Looking for Christmas Gift Ideas

My 2 older ones (8 & 6) have summer birthdays 3 weeks apart, so like you we got tired of smaller presents that clutter up their rooms. We ended up buying a Wii system for their birthdays. The Wii sports games are great for even little kids because they just have to move their arms (my 3 yr old now likes to bowl, even though he keeps "throwing" it into the people behind him). My kids enjoy playing these games together and I have to admit I'm getting addicted, too. We have a family contest every so often to see who can get the highest golf score or who can win at Mario Kart. I also like it because you have to move to do most games on it.

How about a computer or if you already have one, one of those systems with a child-friendly keyboard that helps them learn and play games.

I was also going to suggest a Wii. It is a lot of fun and it gets you moving when you are stuck in the house during the long winter. The downside is that your 18 month old won't really get anything out of it. Your 4 year old will be able to learn the basic skills games. Your oldest child will probably have a blast with it.

A friend bought her daughters tickets to a handful of shows at a local children's theater (Snow White, Peter Pan, etc). She also bought either books or videos of those stories and attached the tickets to them so the girls weren't opening up just an envelope of tickets. YOu could do something similar with tickets, season passes, membership cards to any venue of your choice - museum, park, etc.

I bought my son a Wii last year and it was the best family gift. All could play, except maybe your 18 month old who would notice anyway. Good luck.

Also, the Vtech smile, which is probably more appropriate for all of their ages. My girls, ages 7 and 5 love it and my 12 year old plays with it too!

K.,

My son LOVES his wii & wii fit. He's only 3 but its fun for our whole family and its much better than sitting around watching tv (and its good exercise for me!)

Good Luck!

Dear K. how about tickets to go to sight and sound in lancaster pa. They have great spiritual shows and you and your family will be blessed. Go into the website . In christ C.

Not sure where you live exactly, but what about a family pass to Sesame Place, the Please Touch Museum or the zoo or something like that? Then they can enjoy it for a long time, but it is not something you are physically adding to your house.

What about a trampoline? We have a 7 foot that we move to the basement in the winter. It has an enclosure so is safe for the smaller kiddos and for christmas we are buying a circus tent cover. My children hate to get off ours....maybe a idea??

We are considering a Wii this year....possibly more "bang for the buck"! AND less junk around!

Get the puppy!!! What a special day it will be, buy frozen veffies, sale chicken, and add rice or noodles(on sale) and boil together. I will tell you for $2.50 a week I feed 2 big Rotties and 2 stray cats. I only add doggie biscuits for $6 a bag for Dad's puppy food. 1c biscuits, 2 scoops chicken soup and vola! I stopped buying canned food long ago. Better this recipe and less costs. Dogs give much more than any gifts you could buy, check Humane Society where I got my last 2 dogs. They need homes so badly..Free rabies clinics intownhere and you can do it with distemper 1 x a year and aout $150 for shots a year. Big decision...do not do it if you will get rid of it later...Love animals, J. L

Last year we bought our two children (now 5 and 3) a desktop computer and desk for it to go on. It's located in my office, a direct view from the kitchen so I can always see the monitor. It has been incredible. I bought it on Black Friday and got it online at Midnight vs waiting in line. I paid $5 for shipping. It's a Compaq so it's not a no name either. Having them play at pbssprout.com, etc. has been great for them and their coordination with a mouse, etc. is terrific. I know it will help them throughout their school years. It's one of the best decisions we've made regarding gifts. No idea what we're doing this year!

I would have to agree with a few other people's responses. My first recommendation was going to be the Wii. I got it for my 3 children last year and they LOVE it!!! My second was a trampoline. I also got that for my kids as a Christmas present about 3 years ago. They all also LOVE that!!
I just say another suggestion from someone else that I would also agree with, the season passes. I did get my kids the family passes to the Philadelphia Zoo which is great when they can do all the rides, etc. But I would really recommend the Sesame Place passes if you live close enough. It would be WELL worth it!! That place is perfect for all your childrens ages.
Hope one of these helps!!

I think you're going to find it difficult to find something that is age appropriate for 6 and 18 months at the same time. But then, maybe I'm not creative enough to dream one up ! We have periodically bought "family gifts" in addition to the individual gifts under the tree, but those have belonged to the whole family, not just the kids, which kept the arguments down. (for instance, when I was a single mom, I happened to hate TV, so the girls and I didn't have one. When my husband and I married, he put up with that for about 5 months, but really wanted to watch tv, so for Xmas that year, the family gift was a television.)