I love this time of year! So many fun things to do and yummy treats! We have kept our gift giving simple over the years. Each kid gets a “pile” of presents and a Christmas Stocking full of fun things. I remember when my kids were little and we would get the “Big Toy Book” ads and they would circle everything in them! We talked with our kids about finances and budgets. They know about how much we spend for each person for Christmas. We have asked them if they would want one big item or lots of little items and they always choose lots of little things. (I think they just like to open presents!)
Hopefully this list will give you some ideas of things you can get for your family! The links are provided so you have an idea of what I’m talking about! Here are some ideas of things we have gotten our kids over the years.
Stocking Stuffers
- Small can of Pringles.
- Powered Toothbrush. Walmart usually has some for $5 around Christmas time. I wrap them.
- Small box of cereal.
- Soda, flavored milk, or juice (Placed next to the stocking). Growing up, we each got our own 2 Liter of Shasta-Creme soda was my favorite!
- Their favorite candy (I usually buy bags of their favorites after Halloween on Clearance). Or they love the King Size of their favorite candy bars.
- Small toys and stickers (that I usually wrap). One year we got princess snow globes that my daughter loved.
- Small LEGO bags. I usually find these at Target in their small Christmas toys section.
- Silly Putty.
- Earrings or necklaces.
- Chapstick
Gifts for Babies
- Anything practical…Diapers, wipes, a cute outfit, (wrapped of course).
- A small rattle.
- Baby book.
Gifts for Toddlers
- Walker (My kids loved these-when they are just about walking.)
- Toy to stack rings.
- Books
- Babies
- baby stroller (my kids loved to push this around).
- Duplo LEGOs.
- Big fire truck.
- Water coloring
- Realistic toys like a vacuum, broom, lawnmower, leaf blower.
Younger kids
- Color Wonder
- camping chairs
- games
- Anything pretend: Dress up, Play food, Kitchen
- Books
- Realistic Babies
- Tent
- Wooden Train tracks to build your own.
Older Kids
- Games, 20 questions game
- MP3 Player
- Hot Wheels track. We had lots of track pieces and would build a track down our stairs.
- Books
- 18″ doll items
- Sequin Pillows
- Character fishing poles. I swear the Barbie pole we have catches the most fish!
- Maze Books, Sudoku, coloring books, or Fill it in books.
- Head flashlights (for camping)
Teens
- A lot of the ideas above will work here as well.
- Redo their room. We did this one year. My daughter got paint, new bedspread, and new wall decor.
- Clothes (Usually that they picked out).
- Robe, slippers, comfy jammy pants.
- Chandelier. (My daughter loved this one!)
- Sports equipment.
- Gift cards to favorite stores or restaurants.
- Make-up or nail care items.
- Phone accessories or charger.
- Games
- Car safety kit
- Windshield cover (great if they park outside of the garage).
- Tickets to a favorite sports team basketball game.
- Jewelry.
- A Favorite book series.
Gifts for your Spouse
- Games-We like to play Sequence, Skipbo, Racko, and Card games.
- Relaxing Bath items or lotions.
- Clothes, socks, ties, belts, shoes, slippers, etc.
- Gift cards to favorite restaurants, activities, stores.
- CASH (This is my favorite).
- Things on their Amazon wish list. Or sometimes we drop big hints of what we want or even buy it for ourselves. (What can I say, I do a lot of shopping!)
- An kidless overnighter.
- 12 fun planned and paid for future dates.
- Any fancy junkfood! (Maybe because we are eating healthier now so it really is a treat!)
Family Gifts
We like to do Family gifts now. Experiences together make the best gifts! Plus, if someone gets a smaller quantity of presents, they can open the family gifts after. (We take turns opening presents).
- Get a yearly Family Pass for multiple activities, for an amusement park, or for a recreation center nearby.
- Games. We always try to get a few new games to try each year.
- Kayaks for the entire family. We have a single and two doubles so we can all go. Last year was a blast exploring new streams and lakes together.
- Ping pong, dart board, Foosball, pickleball net
- Puzzles (These are fun to do together while we watch a movie.
- Popcorn Tub (to eat with the puzzles and movie) as well as other fun treats.
- Wii or other electronic systems that you can play together. The Wii is still one of the most family friendly electronics. We have had lots of fun playing together with ours. Not to mention you can find used games for so cheap!
- A big trip somewhere fun like Disneyland!
You can find a lot of great deals on things right now. We try to stick to a budget and talk with my spouse about what he thinks the kids will like. I make a list and we also check ads and sales and look for things that the kids might enjoy. Happy shopping! I’d love to hear what some of your best gifts were or that your kids loved!