Christmas Gift Ideas

I’m taking a break from talking about my upcoming trip because every time I think about it I get nervous and that makes me want to vomit and I’m just a little done with vomit for a while. So instead I’m writing today about Christmas and the fact that the holiday season is quickly approaching.

I was digging through my archives yesterday and came across this post where I shared a few Christmas gift ideas.  I am not nearly as on the ball this year as I was last year (I had all of my Christmas shopping done by early November last year!), partly because I plan to do some shopping while I’m in Asia, and partly because I’m just feeling a little behind in general right now.

Having said that, however, I have picked up a few things and thought you might like some ideas for your own shopping list.  I always get a ton of catalogs in the mail this time of year.  My current favorite is called “Toys to Grow On” because it’s full of good quality, fun, educational items.  The first two items below are from that catalog, and I encourage you to look around their website and see what they have to offer.

Block Garages:
I bought the little garages at the bottom of this picture for my 2 year old nephew. He’s really into matchbox cars right now. These garages aren’t necessarily made for matchbox cars but I still think these might be a fun addition to his collection.

Lydia was looking through the catalog and came across this writing center.  Her eyes lit up and she turned to me and said, “Mommy, just think of all the stories I could write!”  SOLD.

I haven’t purchased any of the rest of these yet, but I’m passing along the ideas to grandparents and aunts and uncles. Bryn’s new thing is that she wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up. I think this looked like fun, and to be honest, I could definitely be talked into drawing right beside her!

I found the following things on Amazon:

This book is part of a series of dot-to-dot books. Some of the puzzles have over 1,000 dots. Can’t decide if that sounds fun or excruciating.

This book is also part of a series of coloring books for big kids. I think the designs look like fun to color!

My kids love these picture puzzles (so do I!):

And finally, I can’t imagine getting through elementary school without this series of books:

That’s all for the moment. Maybe I’ll have more ideas as we get closer to Christmas. In the meantime, I’m off to start organizing stuff for my trip. 4 days and counting!