Christmas Gift Ideas
Five years into parenting, we’re still working out our Christmas traditions and rhythms as a family, but we always enjoy the challenge of creative gift giving. Below are a few ideas I have either done in the past or am working on this year:
GIFTS TO MAKE
-Hand Embroidered Apron
I loved this World Market apron and thought it would so sweet to make for Lucca in a child’s size.
-Super Hero Cape
You can find a few pictures of the book I made the kids last year on my ‘family life’ instagram highlights. I wrote a story about their first snow day adventure. They loved their custom cartoons.
Once I designed my characters for children’s book, it was as easy as uploading the character drawing to Snapfish. No extra effort involved. Reading the book while drinking hot cocoa with matching cartoon characters of themselves makes it extra special.
-Chapter Book of Family History
This is a slow, steady project for me but it has been as much of a gift to myself as it has for my kids.
I interviewed each of my grandparents, recorded on my phone and am dictating it into a book. Each chapter will feature a different grandparent. Our conversations were fairly long so I will have a pretty solid book. Topics ranged from childhood memories to raising kids (my parents!). Silly stories, stories of loss, the change in culture, technology, prices of goods, etc. Fascinating! I dream of days my children will read this book for themselves, having security in their heritage and pride in being apart our family. I plan to print with Blurb, using their Trade Book option.
Collect each family members all time favorite recipes, compile & gift to a parent or grandparent.
Or spend the year cooking through a bucket list (my sister and I do this) keeping a journal throughout the year, and gift a book full of your bucket list recipes to the person you shared these experiences with.
Blurb has a great cook book template ready for you.
-Design Your Own Game Board or Card Game
Using a classic game as a guide, you can create your own custom family game. Maybe Clue- with rooms of your own house and your family members as the characters! Other easy options are Guess Who or a simple Candy Land style game.
-Hand Embroidered Floral Alphabet Wall Decor
I saw this on Pinterest & thought this would make a great wall piece in a baby girl’s room.
-Hand Embroidered Animal Dress Up Masks
-Potted Plant in Textured Vase
I’ve seen a lot of tutorials for DIY textured pots like this that look easy.
-Restaurant Busy Kit
This is a great gift for a toddler. Much appreciated by the parents.
-Extra Large Coloring Poster
I’ve seen these around & thought it would be a pretty doable project. Simply draw, scan, and print on Fed Ex’s poster size engineering prints for just a few dollars.
-Dino Excavation Egg
I’ve seen these dinosaurs eggs with mini dinosaurs inside. I’m planning to take this tutorial and make an extra large egg, with a new 10” dinosaur inside. Bigger is always better, right?
-Dinosaur Paper Mache Eggs in Nest
For Wilkes’ 5th birthday, I am making large paper mâché dinosaur eggs in a stick nest outside (probably complete with a scavenger hunt to lead him to it outside). Inside the eggs will be new dinosaur toys. This same idea done in a different way could work for a variety of animals and gifts.
-Personal Paper Dolls
When I was 7, my mom created personal paper dolls of me, for me. I found them in our attic just a few months ago and they’re so fun. You just need a tripod, tape on the floor to tell your child where to stand, and a variety of dress up clothes. First, take a photo of your child in something simple like a swimsuit. Then, in the exact same pose in the same spot (hence, tape), continue to take the same photo wearing different dress up clothes. I dressed up in princess dresses, as well as my moms old prom dress and wedding dress. Once you’re done, print and cut out all of the dresses (cutting off all body parts, leaving only the dress), while keeping the photo of your child in the swimsuit as a full body shot. You will end up with your “doll” and several dresses to exchange. If you’d like, you can print on magnet paper so your child can stick to your fridge.
-Watercolor Silhouette of Your Child
Last year, I made silhouettes of the boys. It was as simple as taking a profile photo of each child, printing it, cutting out, tracing onto water color paper, and painting within the lines. Instead of using black watercolor paint, I gently mixed my own black for more variation. Just mix red, blue & yellow. Roughly a 40,40,20 ratio- give or take. You can find my framed silhouettes on my “family life” highlights.
-Watercolor Hack Painting
Also featured on my “family life” highlights are some watercolors I’ve done of my kids using a ‘hack’. I’m not a painter, but I enjoy playing around with it. I utilize the app “Waterlogue” to use as a guide. Once I upload the photo on the app, I print, trace onto watercolor paper and paint, paying attention to how the app chose colors, shadows, etc.
-Time Capsule Box
This past year I gave my mom a time capsule for her birthday, thanks to an idea sent in by a lovely wedding client of mine.
January 2020…she was turning 55, it seemed like a perfect time. Goodness, what a year to choose to do it. It hasn’t even been 10 years since filling the box, but our lives look COMPLETELY different than when we gifted it to her thanks to all that 2020 has entailed. You can google ideas for things to add to your time capsule, what interview questions to ask & record and what photos to include. We enjoyed this project. I get teary-eyed thinking about how big the kids will be when we open it again in 2030. Ugh!
-Recipe From Loved One Printed on a Cutting Board
-Edible Gifts
Homemade vanilla extract. I made some this year. The flavor & price difference is worth the effort.
Preserved Lemons. Frozen Cookie Balls.
MAKE THE GIFT GIVING MEMORABLE
-Scavenger Hunt
Every year, even now, my dad creates the silliest scavenger hunts full of hints that include family inside jokes leading us to our main Christmas gift. I look forward to the hilarious, rhyming clues even more than the gift itself. Family tradition + humor + involving the whole family in the hunt = something we will always remember.
-Christmas Piñata
Wilkes thinks the idea of a piñata is magical and it would make simple stocking stuffers even more fun.
-Balloon Popping ‘Wrap’
Ollie, 2 years old, loves popping balloons. A box full of balloons filled with candy or small toys (or stickers) would be so much fun for him. Pop for a treat!
-Bedroom Makeover
One of my favorite Christmas memories was when “Santa” gave me (8 years old) a bedroom makeover. We slept in my parents room on Christmas Eve that year and after opening all of our parents Christmas morning, my parents created a scavenger hunt that led me to my “new room”. It was basically just new bedding, phone (pink & furry phone! Ha!), wall art and accessories, but calling it a “makeover” felt so much more special! Real life HGTV.
-Gift Kits
Movie night kit, manicure night kit, beach toy kit, slime making kit, icecream sundae kit . A gift box full of promise for a fun experience in the future.