want to finish those up (I'm almost done writing our third child's, so I think I can finish in time) and put them in a binder for Ben. He doesn't know I've been writing them and I think he'll love reading through them.
Charly
For my present this year, I picked out a small bookshelf for Oliver's room upstairs. We haven't had enough bookshelf for our kids' books for a long time and have used various solutions. Right now, we stack the board books against the wall in Oliver's room and I'm really excited to be able to arrange them on a bookshelf in there.
Christmas Eve
Ben didn't grow up with the tradition of opening a present on Christmas Eve, but I did and I love continuing it with our kids. We like to give our kids their Christmas pajamas after Thanksgiving so they can wear them all season long, so instead of pajamas, we'll open a new blanket. I love these blankets from Amazon! They are soft and thick and the right price for me.
Stockings
I like to both fill up our stockings and also get quality items for our stockings. To fill them up, I like to get things like underwear or socks and candy, which usually does the trick. This year, I also got some pickleballs for my husband since he's really into pickleball.
This year, Ashtyn is asking for video games for her switch, so her main present from Santa is going to be a $25 Nintendo eShop gift card. I also am getting her some crochet things because she's been learning to crochet this year. I plan on getting her some nice scissors, a pouch to hold her crochet hooks, and some new yarn. I also have candy, new underwear, a new water bottle, a drawing pad, and a new dress for her stocking.
Parker is asking for a camera from Santa. I also found her a tin tea set that I think she will love. Like Ashtyn, I have candy, new underwear, a new water bottle, a drawing pad, and a new dress for her stocking.
Rylee is asking for a camera and a crown from Santa. I found this adorable crown that sounds like it is great quality. And like her sisters, I have candy, new underwear, a new water bottle, a drawing pad, and a new dress for her stocking.
Oliver is asking for a toy drill from Santa and it's probably the gift I'm most excited for (he loves when Ben gets out his drill). The other toy Oliver is getting is this cool building bath toy. He also has candy, new socks, a drawing pad, a water bottle, and a new outfit.
For my stocking, I wanted to get some new kitchen things. I'd had these bowls with lids on my list for a long time and got them when they were on a big sale. I also need new measuring cups because my children have somehow lost my 1/3 cup measuring cup, so I found these teal ones (I love teal!). I'm also getting a calendar, a book, a water bottle, socks, some Norwegian chocolate caramels, and a box of cereal.
For Ben's stocking, I'm getting him a neck and shoulder massager. I got this one when it was also one sale and it will be more of a surprise for Ben. I also got him a water bottle for his hot chocolate in the morning, socks, soft pickleballs, the chocolates, cereal, and beef jerky from our local meat plant.
A tradition I love is having my kids make a gift for each other. I'm going to wait one more year before adding Oliver in, so this year I'll have Ashtyn make a gift for Rylee, Parker make a gift for Ashtyn, and Rylee make a gift for Parker. I haven't decided yet what they'll do for each other, but I usually help them pick something from my Pinterest board.
The kids also love to make a gift for Dad. My idea this year was for them to draw a picture of the family or of themselves with their Dad and I'll laminate it for them.
I love Christmas and am enjoying the anticipation of gifting these things to our children! I know they will love the presents and I feel we've picked gifts that they will get a lot of use out of during the upcoming new year.
I would love to hear what you are planning for your family's Christmas! Let me know in the comments below!
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