What I got my kids for Christmas (as a minimalist)

[@lauriewromar5478]

I have noticed that the more gifts there are, the less special each one becomes. My almost 4 year old has recently fallen in love with The Mr Men book series. (And Little Miss) They came out in the 70s and are the leftover books from my childhood. Mr Bump is her fav We made a set to play with. Out of old pastry boxes. Painted them, cut them out. Now she’s got her own Mr Men. She doesn’t play with them very often. But she’s very proud of them and they don’t take up any more space than a small sheet of paper. They’re also extremely easy for littles to draw because essentially they’re just a circle with arms and legs 😂 I love making things with my kid. We will be giving only a couple gifts this year. The really special things. The ones she wishes on her star for each night. ❤

[@victoria9663]

What a cool idea!

[@migdalahb]

Love the ideas! I would love to see a video about minimal homeschooling, I’m still trying to figure how to keep things low key but sufficient.

[@papertownhome]

I'll definitely add that to my list of future video ideas!

[@gloriack7976]

Please do! We have such a small space set aside for homeschooling and I get crazy overwhelmed with too many manipulative and teaching adjuncts etc etc

[@victoria9663]

I just added the saw to my son's gift list!! What a fantastic idea!!

[@Katy_living_simply]

What great list of buys! We too are doing a no toy year. And that cardboard box cutter is a game changer thank you for letting me know about it! I have 3 kids that will go crazy over it. ❤❤❤

[@papertownhome]

You're welcome! I hope they enjoy it!

[@Gracieinspired]

Yay 😃! I’m from Ghana but live here in the states and I love your videos. Your advice has helped me in my own journey of decluttering

[@NorthernPear]

The Volga baskets are so great…We bought each of our children one of these for Easter baskets, trick or treat baskets…anything we need a basket for. These will be heirlooms, I hope.

[@papertownhome]

Yes! That’s what I was thinking too. So many purposes for them.

[@redrover2370]

We’re copying your 4 gift approach this year. Feeling good about the volume and types of gifts coming in 🎄

[@papertownhome]

That’s awesome! I hope you and your family love it!

[@helenaschwartz4402]

Loved this! I just finally went through and boxed up the rest of the toys from the declutter i did after watching your toy video a few months ago. 😊 ive always been minimal with them but my parents do gift a lot of toys throughout the year. Happy to have it paired down again, and to be more intentional this Christmas. Im due with baby #4 next month and my parents have finally calmed down on the toys lol. I think giving them has finally lost some novelty 😂 So interesting about the silks. What all do your kids use them for? Dress up is really hit or miss with our kiddos!

[@shelbsta64]

I am a huge fan of play silks! My girls use them for making dresses/capes, but they also use them for play. The other day my daughter used a red silk and tied it around her teddy bears tummy (for a red shirt like winne the Pooh), and then A basket with a yellow play silk inside for honey. So Pooh had his pot of honey. I don’t have Sarah’s silks though, we just have a cheap set off Amazon.

[@helenaschwartz4402]

@@shelbsta64thats so cute and creative!

[@papertownhome]

Exactly! Lots of random and creative repurposing happening. And Amazon has lots of polyester versions. My son is very touchy sensitive so I went with silks, but I think other kids would be happy with non-silk options.

[@leximontgomery9549]

Sarah silks are on sale right now fyi

[@saints-gs8jc]

These are great, thank you for the ideas and tips! My son is six months old and doesn't need anything (I typically buy needs as they're needed so we don't have excess [okay except books because I have that Storybook Bible for him even though, well, he's six months old haha]) and I have been encouraging family to gift him money into his savings account since we'll start teaching him financial skills very early on. Unfortunately, no one seems very interested in that and I have a feeling he will receive a lot of well-intended gifts that will get donated to our local pregnancy care center.

[@papertownhome]

I love your attitude toward gifts that aren’t a fit for your family!

[@raea3588]

Really amazing ideas! Your children are blessed ♥ Where did you get the mushroom kaleidoscopes, please? 🙂

[@papertownhome]

Bella Luna Toys! They’re an online shop and they have great stuff!

[@raea3588]

@@papertownhome Thank you so much! ☺

[@monicalmoss]

Have you looked into Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy? Handiwork (making useful things) is a component and I bet there would be lots of resources your daughter would love!

[@papertownhome]

That's good to know! I've been meaning to start learning about Charlotte Mason for a long time.

[@monicalmoss]

​@@papertownhome Not to gush too much, but I've found it to be a beautiful way of life for me, not just a curriculum option for my kid. Heavy on the nature study as well! There's so much out there but Karen Glass' In Vital Harmony is a great place to start (actually gets into the philosophy but is also very accessible).

[@papertownhome]

@@monicalmoss thank you! I’ll check that out.

[@kelleypopelar3162]

I wonder if those baskets come in any other sizes, the shape is different and really interesting.

[@papertownhome]

They do! There are a few sizes and shapes available on the Bella Luna site.

[@firstlast-js5yw]

Im subscribed, but your new videos do not show up in my feed….anyone else have this issue?

[@papertownhome]

I’ve heard that KZbin only alerts 5% of subscribers when a video is posted. If you allow notifications from my channel then you should always be notified. Though let me know if that’s something you’ve always done. I might have to research it more.

[@sharhondarivera6378]

We don’t celebrate Christmas but this is a great idea for birthdays as well. My MIL struggles with wanting to buy our daughter toys she doesn’t need. This is a great way to get a handle on gift giving and making it useful, thoughtful, and fun!

[@sl9906]

❤❤❤❤

[@mdivjakovska4047]

❤❤

[@seth_bortner]

What if your kids see this video!?

[@papertownhome]

Haha I’ve had that same thought 😂