The holidays are stressful. I know, statement of the obvious. The hustle, the bustle, the expectations, the gift buying, the cooking, that pesky elf … even if you love any one of these things, at some point it can all be a little overwhelming. What stresses me out most, however, is what may not be so obvious. It is the STUFF (read: gifts, usually toys, party favors, miscellaneous decorations) that invades your house faster than Gremlins can replicate at a swimming pool (did I just seriously date myself? Is that a lame reference? 1984, can you hear me calling?).
I promise that I am not some anti-gift Grinch. In fact, it is precisely my attempts at preserving the holiday spirit that I try to curb the toy avalanche at the holidays and birthdays. I want the toys and gifts my girls receive to mean something to them … to be something special … something that they will treasure and remember. None of that can happen if they are melting down because of the sheer exhaustion at unwrapping so many gifts or because they can’t decide which of the many, new fun toys to play with (many of which, let’s face it, will end up being relegated to the top shelf/back of the closet/Island of Forgotten Toys). I get it! I really do! It is so much fun to gift – ironically, it might be my favorite part about the holidays – but it is also so EASY … literally a click of a button.
Because I’m not an anti-gift Grinch, here are some non-traditional, useful favorites that you might want to consider adding to your family’s or children’s wish lists this year:
- Family Memberships – We are fortunate to live in an area with so many great places to visit. Grandparents need a “big gift” idea? Consider asking for a family membership to Stepping Stones, the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, the Darien Nature Center, the Stamford Museum & Nature Center, or even the Beardsley Zoo. If a family membership is outside the budget, consider organizing a family outing at one of these great locations. Check out posts by my fellow contributors here, here, and here.
- Classes – Consider giving the gift of music, or dance, or art or whatever interests your child. My girls both love (LOVE!) Music Together. Family members could go in together and purchase a session or a class. JAM in Darien and Green Moon in Rowayton, both combine music and art, offer drop in classes for between $20-30 per session. Hands On Pottery, which has locations in Darien and Fairfield, also offers gift certificates.
- Wagon – My sister bought us this wagon a few years ago, and it has gotten a lot of miles on it already. We take it to the beach, the park, and to walk around town. The girls love riding in it and, the best part, it folds up and stores easily in a closet!
- Art Supplies – I have two exceptions to my “anti-stuff” list. The first is art supplies. Both of my girls love to draw, paint, mold, you name it! Thus, we are always in need of art supplies. Luckily, my wagon-buying sister also loves gifting supplies. Last year, for my oldest, she filled a gift bag with chalk, boxes of crayons, paper, stickers, and coloring books. M was psyched (and so was I, as it meant I would never be down a purple crayon for at least a few months).
- Books – My second exception to my “anti-stuff” list is books. From my perspective, you can never have too many books. And, admittedly, I may have become slightly obsessed with children’s books as of late – my Amazon wishlist grows exponentially every day. (It is my WISHLIST not my Shopping cart! And, hey, at least it isn’t shoes!). There are so many options when it comes to books. For Christmas this year, I’ve picked out some fun Spanish/English books for M as she is currently obsessed with Dora. Just last week, she tripped in the living room and called out “Ayudeme!” True story. If you want to combine my two exceptions, I love, love, love the sticker books from Usborne, several of which I have picked up for gifts.
Non-traditional/non-gift lists abound in the blogosphere and pins populate the Pinterest boards, but tell me what are some of your favorite non-traditional / non-toy gifts?
This sounds just like us! I gave L’s grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc. a wishlist of memberships (SM&NC, Stepping Stones, and Aquarium), books, Melissa & Doug reusable sticker pads, M&D chunky puzzles, and not much more. Other than offering gift suggestions, I’m curious if you have any other tips for politely discouraging family/friends from buying a whole bunch of toys anyway?
Jana – I’m glad to hear that I’m not alone. I do my best to discourage no gifts, but it is usually to no avail, which is why I went in the direction of trying to direct people to things that I at least knew we needed/wanted/wouldn’t take up too much room. However, for M’s birthday I did politely request that people not bring gifts but instead bring a favorite book to donate. I know some other friends that have done this as well, including donating any toys received to nursery schools, daycares, etc. It seems to satisfies people’s need to (1) buy something and (2) not come empty handed while at the same time benefiting others. I would love any other ideas though!