There are so many gift guides floating around the internet!
Some of them are good, some of them are bad, and some are actually helpful… BUT I think we can all agree that we don’t need another gift guide.
I saw another blogger I follow post something that I did think was helpful, interesting, and fun: What I’m Actually Getting My Kids for Christmas This Year.
I thought I’d hop on the bandwagon and write my own post.
But first. And this is extremely important. Families celebrate Christmas in a myriad of ways.
Some have insanely huge, circus-style Christmases with gifts galore.
Some follow the “something you need, something you want, something to wear, something to read.”
Some families have every present come from Santa. Some families don’t do Santa at all!
Whatever way your family chooses to do Christmas is perfect. I mean that. If you read my post and are like “Woah, she goes way overboard”… don’t feel the pressure to keep up with what we do.
AND ON THE FLIP SIDE… if you read this and are like “wow, her kids get hardly anything!” please know that our Christmas is always magical. We have found a balance of what works best for us, and I think it’s probably right in the middle. It’s definitely not minimalist and it’s definitely not circus status.
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2022 Gifts
I like to have all of my shopping done, including stocking stuffers by the weekend after Thanksgiving. I am not quite there yet. I have my lists and things in my cart, but I’m waiting to see if I can get a better price on a few things.
If you follow me on Stories, you know my husband has just been laid off (for the second time in 2 years. thank you, collapsing economy). So the stress of that has me behind a bit both from the mental exhaustion and financial stress. We are not *overly* worried, we have money in savings, and he has a lot of connections, BUT we are trying really hard to keep our Christmas costs down this year.
I put aside money each month to budget for Christmas and other big events, and if I see a deal on something throughout the year, I purchase it while it’s on sale. That has really helped us out this year!
Gifts for all of the Siblings
I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS. My friend Emily has this trampoline (and an entire blog post about why it’s the best backyard trampoline), and I seriously love it when people I trust research things so that I don’t have to). It is huge and I know my kids are going to be stoked. They’ve been asking for a trampoline for years!
I ended up getting it 25% off when Target had their deal where you could get 25% off of one toy, and then an additional 5% with my red card.
Little House on the Prarie Box Set
We started reading this series together over the summer on my Kindle, and we all enjoyed it. I spotted the box set on sale on Prime Day and scooped it up!
This game has fantastic reviews and looks really fun. You get a blueprint of a structure to build and then whoever builds theirs first gets to “boom” the other creations. This is only a 2 player game, which I didn’t realize when I purchased it, but my kids often like to play on teams.
I am of the mindset that you can never have too many board games. We LOVE having family game nights and it’s become so fun as the kids get older and we are out of the “Candy Land/ Sneaky Snacky Squirrel” phase. We really like to play games on weekend mornings in the winter, snuggled up in front of the fire.
For Theo, age 8.5
I haven’t purchased this yet and I am hoping that it goes on sale even more! Theo is an avid reader and loves reading with my Kindle. He reads really fast and is constantly running out of books to read. This will be a great gift for him! I also am debating the regular Kindle instead of the Kids Kindle. If you have any thoughts on this, please let me know!
Theo’s wishlist basically consists of football things, and a Chiefs NFL football is one of them. His flag football team was the Chiefs and so now it’s his favorite team. This football comes in a variety of NFL teams.
What is a Chiefs football without the gloves?! He also wants a football Helmet but those are several hundred dollars and he doesn’t actually need it to play flag football, so I asked him to replace the helmet on his list with something else!
My husband recently taught Theo how to play chess and he really enjoyed it. We don’t have a chess OR checkers set, so this will be a perfect gift! To be honest, I wanted to get a nicer, more grown-up-looking chess set, but this was on sale for $15 and that’s hard to beat! It has great reviews and it’s honestly probably the perfect starter chess set.
All of my kids are extremely into Pokemon cards right now. Theo has a card guard for his football and Pokemon cards, but it’s getting full, and the girls don’t have one. So, we’re getting all of the kids a Pokemon binder!
Find the binders here! They come in black/red, blue, and pink.
I know absolutely nothing about Pokemon, but my husband has really gotten into it with the kids and it has been a fun bonding experience for them. They play Pokemon Go on his phone together and they are always having conversations that I don’t understand at all. He said that this is a great deal and they will be thrilled because they have really good cards? I don’t get it but I am happy that the kids will be happy!
I have put this in my cart every year for the past few years as a Christmas gift, but have never pulled the trigger. My kids really need a more effective way to store their money and I love that this has 3 boxes in one: money to spend, money to save, and money to give.
Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle Against the Dark Arts
Theo used to loovveee Harry Potter, but his excitement has worn off recently. He saw this game and got excited about it, so I’m hoping that it’s a hit and will renew his love for all things Hogwarts!
Find this Harry Potter game here.
Doinkit Darts: Magnetic Dart Set
I happened upon this in a local toy store and threw a few darts, and it was really fun. Since we have a finished basement that is our playroom, we have a perfect place to put it. Theo really loves sports games and this will be something fun he can do when it’s too cold or rainy to play outside.
Nerf Elite 5-in-1 Target Practice
Find the Nerf Target Practice here!
For Josie and Margo, age 6.5
Twins are tricky to shop for. They want their own, individual things, but then get mad if they don’t get the same things and feel left out. Facepalm. I don’t always get the same things, but try to find different versions of each thing.
Last year, Margo asked for a camera, and Josie insisted that she didn’t want one. I knew it was a bad idea and that Josie would have regrets, but against my better judgment, I trusted my 5-year-old. Josie was using her camera one time, and Margo got mad and demanded to have it back. Josie then tossed it at her, she didn’t catch it, and it broke. Ugh. This year, they are both getting one.
Both of my girls started to really enjoy writing in Kindergarten, and they love it even more in first grade. They like to fold up paper and make their own little books. The Illustory is a bookmaking kit! There’s a template to write and illustrate your own story. The best part is that you can then send it back and they will turn it into a hardcover book for you!
Josie and Margo love crafting, and this is the perfect assortment of craft supplies.
Two more Pokemon binders, in pink and blue!
Josie and Margo received each designed their own American Girl Dolls over the summer. These off-roading vehicles will be the perfect accessory to go with them. The only downfall is that they are pink and purple and Margo isn’t really into feminine colors. Her favorite colors are green and yellow. Josie loves pink and my plan is to give Josie the pink car and switch the surfboards from the cars so Margo has something green.
I purchased these when Target was having their BOGO 50% off.
2 more money boxes for Josie and Margo!
I got the girls’ jewelry boxes last year and they have lots of costume jewelry. This year, I wanted to get them something a little more grown-up and special. I got Josie the pink flower and Margo the white. They are so pretty and dainty!
For Margo: Alex Monster Art Center
This is a really nice, legit art set that I ordered for $17 on a Black Friday deal back in 2018 (it’s regularly $45)!!! I have held onto it because my kids haven’t been mature enough to appreciate and use an art set like this. Margo loves art and this will be a really special gift for her. Bonus, it didn’t cost us any $$ during a year when things are tight!
For Josie: Unicorn Dream Catcher Making Kit
Josie loves unicorns! I think she will love making her own unicorn dream catcher to hang on her side of their bedroom.
Sewing Kits
Since they both love crafting, I am getting the girls each a sewing kit. Josie is getting the fairy sewing kit and Margo is getting the woodland animal one.
For Beckham, age 2.5
Poor Beckham truly needs no toys because he has toys from 3 older siblings. It’s a struggle every year to find things that aren’t just repeats of what we have.
Beckham is OBSESSED with Peppa Pig. He also loves driving cars around tracks (what 2-year-old doesn’t?!) so this will be PERFECT. I am so excited to give it to him!
I ended up getting Beckham an extra Peppa character set. Reviews of the All Around Town playset said that Mummy Pig can’t come out of the car, and I know he will want to play with them all together out of the car, so I grabbed him this set.
Beckham is like every two-year-old on earth and loves vehicles. This is a truck FULL OF TRUCKS so I know it will be a hit. It has great reviews and was on sale for $25, so win/win! This is going to be one of Beckham’s Santa gifts.
Find the truck full of trucks here!
Peacable Kingdom Monkey Around First Board Game
This is a cute little board game for ages 2+. We own several other Peaceable Kingdom games and they are all really nice quality and have kept my kids engaged. I’m excited for a game that we can play with Beckham!
My older kids have all had these and they were well-loved! Beckham is the perfect age for this, as he has a few years to grow into it. It will be worth the purchase!
Magnatile Builder Expansion Kit
We have had Magnatiles (actually the off-brand, Picasso tiles) for years and it’s something all of my kids still play with. This could really be a gift for all of them!
Get the builder expansion kit here!
This is what happens when you’re the youngest of four kids and you don’t need anything but your parents don’t want to not get you anything.
For Stockings
Undies: This is my favorite brand of kid’s underwear and Beckham will be getting his own set. Woohoo!
Scented Gel Pens: I will divide this 24-pack up among the big kids’ stockings.
Candy: I will put some of the kids’ favorite kinds of candy in their stockings.
Lip Balm: An essential for us in the winter months! This is a pack of 6, so I will divide it up among the big kids.
Toothbrushes and toothpaste: A stocking essential lol!
Water Wow: A vehicle water wow for Beckham.
Hair ties: Yes, we get new hair ties every year, and yes, we always run out of them!
Color Reveal Barbies: For the girls. They love these as bath toys.
That’s all I’ve got for stocking stuffers as of now. The girls are all set, but I need to find something else fun for Theo’s stocking! Maybe a little card game. I’ll be sure to update this over the weekend when I purchase it!
I hope this list inspired you or gave you some good ideas for your little one. If I make any changes, I will be sure to report back! I will get everything in and look at it and make sure we don’t have too much or that it looks like I’m favoring one child.