Christmas Chatter

[wildermom]

Christmas lover!!

I doubt we'll do much for Eliza. A few toys maybe but she doesn't need anything or know better...
DS is getting a mini race car to drive around. I swiped it on consignment for $50! He'll get a few more toys and books, but I try not to go overboard. Family goes nuts so he definitely won't be lacking. Before Christmas, I try to get rid of a few of his old toys. And after Christmas Day, I pack up about half of his presents to reintroduce over time. That way he really enjoys each one. Same goes for his birthday.

Also, for those wanting to cut down on the clutter - ask for memberships from family! We get one to the zoo, one for the Children's Museum, and one for the botanical gardens from various family members every year. Awesome gift that saves us tons and we use them like crazy, especially being a SAHM.

[ajetter]

Nov 3, 2015 13:26:06 GMT -5 queenb said:

I was talking to my best friend the other day about Christmas, her baby is 2 months older than B. I said something about a Santa gift and she told me they're not doing Santa because they don't want to lie to her. Hmm. I mean, their choice, but I'm wondering if this will ruin Santa for my little guy down the road...

I toyed with not doing Santa. It was never a huge deal in our family growing up, and it isn't so much that I care about lying to my kid, I just think the concept of Santa has the potential to be creepy. Weird dude in red suit creeps into your house...

I know. Ridiculous. BUT. We do Santa for basically the reason you said. I don't want to kill the magic for other families. So we'll play along until DD1 calls us out.

Shoot we do Elf on the Shelf because he preschool friends totally peer pressured me into it! What's your elf's name? Why didn't an elf come to your house?!?! Gah.

[ajetter]

As far as gifts go, the big girls are getting Alice + Ames twirly dresses, art supplies and probably some sort of toy. I don't have a clue what to get Thea. We've got plenty of clothes and toys. I'll probably go with one toy and some sort of handmade clothing item I've been wanting for her.

I've also been looking at personalized books like on www.iseeme.com or www.lostmy.name

[packmomma]

Where are you guys getting your stockings?

[mommabakes]

I have major love for Christmas!!! I've got Amazon wish lists going for both kids. I think Henry will be getting a set of sensory balls, some Matthew Van Fleet books (DD loved them, still does actually!), some wooden rattles/music toys, and a couple of teethers.
Plus we do a Christmas eve box which has new pjs and a book for each kid.

My ILs go nuts at Christmas, so they will get him a music table, some clothes, a first Christmas ornament, an Elf on the Shelf, and who knows what else.

My mom is much more about a small amount of quality gifts, partially due to lack of funds and partially due to religious beliefs-but I appreciate it way more because I know she puts a ton of thought into them.

I love wooden toys for the kids and Hape makes some great ones.

I wish I could talk my ILs into doing experience gifts like zoo and science museum memberships but MIL is very into having a huge pile of gifts for them :/

[ajetter]

mommabakes this is just a thought, but if your MIL likes to have something for them to open, maybe an inexpensive zoo themed puzzle with the membership to a zoo. Or an ocean themed book with an aquarium membership. I know my mom hates getting the memberships to stuff as gifts as well, but these kind of ideas have really helped.

[mommabakes]

Nov 4, 2015 7:24:04 GMT -5 ajetter said:

mommabakes this is just a thought, but if your MIL likes to have something for them to open, maybe an inexpensive zoo themed puzzle with the membership to a zoo. Or an ocean themed book with an aquarium membership. I know my mom hates getting the memberships to stuff as gifts as well, but these kind of ideas have really helped.

That's worth a shot, thanks for the idea!

[noname]

Nov 4, 2015 5:37:52 GMT -5 ajetter said:

As far as gifts go, the big girls are getting Alice + Ames twirly dresses, art supplies and probably some sort of toy. I don't have a clue what to get Thea. We've got plenty of clothes and toys. I'll probably go with one toy and some sort of handmade clothing item I've been wanting for her.

I've also been looking at personalized books like on www.iseeme.com or www.lostmy.name

We love the iseeme books! DD1 has 3- two birthday ones and the new sibling one. They are her favorites and I'm sure she'll like them even more once she can actually read. Right now she recognizes her name and gets really excited though.

[lindy]

Nov 4, 2015 6:22:33 GMT -5 packmomma said:

Where are you guys getting your stockings?

Pottery Barn Kids. I like them because they keep the same style of stockings for years so I got a matching one this year for stockings I originally bought in 2012.

[lindy]

I already have 2 sets of coordinating outfits and matching Christmas PJs for the kids too. Hopefully they all fit when December gets here!

[oopsiedaisies]

I bought Christmas pjs on sale at costco the other day! 6 bucks for Carters fleece footed jammies. :')

[esgrunner]

I plan to take E to a consignment store right before Christmas and let him pick out a couple of toys from Santa! Ha.

From us, we'll do the 4 gifts. What about the one he "Needs?" What is that for a baby?

[esgrunner]

Double post

[anaberry]

In my family Christmas is sacred, it's huge, it's family, it's thanksgiving, Easter, and the forth of July combined into a super holiday. We go nuts decorating the inside of the house and making sure there is a never ending cookie jar. We all still 'believe in Santa' adults believe in what he stands for - the excess need to love and give, kids believe in his magic.
We have pretty great traditions...
1. Early December kids find 6 things they want to donate - 3 toys and three articles of clothes
2. Then they make their list ( did you know theres a phone number to "call" santas workshop where kids leave a Message with the ir wish list and this Message is then copied to your voicemail? My H and I did this with my nephews a couple years back and worked great! Just make sure kids speak clearly into the receiver! I'll look for the number and post here when I find it
3 Christmas is celebrated on the eve. Dinner is served late and at midnight fire crackers go off and we exchange gifts. Kids loooove the excitement.
4. Christmas morning the kid who wakes up first has to wake up the rest of the family.
Open santas gifts, breakfast, and when kids go back to their rooms, they discover Santa left a present in their room that they somehow didn't see when they woke up.
They go bonkers when they think Santa was in their room and they missed him!
I'm psyched. I can't wait to have my own family Christmas traditions!

[melohdy]

First Christmas ornament, Christmas jammies, new A+A blanket, and maybe a jumparoo. That's it, really. Grandparents like to over do it.

In stocking - socks, new bottle

[flippinchica]

Nov 4, 2015 13:23:15 GMT -5 esgrunner said:

I plan to take E to a consignment store right before Christmas and let him pick out a couple of toys from Santa! Ha.

From us, we'll do the 4 gifts. What about the one he "Needs?" What is that for a baby?

I'm thinking diapers or a convertible car seat

[runningmommy519]

Here's a good question

Does Santa wrap your presents of did he?

Santa never wrapped our gifts. He just laid then out in little piles. Our stocking would be next to our pile so we didn't have issues with whose was whose.

[packmomma]

Nov 4, 2015 13:58:24 GMT -5 anaberry said:

In my family Christmas is sacred, it's huge, it's family, it's thanksgiving, Easter, and the forth of July combined into a super holiday. We go nuts decorating the inside of the house and making sure there is a never ending cookie jar. We all still 'believe in Santa' adults believe in what he stands for - the excess need to love and give, kids believe in his magic.
We have pretty great traditions...
1. Early December kids find 6 things they want to donate - 3 toys and three articles of clothes
2. Then they make their list ( did you know theres a phone number to "call" santas workshop where kids leave a Message with the ir wish list and this Message is then copied to your voicemail? My H and I did this with my nephews a couple years back and worked great! Just make sure kids speak clearly into the receiver! I'll look for the number and post here when I find it
3 Christmas is celebrated on the eve. Dinner is served late and at midnight fire crackers go off and we exchange gifts. Kids loooove the excitement.
4. Christmas morning the kid who wakes up first has to wake up the rest of the family.
Open santas gifts, breakfast, and when kids go back to their rooms, they discover Santa left a present in their room that they somehow didn't see when they woke up.
They go bonkers when they think Santa was in their room and they missed him!
I'm psyched. I can't wait to have my own family Christmas traditions!

Wow can I come to your house? That stuff sounds magical!

[anaberry]

The more the merrier packmomma!

[cupcakecutiern]

I'm just a Jew -- a lonely Jew on Christmas. lol

[queenb]

Nov 4, 2015 15:03:33 GMT -5 runningmommy519 said:

Here's a good question

Does Santa wrap your presents of did he?

Santa never wrapped our gifts. He just laid then out in little piles. Our stocking would be next to our pile so we didn't have issues with whose was whose.

Santa never wrapped our gifts either.

[runningmommy519]

Nov 4, 2015 16:19:17 GMT -5 queenb said:

Nov 4, 2015 15:03:33 GMT -5 runningmommy519 said:

Here's a good question

Does Santa wrap your presents of did he?

Santa never wrapped our gifts. He just laid then out in little piles. Our stocking would be next to our pile so we didn't have issues with whose was whose.

Santa never wrapped our gifts either.

I guess we must have been at the end of his route and he got lazy.

[runningmommy519]

Nov 4, 2015 16:25:17 GMT -5 @piedpiper07 said:

Nov 4, 2015 16:19:17 GMT -5 queenb said:

Santa never wrapped our gifts either.

Ours either. It was my parents' way of not having to get up to immediately open gifts. We could play with the santa gifts until they at least had coffee on. I like this plan haha.

We set out clocks for 2 or 3 am.

[tmclawchick]

I.LOVE.CHRISTMAS.

We kick off the season with the Elf on the Shelf (I caved and bought one a few years ago and DS loooooves it) breakfast after Thanksgiving, then all of December is spent in a whirlwind of holiday bliss Grandparents typically go overboard with presents, so DD and DS will get a few things from us and 1 or 2 gifts from Santa, plus their stockings. So excited!

[arimaythea]

Nov 4, 2015 6:22:50 GMT -5 mommabakes said:

I have major love for Christmas!!! I've got Amazon wish lists going for both kids. I think Henry will be getting a set of sensory balls, some Matthew Van Fleet books (DD loved them, still does actually!), some wooden rattles/music toys, and a couple of teethers.
Plus we do a Christmas eve box which has new pjs and a book for each kid.

My ILs go nuts at Christmas, so they will get him a music table, some clothes, a first Christmas ornament, an Elf on the Shelf, and who knows what else.

My mom is much more about a small amount of quality gifts, partially due to lack of funds and partially due to religious beliefs-but I appreciate it way more because I know she puts a ton of thought into them.

I love wooden toys for the kids and Hape makes some great ones.

I wish I could talk my ILs into doing experience gifts like zoo and science museum memberships but MIL is very into having a huge pile of gifts for them :/

I just started an Amazon wish list yesterday for LO and am loving the Hape wooden toys - I appreciate the recommendation!

[queenb]

I'm glad we have lots of Christmas lovers here! I always love it, but this year I'm *super* excited because it's my first Christmas as a mommy!! Also, last year my grandma died a week and a half before Christmas, and I was still super nervous about my pregnancy, so I wasn't in as much of a festive mood. Plus now I can drink all of the wine and baileys! (not together).

[bigcheese15]

Nov 4, 2015 16:14:04 GMT -5 cupcakecutiern said:

I'm just a Jew -- a lonely Jew on Christmas. lol

We are interfaith and trying to equally cover both sets of traditions with our kids. So instead of Elf on the Shelf, we went with the Mensch on a Bench. Bonus for us, we only have to come up with eight nights of creative things for the mensch to do.

www.amazon.com/Mensch-Bench-Hanukkah-Hardcover-Removable/dp/B00KSAA05M

[gingerygirl]

This year we will be adding to baby's book collection and maybe getting him an adorable outfit. I don't see the point in getting a ton of gifts for a five month old so we're going to keep it simple. I am really excited to have our first ever Christmas tree! This will be out first Christmas in our own place so I'm really looking forward to it.

[mkissa]

I'm a little late to this thread, but I just have to say I am so excited for Christmas this year!! I have not been excited for a Christmas since I was 17! I am so excited because it is my first Christmas as a mommy, because DH, Evelyn and I get to start our own holiday traditions. We also celebrate both Chanukah and Christmas so it will be even more special.

OUrWe are going to take our holiday pictures on November 19 when Miss E turns 3 months. So far we have new PJs for her and are planning on having an open house for family and friends to stop by whenever they want throughout the day for drinks and gifts and fun.

[misstunes]

I am obsessed with finding the biggest most obnoxious Christmas trees so we will keep that tradition going. I really want to do family Christmas photos because we have no pictures of the 3 of us together yet. We will probably keep gifts to a minimum and take advantage of the fact that everyone else will buy for her and she wont know better this year.