Yesterday was the last night of Hanukkah. Phew! I made it. I’ve said it before that Hanukkah, to my family and me (unless you ask the kids), isn’t the most important of the Jewish holidays. But even still, I found myself going as “all out” as I could. I mustered enough strength to decorate the house with the few Hanukkah decorations we own and collaborated with my husband to plan a gift for the girls for each night. We even made latkes a few times and invited our friends over for a Hanukkah dinner. I’m pooped, but I’m alive. I survived not only the eight nights of Hanukkah, the stomach flu that my daughters got at the end of last week, the mini-meltdown that my four-year-old had over the Pillow Pet that she got that for some reason didn’t want, and now here I am, getting ready for Christmas. Ah! The joys of being part of an interfaith family.
So today, I’m feeling a little tired, which is usually when “bah humbug” thoughts creep in, and dreaming of my holiday wish list….
- Eight hours of uninterrupted sleep
- A clean house
- Laundry folded and put away
- Light bulbs changed
- Leaky faucet fixed
- Bark collar for the dog
- Noisy toys that my mother-in-law gave the kids for Hanukkah gone
- No whining kids for at least 24 hours
- Me not having to say anything to my two older girls about keeping their hands to themselves
- And perhaps an entire day all to myself during which I could get a mani/pedi, watch a movie that I want to see, shopping, or doing anything else that doesn’t involve my kids
Here’s hoping that I get at least one of those things.
I thought I’d share some gift ideas in case someone isn’t sure what to get the people on their lists this year. In my family, we draw one name out of a bag and buy that person a present. The value is not to exceed $100 (which may seem like a lot to some people, but it does go a long way towards getting something nice for our one person). We also buy a $25 gift for a white elephant exchange for Christmas Eve, which usually ends up being a gift card (yay!), although I have seen a Snuggie and a ukulele in the mix before.
For Kids: Think practical. Raincoats, umbrellas, and rain boots are on my list for the girls this year. I don’t love buying a bunch of plastic toys and I struggle because my 4-year-old only seems to want plastic junky toys. I try my best to look for deals and have found some great ones online. If I had to pick what to get the kids this year, I’d be buying bento boxes from Laptop Lunches for each of my girls. Each cute lunchbox comes with small storage containers for each snack, sandwich, or fruit. Pottery Barn Kids also sells similar sets of which you can get their names embroidered on. I want a backpack for my oldest daughter because even though she is only in preschool, she manages to sweet talk me into lugging her Ponty, her dog and bear stuffies, books from the library, and anything else she wants to bring to and from school. I’ve seen some cute backpacks at reasonable prices at amazon.com. I also am coveting a puppet theater and puppets for my girls. I think any gift that encourages creativity and imaginative play is a plus in my book. We also broke down and bought each girl a Pillow Pet, which my 2-year-old just loves. I will not discuss my 4-year-old’s reaction any further.
For Dads: My husband loves to read. Consider a gift card to a local bookstore. Or pick out some recommended books by his favorite author. The iPad is very pricey but perhaps your guy would love a Kindle? I think iTunes gift cards are also great because I know we have at least two new artists in the cue that we’d love to download. My dad seemed to always get new socks and underwear each year. Clothes are practical but pretty boring.
For Moms: (My favorite category of course because I get to think about what I would want). There is a great local source for women’s underwear that makes the best bamboo and cotton undies I have ever owned. Evoke Intimates started by a local mom of two small kids, makes the most adorable boy short style undies for women. You can also buy gift sets that make the best stocking stuffers. I also have a raincoat and rain boots on my wish list. Gift certificates to great nail salons like Bella Mia, Shangri-La, and others are a great way to go. I also recently went for a wax at the local Outer Beauty on East Washington and loved it! A gift certificate from there would make me a happy lady as well.
For Friends and Family: Homemade gifts are such a sweet way to go like ornaments from the kids, home made foods, jams, or produce baskets. Gift baskets with teas and coffees are great. Movie gift certificates wrapped up in a tub or bucket of popcorn make great gifts. Digital picture frames, calendars from online photo printing sites, and framed holiday pictures of the kids all make great presents for family members.
I really could go on and on with ideas of what to get people for the holidays, which is ironic because I don’t know how moms manage to get shopping done in the first place? I have three kids and only one gift to buy my Secret Santa person this year and I still manage to stress over it. I will always buy local first but I love finding things online because that way I don’t have to leave my home and navigate the crowded shopping centers with kids in tow. I have a love/hate relationship with the UPS drivers this time of year. I love having my gifts arrive so promptly but as the deliveries increase this time of year to all of the neighbors so does my dog’s barking.
Wishing you safe and happy holiday shopping. For me this year, as always, less is definitely more. Keep it sane people, keep it sane.