Christmas for the Kiddos

Ya'll, I am almost done Christmas shopping for my kids.  All SEVEN of them.  In fact, the only two things I have left to buy are on my Amazon wish list and I'm just hoping for a price drop in the next week or so.  Other than that, kiddos are done.  (Picking adult gifts isn't quite as much fun.)  I'm doubly happy because this year I think the kids will be excited about all their gifts...honestly, last year was kind of a bust in the kid gift department.

Christmas for seven kids is really quite simply.  It starts with a grid on a piece of paper - one line for each kid and three empty columns.  Yeah, that means exactly what it sounds like - each child gets three gifts each generally.  By the time I've gotten this far I have a rough guess what my top budget number is going to be an assign a flexible number to each kid.  As I write down my ideas and research costs, these numbers fluctuate a bit.  So ideas get written down in each open spot, again, three per kid.  When I buy the present, I circle the idea and jot down the price next to it.  Then when I wrap it, I highlight it.  Easy peasy.  This gives me a great idea of exactly where I am at in the process at all times.

Stockings is another thing that requires some planning.  In the past each kid had gotten roughly 5 things in their stocking - mostly inexpensive toys from Dollar Tree or little trinkets I had found other places but equally inexpensively.  This worked for awhile but then the girls wanted to pick out presents for siblings too and it got to be both expensive and a large pile of "junk" toys.  This year, each kid age 3 and up will get a turn to go shopping at Dollar Tree.  They will pick out a present for each sibling.  All kids 2 and under are "gifting" $1 each to their OLDER siblings only.  Total this should cost about $40.

We are not worried about fair around here - we do pay attention to even.  So three presents per kid is the general rule.  Occasionally I work around that by putting two things in a box if I can make a REALLY strong case for it, but we try to stick with three each.  Also, Daddy might decide he wants to do a group gift or individual gifts and that is his right, but we also try to keep that pretty even.  I don't worry about equal dollar amounts per child either.  The younger ones are often happy with less expensive presents and that is just fine for now.  And if I can buy a great gift for a small price, I'm not opposed.  (Although I am 100% opposed to cheap, throw away presents if I can help it because what is even the point?!?)

At the end of the day, my goals is gifts that make my babies' eyes light up and that they get to play with or use and enjoy.  And, it's what works for us!