The shopping season is upon us and I'm so excited to surprise my boys with some gifts they'll really LOVE this year! I'm a neat freak and a sort of minimalist at heart (sometimes, depending on the time of year I guess, haha) and so I really like to avoid clutter and an overabundance of toys if at all possible. To help with this, every year around Thanksgiving the boys and I go through their toys and purge a LOT in preparation for the things they'll be putting on their Christmas lists. Not to say that they get everything they ask for, believe me..they do not. But, I want to make an impression on their hearts that, while everyone loves receiving gifts and it's certainly okay to ask for things, there are so many people out there that are less fortunate than us in many ways. Children that don't have a basement full of toys to play with or dressers bursting with clothes. They've really caught on to the reason we do this and it's now something they truly enjoy doing every year. I also want to show them through my own life the real reason that we celebrate the season. It's not all about the gifts. It's the meaning behind it and how what happened all those years ago in a tiny, tumble down stable has changed our lives and our future so drastically.
Soooo, with our annual purge + donate done with, I like to begin thinking about conversations we've had throughout the year where they've mentioned things they wish they had or would really want someday. I also take a sort of inventory of what they have and what they could actually use. That's kind of my starting point for my shopping list every Christmas.
The things I'm going to share are practical, fun, enjoyable and things we can use together as a family or that I know the boys will gets loads of use out of for a long time to come. So, without further ado, here we go!!
1. BOOKS
All of my boys love to read, especially JD (and Lucas now that he's picking it up pretty well lately). I always suggest books to family and friends for birthdays and special occasions and, while we have a ton, they are in constant use. You can even rotate them in and out every few months to give them something new and add a sense of excitement to reading time. This year, I plan to purchase a couple of fun books for JD that I know he'll get hours of enjoyment out of. The Children's Encyclopedia of American History is one and 5,000 Awesome Facts About Everything is another. He is huge into history and science and anything gross or mind-boggling. So, I know he'll love these.
2. Group Activity Games
My boys love playing together. Since there's four of them, they need a game that can include everyone and so that usually means either taking turns picking a board game or making up new ones pretty often. Some of their favorites are "trick shots" (Dude Perfect inspired), "mom and dad" and what they call "Civil War". This year I'm purchasing a set of four walkie talkies for them to use together and I know they are going to have the BEST time playing with them! These have really great reviews on Amazon and, even though they're not technically built for kids, they're sturdy and I imagine they'll hold up well to four boys for a long time. Some other ideas include board games, imaginative play and a Ninja Slackline like I have on my shopping list as well. This is something that more than one of them asked for so I know they will have a ton of fun using it together.
3. Individual Interest Toys
Having four kiddos can sometimes mean that they're grouped together a lot. While that's awesome most of the time, I also want to encourage them to be their own person and have interests separate of their brothers. So, I'll be getting each of them something they've asked for individually. Something they'll enjoy using when they have alone time. For Blake, that will be a 12" Soldier Action Figure and some binoculars. He loves playing war and has the best time with his super hero action figures so, I know this will be a hit. He also wants to be just like Daddy in everything he does (soooo cute!) and the binoculars I've got on my list will be another one of his faves, I'm sure. Lucas is really into western stuff right now, he has been for a while, so I found him a super cute kids belt with a western buckle. I bought a size too big so, hopefully he'll be able to wear it for a couple of years. He also has a cowboy hat and guitar on his list (he just began taking lessons from his Poppie..:) ) so we'll see about those. :)
4. Heart Gifts
I like to get the boys things that they not only will like but, that will let them know I'm really listening to them when they share things with me. We're a church-going family. We attend every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening, as best as we can and the boys love having a Bible all their own to take along with them. Up until a few months ago, they all had very similar little New Testament Bibles (you know, the kind the Jehovah's Witness groups give away for free). We used to have about twenty of these because they would pass them out each year at our local co-op. Well, they work well for when they're little because they're easy to carry and it's not a huge deal if something happens to one. But, recently, Blake has been asking for a Bible of his own and, now that Lucas and JD were gifted nice ones from their Sunday School teacher, he's even more adamant about wanting a new one. So, I found one that has some really beautiful illustrations and I think it will last him a long, long time. I'm so excited to see him open it! The three big boys are all into Dude Perfect pretty hard right now (really since they heard about them last year) and so I have something extra special in mind to get for them. They wear hats all the time and I know these will be some of their new favorites, hopefully for a lonnggggg time.
5. A Few Practical Things
Last year for Christmas, Glen and I repainted one of the basement bedrooms for the two older boys to share. I bought decorations and bedding, new hampers and wall hangings and really made it special. They flipped over it! So, this year, I've got a similar idea in mind for Tyler. He'll still be in his same room for now but, I'm giving it a more grown up, little boy feel as opposed to a nursery. I have plans to "make-over" a toddler bed we had given to us and I purchased some super cute new bedding to go with it. I'm thinking maybe a cute rug, a new lamp and some new framed prints will be in order also. It's fun to begin the planning for it!
While I try not to go overboard for Christmas, it's one of the only times a year when I really buy things for the boys so, I kind of love it. I enjoy carefully choosing gifts that I know they'll be so excited for and spending the time to make it special for them. If you have young boys I hope this guide was helpful to you! Also, if there's something you think my boys would love, please share it in the comments! Have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving with your families and I pray you stay safe and healthy!! Oh, and, happy shopping!
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