Christmas ideas besides toys?

My family draws names for Christmas & usually pretty early. Last year we did it around Halloween & decided that wasn't early enough. So here I am in Sept, trying to think of ideas for the kids for Christmas. I feel like I'm drowning in toys already.......what other ideas do you have? I have boy/girl twins that'll be just over 2 1/2.

 

There is a website called iseeme.com I have ordered the personal name book. It is really neat.

Here is an alphabet book from Shutterfly. You submit one photo of the child and that photo is used throughout the book.

 

I can't wait to hear any good ideas... I was just thinking how I feel like I'm drowning in toys, and they will be developmentally appropriate for quite some time.

I think we are going to get them each a PBK Anywhere Chair, and that might be it... since they will get lots of other presents from other family members and I know my parents will surely buy them a bunch of toys.

My boys will only be 18 months old at Christmas, though.

 

Memeberships... the zoo, the aquarium, a children's museum, etc.

 

Bean bag chairs (Lillian Vernon has some cute personalized ones), Sleeping bags (again, Lillian V), Bikes, Jackets/snow boots/snow pants.

 

Step Up for twins' to wash their hands (get bunch of soap and put it in the step-up as a gift (Target sell either in white or oak)

Potty chairs (bjorn) / wipes

Vinyl training pants / regular pant

Pajamas/slippers

Hair accessories (for your little girl)

Small regular cups (for sock stuffing) not the sippy cup

If they are transition to a twins bed (bed tent would be a cute gift)

Age approx. bath toys (before we had tons of infant bath toys but now they need toddlers toys - perfect for sock stuffing)

Toy bins

Table/chair (IKEA)

D, w/Rianna and Justin

 

Maybe lessons of some sort - like swimming, soccer, dance, gymnastics. I know I plan on giving DD's dance lessons for their third birthday because so many people overload them with toys and clothes, and I know they'd love dance lessons.

 

My Mom wants to get them savings bonds...she did this after they were born too. Like she said, college is going to be REALLY expensive by the time they are 18!

 

I am going to ditto classes! We want to sign the kids up for music class, a gym class, etc, and boy do those things add up!!! So we are going to mention gift certificates to those places when people ask us what to get them ... Not only do they not need anymore toys, but we have no where to put them!!

Dh and I were wondering if it was tacky to say "Hey, instead of buying the kids toys this year, give US the money you were going to spend on the toys, so we can finish our basement, and then you can go back to buying them toys, and we'll actually have somewhere to put them."

Yeah, I'm kidding. But it sure would be nice!

 

there has been mention of magazine subscriptions in another thread, that might be a good idea, too....

 

QUOTE(Four_to_Six @ Sep 4 2008, 04:32 PM) [snapback]963391[/snapback]
Memberships... the zoo, the aquarium, a children's museum, etc.

QUOTE(Babies4Susan @ Sep 4 2008, 05:48 PM) [snapback]963567[/snapback]
Maybe lessons of some sort - like swimming, soccer, dance, gymnastics.


I was going to mention the same thing. For my girls' second birthday I asked for money to go toward their dance lessons. Grandparents and aunties happily obliged!!

I think for Christmas we will ask for a membership to a local petting farm that we love.

Something else I have mentioned was to take 1/2 the money they would spend on a gift and donate it to charity.

 

Love the ideas of the memberships/lessons.

My girls love books so that's always great.

Coloring books, esp Color Wonder. Markers (washable). Easel and paint/magnetic letters/etc.

Puzzles? Word World DVDs?

Savings bonds or contributions to their savings accounts are great.

Unfortunately, with my family, they refuse to buy something the girls cannot unwrap because they love to watch them do it. It's a struggle to keep toys to a minimum.

 

QUOTE(wymomoftwins @ Sep 4 2008, 07:58 PM) [snapback]963816[/snapback]
My Mom wants to get them savings bonds...she did this after they were born too. Like she said, college is going to be REALLY expensive by the time they are 18!


ditto on the bonds, DH doesn't like it but we get our neices and nephews bonds for x-mas, if you're going to spend $50 on toys they wont' play with in 6 months you might as well get a $100 bond for the same price. we get them one small toy to open/play with also...

 

books, puzzles, bean bag chairs, cds, dvds, pajamas, savings bonds.... I never ask for toys! But I always get them anways!

 

I told my family that if they must get them toys then to get them stuff that gets their creative juices flowing:
- Mr & Mrs Potato Head;
- building stuff (blocks, lego etc);
- puzzles;
- books etc

I have bought a few personalized stuff from this site and they are quite cute (growth charts for our girls, books for friends' kiddies):
www.identitydirect.com (I ordered off the .ca website)

Happy Shopping!

 

I love the membership and lessons idea. I think at this age, they don't need to much "stuff". We have so many toys and books etc.
Great ideas ladies!!

 

For their first birthday, we set up 529 plans for both boys, and in birthday invitations (to close family only) we included information on how to contribute to their plans. They still got toys and clothes, but my parents chose to go much lighter on the 'stuff' and gave them a little certificate showing that they were contributing one unit per month (WA's plan works by buying units of tuition) to each boy's 529.

I also love the membership/class idea - our boys LOVE Kindermusik, but it's really expensive.