Comments on: Gifts for Young Kids @ Christmas : my take

By: Sheena

Sheena — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:09:39 +0000

Ok, so I forgot a pair of Sponge Bob slippers came with a lot of shoes I purchased and we just put Super Mario Bros. wall decals in the playroom. For some reason, the decals didn’t register as characters in my mind. I kind of put them up more for me for nostalgia .

By: Sheena

Sheena — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:20:55 +0000

I almost feel bad for owning some toys that are plastic and for featuring branded toys in my gift guide, but it’s for a good cause. I am fond of wooden toys and creativity kits for sure. We love Melissa & Doug. We don’t push characters. When I was a little girl, my room was decorated in Mickey Mouse, but that didn’t happen until 5th grade. Even then, I wasn’t really a character type of gal. Jayden has a stuffed Mickey from a trip and I think that’s it as characters are concerned. Since he’s too young to even understand the concept of gift giving, we haven’t bought him anything but clothes. His grandparents have bought him some things. They usually ask before purchasing for him. We requested clothes, pjs, a mini vacuum, digital camera, and books.

Questions:
As frequent visitors to Disney, do you think the girls will eventually develop a love for the characters? If they do, how will you curb the craving?

Have you tried Seventh Generation disposables? We use those as well as cloth.

By: Deliah

Deliah — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:32:52 +0000

hello iam a mom of 4 boys and i have know money to get christmas girts for my 4 boys they are 5,4,3,and 2 i love my boys and i dont know what to till them. my 5 year old is asking for a lot and i dont know what to till them plz help me.

By: gifts

gifts — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:33:42 +0000

With the festive season of Christmas closing in many of us take the calm organized approach in knowing exactly what your loved ones and friends wish for. The gifts are probably already wrapped, tagged and stored away, waiting for the 25th to hopefully bring a little joy and big smile to the recipient’s face. Others find this yearly ritual stressful and are probably too busy with their hectic life styles that for them the best way to cope is to do the mad dash for gifts on Christmas Eve. Whichever method of choice works best for you, there is still that decision in making your selection a fitting one for the lucky person in question. Once those gifts are purchased it’s just fingers crossed that duplicate items from other folk are not making their way under the tree. We all want to give and receive something special and different, not the run of the mill pair of socks that you mischievously rewrapped for your dad as an extra little prezzy.

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:59:48 +0000

It is so hard now days with all the advertising and peer pressure ( yes, even with little kids) to NOT want to buy what the kids think they need. We give our grandkids maybe 3 gifts. Usually books and clothes. And we get them a saving bond or a share of stock.

By: Musings of a Housewife

Musings of a Housewife — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:59:30 +0000

I love this philosophy but unfortunately it becomes increasingly challenging as the kids get older. However, you make me wish I’d tried harder to nurture the state of BE-ing when I had more influence. Now that they are bigger, their friends are beginning to wield more influence over there preferences. It often makes me wonder if I should have bought a farm and homeschooled.

By: Erin S.

Erin S. — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:06:11 +0000

i struggle with this everytime we hit a birthday or holiday that involves gifts. my husband and i don’t always see eye to eye. i live by the LESS IS MORE philosophy.
this year we are doing half and half. i am putting together a photo album for my older two and putting pictures in it for them that they can do whatever they want with. Pictures of them as babies and with us or family members.
I also am working on their own “treasure” boxes. i want to give them a space where they can keep their special drawings or that heart shaped rock.
i’d like to use some of the Christmas fund money to purchase some nice frames for some of their unique art pieces that we can hang in their rooms.

By: Sara

Sara — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:31:29 +0000

I can’t wait to start reading the Little House on the Prarie series with my kids (my husband has recently started reading the Narnia books to them, so I know they are well on their way to listening to chapter books!). We have a couple of Little House picture books that are the perfect introduction to the series. One of them is Christmas in the Big Woods. It is great because the kids get a stick of peppermint and some mittens (and Laura gets a new doll) AND they are totally thrilled with their new presents! So this year because the grandparents usually spoil our children, we’ll be going light on gifts, a new book for each of them and a new homemade apron for each of them!

By: Rena

Rena — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:33:30 +0000

We are so very much on the same page in so many ways! TIME is the most critical gift that can be given. Sure it is fun to spend time playing with great toys and electronic gadgets (we love our family bowling nights or rock/country band nights on the Wii or PS – toys more for M&D anyway ), but if my kids had the option of playing with Mom and Dad vs. getting a WAY COOL toy to play with by themselves, the people present would win out every time! We often look for gifts that will give us something else to do together and thus give our kids something fun with their favorite people!

By: Amy

Amy — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:07:35 +0000

avoiding the excess is so great. i wish i could be better at it, but i’m not. i remember such great memories of playing with “little people” that i got my oldest all of the little people buildings i thought she would love. i love stuffed animals and remember arranging many of them neatly on my bed- so i have bought my girls stuffed animals when i’m away on business, or if it is a holiday. do they play with them as much as i did- no but they are recently embracing them more and more. soon, i’m going to have to put aside my nostalgia and give our “excess” away.