Anyone else drowning in gifts, wish lists, toy guides and everything else Christmas right now? I know I am. Every time a Toy Guide arrives (thanks Mastermind, Indigo, Toys R Us and Walmart...I see you...), my kids excitedly pull it apart, circling every dang thing they can get their tiny, marker holding hands on... and then I look after to see what they have circled and find out they have circled everything? What gives. Come on children...

So here I go. I am telling you what we get for our kids, our grandparents, and some gift ideas for the men and women in your life. I've tried to hit varying price points, but the reality is, we all budget differently and that is totally ok.

For kids. Our kids are 3 and 5, my 3 year old basically wants what his sister has, and in some ways that makes my life easier, and in some ways, it makes my life much, much harder. This year we have really tried to tone down Christmas (please see my previous posts about multiple trips to Disney in 2022), but we still want them to have fun. I am also a huge advocate of asking the kids and parents what they want for themselves or their children. I don't want to waste my money and I don't want you to waste your money. So please for the love of all things Christmas, don't try to "prove" how well you know someone by refusing to ask them for ideas, especially when it comes to kids. We all cringe when our kid throws out an "I don't like this", so let's do what we can to avoid it by simply asking Mom and Dad for some ideas in various price points.

This year our kids are getting...

  • 256gb iPad/Case/Wireless Headphones
  • Bruder Excavator
  • Kerplunk (bonus points as it is a family game!)
  • Hatchimals Pixie Crystal Flyer
  • Glitter Girls Doll + Horse
  • LEGO boxes - great for sharing

The iPad was a tough one for me. It is very much the big ticket item for Christmas 2021 but I did this with a purpose in mind. I knew that we would be driving to Florida and I wanted them to have tablets for the ride, so I would much prefer that we give this to them from us for Christmas than a random "Happy March 28th" gift for no reason. We are also making sure that this is a gift from Mom and Dad as opposed to Santa in order to ensure that no other child is left questioning why Santa gave them something smaller. This year we have also made a wish list with MyRegistry.com which we are circulating to family when they ask for gift ideas. I know quite a few people who used this for their wedding registry, but it gets forgotten about for kids. As we tried to move away from Amazon this year, it has given people a place to see what the kids want and update it, and we can also add items from local small shops, as well as gift cards (see previous point about Disney) for them to use in the future. I would 100% recommend this if you are looking for an online list that is not an Amazon Wishlist.

I certainly hope someone finds this helpful, I will follow up tomorrow with a gift guide for Him, Her and Grandparents.

xo,

Carolyn