WHAT I GOT MY KIDS FOR CHRISTMAS || 12, 10, 8, and 4 || SOMETHING YOU WANT, SOMETHING YOU NEED...

[@jenndpbudgets]

I feel like it’s super special that the grandparents are involved in a group gift to give them memories instead of things

[@Sh4d0w5tr1k3]

Love the gifts! Intentional gifts have more purpose and the kiddos end up having more fun with them.

[@AHeartForHomeEducation]

Last year I went crazy and then on December 26th set a reminder in my phone for this year to NOT do that again. It wasn’t even fun, it was just overwhelming. This year I’m down to 5 gifts: want, “need”, wear, read, and do (play-doh kit or something). I’m already done shopping and feel so much more peace about it. Thank you for encouraging me and other moms out there that less is indeed more.

[@natistotallyoutnumbered9558]

I’m feeling the same way for this year. We had a rough year and I feel like I’m trying to compensate for that ugh

[@mommyandthewildlings2626]

The Home Depot and Lowe’s still have those builder kits that they give away for FREE no matter how many kids you need them for. It’s In replacement of the in person classes/workshops! Just call in advance if you need more than a handful!

[@RootedinRest]

Thank you! Just not the same experience as being in the store 😞

[@WhimsicalFamilyLife]

Always love how you approach Christmas gifting for your kids and how conscious you are and your husband are with how you live in all areas. Thank you for sharing.

[@RootedinRest]

Thank you!

[@rachelwisinger7384]

There are good parental control for the switch. Its an app on your phone

[@janaimaughan3599]

My girls (9,7 and 4) all asked for new scooters this year. We only have a couple of the little plastic ones we got as hand me downs and they’ve been used to death so we decided to get them each their own (with a helmet) as their big gifts. They are each getting a different Osmo set, a watercolor kit from Let’s Make Art and a new dress for church. My 9 year old wants to learn to sew so I got her a sewing kit, my 7-year old is interested in pottery so I got her a pottery wheel and my 4-year old wanted a Lego Friends cafe so she’s getting that as well. They are all getting new books as well-a couple Usborne fairytale compilations and the Glasses sticker book for my youngest, several Critter Club chapter books (all from Bookoutlet so they were like $2/each) for my middle and Heidi Hecklebeck books (also Bookoutlet) and a hardcover King of the Wind for my oldest. I’m not super up on what is cool or trending, I just go by their interests. 😊

[@rileyjames8778]

You will need to connect to Wifi to set up a Nintendo account. Or game updates - which many require.

[@SimplyLivingIt]

I love the idea of a trip or even a large "family" gift that everyone pitches in on! We always do that for birthdays but have never thought about that for Christmas! ❤

[@RootedinRest]

Love that for birthdays!

[@kailynolson2281]

We got all our kids a trampoline this year and then just some small more personalized gifts in their stockings :) I think next year I would love to just do a trip ❤️

[@mrsmagnolia2323]

What a great idea. When people do the four gift ruler, how does Santa do stuff? Does he also follow that type of rule does he do more vs less. People don’t really say how that works with Santa. Great ideas Thank you. We also do a big trip every year and we have been trying to change it for Christmas because we have went bigger and it has cost a lot. We love making family memories and w usually do a large trip that makes memories of a lifetime. This year sadly my kids know about the trip because of Covid, it has been booked for awhile and just being nervous of changes etc. However we live in Upstate New York and we Love Cruises and Love Disney. We do smaller trips in the summer, camping, Hershey park, six flags, trips to the beach etc. This January we are going on our first kids flights, they are nervous but excited to fly from New York to LA California so that in itself is Amazing, then we are going on a 7 day cruise to the Mexican Rivera, which is a completely new destination. We also have a party of 21 of us so it is going to be Amazing. Our Grandparents have Thankfully cut back over the years, our family has got so big so they do the kids something big then a couple smaller things. We try and make there things more special instead of getting stuff just to get for them to open. I still have a hard time cutting back because I do love Christmas morning but I also need to recognize it can be overwhelming with so much stuff, so I am trying but it is so hard.

[@lisamonalisahikes]

We do ... need, want, read, music & homemade ... usually an experience in there... book can be from free library... music can be a play list they need to lookup or sheet music... be creative. You are doing it right girl 😁

[@MindyourMatters]

I love the big gift idea everyone can pitch in! Love the tips and ideas.

[@heatherc.crafts]

I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned it, but Home Depot still has the kits. Go to customer service and tell them how many you need and they will give them to you to do at home. We get them for my kids every month.

[@nancyfarkas3592]

I like that you don’t go overboard, kids don’t need tons of stuff. I see some videos where they get their kids tons of stuff.

[@jakobbourne6381]

Opt for something educational for your kids while young, especially with books. Something to open them up to learning w/out too much addiction as such happens w/ toys and gadgets at an early age. I suggest something fun too like have a book be tailor made for them ( *personalised childrens books* ) and theme it to their own liking

[@kailiannam9850]

I am having such a hard time figuring out presents for my boys this year. But they are getting some fun lego sets for sure

[@irenerucker6000]

Hi, unfortunately u have to connect switches to internet to set up and for them to update even if u have a cartridge😊. U can set each one up with an account that u can control and the game has parent code lock. Some games are only downloadable not cartridge. U can get them a memory card too. I have the yellow one.....my 10 yr. old nephew has big one, he gets nintendo cards for gifts parents activate them and he chooses games, rewards that he needs for a game they look it over activate😊

[@TheAnnabelNorris]

We did something similar to what you did. We did a combined big gift for our boys and got them a bounce house. The big gift for our daughter is a barbie airplane and and barbie dolls. Then we did something you want, something to wear, a craft/science, and a book. My daughter (9) got a dress with matching leggings, a barbie birthday party set, a sticker book, and a fleece tie quilt kit. My 7 year old son wanted a lego mandalorian, and I got him a snap circuit kit, a giant starwars coloring book, and a camo hoodie. My 4 year old got 2 new paw patrol vehicles, a paw patrol painting book, a wipe clean alphabet book, and an outfit.

[@agamble1126]

My son asked for the Luigi Lego starter kit and a bigger set to go with it. They're pretty cool. My older daughter (11) asked for a faux leather jacket and hinted that she wants a Chromebook, which I was already planning to get. My six year old didn't really ask for anything specific. She told me toys and the other day she told Santa she wanted a stuffy.

[@hickoryrootfarmstead2700]

My 12 yo wants another set of books in the Warrior series by Erin Hunt and herbal books, my 8 yo wants a Wellie Wisher and Calico Critter families and my 7 yo wants the same as her nearest sister. They are all homeschool kids so it’s always very different from government school kids.

[@JuliaCantley]

We have a regular switch and got a lite last year and it was SO hard to get one that we had to find one on the marketplace but it was in great condition with a game and case. Dont worry about the lighting. We love you.

[@riccicarey4423]

My son is 13 and I totally agree with the experience gifts. We are taking him to Kalahri this year, not until February but that’s his main gift this year.

[@Mtripp27]

We got our 14-year-old daughter concert tickets this year for Christmas. It's in February and 4 hours away so it will also be a mini trip.

[@wvugirl30b9]

Soul surfer is a great book and movie

[@ashleydaugherty7710]

I'm so glad I watched this video. I had to order the "young woodworker's project kit" you got for your son. I'm finish Christmas shopping so I'm putting it up for my son's birthday. He will love it. I feel like our sons are so much alike. Mine had been asking for the Switch too.

[@MelissaGrayum]

Diamond Dotz are the new thing around where we live, so my kids are getting some of those. Highly recommend them for over 7.

[@MelissaGrayum]

I love that you are taking them to a cold place. Us cold northerners are taking our kids south 😅

[@MelissaGrayum]

I love that you are taking them to a cold place. Us cold northerners are taking our kids south 😅

[@Peacefulh20]

Also, what Jared and Rebecca said is true. You need to connect the switch to the internet to upload updates on the games, even the physical ones.

[@Peacefulh20]

Did your Home Depot just stop doing the workshop or was it a pandemic thing? Ours stopped but brought the workshop back over a year ago. Only difference, you don’t build it in the store. You just go to customer service and pick up the project. Same time…..the first Saturday of the month. If your not sure, call your local Home Depot and see if they still offer the kits. You still get the pin as well.

[@ourlongwayaround9583]

This gave me some great ideas! I have been trying to really scale down to just the 4 category gifts so this was just the video I needed to see!

[@jaredandrebecca357]

Love these ideas. As a wife of a gamer who plays his switch daily, please please please hook them to the internet when a game is first played. The games are not always good right out of the box and need updates just like a computer. Then connect monthly. Not every month will there be an update, but they can help a lot with the functionality of the system and specific games.

[@RootedinRest]

Got it! Thank you 😊 I figured there’d be something like this we’d have to do!

[@FoothillsFamily365]

We are doing a family trip as well! I wish our grandparents would get on board with experience gifts instead of buying more gifts. I am so thankful for what they do 💖 We also are doing stockings, a gift to wear, and one small gift so they have something to open on Christmas.

[@amberp2004]

They didn’t ask and have no idea but we also got switch lites this year. We’ve had the regular switch for the family for years now but they enjoy playing Minecraft together and we are moving to another state at the beginning of the year so we figured it would be beneficial for that whole transition and mostly for our sanity. 🤣🤣 My daughter asked for Snap Circuits or a Raspberry Pi to build her own computer so my husband was excited to do that with her. My son just wants a Hot Wheels garage.

[@OneMamaToAnother]

A few of our kids were asking for walkie talkies and swiss army knives this year and Lego is always a constant wish.

[@blessedhomeschoolmommy1453]

Thanks for sharing!

[@kimceriko]

My kids want a switch but it’s not in the budget this year. They are getting gaming chairs which was their second choice, and my 4 year old is getting transformers as requested 😊

[@maryanngill3576]

My little guy will be five before Christmas and he can read first grade books so we purchased the Hey Jack set with the backpack from Usborne, and his birthday is before Christmas so we are going on a Polar Express train ride and staying overnight to experience a story time with Mrs. Claus and the works! So excited for a great holiday season. Merry Christmas to your family and May God continue to bless you all with health and happiness throughout the 2022 year. Trends I have been seeing are squishmallows, pop it fidget toys, and surprise toys. My little guy has all he is getting of those things and does not want surprises -- "I like to see what I am getting for my monies." LOL

[@shanamccrady2445]

My 13 year old asked for noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones. My 7 year old asked for a hoverboard and ukulele. My 11 year old asked for some cool history themed "Legos" not actually Lego brand, but he found them in the rainbow resources catalog!

[@Maiju86]

My almost 8 years old only asked for Bakugans and my 5 year old didn't really know what to ask... She is getting some furniture for her dollhouse and few barbie sized dolls. They will get 4 gifts + books (I don't know how many books my husband has bought 😅). One of those four gifts is a play doh set. No huge gifts here.

[@staciemurray514]

I really enjoy the different ideas! We try to stick to want need wear read, stocking stuffers and we do a Santa gift. My oldest -10- really wants a Polaroid camera like her 18 yr old cousin😉 my 9 year old daughter is getting a Polly pocket situation, my 5 year old son loves anything superhero related and hunting related😄 my in laws asked if the kids want winter coats for their bigger gift again this year, but we told them the kids would love an annual pass to the children’s museum, and surprisingly they were excited to get that!🥳

[@agamble1126]

They can't do much on the internet with the Switch. It doesn't have Netflix or any browser. But it is a good idea not to do downloads. We have two regular switches and several downloaded games. Sharing downloaded games between systems can be a pain. It is much easier to share physical game cards. You may want to get them a game storage box. The game cards are absolutely tiny. Also, my younger two love the Osmo too.

[@RootedHomeLife]

It is a goal of ours to do more of a trip instead of gifts!

[@karbear26]

My daughter almost 12 is in to anime so she wanted some shirts that had her favorite characters on them and also some funko pops from the one series. She also is into Harry Potter legos! It’s been hard this year since she used to be into American Girls Dolls and LOL dolls!

[@onajourneylife2242]

These were great! Gonna get those comics for my son!

[@scwendy6302]

Ages 16, 11, 8 and 6 still home. The “big” gift for the littles is a Nintendo switch with extra controllers and like you a couple of physical games. Our teenager literally sent links to things she wanted, everything from room decor to costume jewelry to clothes! I picked up several things based on previous videos, such as the snap circuit kits and some really fun Usborne books from your shop! FYI, I implemented the pajama box idea this year and it was so fun!!!!

[@TheLearningLadder]

Great to see your gifts. Thanks for sharing.

[@amyeileenwhelan]

Are you going to get them any switch games?

[@Homelifelearning]

My daughter got a switch last Yr and loves it. My toddler has asked for sweets 🤣 My daughter (8) has asked for books and microscope that goes on a phone (my phone that is 😉).

[@Rebecca-vu1xp]

How was the gravitrax marble run?

[@bytesofmemory]

There is a great parental control app from nintendo. You can set time limits and scheduled time and also set the age restrictions on the online stuff. My 14 year old has one and we still have his set to preteen. So he can do some of the stuff online but I have to poke around in the games to see what kind of access he would have etc. It can be tricky w/ finding information out online. There have been times where he wanted to get something and we had to say it is a risk you wont be allowed to use a portion of it. He has been super gracious w/ accepting the limits we put on it. I actually got a switch lite last Christmas so I could play some games with him LOL! Sam is super into no traditional things :-P So he got some archery supplies (target, bow stand, arrows, etc.) and then he got a switch game he had his eye on and a Dude Perfect book :-P

[@RootedinRest]

This is helpful, thank you!

[@princesskaitlinhazelwood4703]

My son has a regular switch. He only plays the games and not online. He loves them. But we do download the games for him because the cartridges are small and you can lose them. My little girl has not shown an interest in video games. It she does have a kindle fire he for kids. So if she wanted a game, we could download an app.

[@oneblessedmommy4024]

Love this video and all your Christmas picks for the want need wear read ☺ We do this also bc it helps me to keep some spending boundaries 🤣

[@RootedinRest]

Haha I agree

[@InHimAlone]

A couple of mine bought their own Switch Lites this past year and you are not kidding, those things were so hard to track down! We have quite a few nintendo devices now (many kids as well, haha) and we also keep them locked down with no internet. We have a regular switch for the family, but the older 4 have either switch lites or a 3DS/2DS, ages 15, 13, 11, and 8 and I have no shame in keeping them all locked down at this point. If they want to buy themselves a digital game we just unlock it for the download and that is that.

[@RootedinRest]

Yes that’s what we plan to do, too!

[@oneblessedmommy4024]

We love the Wellie Wishers! Last year for Christmas we bought the Emerson doll and after 3 months her leg broke beyond repair...so disappointing on the quality 😔 but the dolls are so cute ☺

[@RootedinRest]

I’ve heard that about the legs!!! Thankfully we haven’t had a problem YET. Did you send her to the AG Hospital?

[@oneblessedmommy4024]

@@RootedinRest We are new to AG.. I didn't realize we could send her somewhere for repairs!

[@oneblessedmommy4024]

@@RootedinRest Where can I find information on this?

[@RootedinRest]

www.americangirl.com/doll-hospital

[@oneblessedmommy4024]

@@RootedinRest Thank you so much! ❤❤

[@samharquail586]

What did u do from Santa

[@wildandblessed5141]

There is a very fine line to ride with grandparents and taking their joy from shopping & giving for the kids. Ours are usually a little open to my ideas but I've found through the years they don't get anything that isn't at Target/walmart/amazon and experiences are kinda $$$ and the grandparents complain that they don't find joy in giving them. Also it seems you get them (just based on what is in your shopping haul videos) many things throughout the year. We are the same way (bc birthdays are all within a month of Christmas) but growing up my parents didn't get us anything outside of birthday and Christmas and then that is when we got ALL THE THINGS! My mom does the same with my kids. haha!

[@donnagalvan1047]

I buy my 3 kids Van shoes every season, it helps 3 rd world kids, I teach my kids about helping 3 world countries, buy supporting businesses that donate and people in 3 rd worlds.. I do a family activity, they go to a pottery store and pick out something to paint for family for Christmas, something special..

[@princesskaitlinhazelwood4703]

Did you know AG is having a pair of Girl of the Year do,,s as sister. The olde tone will be an 18” doll and the little sister will be a wellness wisher doll? Similar to Emerson but with a different wig. Her name will be Gwynn. Just in case Annie wants Gwynn which is only available for a year. I bought niece Kendall. But we are holding out for Gwynn because we are Asian.

[@bethanypetersen7005]

Love it! Karate "sticks" are called bow staffs :-)

[@username00009]

There’s also Balintawak, which uses a much smaller “stick.”

[@cierrabarrera1863]

My 8 year old daughter only wanted art supplies for Christmas and my almost 3 year old daughter only wanted a stuffed avocado she saw at Barnes and Noble 😂

[@babydooll84]

Just fyi original switch is much better. These new ones are made from cheap plastic!

[@hanab837]

We got our kids each a child friendly digital camera, one toy that they each requested, and a Lego set. They will also each have a stocking with art supplies, some candy and a few little things. We try to only do three gifts each year. We started it when my oldest was very small, so my kids don't know anything different. And with 5 kids, I am glad they don't expect a lot of gifts! 😂

[@gracegreenwell2657]

AG doll clothes, calico critters

[@amywilliams4345]

Does your daughter read Manga? Any suggestions? My 11 year old daughter is getting into the genre.

[@RootedinRest]

She doesn’t, the only thing she knows about it is this one fashion book, but she and her friend will sit for hours watercoloring outfits from the book so she will be so excited to have her own.

[@carolinewouters6729]

❤

[@nancybeachbody115]

The online portion of the switch is completely unnecessary!!! The only game my son found the online would be useful was Mario maker.

[@livsephton9]

The switch will need to be connected to Internet to set up an account and to download game updates

[@ourlongwayaround9583]

This gave me some great ideas! I have been trying to really scale down to just the 4 category gifts so this was just the video I needed to see!