My kids are grown but my 23 yo son still lives at home .. So I still love shopping for him.. now I tend to get practical gifts like bedding, Nike shoes, and he loves everything hockey and Harry Potter.. so I got him some Pittsburgh Penguins photos to hang on his newly painted walls... I got him Harry Potter tshirt and pajama pants plus Lord of The Rings pajama pants and a T-shirt.. we got him a few movies and books and he collects Harry Potter sculptures..
IVery fun ideas!:) I love the rainbow :) I noticed that what Americans / Canadian call "minimal" in Europe (or maybe just where I live, in Poland) will be considered a huge amount of gifts!
We have a 2.5 year old little girl. We also use a minimal approach/experiences. We bought her a yearly zoo pass for her big gift because she’s obsessed with the animals. For her gifts under the tree we also got her wooden dollhouse furniture and small dolls to fit the furniture (from hape brand, can be found on amazon), duplo blocks, and the Mrs potato head to go with her Mr potato head
I have a 4 year old boy, almost 3 year old boy, and 1 year old girl and we did one gift each. Both boys got new mattresses and a shared twin bunk bed when we moved this summer, so we found a Minecraft bed set for our 4 year old and a trucks/car bed set for our almost three year old. For our girl we got a giraffe inflatable riding toy. Her brothers already have a horse and scooter version and LOVE bouncing around on them. Everything else is hand crocheted by me for their stocking stuffers.
I’m curious of how you handle the gifts your kids get that maybe don’t align with your family. Like light up signing plastic toys or close ended type of toys that don’t inspire imagination? Your house seems so Montessori. We follow Montessori and get so many toys that are not Montessori!
We have a 2.5 year old who we bought an outdoor/indoor slide and basketball net attached, as well as a sensory swing! The swing can hold up to 200 lbs easily and there is a lot of sturdy fabric like a hammock. I have not bought anything for our 3 month old because she has all of her sister’s baby toys and clothes from family. Really just having her take in the Christmas holiday and document as much as possible! She’s being baptized right after the new year so our focus is cherishing these new milestones rather than spend money on frivolous items
This is my first year celebrating Christmas as a mom! (I had a colic newborn last year). We are deciding to make our own version of the 4 Gift Rule and expanding it a bit. It is resulting in only 2-3 toys per child. The main toys I'm getting him are a Little People Car Wash Set, a toddler broom set, and a Pikler triangle. The rest of the gifts are his 24-month sized clothing, a couple of books, and a plastic free travel straw cup!
Love your gift philosophy! For my 2 years old, we plan to give her a pj, a seek and find book and a princess dress! And she will probably received a few other gifts from family members. We also try to be intentionnal with toys. 😊
I also got my girls the yoto player as a gift this year! I was nervous about it taking away the desire to read stories… so hopefully that doesn’t happen! But I am excited because I think my three year old will really love it especially for her quiet times too.
Yoto is on of our favourites, it's gets used daily. Play couch is another daily use. I found a sit on crane digger for my son and this week I found a slide to go with the play couch, both used so better deal! Also he's getting makedo tools and more!
We only do one gift per child + stockings. My 5 y.o is getting a telescope, my 3 y.o is getting one of the Maxi Maileg mice, and my 1 y.o is getting a snow suit. With stockings and gifts from family members too, more would feel overwhelming to me!
@@katemiller7874 yes! Absolutely! my kids chose their gift and are very happy! They also get overwhelmed when we have too much stuff 😊 I highly recommend Ashley Ember's RUclips video on childhood and the culture of ultra consumption. More does not equal better ❤️😘
@@ifimjuliet Love this - more does not equal better! I would much rather gift my child one or two high quality gifts than a bunch of low-quality junk. When we grow up we don't remember how many gifts we got, we remember the Christmas traditions and time spent with loved ones. I could maybe name a few gifts I got across the years, but I could name many more wonderful Christmas traditions that I can continue with my children. Love that Ashley Ember RUclips video, the Buy Now doco on Netflix is also great and eye-opening.
@@katemiller7874 it's both, if a parent is feeling overwhelmed by the stuff, you can bet the kids are too. We have studies to show that kids engage in deeper, longer play with fewer things. They don't need a whole bunch of stuff to have a Merry Christmas.
Here in the Netherlands we celebrate Sinterklaas (Saint Nicolas) on the 5th Dec (6th in Belgium) children receive cookies,chocolate and gifts from Sinterklaas. His arrival from Spain by boat with all the presents is highly anticipated in the entire country ! 🥰 Christmas is less focus on gifts and more on gathering with family but let’s be honest kids also receive presents (they are told it is from their parents not from Santa Claus). AND my son is born on Dec 30th (due date was on Christmas Day)😅😅 so December is very busy and expensive … (I usually give him a present for Easter too - something for the warmer season such as toys for the garden, a bike or mud kitchen in the past) otherwise he has nothing the rest of the year.. these are the gifts he will be receiving spread across the three celebrations mentioned above//gifted by relatives and friends as well : an expansion set for his brio train set + expansion for his magnatiles set, mini yoto player + cards, Connectix tubes ball run, giant life size human body puzzle by Janod (French brand), Plus Plus puzzle (danish brand), various books, figurines, hot wheels cars for his garage, a vintage rocket and cargo plane from thunderbirds a British kids show from 1965 - toys are from 90s! Found second hand by my husband (he used to play with these as a little boy), finally some art and crafts supply
I have a similar electronic drum set for my son, just be warned that even the lowest volume setting I found very loud! Just don’t startle yourself like I did opening it up 😅
I’m pregnant with our first and am already spinning my head pondering what our household traditions will be. I grew up in no-religion, classic overspending “Santa Claus” household in the USA. My husband did not. Fast forward to being baptized and striving to develop myself in the Christian faith and our family values.. our norm is to not participate in Christmas gifts as a rule, and then here and there I will splurge on something for someone in the family or worse, feel guilty about my side of family members who don’t get why we don’t do gifts and just focus on Christ. The expectation is just so palpable and makes me feel guilty for not reciprocating. For those who do gifts, I don’t judge at all- and was used to Christmas mornings of opening presents… but in going from “because Santa brought them and we just piled on more because it’s Christmas “ to… “Christmas is about the birth of Christ and time together as a family with our devotions and gratitude,” ….I kindly wonder what is the basis behind Christian households giving gifts? Is it simply the wheel of consumerism telling us it’s normal? I’m having a hard time drawing a link to this middle ground between the stark black and white sides. I am a little lost is all and welcome to anyone kindly sharing their family values/teachings through the route of giving stuff at Christmas. So far I don’t think we will adjust, just for having had a child.. the focus feels more appropriate for a birthday.. but I just don’t know how to navigate this.
Great question! ❤️ Some thoughts on this! First - I love that Christmas is one of the only Christian holidays that society gathers around and still recognizes Christian values as well - love, joy, peace, generosity etc… and I think the giving element is a really beautiful picture and representation of the greatest gift of all - Jesus. God set the most extravagant example of what it looks like to be generous towards us in the gift of His Son, which is what the season is all about! The tradition of gift giving at Christmas is also tied to the history of the magi (three wise men) bringing gifts to baby Jesus after His birth - the generosity of God spurring the generosity of others. If anything, I think giving gifts around Christmas time is a beautiful way demonstrate love towards others, in and outside of our family units. We are blessed to be a blessing and it is “more blessed to give than to receive” (from acts 20:35). Ultimately I think it comes down to two things - your heart as a parent in gift giving and the heart of your child. Why are you giving your children gifts/what is the reason you give the gifts you give? If it’s to buy their love or to give yourself a pat on the back, that’s the wrong heart. If it’s because you want to bless your child with pure intentions I think that’s a wonderful thing! Same thing with your child. If you are noticing that gifts around Christmas are really becoming a heart issue for them that’s a great parenting opportunity to redirect and shape their heart towards Jesus and the real meaning behind Christmas. It’s our job as parents to both determine what makes sense for our families and children in gift giving while also keeping the narrative about Christmas on Jesus very intentionally. I don’t think removing gifts from the equation is the only way to do that - I think there’s potential it could lead to resentment if not handled delicately. I think it’s also worth asking yourself where that thought comes from (I.e not giving gifts) - i don’t want to assume anything because it’s quite personal obviously, but explore where that’s coming from, whether it’s something you heard someone teach on in the past, a feeling you have after experiencing overconsumption at Christmas in the past, etc… and then try to line those feelings/convictions up with scripture and what you know about the character of God (and Jesus). If overconsumption is a strong conviction for you there are other ways to give gifts to your children, even by giving them intentional, homemade gifts. Every follower of Jesus needs to follow their own convictions at the end of the day, but I hope this can bring some colour as to why we gleefully celebrate this season by exchanging gifts with those around us, and living generously! ❤️
@ Thank you for your heartfelt and thoughtful reply 💗 You are intentional with your words and I was hoping I could receive a reply from you to my ramblings. Thank you for your support and thought provoking points. I will continue to pray on this. Merry Christmas to you and your family, your content is peaceful joy to the busy day.
I love your videos. I really do. I love that you bought local and some handmade things. Then you said, "Temu is sketchy" . . .which it is for a reason. They are known for having only slave labored made items. Your child's dollhouse was made by a slave. That is not worth it, even if you think it is cute and you wanted it so badly. I work for a non-profit fighting human trafficking and am the resources adviser who has to research companies and reach out to them regularly to find out the supply chain line, etc, so I am not saying what I did to be mean, I am saying it out of professional understanding and knowledge. As Christians especially, we are called to a higher standard and need to know where our items are coming from and who makes them. I don't buy presents for my kids. We have special events planned with them. We are going to one this weekend and are very excited about it.
The dollhouse was made by a friend, it was the dollhouse furniture that she bought off Temu. But I agree, I will never buy anything off Temu, Shein or similar sites and I will only buy quality brands that we can't otherwise easily get in Australia from Amazon - none of the sketchy brands that are probably using the same labour practices as Temu. With a successful RUclips channel (sponsors in every video), I am sure that she could at least afford a Target-level brand. Buying from companies like Temu is absolutely awful in every way, especially for Christians. I recycle or throw out anything bought for my child from Temu, I don't even want to donate it because high levels of heavy metals and other nasties have been found in their products and I don't want to pass that on to other children.
Oh wow, so much worse than I even realized!! Thank you for sharing. This is the first and only order I’ve ever placed with them and the dollhouse furniture is weeks late. Who knows if it will ever arrive. Definitely won’t be ordering from them again!
The main goal in ordering here was to replace exact, original pieces that came in the dollhouse when it was first gifted to my daughter - as far as I know something like miniature books can’t be purchased from a store like target (which we don’t have in Canada) but maybe you know of another brand that has them?
I just don't understand how this is minimalistic 😅 but regardless, loved the ideas! I have kids with similar ages. We've decided to skip gifts this year (they get a ton of them from family and friends and we have a tendency of giving out gifts often during the year), but we will be taking the oldest one to a kids concert. We have been able to instruct grandparents and closest friends with what she needs / likes the most, so I think there won't be waste yey. :)
Aw that’s so exciting! Love the idea of gifting an experience. I hope to do that too when our kids are a bit older and can understand it! And really?! I feel like 3 things per child isn’t much but maybe I’m used to seeing huge toy hauls that people give their kids for their Christmas 😂
@@BethGraceMoore I mean, I love that you do you and follow your gut when it comes to gifting your kids. Because I feel like I'm constantly buying them stuff (small gifts) I don't feel bad for not buying something specific for Christmas. Maybe when the day comes I'll go out and buy something small, who knows. But yesterday at my oldest Waldorf's school I almost felt shamed for even buying anything at all, so it's refreshing to see other counscious parents (or, shall i say, normal-good parents) do it and be fine about it. Everything is so problematized these days.
@ No kidding eh!! Honestly I don’t buy my kids any toys during the year except books 😂 haha which sometimes I feel bad about but I tell them they can make their requests around birthdays and Christmas, so in our house it’s just flipped!
We don't buy ours gifts throughout the year. He might get 1 or 2 small things if he's done something we're exceptionally proud of, but we definitely do more than 3 presents at Xmas and bday, which is in January. We don't have a lot of friends or family buying him gifts, so 80% of it falls on us. We probably do about 7 gifts for each event, and we do our best to pick things that are very open ended or not very age specific. And we usually get expansion packs for at least one toy from the year before that was well loved all year long. This year the Magna tiles are getting expanded and we think he will lose his mind from excitement. He's played with them almost every day for the last year, so they were definitely the stand out toy. It's fascinating to see which toys end up being the winners because there's always at least one surprise we didn't expect. And we started something new this year. He got to pick one present from the store that he really wanted, and knows it's for Xmas, but doesn't get to open it until then I think we're going to keep the tradition. He felt really grown up picking it out for himself and its been a great distraction from him asking about the unknown presents. He's also outgrown a lot of the previous toys developmentally so a lot of them are actually going to be boxed up for future sibling. So it currently looks like he's got so many, but about half of them will be leaving his toy shelves. I love your choices and intentionality in the gift choices and how you really look for good quality ones. Every family is different and if 3 per kid is the right number for you guys, then that's the right number. 😊
I love your parenting and your videos, but let me just say that this is not what I expected! 😂 I now see that this is very much a cultural difference, but holy smokes kids get a lot of gifts these days! (Yours is definitely minimal after diving further in what other american/canadian parents post about buying for their kids. But still!) My son gets one gift from us for every occasion, which never seemed strange to me as he also gets a gift from his grandparents, aunt,.. and I already feel like he has way too much (he is only 2!) I'm just wondering where parents put all these gifts and what happens to them! Do you put them away after the party and then slowly reintroduce them to the kids over time or do they get everything at once and maybe you start rotating?
Definitely cultural differences. I grew up in Norway, and got between 1-3 high-quality gifts from my parents for christmas. Then I moved to America and married my husband. The thing I have noticed is that people love to give themed gifts, gift baskets, and a bunch of little things. Which typically breaks fairly easily. I typically gift in the 3 gift range. Last year we tried the American huge christmas, and it was so overwhelming for us and the kids. The kids got bored of opening them after 5 or so gifts. So this year, we scaled back to 3 gifts per child again. The thing we do to not get overwhelmed with new items is gifting in the same categories they already have toys from. For example, this year they are getting a duplo train and more duplos for their collection. It all will go in our designated duplo box. In the same way, we have a magnatiles drawer, a dress up basket, an art basket, and a basket for play food. As long as we keep to those categories, it doesn't get to overwhelming. And if we were to buy something outside of those categories we will make sure we have a spot for it. All this being said, I think the typical American experience is being overwhelmed by all the new things on christmas. But maybe not? We have a tiny 600 square feet home. Whereas a lot of Americans own homes well over 2000 square feet. If we lived in a bigger space, I don't think it would be such a big deal having a bunch of toys
@@isabelsmith6259 I'm in Australia and it's become the same here with an insane amount of low-quality gifts. It's my daughter's first real Christmas (she was only a month old last year) and we're sticking to the 1-3 gift range and requesting that our parents do the same (ideally just one from them). I have purchased high-quality things that should still be being played with in our house in 5 or 10 years - a small set of high-quality Connetix magnatiles, some wooden peg dolls from Tenderleaf and a set of farm animals from Schleich (really tried to find these secondhand but couldn't sadly). Even that feels like waaay too much but I know they will be well loved in the years to come and I will cut back even more next year. I think kids and parents do get overwhelmed even when they have more space, toddlers in particular. I've already noticed that my toddler won't independently play when she has too many options on her shelf. I've had to reduce the number of books available to less than 10 and I stick to 4 or 5 small baskets of different toys (instruments, little people, blocks, play scarves and a shape puzzle at the moment) and even then she still sometimes gets overwhelmed. I think parents think they're giving their kids a magical Christmas, and certainly a few gifts are nice. But when we grow up is it the gifts or the traditions that we remember? I remember Christmas breakfasts, my aunt's amazing cheese pastizzis, bocci or crochet on the lawn, watching the ballroom dance championships on boxing day, decorating the Christmas pavlova, playing water polo with my family. Our kids want experiences, quality time, creative and imaginative play with us. I think we need to reframe Christmas and stop being fooled by advertising and social media. I loved the recent Netlix doco "Buy Now" which goes through all the marketing tricks companies use to get us to buy more crap we don't need. So many mums feel overwhelmed and I think "stuff" is largely to blame. end rant lol
@PixieStixRainbow i totally agree! I remember all the delicious meals, and the smell of them being made. Decorating the tree with my family. Hot chocolate and cardamom buns. Watching the same movies as a family every year. And in general just being together. That's what our kids really care about. The more we have simplified the easier life has gotten. At first I thought I must be an awful mom for getting rid of so much, but they have played so much better since :)
@@isabelsmith6259 I really like your category idea! Will see how we can incorporate this a bit more are he grows up. And it's true that when too many gifts are being opened they just end up being scattered around. While with my son getting fewer toys, he immediately just starts playing all night with what he gets. My experience with an american christmas was also overwhelming, but I figured it was just the family that I was visiting. I had no idea this is standard craziness! 😂
@@PixieStixRainbow oh how fun! My son is also getting Schleich animals and we are hoping to build on to that collection for him. Those tiles are something for his birthday as we stick to one gift per time. But I definitely agree that the shopping craziness has gotten way way out of hand. My biggest must haves for christmas is visiting our family (always at my moms house since grams passed, always with a BEAUTIFUL Christmas tree and lots of lights, the same Christmas classics CD playing, and a beautiful fireplace going. Also usually the same appetizers because why change something awesome?!)
What are you guys planning to give your kids for Christmas this year? Anyone else done shopping or are you still deciding?! ❤
Do grandparents/family give gifts on top of this?
Books and an excavator toy. His grandparents (two sets), aunts and uncles gift as well.
Filming it tonight 😅. We had a shipment debacle so I am a little late. The thing I am most excited for is the wind play from kiwico
My kids are grown but my 23 yo son still lives at home ..
So I still love shopping for him.. now I tend to get practical gifts like bedding, Nike shoes, and he loves everything hockey and Harry Potter.. so I got him some Pittsburgh Penguins photos to hang on his newly painted walls... I got him Harry Potter tshirt and pajama pants plus Lord of The Rings pajama pants and a T-shirt.. we got him a few movies and books and he collects Harry Potter sculptures..
I love that these gifts aren’t over the top while still being amazing & fun gifts. Very relatable. 😊
Unrelated to the video but just have to say your hair color right now is STUNNING on you ❤
@@hayleyblake3311 AH thank you so much!! I’m loving it too - definitely going to do it again when it grows out a bit more 😍
IVery fun ideas!:) I love the rainbow :) I noticed that what Americans / Canadian call "minimal" in Europe (or maybe just where I live, in Poland) will be considered a huge amount of gifts!
The rainbow 🌈 toy is really special . Such a great investment in my opinion!!
I love watching your videos, Beth! They help me feel so grounded and reassured as a new parent. Thank you!
We have a 2.5 year old little girl. We also use a minimal approach/experiences. We bought her a yearly zoo pass for her big gift because she’s obsessed with the animals. For her gifts under the tree we also got her wooden dollhouse furniture and small dolls to fit the furniture (from hape brand, can be found on amazon), duplo blocks, and the Mrs potato head to go with her Mr potato head
I have a 4 year old boy, almost 3 year old boy, and 1 year old girl and we did one gift each. Both boys got new mattresses and a shared twin bunk bed when we moved this summer, so we found a Minecraft bed set for our 4 year old and a trucks/car bed set for our almost three year old. For our girl we got a giraffe inflatable riding toy. Her brothers already have a horse and scooter version and LOVE bouncing around on them. Everything else is hand crocheted by me for their stocking stuffers.
I’m curious of how you handle the gifts your kids get that maybe don’t align with your family. Like light up signing plastic toys or close ended type of toys that don’t inspire imagination? Your house seems so Montessori. We follow Montessori and get so many toys that are not Montessori!
What great toys! It’s my son’s first Christmas this year. So special! Thank you for inspiring my own RUclips channel! ❤️🎄
We have a 2.5 year old who we bought an outdoor/indoor slide and basketball net attached, as well as a sensory swing! The swing can hold up to 200 lbs easily and there is a lot of sturdy fabric like a hammock.
I have not bought anything for our 3 month old because she has all of her sister’s baby toys and clothes from family. Really just having her take in the Christmas holiday and document as much as possible! She’s being baptized right after the new year so our focus is cherishing these new milestones rather than spend money on frivolous items
I also have a 2.5 year old and an almost 3 month old :) same for my younger son, my eldest will get a bike.
You are glowing. That color looks beautiful on you!
Wait I love the drum set idea!!
This is my first year celebrating Christmas as a mom! (I had a colic newborn last year). We are deciding to make our own version of the 4 Gift Rule and expanding it a bit. It is resulting in only 2-3 toys per child.
The main toys I'm getting him are a Little People Car Wash Set, a toddler broom set, and a Pikler triangle. The rest of the gifts are his 24-month sized clothing, a couple of books, and a plastic free travel straw cup!
I’m getting them PJS, socks, and my 2 year old girl, a baby doll, with a stroller! And for my son, a truck 🥹❤️
Love your gift philosophy! For my 2 years old, we plan to give her a pj, a seek and find book and a princess dress! And she will probably received a few other gifts from family members. We also try to be intentionnal with toys. 😊
I also got my girls the yoto player as a gift this year! I was nervous about it taking away the desire to read stories… so hopefully that doesn’t happen! But I am excited because I think my three year old will really love it especially for her quiet times too.
I got whiplash the way I pushed your video notification so fast😅☺️
Hahahaha love this
Not sure if you have a hobby lobby near you but they have some CUTE dollhouse things at a really great price!
@@helenaschwartz4402 ahhh no Hobby Lobby in Canada but I wish 😭
Yoto is on of our favourites, it's gets used daily. Play couch is another daily use. I found a sit on crane digger for my son and this week I found a slide to go with the play couch, both used so better deal! Also he's getting makedo tools and more!
Can I please ask what “play couch” is? ☺️
Red looks incredible on you!!❤
Books are the best for kids to grow up with ❤️
The only thing I buy my kids year round 😉
Great gift ideas
Where is your sweater from?
Maileg fam here too. I feel youuuu haha. Love these gift ideas!
We only do one gift per child + stockings. My 5 y.o is getting a telescope, my 3 y.o is getting one of the Maxi Maileg mice, and my 1 y.o is getting a snow suit. With stockings and gifts from family members too, more would feel overwhelming to me!
Same. Am lucky to have several family members who gift so I hold back to 1 item for my son otherwise he becomes overwhelmed.
It’s not about you. It’s about the kids.
@@katemiller7874 yes! Absolutely! my kids chose their gift and are very happy! They also get overwhelmed when we have too much stuff 😊 I highly recommend Ashley Ember's RUclips video on childhood and the culture of ultra consumption. More does not equal better ❤️😘
@@ifimjuliet Love this - more does not equal better! I would much rather gift my child one or two high quality gifts than a bunch of low-quality junk. When we grow up we don't remember how many gifts we got, we remember the Christmas traditions and time spent with loved ones. I could maybe name a few gifts I got across the years, but I could name many more wonderful Christmas traditions that I can continue with my children. Love that Ashley Ember RUclips video, the Buy Now doco on Netflix is also great and eye-opening.
@@katemiller7874 it's both, if a parent is feeling overwhelmed by the stuff, you can bet the kids are too. We have studies to show that kids engage in deeper, longer play with fewer things. They don't need a whole bunch of stuff to have a Merry Christmas.
Here in the Netherlands we celebrate Sinterklaas (Saint Nicolas) on the 5th Dec (6th in Belgium) children receive cookies,chocolate and gifts from Sinterklaas. His arrival from Spain by boat with all the presents is highly anticipated in the entire country ! 🥰 Christmas is less focus on gifts and more on gathering with family but let’s be honest kids also receive presents (they are told it is from their parents not from Santa Claus). AND my son is born on Dec 30th (due date was on Christmas Day)😅😅 so December is very busy and expensive … (I usually give him a present for Easter too - something for the warmer season such as toys for the garden, a bike or mud kitchen in the past) otherwise he has nothing the rest of the year.. these are the gifts he will be receiving spread across the three celebrations mentioned above//gifted by relatives and friends as well : an expansion set for his brio train set + expansion for his magnatiles set, mini yoto player + cards, Connectix tubes ball run, giant life size human body puzzle by Janod (French brand), Plus Plus puzzle (danish brand), various books, figurines, hot wheels cars for his garage, a vintage rocket and cargo plane from thunderbirds a British kids show from 1965 - toys are from 90s! Found second hand by my husband (he used to play with these as a little boy), finally some art and crafts supply
Don’t leave the tonka outside because it will rust! I gave ir to my son for outdoor to play with dirt sand ect but it rusted 😢
We got our 9 month old a Lovevery Toy Kit and fleece booties for winter ❄️
Love that! Fleece booties is so smart!
I have a similar electronic drum set for my son, just be warned that even the lowest volume setting I found very loud! Just don’t startle yourself like I did opening it up 😅
Oh my gosh haha so good to know, thank you for the warning 😂
Pls tell us doll house brand
I’m pregnant with our first and am already spinning my head pondering what our household traditions will be. I grew up in no-religion, classic overspending “Santa Claus” household in the USA. My husband did not. Fast forward to being baptized and striving to develop myself in the Christian faith and our family values.. our norm is to not participate in Christmas gifts as a rule, and then here and there I will splurge on something for someone in the family or worse, feel guilty about my side of family members who don’t get why we don’t do gifts and just focus on Christ. The expectation is just so palpable and makes me feel guilty for not reciprocating.
For those who do gifts, I don’t judge at all- and was used to Christmas mornings of opening presents… but in going from “because Santa brought them and we just piled on more because it’s Christmas “ to… “Christmas is about the birth of Christ and time together as a family with our devotions and gratitude,” ….I kindly wonder what is the basis behind Christian households giving gifts? Is it simply the wheel of consumerism telling us it’s normal? I’m having a hard time drawing a link to this middle ground between the stark black and white sides. I am a little lost is all and welcome to anyone kindly sharing their family values/teachings through the route of giving stuff at Christmas.
So far I don’t think we will adjust, just for having had a child.. the focus feels more appropriate for a birthday.. but I just don’t know how to navigate this.
Great question! ❤️ Some thoughts on this! First - I love that Christmas is one of the only Christian holidays that society gathers around and still recognizes Christian values as well - love, joy, peace, generosity etc… and I think the giving element is a really beautiful picture and representation of the greatest gift of all - Jesus. God set the most extravagant example of what it looks like to be generous towards us in the gift of His Son, which is what the season is all about! The tradition of gift giving at Christmas is also tied to the history of the magi (three wise men) bringing gifts to baby Jesus after His birth - the generosity of God spurring the generosity of others. If anything, I think giving gifts around Christmas time is a beautiful way demonstrate love towards others, in and outside of our family units. We are blessed to be a blessing and it is “more blessed to give than to receive” (from acts 20:35).
Ultimately I think it comes down to two things - your heart as a parent in gift giving and the heart of your child. Why are you giving your children gifts/what is the reason you give the gifts you give? If it’s to buy their love or to give yourself a pat on the back, that’s the wrong heart. If it’s because you want to bless your child with pure intentions I think that’s a wonderful thing! Same thing with your child. If you are noticing that gifts around Christmas are really becoming a heart issue for them that’s a great parenting opportunity to redirect and shape their heart towards Jesus and the real meaning behind Christmas. It’s our job as parents to both determine what makes sense for our families and children in gift giving while also keeping the narrative about Christmas on Jesus very intentionally. I don’t think removing gifts from the equation is the only way to do that - I think there’s potential it could lead to resentment if not handled delicately. I think it’s also worth asking yourself where that thought comes from (I.e not giving gifts) - i don’t want to assume anything because it’s quite personal obviously, but explore where that’s coming from, whether it’s something you heard someone teach on in the past, a feeling you have after experiencing overconsumption at Christmas in the past, etc… and then try to line those feelings/convictions up with scripture and what you know about the character of God (and Jesus). If overconsumption is a strong conviction for you there are other ways to give gifts to your children, even by giving them intentional, homemade gifts.
Every follower of Jesus needs to follow their own convictions at the end of the day, but I hope this can bring some colour as to why we gleefully celebrate this season by exchanging gifts with those around us, and living generously! ❤️
@ Thank you for your heartfelt and thoughtful reply 💗 You are intentional with your words and I was hoping I could receive a reply from you to my ramblings. Thank you for your support and thought provoking points. I will continue to pray on this.
Merry Christmas to you and your family, your content is peaceful joy to the busy day.
I love your videos. I really do. I love that you bought local and some handmade things.
Then you said, "Temu is sketchy" . . .which it is for a reason. They are known for having only slave labored made items. Your child's dollhouse was made by a slave. That is not worth it, even if you think it is cute and you wanted it so badly. I work for a non-profit fighting human trafficking and am the resources adviser who has to research companies and reach out to them regularly to find out the supply chain line, etc, so I am not saying what I did to be mean, I am saying it out of professional understanding and knowledge. As Christians especially, we are called to a higher standard and need to know where our items are coming from and who makes them.
I don't buy presents for my kids. We have special events planned with them. We are going to one this weekend and are very excited about it.
The dollhouse was made by a friend, it was the dollhouse furniture that she bought off Temu.
But I agree, I will never buy anything off Temu, Shein or similar sites and I will only buy quality brands that we can't otherwise easily get in Australia from Amazon - none of the sketchy brands that are probably using the same labour practices as Temu. With a successful RUclips channel (sponsors in every video), I am sure that she could at least afford a Target-level brand. Buying from companies like Temu is absolutely awful in every way, especially for Christians. I recycle or throw out anything bought for my child from Temu, I don't even want to donate it because high levels of heavy metals and other nasties have been found in their products and I don't want to pass that on to other children.
Oh wow, so much worse than I even realized!! Thank you for sharing. This is the first and only order I’ve ever placed with them and the dollhouse furniture is weeks late. Who knows if it will ever arrive. Definitely won’t be ordering from them again!
The main goal in ordering here was to replace exact, original pieces that came in the dollhouse when it was first gifted to my daughter - as far as I know something like miniature books can’t be purchased from a store like target (which we don’t have in Canada) but maybe you know of another brand that has them?
@@BethGraceMoore no sorry, I'm in Australia. It can be hard to find things like that locally here too. Could be a fun DIY?
@@BethGraceMoore Did you check out Etsy items? Definitely nice to get handmade dollhouse items.
The only Maileg thing that’s $100 is the actual dollhouse… correct me if I’m wrong
@@melbop618 the dollhouse is $422 in Canada… the Maileg mini stove alone for the kitchen is $108 😂
Been waiting for this!! ❤️
I just don't understand how this is minimalistic 😅 but regardless, loved the ideas! I have kids with similar ages. We've decided to skip gifts this year (they get a ton of them from family and friends and we have a tendency of giving out gifts often during the year), but we will be taking the oldest one to a kids concert. We have been able to instruct grandparents and closest friends with what she needs / likes the most, so I think there won't be waste yey. :)
Aw that’s so exciting! Love the idea of gifting an experience. I hope to do that too when our kids are a bit older and can understand it!
And really?! I feel like 3 things per child isn’t much but maybe I’m used to seeing huge toy hauls that people give their kids for their Christmas 😂
@@BethGraceMoore I mean, I love that you do you and follow your gut when it comes to gifting your kids. Because I feel like I'm constantly buying them stuff (small gifts) I don't feel bad for not buying something specific for Christmas. Maybe when the day comes I'll go out and buy something small, who knows. But yesterday at my oldest Waldorf's school I almost felt shamed for even buying anything at all, so it's refreshing to see other counscious parents (or, shall i say, normal-good parents) do it and be fine about it. Everything is so problematized these days.
@ No kidding eh!! Honestly I don’t buy my kids any toys during the year except books 😂 haha which sometimes I feel bad about but I tell them they can make their requests around birthdays and Christmas, so in our house it’s just flipped!
We don't buy ours gifts throughout the year. He might get 1 or 2 small things if he's done something we're exceptionally proud of, but we definitely do more than 3 presents at Xmas and bday, which is in January. We don't have a lot of friends or family buying him gifts, so 80% of it falls on us. We probably do about 7 gifts for each event, and we do our best to pick things that are very open ended or not very age specific.
And we usually get expansion packs for at least one toy from the year before that was well loved all year long. This year the Magna tiles are getting expanded and we think he will lose his mind from excitement. He's played with them almost every day for the last year, so they were definitely the stand out toy.
It's fascinating to see which toys end up being the winners because there's always at least one surprise we didn't expect.
And we started something new this year. He got to pick one present from the store that he really wanted, and knows it's for Xmas, but doesn't get to open it until then
I think we're going to keep the tradition. He felt really grown up picking it out for himself and its been a great distraction from him asking about the unknown presents.
He's also outgrown a lot of the previous toys developmentally so a lot of them are actually going to be boxed up for future sibling. So it currently looks like he's got so many, but about half of them will be leaving his toy shelves.
I love your choices and intentionality in the gift choices and how you really look for good quality ones. Every family is different and if 3 per kid is the right number for you guys, then that's the right number. 😊
It’s minimal trust me.
I love your parenting and your videos, but let me just say that this is not what I expected! 😂 I now see that this is very much a cultural difference, but holy smokes kids get a lot of gifts these days! (Yours is definitely minimal after diving further in what other american/canadian parents post about buying for their kids. But still!) My son gets one gift from us for every occasion, which never seemed strange to me as he also gets a gift from his grandparents, aunt,.. and I already feel like he has way too much (he is only 2!) I'm just wondering where parents put all these gifts and what happens to them! Do you put them away after the party and then slowly reintroduce them to the kids over time or do they get everything at once and maybe you start rotating?
Definitely cultural differences. I grew up in Norway, and got between 1-3 high-quality gifts from my parents for christmas. Then I moved to America and married my husband. The thing I have noticed is that people love to give themed gifts, gift baskets, and a bunch of little things. Which typically breaks fairly easily. I typically gift in the 3 gift range. Last year we tried the American huge christmas, and it was so overwhelming for us and the kids. The kids got bored of opening them after 5 or so gifts.
So this year, we scaled back to 3 gifts per child again. The thing we do to not get overwhelmed with new items is gifting in the same categories they already have toys from. For example, this year they are getting a duplo train and more duplos for their collection. It all will go in our designated duplo box. In the same way, we have a magnatiles drawer, a dress up basket, an art basket, and a basket for play food. As long as we keep to those categories, it doesn't get to overwhelming. And if we were to buy something outside of those categories we will make sure we have a spot for it.
All this being said, I think the typical American experience is being overwhelmed by all the new things on christmas. But maybe not? We have a tiny 600 square feet home. Whereas a lot of Americans own homes well over 2000 square feet. If we lived in a bigger space, I don't think it would be such a big deal having a bunch of toys
@@isabelsmith6259 I'm in Australia and it's become the same here with an insane amount of low-quality gifts. It's my daughter's first real Christmas (she was only a month old last year) and we're sticking to the 1-3 gift range and requesting that our parents do the same (ideally just one from them). I have purchased high-quality things that should still be being played with in our house in 5 or 10 years - a small set of high-quality Connetix magnatiles, some wooden peg dolls from Tenderleaf and a set of farm animals from Schleich (really tried to find these secondhand but couldn't sadly). Even that feels like waaay too much but I know they will be well loved in the years to come and I will cut back even more next year.
I think kids and parents do get overwhelmed even when they have more space, toddlers in particular. I've already noticed that my toddler won't independently play when she has too many options on her shelf. I've had to reduce the number of books available to less than 10 and I stick to 4 or 5 small baskets of different toys (instruments, little people, blocks, play scarves and a shape puzzle at the moment) and even then she still sometimes gets overwhelmed. I think parents think they're giving their kids a magical Christmas, and certainly a few gifts are nice. But when we grow up is it the gifts or the traditions that we remember?
I remember Christmas breakfasts, my aunt's amazing cheese pastizzis, bocci or crochet on the lawn, watching the ballroom dance championships on boxing day, decorating the Christmas pavlova, playing water polo with my family. Our kids want experiences, quality time, creative and imaginative play with us. I think we need to reframe Christmas and stop being fooled by advertising and social media. I loved the recent Netlix doco "Buy Now" which goes through all the marketing tricks companies use to get us to buy more crap we don't need. So many mums feel overwhelmed and I think "stuff" is largely to blame.
end rant lol
@PixieStixRainbow i totally agree! I remember all the delicious meals, and the smell of them being made. Decorating the tree with my family. Hot chocolate and cardamom buns. Watching the same movies as a family every year. And in general just being together. That's what our kids really care about. The more we have simplified the easier life has gotten. At first I thought I must be an awful mom for getting rid of so much, but they have played so much better since :)
@@isabelsmith6259 I really like your category idea! Will see how we can incorporate this a bit more are he grows up. And it's true that when too many gifts are being opened they just end up being scattered around. While with my son getting fewer toys, he immediately just starts playing all night with what he gets. My experience with an american christmas was also overwhelming, but I figured it was just the family that I was visiting. I had no idea this is standard craziness! 😂
@@PixieStixRainbow oh how fun! My son is also getting Schleich animals and we are hoping to build on to that collection for him. Those tiles are something for his birthday as we stick to one gift per time. But I definitely agree that the shopping craziness has gotten way way out of hand. My biggest must haves for christmas is visiting our family (always at my moms house since grams passed, always with a BEAUTIFUL Christmas tree and lots of lights, the same Christmas classics CD playing, and a beautiful fireplace going. Also usually the same appetizers because why change something awesome?!)
I think you got great gifts and I’m no minimalist. 3 or 4 good gifts is plenty.