Oh man, it’s gift guide season. Everyone breathe…
Over the course of having kids, I have been on a simplification journey; when we packed to move and downsize our home, the last thing I wanted is an influx of plastic toys, but that doesn’t mean I want to be a Grinch.
We aren’t full on “minimalists”, but the simplification process has been mind blowing-ly helpful.
I struggle with gift-guides. As you can see, the girls have plenty. Truly I thought back and forth about that blog-life expectation during Black Friday deals; I decided to follow my heart and do a different spin on it!
As a product of the ’80s/’90s, I still have all of my American Girl doll loot; in perfect condition. And my husband is listing Voltron’s entire fleet on eBay as I write. I had the best Christmas’ of all time growing up and I would love to recreate that magic, but I’m also already drowning in toys 5 yrs into having kids of own our.
Finding balance is incredibly hard. I’m trying to shift the focus just and teeny bit.
We played with an idea last year that I hope to dive deeper into this holiday season, and it’s the gift of memories.
While Reegan wants a Barbie Dream House (don’t worry she’ll get it), I’m filling in that list with fun for the whole year.
Not just tiny things that I eventually curse at under my breath and want to throw away after bedtime.
Here are a few ideas for those young kiddos in your life :
1| Annual Passes! We LOVE going to the Children’s Museum here in Atlanta. A gift card toward the pass or the year pass itself is fun for the whole family year-round. The Zoo Atlanta is another great place for kids of all ages. They always have activities, holiday fun, and educational programs. Plus, a membership gets you a discount on all items purchased within the zoo.
2| Activity Classes and Their Must-Haves! Soccer, Dance, and Gymnastics… oh my! Paying toward a month of dance class is a give that keeps giving. If you love giving physical items, new sports or dance equipment is a fun tag on to this idea. Kids grow like weeds. Ask their parents the child’s current size, and consider getting that size or the size up. Think of all the photos of the little ones in a cute leotard you bought them. **I like to keep my daughter to one pair of tights, a leotard, and a skirt. A personalized uniform keeps the fights at bay about Purple vs Pink when you are running late.
3| Day Date My 3.5-year-old lives for big girl time. LIVES FOR IT! A great gift for her is a mani/pedi, or an ice cream date. Maybe Frozen 2 tickets? Keep it simple.
4| Activity Boxes! Kids LOVE mail. Reegan loves nothing more than pulling a package in the front door. There is a slew of companies doing boxes with different themes. Two I’ve heard RAVE reviews about are The Kiwi Co boxes and Little Passports.
5| Consumables Craft Supplies. Crayons, coloring books, paint with water books, bath bombs, bubbles, stickers, sidewalk chalk… a box of baking supplies for making cookies or cupcakes! White butcher paper for coloring is a massive hit in our house. And floor puzzles are great too! Just keep it cool.
6| Fancy Necessaries. There is a fun way to doing the necessities for kiddos. An idea I sent out this year is matching PJs for the girls. They are growing and need them, but themed PJs can be fun too! My mom got Reegan a gorgeous “princess coat” during a Macy’s sale and it makes her so happy while making me thrilled I can get a jacket on the kid. My mom got them bandaids last year and it was a HUGE hit.
