Christmas Gift Guide

There are so many different directions you can go with gift giving. This year I am going to attempt to list some different ideas I have come up with.

1. DIY gifts
Where to start?! Pinterest is filled with ideas. The possibilities are endless. Really. Stuff for kids, stuff for friends. The only struggle I have is finding good DIY ideas for guys. 
- Christmas ornaments (here) and (here)
- photo book - I've made books through Shutterfly, but there are many different sites that allow you to make a photo book.  Whether it is to remember a special trip, or filled with pictures of your child(ren) for grandparents, it can be a great idea.  My girls love looking at the books I've put together of my pregnancies with each of them.
- birthday calendar.  As a family grows, it can be more difficult to keep track of everyone's birthdays.  I make a calendar with family photos on Costco.com every year for my husband's grandma.  I list everyone's birthdays on it for her.  I think this is one of her favorite gifts each year!  
- handmade greeting cards ( you can even get your kids involved and have them help make some! Relatives love things made by the kids!)
- give a pie and "gift certificates for 4 (or whatever number) more pies to be redeemed at any time during the next year. You can do this with whatever your baking/ cooking specialty is.
- dress for the little girl in your life (not as complicated as you might think! All you need to know is how to sew a straight line)

2.  Subscriptions. 
Subscriptions to boxes have become more and more popular. I feel like I see different boxes all the time. There are boxes for absolutely ANYONE on your list!  The Coffee lover, tea lover, foodie, new mama, BBQ fanatic, baby, crafty person, science-minded kid....you get the drift. 
- Bluum is one I gave as a gift once.  My sister loved it!  
- Ecocentric Mom is one I've tried personally and really enjoyed.  They have "bonus boxes" a few times a year which I love!
- Here is a great list of a TON of the subscription boxes out there.  
- subscription to a magazine can be great too! Just make sure the person doesn't already receive the one you have in mind. :)  My mom was given "Good Housekeeping" as a new bride and has now been hooked on it over 30 years.  I really appreciated a subscription to "Parents" as a new mama too.  My girls will be getting their own magazines for the first time this year!  "Disney Princess" magazine, here we come!

3.  Experiences 
I don't know about you, but my kiddos have a lot of stuff. And they feel entitled to more stuff. Which really doesn't excite me. So I actually wrote letters to the grandparents this year letting them know that while opening lots of presents is fun for the kiddos and grandparents, we would love it if they considered fixing some experiences instead.  So...our girls will be receiving a family membership to OMSI (local science museum) from one set of grandparents this year. And we are taking about taking them to a waterpark as the main gift from us. The memories we will make with those activities will be amazing. And I won't have more toys cluttering up our house! Win for all! 
Other great experiences could include
- zoo membership
- overnight trip for a child with grandparents 
- special date (I got tickets to see Michael Buble in concert for my birthday for this year and got to see Mary Poppins as a stage play for another birthday. I actually ask for these gifts - they are awesome!)
- gift of your time... Taking a friend out to coffee without kids!

I hope this helps as you think about what gift giving will look like for you this year!  

Comments

Popular Posts