CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE for KIDS 2023
Christmas is such a magical time for children. My childhood Christmas’s actually weren’t full of loads of gifts & stuff - but chock full of tradition, pageantry, family moments, and a feeling of timelessness. And I loved every minute! Christmas was, and still is, my favorite holiday. I’m named for it, after all…
When it comes to gifting I am a firm believer in LESS IS MORE. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY - even when you’re a child. I actually believe that 1) children don’t count gifts unless you teach them too 2) one better gift is worth more than a dozen “whatever” gifts. Consumerism is taught, and it starts young. I credit my views and perspective towards consumerism & “want vs need” to how I was raised - if you grow up feeling loved and cared for with fewer/higher quality items, you don’t want/feel comfortable with more. I struggle saying this because I don’t want to imply lessening the joy of it all! I am the last person who would suggest skimping on fun - but I do want to suggest changing the perspective on how we gift, and passing that new (old) tradition on to the next generation.
With this in mind, I have put together a collection of items that either I have bought for my children or would in a heartbeat. As promised, most of this is independently-made, from small businesses or privately owned brands that need the support - so please consider giving them your business! I’ve organized these by age to make it easier to navigate. These groupings are simple guidelines though, in case you are looking for a specific age group, but different children might suite different things at different ages.
baby - gift guide:
Simple and sweet, babies are usually happy with just a little something new to play with! This fabric gardening hamper is the sweetest thing, and these beechwood animals are perfect for teething & early imaginative play. My oldest got a fabric chair for his 1st birthday, and it was the perfect thing for him to sit and read his books or watch shows in.
1.5-5yrs - gift guide:
This selection is full of great educational toys, as well as things to encourage creative play! Here is a breakdown for those that appreciate reading why I linked something:
This busy board is fantastic for 1-2yr olds. My boys loved theirs!
I love the mini bowling game for quiet porch evenings.
The sweetest wooden train set. Strongly considering this for my train-obsessed sons….
How darling is this realistic tea set?
This wooden jeep is beautifully made by a craftsman I have been buying from for years.
A tool belt for the tool-enthusiast boys out there…
My boys love their Magnatiles, but you know what takes that up a notch? Add anything with wheels & a road for their cars to drive on. Brilliant.
Mini barbecue so they can cook like Daddy? Genius!
Green Toys: anyone who’s been to my house knows my boys have been gifted every toy they make by their vehicle-loving “Pop-pops”. Green Toys is an American family owned brand, that makes their toys from recycled milk jugs. This airplane is a particular favorite!
This Green Toys Truck with 3 mini cars is the perfect muti-pack! One of my boys favorite things to play with.
A simple beautiful flower coloring book for all the little artists!
Also Green Toys, this is a rescue boat with a helicopter, but the real attraction is the helicopter. The helicopter will be a big hit, trust me.
The perfect snug chair for a reading corner!
OK, my son came home from Preschool obsessed with playdough. In the interest of catering to his interests, I found this darling ICE CREAM MACHINE to make play dough Ice cream cones etc. - this I can get behind!
On the playdough note though, my first thought was “playdough is a lot like pasta dough” - so why not have them make play gnocchi! Cheep, safe, and will probably keep them busy for hours.
Wooden play mixer. adorable & affordable!
YOLO Audio Player. The best/most affordable option, and I love that YOLO has partnered with the BBC & produced classic audio books.
YOLO carrying case.
YOLO Tales of Peter Rabbit audio books (5).
YOLO BBC Winnie the Pooh audio book.
5+yrs - gift guide:
Some finds for older kiddos! Because my boys are still young, I don’t have a ton of recs for this age group, but I did find a few goodies. I especially love the YOLO classics audio books!
books for christmas & beyond:
This is a gift category near & dear to my heart. I loved book growing up, and so many memories are tied to books for me! Some of these are books I have found for my own children, but most are books I read growing up that I will be reading to my own children. Especially dear are the Christmas books I’ve linked above - my Mother carefully collected our Christmas books and would put them out every year for us to read. So many special memories I am beyond grateful for!
THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE: This darling book just came out last year and is the sweetest metaphoric story about encouragement, love, and the meaning of life. Highly recommend, even for teens/adults!
THE BAKERS DOZEN: This is one of the Christmas books I grew up with - a sweet story about generosity at Christmas, through the story of St. Nicholas.
THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS, ADVENT CALENDAR: This was the advent calendar I grew up with! Each little book is an excerpt from the nativity bible story leading up to the birth of Christ. We would hang each book on our undecorated tree through advent!
THE MIRACLE OF SAINT NICHOLAS: This book touched my heart as a child. It is the story of a young Russian boy, Alexi, living in Bolshevik Russia. He has heard stories of Christmas from his Babuska (Grandmother), but the church of St Nicholas has been boarded up his whole life under Bolshevik law. Determined to celebrate Christmas, Alexi begins to clean the church himself, only to find the whole community won’t let the soldiers keep them from celebrating the birth of Christ.
THE MITTEN: A sweet winter story about forest animals all sharing one woolen mitten.
THE WILD CHRISTMAS REINDEER BOARD BOOK: A young elf trying to get the reindeer ready for Santa to fly!
THIS LITTLE EXPLORER BOARD BOOK: If you have seen my children with a book, its probably this one! This darling book shows daring explorers from history & briefly highlights their achievements at a level appropriate for 2yr olds.
THIS LITTLE ARTIST BOARD BOOK: From the same series at “this little explorer”, this book covers famous artists! My younger son loves looking at this one with all its bright colors!
THE FIRST DOG: A great (light read) book for young boys! The story of a prehistoric boy and his wolf traveling and meeting creatures along the way.
CADDIE WOODLAWN: This was my favorite young heroine book as a young girl. An award-winning book about determination, loyalty, and courage on the American frontier.
RED HUGH, PRINCE OF DONEGAL: A fantastic reprint of a much older novel about the real Red Hugh of Donegal, Ireland. This was one of the books I read through my Catholic school, and it immediately became a firm favorite - full of daring & adventure during the early Irish persecution before the Flight of the Earls. Fantastic gift for any family with Irish heritage!
MADELEINE TAKES COMMAND: A riveting novel following a frontier family in colonial French Canada. This was another book I read at school, to help us better understand life in the colonial wilderness, through the eyes of another young girl like us.
I hope these guides help you find the perfect things to gift this Christmas, and that you and your loved ones have a very happy Christmas.
