There are 116 days until Christmas. I am wondering if I can make some cut backs this year. Christmas has been so much about getting and getting. We do crafts and such but with so many kids gifts have become such a big issue. Last year some of my older kids bought for all their siblings. I told them that this year they need to pick names or something because it go to be too much.
Really, my kids don't need much. We have plenty of toys, books and such. I have already bought my little ones some toys of interest to them either on clearance or even brand new from someone else who bought too much last year. For the 4 young ones I think I want to get them a tablet of some type. They are always taking off with my IPad and use it quite a bit. I am looking for suggestions. I am looking to spend less than $100 since I would need 4. They like to play games, make videos, take pictures and read. There seem to be all types of tablets out there today and I have no clue about any of them.
I have the two little ones and I am not sure if they will be here or not. They will be simple, toys. The 4 year old has a birthday next month and I already purchased him a DS since he constantly has one of the kids games in his hand all the time. Occasionally he will play with the Leapad games when no DS is available.
I have been watching the youngest 6. Their favorite things are: wii, handheld electronic games, making forts with pillows and blankets, playing hide and seek, riding bikes, anything art, playing house- school- library, swinging, chalk and dry erase boards, making videos and some of them dressing up. Hmmm, I think that I will add some art supplies to the list. They have been banned from the trampoline since they tore up the safety net.
The older kids are harder. For John up north we are sending those Visa debit cards for him and the girls. I have started buying those at each payday so that those will be bought well before Christmas. I am not keen on sending cash but I really don't know what they would like to receive.
I think that the thing I enjoy about Christmas shopping is thinking about each child and buying something specific for them. It shows that I know them and their likes, or at least I try! I like to receive gifts that show that they thought about it as well. It doesn't have to be costly, just show that you thought of me. I guess that is why I don't mind the gift giving. Long before Christmas I start talking to my kids to see if they have any secret wishes and then I try my best to meet that and add something that I think they will enjoy. It is just the times 10 can get a little costly!
Do you do Christmas giving? Have you started? Do you have a specific budget or get the same number of gifts for each kid?
I give out a form early October where they have to fill in games, books, hobby supplies, movies and clothes they want. They are supposed to star the top three things they want. They know that big gifts are for birthdays when the focus is just on him/her (so no big electronics).
ReplyDeleteI am also in charge of buying from my mom, brother and sister who send $ for that.
I go by the number of gifts. Sometimes I can get something clearanced that would have cost a lot so I don't go by $. For the twins, size matters so I try to buy something fairly good sized :)
We only have two kids, but I try to keep it simple. They get one big gift, then a few smaller things (not size wise, just smaller things they may want). Last year we got my son a Nabi Tablet. It's made specifically for kids, but it still has an android operating system, which is awesome. So you can get apps from Amazon (for free) but they can't get in and do it themselves. Also, it has a case that comes with it, that helps to protect it. My son has dropped it on concrete a few times (once from inside the van) and it doesn't even have a crack. I think we got it for about $100. My husband is an awesome bargain shopper and he found it online at Walmart, but it came with some other thing. We took the other thing back, so it ended up cheaper than it would have been. I love seeing their faces when they open that one thing they've been hoping for.
ReplyDeletewe have been picking names the last couple years. One gift per person. The kids like it, even. The older kids prefer it.
ReplyDeleteBefore we adopted the twins we had a couple years where we MADE everything. That was before college started and the twins took up all our lives. :-)
Matt and I give the kids three gifts each: one for their body (clothes, earrings, lotion, etc.), one for their mind (always a book or two), and one that they really want, usually something big. Instead of giving gifts to each other, we adopt Angel Tree kids and buy them gifts instead. It takes the focus off of getting. Works for us!
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