It’s only December 6th (St. Nicholas Day!) but it already feels like December is flying by. I still have so much to do to prepare for Christmas! I do have our Advent things out, and started reading Advent books to my kids, so I’m not totally behind. We don’t put up a Christmas tree until Christmas Eve, but oftentimes our kids get a little frustrated with waiting and take matters into their own hands. Silas went out in the woods yesterday, and came home with a little cedar tree for his room, which is pretty sweet.
I have started planning gifts, but need to hurry it up if I want things to arrive on time. I am thinking that gifts for my older boys will be pretty straightforward this year. They are all at a place where they have very specific needs and wants. My challenge with them is to find a few things for their stockings that are worthwhile without being too expensive.
We do our best to focus on our faith, love, and traditions during Advent and Christmas, rather than loads of stuff. That being said, I truly love giving gifts and put a lot of thought into what I purchase for my friends and family. I hope my good gifts list can be of some assistance to you as you try to find intentional, thoughtful gifts for those you love. As always, this year’s list includes new ideas along with those that I share every year. I’ve added a new art supplies section. I really, really love art supplies. Many of the links are Amazon affiliate links, and it is a real gift to us when you shop Amazon through those links, as we earn a small percentage when you do. Thank you so much!
Favorites for children:
Everyone will get a stainless steel straw in their stocking this year.
Job received this tool belt and work gloves for his birthday and loves them.
Mabel loves this wooden school bus pop up toy. This Sun Sorter puzzle is very pretty, and popular with my little ones.
Job and Mabel enjoy this Fish Parquet set and this bee hive set.
Prairie Bonnets and Little House paper dolls!
Story cubes are so much fun, and would make a great stocking stuffer! I am planning to order a complete set this year. They are good for a wide range of ages.
Pop guns–slightly obnoxious, but fun for the little ones.
We have been pleased with the quality of this bucket swing.
Silas received this Schwinn Kid’s Balance Bike for his third birthday, and absolutely loved it. We took it to every baseball game, and he also rode around the yard on it. The following year, we bought him a small regular bike without training wheels and he was able to ride it almost immediately, having learned to balance on the balance bike. Job has since received his first balance bike, and he loves his as well. I highly recommend them!
I think that Keva planks are the single most played with toys that we own (followed closely by playsilks), and I say this having had them for many years. I can’t say enough good things about these very simple blocks that appeal to a very wide range of ages. This year we added Magna-Tiles to our home, and they have been very popular as well.
A few years ago, Silas spent his long saved birthday money on this little crossbow after playing with it at a friend’s house. It is very well made, and he had a lot of fun with it. This year he and Job have requested this bow and arrows set. We also love these interlocking wooden blocks.
Favorite games include:
Beatrix receieved Kingdomino for her birthday last year and it is a good one!
Into the Forest was new to us last year, and our girls really love it! Orchard is probably my favorite game to play with kids 9(ish) and under. Favorite card games include Rat-A-Tat-Cat, and Mille Bornes. Shut the Box has seen lots of play time over the years as well. Bird Bingo has been a favorite for years, now! I would like to have Bug Bingo as well!
Games that my older kids have been enjoying lately include Catan and The Castles of Burgundy. They are hoping to get a Catan expansion set and Scythe for Christmas.
Art Supplies:
These are our longtime favorite colored pencils. These are fun too. We like beeswax blend crayons and have recently been using some that are made in the U.S. by Filana We love both the blocks and the stick crayons. We also like these, and these 100% beeswax chunky crayons have held up very well-a great choice for younger children.
My girls love these tiny watercolor sets. Here is another pocket sized option. They pair perfectly with a tiny watercolor journal. This is another small option, and these are also nice small sketchbooks. These are great for nature walks and would make nice stocking stuffers. My younger kids really like scratch off paper, and we like the small size of the sheets in this set.
Gifts for adults (and big kids):
Leathermans are very popular in our house, and we have a couple of new ones this year. Beatrix received this cute little one for her birthday, and Jonny bought the Wingman for his own birthday. It’s a bit smaller than his other one, and he is very attached to it. It is small enough that he can carry it in his pocket and he claims that he uses it almost every day for something. Seth also bought one recently, this model.
Generally, we avoid tons of electronics, but I am really considering an Echo (or two) for the whole family to stream music and audiobooks, but I am not sure I even understand it enough yet to know exactly what I need to order! Please feel free to advise me in the comments, or suggest alternatives. I want to be able to stream Amazon music and Audible, but don’t want a screen because then the kids are distracted by the device and want to do other things than listen (this is the problem I am having with letting them use my phone to listen.)
I wear this apron all the time, when Lark doesn’t have it (It has pockets!) Gray was the only color available when I bought it, but I see that now it comes in quite a few color options!
I love my 8 quart Instant Pot. It took me awhile to warm up to it, but we use it several times a week now and it’s a lifesaver.
Warm overalls! These are my winter farm chores necessity for staying warm.
Seth (my 17 year old) recently bought himself a couple of nice tools. This machete, and this knife. One of my boys will be receiving this fire starter set in his stocking this year. (There are quite a few “survival” gear ideas at the end of this post.)
Larkspur (age 11) is an avid letter writer, and bought this sealing wax set earlier this year.
Jonny and the older kids love playing Bocce ball. This was last year’s family Christmas gift and it still sees plenty of use.
When the weather is cold, my older boys typically get interested in coin roll hunting. Seth likes to search through nickels the most, the other two like pennies. Boxes of coins along with Seth’s coin roll hunting guide would make great gifts, especially if you were already planning on giving money to the recipient.
My older boys all enjoy metal detecting and we highly recommend the entry level Garrett detectors such as the Ace 300. A well-made, sharp, little shovel is a must. Seth did a lot of research before settling on this one.
Expecting guests, and need extra beds that you can easily store? We love these and the storage case is well worth buying. We also love this white noise machine.
I know there are lots of nice diffusers out there, but I have been really happy with this inexpensive one.
I love these pens, and like to give them with moleskine journals. Other nice little organizational books that I really like are this Moleskine blank recipe journal, and this very simple address book. I am pretty committed now to my Moleskine planner. This will be my 2019 planner. LOVE IT. I save my planners and these will fit nicely on shelf one day; I only wish I had started using them sooner.
This will be my 2019 wall calendar. So pretty!!!
I mention it every year, but if you know any gardeners this Nejiri Gama Hoe is the best little garden hoe! Prices really fluctuate on Amazon, but it’s usually well under ten dollars! I have been using (and losing) these for many years.
I have the midsize wooden drying rack from Homestead Drying Racks and absolutely love it. Ours is in daily use, mainly for drying wool items, yarn, and other things that don’t go in the dryer. It is really well made and sturdy.
This is the perfect time of year to give the One Line a Day Journal. We still use ours to record special moments we want to remember.
For the knitter or crafter:
I this set of interchangeable knitting needles and I love them so much! I also use this storage case for my circular needles. Both are great.
This hobby lamp is great! I need it to be able to see when I am cross-stitching. I use Q-snaps now to hold my cross-stitching while I work (at the recommendation of one of you!) And they are the BEST. And if you need a new cross-stitch kit, Alicia’s are the best.
I am often asked what I use to block my knits. I use blocking mats similar to these, along with blocking pins and these knit blockers.
Updated book list coming tomorrow (I hope!!!)
Kerry says
Ok I lied. The echo dot is an independent device but the speaker is quite tinny.
Kerry says
Maybe someone already commented but I like the amazon echo too.
We have the larger cylindrical one.
I don’t know if you can just have the cheaper echo “dot”. I think the echo dot is just an extender of the main Echo.
I love that it’s not a screen.
We all use it and ask questions and listen to music or podcasts.
You do have to have amazon prime to use it.
I don’t listen to audible bc I’m too cheap for that membership!
I hope that helps.
Kristina says
Without fail I find something on your list that my kids will enjoy! I’ve really be struggling with stocking stuffers this year and the story cubes and little magnifying glass are perfect!
Thank you!!
Maria says
Thank you for the good ideas!
Maria says
I forgot to add – as far as the book list, do you have any ideas for series for an 11 year old boy who loves to read? Struggling to find something that is not cartoonish or violent. Thanks!
Ginny Foreman says
Has he read the Little Britches series? We really love those.
Maria says
Not yet – I will look for that, thanks!
Paula J Runyan says
Chronicles of narnia. Sugar creek gang.
Elizabeth Garrett says
Thank you for the list. I bought three of the tool belts for my younger kids. What suggestion do you have for a beginner cross-stitch? This is the 6-7 year old age range. I’m struggling to find something simple yet not cartoonish. Any ideas? Thanks again!
Marilyn says
Thank You for this versatile list. Mini crosswords and search or find a word books are great for stockings.
Marilyn
Jen says
Thanks again, this is my favorite gift list to consult! I got two things off it, with your links! Merry Christmas…
Joan says
Thank You for the gift ideas.
HAPPY ST. NICHOLAS DAY
Joan
Marion says
Ginny this is a great list that covers all ages. Small candy and cookies are good stocking stuffers.
HAPPY ST.NICHOLAS DAY
Marion
Annie Kitching says
I was just looking at that apron today! I was looking for an apron like our Dominican sisters wear over their habits – and that’s it! (Except theirs is longer). What I’d really like is a pattern for it (hint/hint….maybe you could take yours apart and make one?)
Emily says
We use Alexa a lot but didn’t splurge on a big Echo–we use the Echo Dot in a couple of rooms which does everything the big Echo does but with a smaller speaker. I would think for the uses you mentioned, the Dot would work well at half the cost!
Ginny Foreman says
Okay, that sounds better! Thanks for mentioning it! So you think the Echo Dot is loud enough as long as we are in the same room with it?
Emily says
Definitely loud enough in the same room. My 21 year old son would want more bass than it provides, but that’s OK with me! We listen to news and a range of music styles. We have one in the bedroom, office, and kitchen. I haven’t tried it, but I think you can set it to play the same thing on multiple Dots, or something different on each one. They are pretty versatile!
Karla says
I always love your gift ideas!
I love the IDEA of beeswax crayons, but don’t want to spend the money… and am afraid they’ll get broken and ruined like their cheap counterparts.
Adding a few of these ideas to my own wish list!
Ginny Foreman says
Depending on which ones you buy, they do break! The ones that don’t are the block crayons and the short stubby honeysticks. 🙂
Bev says
Several fun suggestions for gifts for my husband, especially in the arts section…thanks!
Karie says
Thank-you for sharing these lists! You’ve helped inspire a few gift ideas this year!
Kelli says
We discovered the balance bike last year and we love it! Our 3 year old is a little too short and chubby to comfortably sit on the seat and have his feet on the ground, but it sure is fun to watch! What a great list! We also try to veer away from the electronics mostly. Our kids gifts often include puzzles, books, and clothes. We love dress up play things too! I love the fish parquet. I believe that may go to our 3 yr old this year. Thank you so much for this excellent idea list!
Angela Schmidt says
Hi Ginny! I wanted to add, my husband especially likes the “Skeletool”. A little more lightweight than a Leatherman but still extremely useful! Also available at Amazon:) of course.
I wondered if you had any recommendations for childrens costumes that aren’t brand specific? Like a bat costume that isn’t Batman, I’m having a hard time finding ones that are simple and don’t break the bank.
Still loving my dishcloth! Thanks so much!
Angela
Ginny Foreman says
Thanks! I will check that out!
Julie says
Great list! I added a few things to our Amazon cart. Thanks so much for the shopping help. I’m always at a loss for what to buy my kids that will last. Loved the interlocking fish puzzle!
Candace says
Ginny, where do you buy wool socks for your children? Mabel’s are so pretty.
Ginny Foreman says
For my younger kids (Silas and down) I order them each one pair from Sierratradingpost.com Today is free shipping day there with the code FREESHIP, btw! For my older kids I buy wool blend socks at Costco-much cheaper!
Eileen says
I love your yearly gift giving post and read it every year! I’m stuck on a 1year old little boy gift. We are only buying one gift for the littles each. The 2+ year old, a balance bike and the one yr. old ? Any suggestions would be most welcomed. Have a great weekend.
Ginny Foreman says
I think new board books are always welcome at that age!