What I got my kids for Christmas as a minimalist

Рет қаралды 9,319

7 ай бұрын

Christmas is such a joyful time of year, but gifts can be hard! And, if you've been working at simplifying your home it can feel like you're backsliding. In today's video, I give you the lowdown on how we approach gift giving for our kids, encompassing gifts from us, from extended family, and from "the big guy." I've also thrown in a bonus filling of a stocking with consumable gifts that will be enjoyed, but used up for under $30.
HOW I CATEGORIZE GIFTS
Head: Books, learning toys
Heart: Interests, asked for
Hands: Arts and crafts materials
Home: Family activities (e.g., games, memberships, subscriptions)
HOW I CATEGORIZE STOCKING STUFFERS
Food/Treats (e.g., chocolates, candies, baked goods, hot chocolate packets, tea pouches, fruit, chips)
Arts/Crafts (e.g., play-doh, clay, kinetic sand, watercolors, crayons, tempera paints, tape [masking/washi], stickers)
Toys (e.g., bubbles, play silks, accessories for larger gifts)
Toiletries (e.g., toothbrushes, floss picks/floss, bath bubbles, peel-able nail polish, lotion, lip balm)
Winter gear (e.g., hats, gloves, woolen socks)
🎙 MENTIONED
The Biggest Story Bible Storybook: amzn.to/3GpEhMH
A Little House Picture Book Treasury: amzn.to/3sRXIL3
The Story About Ping: amzn.to/46GgRgO
Guess How Much I Love You (not the same version shown in video): amzn.to/3R4QYRV
Little House Paper Dolls: amzn.to/3t07EC0
Play-Doh Bulk Winter Colors: amzn.to/47V0Jsw
Off to Bed: amzn.to/47URQjr
Roll and Play toddler game: amzn.to/3Ndax9E
Tempera paint sticks: amzn.to/482etlk
Sculpey clay: amzn.to/3uEaq09
Washi tape: amzn.to/3Naidth
Chicken coop, Hearth & Hand: www.target.com/p/toy-chicken-...
Dollhouse furniture, Hearth & Hand: www.target.com/p/toy-dollhous...
American Girl Bitty Baby: www.americangirl.com/pages/bi...
👉 DISCLAIMERS
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I earn a small commission at no additional charge to you. ;) Thanks for your support!
Music licensed by Epidemic Sound.

Пікірлер: 51

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

What are you most excited to give your kids for Christmas?🎄

@80sgirlygirl 6 ай бұрын

The great thing about minimizing gifts is that they end up being so much more thoughtful, IMO. Great job, and I love the categories!

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

Yes! Thank you!

@marybowling7652 27 күн бұрын

So I have just recently been reducing the amount of clutter in my home. I would not at all consider ourselves minimalists, but I realize less clutter makes my child happier. So I am thinking ahead to Christmas as I often find bargains ahead if I look early. Very thoughtful gifts. I always buy my son books for special occasions and he loves his books! Thanks. Please consider doing another one of these for this year when Christmas time approaches.

@papertownhome 27 күн бұрын

I really enjoyed making this one and I will definitely do it again this year. I'm really enjoying making content for moms who are interested in minimalism and slow living. Hope you'll enjoy next week's video on simplifying life with kids!

@mrsbrittanylouu7518 6 ай бұрын

Oh you guys will love the Biggest story book Bible!!!!! It’s been such a sweet blessing to my kids for a year now!! We also love their curriculum!!!

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

Yay! That’s great to hear. I’m excited!!

@gabberna 6 ай бұрын

The more "unhealthy" not often eaten snacks in the stocking are such a great idea!

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

Thanks! I think it’s fun to mix it up. Or at least, I would’ve loved that as a kid 🥰😋

@jackieoconnor4926 6 ай бұрын

Great gifts and I love the head, heart, hands, home categories! I can see a lot of people picking that up and running with it. We bought both the book and paper dolls for Little House on the Prairie for my granddaughter when she was around 5. She loved them 😊. Just an observation based on experience with the ornaments in the stockings. We have done a similar thing for years, but we attach an ornament each to the outside of one of their gifts, as obviously their parents fill their actual stockings. We had one year when they were younger when we had a meltdown because one of them received a felt puppy ornament very similar to the one you showed and it was HIGHLY coveted by the other kids 😄😄😄. We learned a lesson and now buy them all something very similar. Some years it’s a variation of little felt mice or it might be car ornaments, etc. It’s just something to watch out for when you end up with a cute ornament that almost looks like a toy 😊. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

Good to know! We’re just starting to experience those types of jealousies between the kids. I may have to rethink that one 🤔 😂

@KarronAngel 4 ай бұрын

Brilliant video, your description of the toys and ideas is amazing. Companies should be employing you to sell their products. Lots of hugs xxxxxxxxxxxxx

@papertownhome 4 ай бұрын

Wow, thank you!

@carolynkatsilas8559 6 ай бұрын

I remember when I was a child, I’m 75 now, but we always got in the toe of our stockings and orange every year, what a sweet surprise that was 🍊

@kelseysmith3297 6 ай бұрын

This was absolutely lovely. We were guaranteed a book every Christmas which was great ( we got books all year round too) but the Christmas ones were always a surprise. Often a brand new author or genre. Very fun to get. This is a sweet, lovely way to do gift giving. Another wonderful video, thanks!

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! I agree. Books in childhood were so magical.

@Bcomnerd 6 ай бұрын

Oh my I had the little house on the prairie paper doll set! I think that exact one ❤

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

Doesn’t it make you happy to see it again? I may have to keep it for myself 😂

@ameliedebazouges9408 6 ай бұрын

I am not minimalist but I chose to do like you. I picked a lot of books.

@dimanait2004 6 ай бұрын

Such a great video! Good job 👍

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much!

@francinehogsett3065 6 ай бұрын

Great gift ideas 🎄😊❤️

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! 😊

@redrover2370 6 ай бұрын

Really love your head, heart, hands, home categories! I have gone overboard this year. I did the 7 gift poem (want, need, wear, read, do, me, family) plus a stocking but it feels like too much

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

Oh that poem is cute! I haven’t come across the longer one before. I understand how you feel though. We’ve been tweaking our gift giving approach and amount since Peyton was little and were surprised that only a few gifts, spread out across the month felt best. I think it’s okay to experiment with the amount given and then you’re able to make an informed decision for the following year. Or, you can follow your gut and reserve a few gifts for upcoming birthdays, Easter, etc. 🥰

@redrover2370 6 ай бұрын

First time I’ve ever gotten a KZfaq comment reply from the creator! (I usually just comment to help boost creator’s in the algorithm). Thanks for your thoughtful reply ❤

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

@@redrover2370 of course! Thanks for helping boost the video. That’s very thoughtful!

@karinnarodriguez2205 5 ай бұрын

Love this idea! Do you do something similar for birthdays?

@papertownhome 5 ай бұрын

Great question! I actually haven’t been doing birthday gifts. My kids are three and one. I didn’t want to inundate them with gifts, but instead focused on traditions we do together. However, now that my daughter is about to turn four, I’m leaning toward getting her a gift. I expect we’ll experiment with this before landing on a system. Using our Christmas approach isn’t a bad idea, but I’d probably prefer to keep it one gift for birthdays.

@karaperry8480 6 ай бұрын

I loved these ideas; where did you purchase those ornaments? I didn’t see a link. Thanks for the video!

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! Unfortunately I found those at TJ Maxx so I don’t have a link. Sorry!

@debnelson3979 6 ай бұрын

I loved this video! Took me right back to my old set of hardback Little House on the Prairie books that my grandmother gave me when I was ten and older (I'm 68) LOVE them!! The titles you got for your children look fantastic! After reading them aloud to my children, we always put an orange in the toe of the stockings, plus one year a penny and a tin cup for each one. La, La, La, La, Lei! I love Ping!! It sounds like you lean toward a Charlotte Mason education, which I love! The classics are, well, classic! You picked good ones! We, too, did lots of consumables for stockings.....one word of caution from my experience......do NOT put a tin of sardines in mustard sauce in the stocking. My six year old who loved sardines ate them at SIX in the MORNING!! Yikes! Her breath! LOL! Overall, well done!

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

Thanks Deb! I loved reading this! Your ideas and stories are great. The sardines 😂😂!! I don’t have a deep knowledge about Charlotte Mason, but from what I’ve read I do tend to lean that way. I need to ask my mom if she was influenced by Charlotte Mason, because mostly I think I’m following what I remember her doing 🥰 Merry Christmas 🎄!

@debnelson3979 6 ай бұрын

@@papertownhome - you're a second generation homeschooler? I LOVE it!! So far, five of my children (the married ones) ALL homeschool too! I'm so very thankful. The sixth one got married this year and both of them were homeschooled so I'm hopeful. Thank you for your kind comment.

@lindseyheringer2641 6 ай бұрын

I love all your stocking stuffers. I stocked up on treats at the dollar tree myself for St. Nick although we're doing it tonight. I feel like it was never clarified which was the actual day. Does he come on the night of the fourth of the fifth?

@emeliefoster3781 6 ай бұрын

The feast of St Nicholas is on the 6th, so you put your shoes out the night of the 5th!😊

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

Good question! I read on Wikipedia that it’s celebrated on the 5th or 6th, but then Google said the 6th. My mother-in-law put it on the calendar for Dec. 6 so I’m going with that! 😂 She’s the family authority on St. Nick’s Day.

@cilm567 6 ай бұрын

Where did you get the stockings? I feel like stocking now are tight, and it’s hard to feel them.

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

I got mine a couple years ago from Target’s Studio McGee line. I agree, they’re a good size. Not too big or too small.

@sophiem156 6 ай бұрын

One thought might be to consider some of the “boy” toys you mentioned for your daughter. She might love teaching your son how to use them as he gets older. Might also be interesting for your kids to share the same hobby. My (grown) nephew is as manly as they come but grew up sewing with his sisters and his wife now loves that he can fix his own buttons. Not trying to start a judgy gender thing at all, you guys do you. I just know it simplifies things (and shopping) for my family when we consider the same life-skills type stuff for all our kids until they’re old enough to express a preference.

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

Totally! I was hesitant to go into that too much…for fear of boring people. But, put simply, I tend to just follow the interests I observe in the kids. And, the suggestions I shared flow from my recent observations. Of course, they’re both young, so all that could change with time. 🥰

@darlenegattus8190 6 ай бұрын

Cute chicken coop

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

Thanks! I love a good chicken coop 🐓

@jessicamorgan7203 6 ай бұрын

Ping! Did you do FIAR?

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

I’m not sure, what does that stand for?

@jessicamorgan7203 6 ай бұрын

Five in a Row- it's a literature based unit study curriculum for homeschooling. One of the books is Ping. Wondered if you did it when you were a kid. :)@@papertownhome

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

@@jessicamorgan7203 I think you just saved me a lot of work 😂 because this curriculum looks great! Definitely gonna consider the preschool one for the kids. I don’t think my mom followed FIAR. If so, she never mentioned it, but she definitely emphasized classic children’s lit. I’m so early in my homeschooling journey. At this point I feel like I’m just mimicking my mom 😂 Or at least the bits and pieces I remember.

@jessicamorgan7203 6 ай бұрын

@@papertownhome Ha! Mimicking your mom is probably a great call- nice to have someone that paved the way! We are loving FIAR! My oldest is in 1st grade and we did Before FIAR for pre-k and More Before FIAR for kdg- with math, reading, and handwriting added it. Nice and simple!

@papertownhome 6 ай бұрын

@@jessicamorgan7203 I love that! I’m excited to try it out. Thanks for mentioning it!