Better Christmas Gifts and Shopping Tips for Kids

I’ve been a mom for 12 Christmas’s now, and I have some tips to share.

Illustrated by Toni Allen

I would wake up to mountains of wrapped presents to unwrap. When I started my own family, I wanted to give my kids the same. I spent thousands of dollars on Christmas presents every year, until recently.

I watched all the awesome toys, clothes and games I bought my kids go to waste…generally within only a few months. One year I spent hundreds of dollars on Pokemon stuff: video games, cards, stuffies, etc… but the fad was over within 3 months.

All the time, effort and money I put into getting those awesome presents for my kids was wasted.

Never again would I buy a “fad toy”.

Instead I buy each kid 1 big awesome gift. A big awesome gift that won’t get thrown away or fade into uncoolness before next December. Then I buy a few other big awesome gifts “for the family”. For example last year I budgeted only $750 for all 3 kids. This is what I got:

12 year old – Nice Guitar
10 year old – Nice Keyboard
Plus a cool Amp with built in effects for both of them.
8 year old – Giant Lego Set
All three kids: Used Laptop from Ebay ($200 delivered)

All of these items are still getting played with, everyday. Success!

This year, I will be doing something similar.

Here are some great gift ideas for kids that won’t get thrown away:

Lessons – Karate lessons, dance, singing, guitar, pottery, whatever… Give your kid 6 months worth of lessons to an activity of their choice.

Musical Instruments – This works even better with multiple kids. Praise one child for practicing their instrument and the other ones will compete for the attention. You end up with the next Jackson Five.

Another year I bought the kids a smaller gift each (mp3 players), and then one giant present for all three of them — a child size Quad (like a dirt bike with 4 wheels). This is another good idea for bigger families: one big present for all, and a smaller present for each. An expensive video game set for the family, and a game for each of the kids.

Warning: not giving into fads can make kids angst-y…just remind them that they are building character. They won’t believe you, but will have a hard time arguing against this vague concept of “character”.

Good luck parents!

Photo Credits: Christmas Tree Image by scottfeldstein

Tags: Christmas shopping, gifts for kids