🎁WHAT I GOT MY KIDS FOR CHRISTMAS | MINIMALIST GIFT IDEAS to keep the holiday clutter under control

[@homewithava]

This just touched my heart. When you talked about diversity within your children’s toy collection. That’s exactly where it starts. I loved this!

[@BrunaClaas]

I love your balance between minimalism and getting what your kids are excited about!

[@xpfarming4888]

Agreed!

[@kyra3085]

I really love your Christmas box idea. I will be incorporating that this year under my tree.

[@Lseverett5]

I like the 4 gift concept of 1) something they want 2) something they need 3) something to wear 4) something to read

[@becskirk293]

Except what was once one gift from each of those concepts seems to have turned into 5-6 presents for each concept.......defeating the purpose of a simple minimal christmas.........The amount of you tubers who say they are doing the 4 gift rule ( a want, need, read and wear) but wrap multiple of each item in the one parcel. 😂🤣😂

[@lauramccoy2465]

As children, we collected International Santas. We prayed over the different counties and loved knowing about the cultures. This is a tradition I want to pass on. 💗

[@esmicu]

What a great tradition!

[@marykadysh2553]

Would you consider doing a video on toys you’ve gotten your kids over the years that you “regret”, for example ones they didn’t play with for very long?

[@06102011BB]

I admire how every gift haul you make has meaning, each toy has a story and a reason for being chosen. Nothing is just picked at random to fill up the space under the tree and just to offer meaningless content 🥰

[@theadventuresofrobyandamelia]

I would like to see stocking stuffers. That’s something I always struggle with. I never know what to put in them.

[@glittertogore]

Hair clips chapstick socks hair ties bubbles or floss candy maybe

[@lifethroughhereyes3958]

And if they are a little bit older it is also nice to take a sibling shopping for something nice for their brother/sister! A coupon for a fun activity one on one with one of the parents is also nice to give. Or a set of cookie cutters, Sprinkles for baking, some craft supplies, a battery operated candle, some seeds to plant the coming spring, multicolored pens...? My mom goes to thrift store year round and looks for cheap and fun things there. (for st. Nicholas, but would also work for Christmas of course😉) But I also would like to see your options, Natalie!

[@rebeccarendle3706]

Do the kids really need "stocking stuffers?"... It is very American... And seems to be a lot of cheap dollar tree stuff (from what I have seen on all you tubers channels to date). We just have a 5 things in the stocking rule (they have to choose 1 thing from each category in their wishes to Santa! ) 1) a book 2) a listening CD or DVD 3) a small toy (eg Lego) or game or craft stuff.. ..max 20€ 4) some chocolate eg a choc santa 5) traditional nuts eg money nuts, and fruit eg an orange or Satsuma. And the kids are perfectly happy with that....and more expensive quality item(s) up to 20€ (wish 3) is better than loads of "cheap and cheerful" dollar tree items! Just a thought!

[@rebeccarendle3706]

@@beckykent435 I am British... And also had stockings growing up.. Which was the best part on Christmas morning... But we didn't have loads of "stocking fillers"... We had basically what I described and do with my kids!

[@Acehazen]

@@rebeccarendle3706 I love stuffing our stockings! I usually add some of the "practicals" to them like a toothbrush, a pack of undies with a favorite character on them, etc. But also small fun things like a bath bomb, candy, ornament, dress up jewelry, stickers, chapstick, hair accessories.

[@tinai9658]

As a mother of African American and Puerto Rican descent, I appreciate that you are exposing your children in even simple and small yet meaningful ways -to racial diversity; whether it was the baby dolls, literature with diverse characters ( I noticed A Snowy Day in one video), or the fact that in the Bible there are people of color who are often not accurately portrayed in movies or books; this was definitely refreshing to see these examples.

[@sarahbarton2958]

We came up with a great way of playing Guess Who as adults, we call it "Subjective Guess Who". Same rules as normal but all the questions have to subjective, like "Do they look like they have an organised shed?", or "Do they look like a strict parent?". Great fun. But it can go on for awhile 😅

[@NatalieBennett]

I'm dying. 😂 This would be so fun!!!

[@marijarajkovic1116]

You are right, we don't have to give children a huge pile of gifts, what matters is that it is from the heart, so no matter how big or how small yout gift is, it is still a sign of love, This is what I go by, because some kids don't get anything for christmas

[@kidsfids7434]

This entire video and the messages within it, made my heart so happy. You're such a breath of fresh air!

[@ThisisHomeVlogs]

I love the gifts that you got for the kiddos and I love the Christmas box! That’s such a cute idea for the holiday season! Our family tradition is that on Christmas Eve we all wear new Christmas pjs so we can wake up on Christmas morning in our new Jammies to open gifts. Since we have had kids we do matching family ones and get a photo together in them and it’s so much fun to look back on previous years. This year I’m starting a new tradition with my kids. I’m going to buy 24 books and wrap each one and let them open one book a night from December 1st until Christmas. We read a bedtime story as a family every night and I think it will be such a fun thing to have new books to read every night!

[@babyfruitloops]

i love how racially diverse you made their toys! a lot of people i’ve seen only get the white babies and the white jesus, i love that! it teaches them from a young age that there’s nothing wrong with skin tones and ugh i just love when parents try to be inclusive. i love your channel it always is so uplifting ❤️ best part of my day when i can watch your videos

[@stephanieauker1106]

Natalie, I really appreciate you mentioning racial diversity in your devotion book and nativity set. Our family also tries to stress this over the holidays :)

[@NatalieBennett]

I'm so glad it struck a chord with you! ♥️

[@kyre6722]

I came here to say this. Thank you for teaching that diversity is beautiful!!

[@stephanieauker1106]

@@troywalker9716 look man, the fact of the matter is that these events happened in the present day Middle East and the people who live there have darker skin. Nothing wrong with that as a fact.

[@NatalieBennett]

@@troywalker9716 If I was doing it "for views" there would be something about it in the title of the video. There is not. I get questions every single day about how I shop for, curate and declutter my kids' toy collection and what is a priority for me when I shop for items for them. Talking briefly about ethnic and racial diversity within their toy collection is just ONE of the many ways I answered these questions in my video.

[@NatalieBennett]

@Carol Burns sounds like you don't understand how KZbin works... If I was doing it "for views" there would be something written about it in the title of the video... THAT'S what gets me views... Nothing else.

[@AmandaATXo.o]

In my house, christmas stockings have mostly been semi practical things: pedicure tools, hair bands, bath bombs, chip clips*, phone case, homemade spiced nuts, watch band, fabric shaver, etc - things that are useful, but would be kind of weird to wrap up under the tree. Santa usually throws in some candy too. *When my brother was a teenager and going thru a growth spurt, he was snacking All The Time. But as you might expect from a teenage boy, he never sealed the snacks back up. So in his stocking that year (and most years since, as a joke) he got........ chip clips.

[@ameliatadanier1168]

I had the exact same two bitty babies and loved to play twins with them as a little girl! Bitty babies are such nice dolls and seeing them really took me back to my childhood!

[@caracampbell1715]

LOVE everything you got! Love that you are such a thoughtful mom, your kids are blessed. Bitty Baby was our daughter’s first doll, and she still loves it! Enjoy these early years Christmases. The excitement and magical time aura diminishes a bit as they grow older. Of course they still love Christmas, but it’s not quite the same. My twins are ten now, and I do miss the preschool years Christmases so much. That being said, we strive to “keep them little” as long as we can. So we continue our traditions of decorating the tree, baking Christmas cookies, etc.

[@cruiser122s.d.8]

I would love to see a stocking stuffer stuffer video. Your gifts for your kids are awesome!!!

[@daniellebrown4999]

i love it when my parents gave us Christmas pj on Christmas eve

[@NatalieBennett]

So cozy!!!

[@AndreaGomez-kv5iq]

Yes stocking stuffers video! I love your videos Natalie have a wonderful thanksgiving 😊

[@barbaraandrews402]

Love that you have a crib set to cherish as an heirloom. I remember my mother taking me to buy one when I was 3. My girls loved arranging it when we got ready for Christmas and now my grandchildren love to see it.

[@Mainecoon03736]

Hi! Awe... I love the idea of a Christmas Box. My boys are grown...but we still have a couple of traditions we participate with. The wooden toys are what I use to buy my boys too as well as legos. All the items you purchased I know your kids will have lots of fun playing with. These are such great gift ideas. Thank you for sharing.

[@morenomoms354]

Love this. We do 1-2 gifts for each category (want, need, do, learn, and read) for our daughter, and Santa brings a gift. Helps us focus on making sure the gifts we get her are intentional and thought through. That said, I LOVE seeing how other families approach gifts for their kids!

[@funnyadorabledonna]

OMG Natalie guess what🏠🏠🏠?!! Last week I requested prayers to find and purchase a home and we went under contract last Thursday🤯. We hope to close by Dec 18 but because of covid and holidays we hope there is no delay. Feeling so blessed and can't help but to Thank You for your prayers🥰🥰🥰

[@NatalieBennett]

Praise the Lord!!!! ♥️

[@funnyadorabledonna]

@@NatalieBennett AMEN

[@ChristopherSmith-gv4yc]

Stocking stuffer ideas would be great! I have an 8 and 7 year old and a 2 year old. We also have a 7 month old but we are being very minimalistic with her since she won’t even know it’s a Christmas anyways. Love your balance between minimalism and also giving your kids joy!

[@robinjones394]

I really enjoyed your video.... I love how you focus on what your kids love... I’ve always done that with my son... I’m not a minimalist...but was curious what you put under the tree..., I love how excited you are to give these items to your kids... I’ve always been so excited to see him open his presents every year... I think more moms and dads should really get to know their kids more.... and not just buy random inexpensive things to fill up under the tree... I’ve spent a lot of time playing with my only child over the years and always knew what he was into every year... Hope you and your family had an amazing Christmas...

[@Sa_Raw]

Just found your channel and I'm happy I did, I'm stuck in the hospital and had nothing to do and watching your videos helped pass the time in an enjoyable way. Can't wait to get home to my kiddos and plan for Christmas!

[@ThisisHomeVlogs]

I hope you get well soon ! I will keep you in my prayers. Happy holidays! 🙏

[@wendimorehead4551]

My kids are older now and I miss picking out Legos. I LOVE that you put so much thought in to your gifts. So many people these days just buy a bunch of "stuff" and you are just like I was. ❤️❤️❤️

[@jessicachipepo442]

Thank you for speaking out about the importance of paying attention to diversity. It is definitely something that needs to be changed!

[@carrieclarke2439]

We do the same! Dec 1 the kids get a special surprise. Christmas book, advent and pjs to enjoy for the month. Christmas eve they get a gift that has cookie cutters and supplies to make cookies for Santa. Love this!

[@robinjones394]

Love your cookie supply idea for Christmas Eve! Thanks!

[@BariTaleCoaching]

This is GENIUS! We aren't big "toy people" either and I like to keep my 5 year old's things limited to her bedroom and toy box. Loved these ideas! Thank you!

[@melesa]

They still have the popcorn tins! I had them as a kid as well and we just got one and watched a movie this past weekend. The kids loved the different popcorn!

[@haleyhamer7128]

I’d love for you to bring this type of video back this year!

[@avadearing5343]

I’m already a few minutes in and I’m a teacher. We have used Osmo in college when working with some kids during the education program and it was AWESOME!!!

[@nrmmom]

Your 6 year olds: we want electric toothbrushes! My 6 year old: I want a computer 🤦‍♀️

[@ginagrubb2939]

My 7-year-old said the same thing... but don’t worry, he will just ask Santa so it’s free. 😂

[@nrmmom]

@@ginagrubb2939 🤣🤣

[@sbenefield76]

Lego is #1 in our house...our 11 yo daughter (only child) is getting Minecraft Lego for Christmas. She also got Lego for her birthday in August. It's a gift I always feel great about. She is the type that builds her kits once, then disassembles and enjoys free play (as opposed to having a closet full of assembled kits). We also got the Lego Gingerbread House to start assembling as a family starting today or tomorrow...the detail and complexity is great...she is at a weird age where it's a bit harder to find sets that have just the right amount of complexity. ❤

[@mmL16]

Good morning, Natalie!! Thank you for being a ray of sunshine on this rainy day!! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family 💕

[@Simplyscratchkitchen]

So fun! My mom got that Frozen set from Costco for my 2 and 3 year old girls and I think they’re going to have so much fun with it!

[@hannahbentson9374]

Nap time = watch Natalie’s new video 🙌🏼💕 Can’t wait to see what you got them! I love minimalism and keeping things intentional. This year we’re doing the magnolia house, Christmas pjs and books. If you guys need permission to keep things simple here you go! This year is the simplest we have ever done and I’m so happy. So much less stressful!

[@fernandagoncalvesoliveirab2083]

Congrats for the respect you give the kids!

[@ourevergreenhome]

Love this, love the Christmas box and the Jesus story book Christmas advent thing, that looks great!! Thanks for sharing and a merry Christmas to you all and God bless you !

[@karisatotah8407]

I LOVE this. Your kids sound like wonderful people and like they really appreciate the gifts and experiences you love to provide for them. I hope I remember the Christmas box around Thanksgiving when we have kids!!

[@chaoshome34]

I got a bitty baby second hand for my almost 2 yr old this year... a friend of mines daughter is 16 now so this doll is 14 yrs old and really well taken care of! I got a bed with it too!

[@stephanieritz9165]

I love your Christmas box idea! Thanks so much for sharing this idea with us!

[@hannahtripp859]

My daughter loves that frozen book LEGO set! We have just started investing holidays/birthdays for legos and it such a great way for kids to do something creative hands on. Bitty babies are from my era as well and I loved being able to pass on mine from my childhood to my daughters. I am going to have to a Christmas box this year. Having small kids like yours as well we haven’t established a lot of traditions yet but I love how simple yet meaningful it is.

[@jenniferbelchi-segura6221]

I love the box with mugs, cocoa and popcorn. Including that idea this Christmas season. 🍿🍫☕️

[@Lolibob151]

We do 4 presents: Something they want Something they need Something to wear Something they need This year there are a few extra little presents but generally we've stuck to it pretty well

[@AlwaysAnna77]

I so appreciate you sharing your picks for this year. Everything is beautiful and so fun. We usually only get our boys 1 or 2 little things for Christmas and plus they get a few more from family. Sometimes it seems like nothing compared to what I see others getting for their kids but I know our boys are blessed with everything they need plus more! But this video does help me feel more confident in our approach. I love how intentional you are about each item you get them.

[@Madagaskar1987]

Elsa has also Duplo version. My daughter is obsessed with that.

[@ashleyemma4954]

My kids have similar toddler Anna and Elsa dolls and they play with them every day! I also had those same 2 bitty babies when I was a kid and I just gave them to my daughters ❤️ so nostalgic!

[@ErikasHomeRefresh]

So excited to see what you got!!! We definitely try to stay on the minimal side with toys!!

[@sarahhegedus9182]

LOVE that you got Haley a black baby. Also your tree looks so good! Love your videos, Natalie!

[@psymompa]

Love the thoughtfulness of all the gifts. When my teenagers were young, they too wanted electric toothbrushes. Thanks for sharing. 🌲

[@AlinaGhost]

I like that you’ve chosen something educational as well as fun 🤩

[@HaleyWildman]

One of my favorite gifts to give is an air popper with popcorn kernels and a new movie! We have use the mess out of our air popper so I can justify the gadget being stowed away in the cabinet and it seems like a healthier alternative to the bagged options. My kids love popcorn 🍿 too! Would enjoy the stocking stuffer ideas!

[@karbear26]

I think it’s great that you do minimal Christmas! I just couldn’t do it I have so much fun buying my daughter presents! I had the pleasant company dolls when I was younger! My daughter has an original Molly from a family friend! I still have my Kirsten packed away! My daughter has the newer versions mostly and the target dolls!

[@carristevens9474]

Fun idea for you to go with Guess Who, last year I got a set for my nieces and nephews and they love playing the the character cards that come with it, but I also made a set of cards with people from our family! It was not hard to do (I can send you the template if you want) and just adds a special extra way to play the classic game 😀

[@irenehinojosa6629]

My brother use to have thousands of plain legos and his creativity was awesome in using the plain sets.

[@silverose1209]

I think I want to start this next year. Such a good idea. Our 3 year old got some of this type of stuff, or will, but just kind of randomly given through the month. I like the idea of the tradition of the box. :)

[@glittertogore]

Love that you and the minimal mom did this! Ive been a fan of her for a while now ❤

[@jessicakoppers1121]

Love these ideas! I actually got to explore an OSMO more in depth last year as a kindergarten teacher as my school at the time had one and it’s amazing for all ages! It’s a genius way to bring educational fun to a tablet and the magic the osmo can do with coding and interactive games is so cool even as an adult it’s fun haha I found your videos through the interview with Dawn so I really appreciated learning someone new to watch and love how you both have similar ideas/outlooks on minimalism. Thank you for all that you do :)

[@arieller2483]

Natalie, you are the cozy, warm, #asthetic channel and I look forward to your videos every week!

[@NatalieBennett]

Awww!! I'm so glad you enjoy my channel! ♥️♥️♥️

[@jessicabradley8307]

I got Guess Who for my daughter also! She turns 6 in January and I think she will really like it :) i loved it also, growing up!

[@rachaelmcconnell]

I love watching stocking stuffer videos so please put it on KZbin!

[@mirablush]

We still love american girl dolls! Their customer service is beyond amazing. We too got a bitty baby for our youngest this Christmas and know she will love her so much!

[@esmicu]

Eeeee! I'm glad we share interest in Star Wars! I can't wait for Ahsoka Tano to be part of the Mandalorian in (hopefully) this season! Thank you for this video. It's so nice to see other parents doing the minimalist approach with their kids best interests as a rounded end for their toy collection. Learning a lot from you!

[@nancybeachbody115]

My 11 y/o got my 3y/o the same frozen lego!! She always wants his lego so he is excited to help her build her own first lego set!!!

[@katiewilson6561]

I loved everything about this video and went out and bought a Christmas box for my own children as soon as I finished watching!

[@sarahmcnutt242]

We have 3 boys and hot wheels and legos are our go to gifts. Huge hits here too. 😁

[@drewandchristinasherer532]

LOVE the Christmas box! I’ve been looking for traditions to start with my littles (3yo & 1yo)! Where’d you get the actual box?

[@Test11123]

My son loves Guess Who! I had it growing up and we bought it during quarantine, so I know your kids will love it too! Happy Thanksgiving Natalie!!!

[@jandewitt7067]

We love guess who as well, i just wish the quality of the game was better! It's so cheapy made conpared to the classic one.

[@matejalesar3333]

HIGHLY recommend pizza co from osmo, I’m a teen and still play it. Also Hailey could totally play it! There is a junior mode for littler kids that make it a little easier

[@alysonjenkins4392]

Love, love the Christmas Box idea!!!

[@Mysticsoul77]

A super cute idea is for the guess who game. Put pictures of your family members in there. I'm adding hot cocoa and mints for our daughter's stocking. We actually have a movie theater style popcorn machine. Our daughter use to love 🍿 but not anymore. They also make a Story Of The Bible Story Book Set & Advent Calendar. The little books are also ornaments. This would be a very special family tradition for the kids.

[@savannahadelmann3315]

We love Legos too! Both our kids are too young to play with them yet, but we are hoping to make a family tradition of creating a Lego Christmas village and adding to it each year. So far we have a fire station and a train, and my husband and I love building them together till our kids can participate with us.

[@kathy777]

Very well thought out gifts and love that you keep things simple, not like some videos I see like this.

[@amytedrick6991]

I’d love if you made a whole video highlighting your stocking stuffers!! Love your style with toys for your kids, definitely get inspiration from you!💜

[@helenyan2370]

I would love to see stocking stuffers. I have a 3 year old daughter too. I also keep our toys open ended and minimal but I don’t shy away from branded things because she does so much imaginative play with her little characters. This year I found a set of my little pony figures that has all of the main characters but was missing a minor character on eBay so it was a great deal. Her other gift is a set of indoor stepping stones that she can hop and balance on or use to make scenes for her characters

[@naomireineke3151]

We got Guess Who when our oldest turned 5. He's 6.5 now and is great at it, our 4 year old may not always do it "right" but he tries and it's something they enjoy together! We've done the partner thing too.

[@naomireineke3151]

Lego is popular with them too! Their dad's old random ones and their own special sets. Sterilite/tupperware containers keep their sets (somewhat 😉) organized!

[@debbiehause8229]

Great video! I loved seeing what you got your precious children for Christmas and the gift box is such a great tradition that I’m sure they look forward to every year! May you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving 🦃 🥧

[@cindym6138]

Haley will LOVE the frozen dolls! My great niece adores hers. Perfect size for little girls!

[@ikrobiee]

I always try to get crafty items for my nieces since they have so much already. I also get them PJs, socks and fun slippers.

[@donna_dc]

Happy Monday! Have been looking forward to this all week... 😍🎄🎁

[@NatalieBennett]

Yay!! Can't wait to see you when it goes live!

[@Lubinzubie]

I really love these videos every year / season. Actually due to the pandemic I haven’t been able to order anything because we can’t receive packages where I live and no one has been able to bring our packages to us. I’m actually still waiting on my daughter’s Easter basket package 🤦‍♀️. So I haven’t wanted to watch these videos because it just reminds me that I can’t order anything for my girls this year and where we live there aren’t a lot of good quality things to buy, but your videos are such good quality and I really appreciate the time you take to make them. God bless!

[@kaitlynannette4896]

It was so nice to see one of these videos with no electronics.

[@SavannahHoskins]

I would love to see a stocking stuffer video!

[@shellybarnes5429]

Yes to the stocking stuffer video please! ☺️👍

[@kelleysigler9759]

Would love to see your stocking stuffer ideas as well.

[@elainetherese5160]

My son loves LEGO!! They are such a fun toy!

[@vasufa]

Luke does legos professionally?! I’m so intrigued! Do tell 😀

[@RVthereyetmemaw]

Wishing you an yours a Very Happy Thanksgiving 🦃🍁🍽!!! This year is a year where the Christmas trees are going up early! We need that joy an cheer that comes with Christmas an the birth of Christ! The true reason with this season! God Bless

[@jennyhernandez9820]

I always enjoy watching your videos and can’t wait when you upload on mondays! 😊❤️

[@alanad2339]

#premieregang 🥰 love love love your minimalist approach to Christmas 🎄 I am going to start a Christmas box tradition as well because I love how you use it throughout the season without having it all for just one year

[@hannahbentson9374]

That frozen set reminds me of Polly pockets 😍 oh the memories!

[@olivesgarden]

I still cherish my Bitty Babies from my childhood (I was obsessed lol). Hoping my future children will adore them as well 💓

[@LifewithPolly]

Love your videos ❤️ I also believe it's great to get kids things they're actually into and excited about instead of getting them gifts we would pick for ourselves 😁☺️ I would love to see stocking stuffers, that's usually where I get stuck 😂🎄🎁

[@cphilly4962]

Hello Natalie- found you from minimal mom. Where did you find your Christmas box? ❤ this idea; I want to build traditions that my children will remember.

[@yaniaocampo2891]

I would love to see stocking stuffers pls! love your video!

[@KyleKateyVlogs]

We decided to do bikes for Christmas! My husband and I don’t have any and really wanted to start going on family bike rides! For our 2 year old she will get both a seat for our adult bikes and a balance bike for herself. Then Santa got her a bitty baby! It took a lot to find one that looks like her (blonde hair brown eyes) but I helped Santa out and I am so excited! 😉

[@amyrichard4311]

Love the Christmas box idea ❤ My hubby saved his old legos. He can't wait for our girls to be old enough to play with him lol