It's November, so this is officially time to start talking about Christmas presents, right? I LOVE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING! I love it so much that I start when school starts, if not sooner.
Most of my kids' Christmas presents are currently hidden either in the top shelf of my closet or in a trunk in the garage, although I haven't procured the necessary stocking stuffers just yet.
We do a 100% debt-free Christmas every year, thanks completely to my savings accounts that automatically deduct from our paychecks. I pull out a certain amount every other week, 26 times throughout the year, so that we have enough cash to pay for the elaborate Christmas that I want to give my kids. It's just how we roll, and I have to be honest - it is AWESOME to not have to deal with Christmas bills after the holidays.
So anyway, people ask me every year what I recommend for gifts for different ages and stages, so I have compiled all of my suggestions through the years below. There are sections for:
- books - I think every child should get books under the Christmas tree!
- games - These are gifts that give to the whole family, not just the recipient.
- gifts by ages
- stocking stuffers
- gifts for moms and dads
I'll keep adding to this gift guide as new things come up through the holiday season, so stop back any time you need inspiration!
Books I Recommend for Christmas 2018
We are major readers at my house, easily owning over a thousand books and frequently donating the overflow to our local library. There's a constant stream of books into and out of my house, and I like it that way as it exposes my kids to all kinds of new ideas and stories and authors and words. Lots and lots of words.
Here are our favorite children's books (adult books are in the moms and dads section at the bottom of this post):
Don't overlook the power and wonder of a good audiobook. We listen to audiobooks every time we're in the car, which means we've listened to hundreds upon hundreds of ours of amazing literature, everything from the Chronicles of Narnia to the Little House series to Harry Potter. The post below contains our favorites.
Games I Recommend for Christmas 2018
If books are our best friends, games are our beloved cousins. We play games all the time: family game nights as well as spontaneous matches in the afternoons and lunch times. Sometimes one or two of us will play a game, sometimes it's the whole family. We have games for non-readers and more sophisticated games that are mostly reading. There are games that I play only with Allie (who's almost 8) and only with Grace (who's 11 going on 17), and even a couple that only Joe and I play together.
Here are our favorite games, beginning with games for families with non-readers or struggling readers:
Age & Interest Specific Christmas 2018 Gift Guides
I am a girl mom. I have two children, both daughters, so I can't really speak to gifts appropriate for boys. There are lots of things on the lists below that might interest boys, but I'm sure there are also a lot of things that will not interest boys at all. I would like to say that there's something for everyone here, but if you're a boy mom, I'd love to hear your gift ideas in the comments below.
This next one is for the early elementary age, maybe kindergarten to 2nd grade.
Stocking Stuffers I Recommend for Christmas 2018
I just shared this post last week. It took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to come up with so many suggestions, but I loved doing it because I love online shopping! It was like shopping for all your kids in addition to my own.
Of course, I found a thing or two (or twenty-seven) that my own kids need so I will have some decisions to make before I hit the buy button on my Amazon cart.
Gifts for Adults for Christmas 2018
There are literally hundreds of Christmas gift suggestions and ideas in the links above, so I'm sure you'll find something for everyone in your family including boys and girls, adults and kids. Let me know what Christmas gifts you're considering this year below in the comments.
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