One of the things we decided early on in our marriage was that each person gets 3 gifts at Christmas, since Jesus received three gifts from the wise men. This makes my life much easier, and eliminates those "one more thing" impulse buys at the end of the holiday shopping season.
Now, our 3 gifts rule does not cover 2 extras: pajamas and stockings. Every year, the kids get new jammies on Christmas Eve.
Luke is getting these adorable turtle PJs from zulily.com (affiliate link). I used to make the kids' jammies. And some years, they even matched. But I'm so not there right now. Rather than stress out about it, I'm letting go of the guilt and buying cute ones that make me smile. I'd tell you what cute pajamas the girls are getting, but a couple of those girls are old enough to read this...
You know what else I saw on Zulily? Doll stuff. A search for DOLL this morning reveals 252 results. They have some doll & me girls clothes ending today, and a doll event going. Even some Madame Alexander pieces. Not all blonde dolls, either! I'm happy to see dolls of color included in several lines. I wanted to get Hannah a doll cradle for her birthday, but ended up doing something different. Now, with Katie home, they play dolls together, and I think they would really enjoy something like these
and some accessories. How cheap am I, that I'm thinking I could wrap the two beds separately for Hannah and Katie? It would mean less fighting than leaving them as a doll bunk bed. Hannah's pretty good about sharing, but Katie is fiercely territorial, and it does get old sometimes. The other thing that falls outside the 3 gifts rule is stockings. Some years, stockings are lean, with little more than candy, socks/underwear, and tiny personal care items. Some years, the stockings are more generous, with fun trinkets and little toys. Personally, I would love to see a new flexiclip or two in my own stocking.
Have you started your shopping yet? I'm going about it kind of backwards, as I've started shopping but I haven't made my list yet! I need to keep an ear out for all the "I wants" the kids randomly spurt. I know Hannah has been wanting a Leap Pad like Jack's. I haven't decided whether to upgrade him to the newer one and let him pass his down to her, or to go pink and get her a girly one.
Happy hunting! May you find thoughtful gifts at bargain prices this year, and be relaxed enough to enjoy the holiday season without worrying about the cost.
For the first year ever I'm making pajamas- for my nephews. But since I don't live near them, I'm taking the easy way. I'm making them out of fleece (which doesn't ravel) and not hemming them: my sister can just cut them to the appropriate length per kid.
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat idea! I bet they'll be very well received. :)
DeleteYes, I've started shopping, too. We had a very bountiful Christmas last year since two new girls joined the family and needed things, but I've already warned them, as did it last year at the time, that Christmas is a holy time and not always going to have tons of presents. I like the three gifts thing that you do. What a good idea.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we instituted that many years ago. I know they wouldn't be receptive to it now, if they weren't already used to it.
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