​Our kids are growing and so is our movie list! Be sure to check out our previous movie recommendations here! What titles are you adding to your Christmas season rotation?

Candy Maker's Christmas by Arden Mead 
​A German candymaker set on creating a new and perfect recipe learns the true meaning of Christmas.

The Christmas Crumb by Lewis Arlt
​The story of a crumb that keeps on giving.

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
The 2005 adaptation of the beloved 1950s novel by C.S. Lewis.
Recommended for ages 7+

Superbook Christmas
Joy and Chris journey back to Bible times and learn nothing can stop God’s plan of redemption. 

Slugs and Bugs Show: Make Ready for Christmas 
A mixed cast of people and puppets work together to put on a Christmas show.

The Three Wise Men / The Very First Noel
Andy Griffith narrates a Christmas poem about the nativity, told from the perspective of one of the wisemen. 

Koala Brothers Outback Christmas
The Koala Brothers help their penguin friend from Antarcitca visit their Australian homestead for Christmas.

The True Saint Nicholas - Why He Matters to Christmas by William Bennett
The tradition of the real Saint Nicholas.

Agapeland Once Upon A Christmas
The Christmas Story narrated by a boy interwoven with traditional Christmas songs sung by a children's choir. 

Samantha: An American Girl Holiday
*Spoiler alert*

• Synopsis: Samantha lives with her wealthy grandmother and befriends her next door neighbor’s three servant girls who are sisters. Samantha learns her friends’ father has died while she is away visiting her uncle. She helps her friends escape an orphanage. Samantha and her 3 friends are adopted by her uncle and aunt on Christmas Day.
• Recommend for ages 8+

Some scenes for parents to be aware of:

• An obnoxious neighbor boy who breaks a window and causes trouble. Samantha tells the boy he is dumb
• Children write notes to Santa on Christmas Eve
• Samantha sees a child injured in a factory and gives a speech for school about dangerous factory conditions
• An overcrowded orphanage
• Samantha mentions her parents died in an accident. Her friends lose their father to influenza during the movie
• 2 scenes where characters wish on a star​
• Samantha’s aunt and friends are a part of a women’s suffrage group and briefly discuss women’s voting rights
  
• The movie is  set in 1904. Children need to be able to understand this was over 100 years ago.

​​Overall this movie displays positive themes- loving family, charity, friendship across social groups, good manners, and adoption. 

Are you gift shopping this year or opting for experiences and quality time instead? What's the best gift you've ever given or received? Our gift list is updated for 2022 with items our family or friends have loved and we hope it gives you some ideas! In the busyness of life I’ve found myself referencing our gift list for our children’s friends’ birthdays (it’s easy to forget what once sparked joy at younger ages!) What’s on your list this year?

One year:

• Baby moccasins or first walking shoes
• Lakeshore Learning What’s Inside? Soft Feely Box
• Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone
• Pretend telephone
• Duplo
• Stacking toys
• Nesting dolls
• Teething toy
• Handmade or minky blanket
• Toddler lounge chair
• Personalized towel, hooded towel, or pool towel
• College fund contribution
• Board books
  • Goodnight Moon
  • Boats Go
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar
  • Karen Katz books
  • Touch and feel books

Two years:

• Stickers
• Stainless steel soft spout water bottle
• Sand table or sensory bins
• Toddler trampoline
• Step 2 Roller Coaster or Extreme Coaster
• Minky blanket
• Very soft squishy pillow or stuffed animal
• Trains and train track (we skipped the table- our kids build on the floor) – some quality generic brands fit most popular brands
• Bubble blower and bubbles
• Crayons, paint sticks, Color Wonder
• Play kitchen
• Play food and dishes
• Water table
• Lifetime kids picnic table
• Personalized towel or pool towel
• Zoo, aquarium, or museum membership
• Books (some of our favorites):
  • Sandra Boynton Books - Are You a Cow? Silly Lullaby, Blue Hat Green Hat, The Going to Bed Book, The Belly Button Book, and others
  • Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
  • Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Kevin Lewis
  • Jamberry
  • The Goodnight Train
  • Go Dog Go
  • Snowmen at Night
  • Trucks Roll by Lyon and Frazier/ Planes Fly by Lyon and Wiggins
  • Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site
  • Are You My Mother? by PD Eastman

Three Years:

• Minky blanket
• Leap Frog Scout or Violet talking puppy
• Play doh
• Sticker dolls or scenes
• Kinetic sand
• Magnetic tiles
• Wee Sing Book and CD
• Books on CD
• Watercolor paint
• Dress up/ costumes
• Baby dolls
• Balance bike and helmet
• Hopper ball
• Bubble blower wand and extra batteries
• Candy Land, Don’t Break The Ice or other age appropriate board and card games
• Sled
• Personalized towel or pool towel
• Micro kickboard scooter or similar 3 wheel scooter (we bought the off brand and our kids use them in the driveway)
• Zoo, aquarium, or museum membership
• Books (some of our favorites):
  • Lola reads to Leo
  • ​Blueberries for Sal
  • Pout Pout Fish
  • The Gruffalo
  • Pete The Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
  • The Little Engine That Could

Four-Five Years:

• Stocking stuffers: color changing cup, Imagine Ink, maze book, pull back car, flashlight, slap bracelet
• Waterproof watch
• Minky blanket
• Leap Frog Adventure Globe (disclaimer: this globe includes some history dates that are open to debate.)
• Perler beads
• Scribble Scrubbies
• Stomp rockets
• Baby doll
• Action figures from favorite TV show – Super Wings transformers are a favorite here
• Floor puzzles
• Matching game
• Lacing cards
• Brain Flakes
• Candy Land, Sneaky Snacky Squirrel, Sum Swamp, Monopoly Jr. or other age appropriate board games
• Color pencils
• Zoo, aquarium, or museum membership
• Micro kickboard or similar 3 wheel scooter (we bought the off brand and our kids use them in the driveway)
• Bike and helmet
• Personalized towel or pool towel
• Bubble blower wand and extra batteries
• Lessons
• Educational CDs and DVDs like Leap Frog or Preschool Prep series
• Books (a few of our favorites):
  • Christmas is Here by Lauren Castillo
  • What should Danny do?
  • Ready, Set, Read!: The Beginning Reader's Treasury, Mouse Tales, Poppleton, BOB books, or other Early Readers/ I Can Read Books
  • Hop on Pop
  • Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems
  • As An Oak Tree Grows
  • Becoming Bach
  • 20 Hungry Piggies
  • Zondervan Children’s Bible
  • Berenstain Bears
  • Further Tales of Peter Rabbit with CD by Emma Thompson
  • Beatrix Potter audio collection
  • Mind Your Manners BB Wolf
  • Simple science books

Six to Nine Years:

• Stocking stuffers: color changing cup, infinity cube, Imagine Ink, origami kit, flashlight
• Snap Circuits Beginner
• Vtech Marble Rush
• Akedo Fighters
• Beyblades
• Maze cube
• Board games – checkers, Uno, Zingo, Gravity Maze
• Fine tip markers and other art supplies
• Lego
• Perler beads
• Friendship bracelet or other crafts
• Sewing kit
• Felt sewing machine
• Science experiment kit
• Paint by sticker
• Roller blades
• Micro kickboard or similar 3 wheel scooter (we bought the off brand and our kids use them in the driveway)
• Helmet and pads
• Personalized towel or pool towel
• Waterproof watch
• Bike
• Tales of Buttercup Grove Series (early reader - age 5+)
• Secret of the Hidden Scrolls Series (7+)
• The Boxcar Children (7+)
• Imagination Station Series (7+) or read aloud
• Sharing the Bread by Pat Zietlow Miller and Jill McElmurry
• Charlotte’s Web
• Mr. Popper’s Penguins
• The Glimmer Girls by Natalie Grant
• Halfway Herbert by Francis Chan

Ten to Thirteen:

• Gel or erasable pens
• Bookmark
• Skating rink/indoor climbing, trampoline park passes
• Sports equipment
• Gift cards to favorite store
• DIY bath bombs or other crafts
• Fun socks
• Fun throw pillow
• Chronicles of Narnia series
• Lord of the Rings series

​Fourteen to Eighteen:

• Gel or erasable pens
• Bookmark
• Journal
• Fuzzy socks
• Nail polish or nail appliques
• Mani/ pedi
• Gift cards to favorite store or restaurant

​Teachers/ Day Care Workers:

• Hand written thank you note
• Gift cards
• Gift basket. Some filler ideas:
  • Kind Bars, Goodness Knows, or other healthyish treats (watch out for school-banned ingredients), fragrance free hand sanitizer, nice pen, notepad, Emergen C, special blend coffee or tea, kitchen towel

Adult Family Members:

• Donation to a charity or sponsoring a child or family for the holidays on their behalf:
  • Partner with your local church’s outreach initiatives
  • Salvation Army Angel Tree
  • Food For The Poor
  • Operation Christmas Child
• Plan a family outing or activity – sometimes the best present is to be present.
  • A special meal
  • Candy house competition
  • Snow tubing or ice skating
  • Caroling at a local nursing home
  • Participating in your church service day and sharing a meal afterward
  • Bundle up and do a Christmas scavenger hunt
  • Card making/ exchange with meaningful letters
• Essential oil candle
• Custom leather bookmark
• Nothing Bundt Cake sampler
• A La Maison Rosemary Mint Hand Soap
• Department 56 or other lighted house/ church/ building
• Create a family tree
• The Chosen DVD series
• Bluetooth speaker
• Customized kitchen towel
• Scout tote bag
• Foldable all terrain wagon
• Customized garden stone
• Rechargeable battery fan
• Special blend coffee or tea
• Local honey
• Regional salsa, sauce or other gourmet food
• Coffee frother
• Pour over, French press or percolator
• Framed family photo or acrylic photo block
• Family photo session
• Keepsake or nostalgic item from their childhood decades or hometown
• Book or audio book for commute
• Glass water bottle
• Plush throw blanket in a neutral color
• Battery vacuum
• Meal kits delivered
• Restaurant gift cards
• Portable DVD player or tablet (especially families with kids)
• Amazon prime membership

And when in doubt…socks!
​

​

*Stay tuned! New 2022 recommendations are coming soon!*

​We are always on the hunt for media that reflects our values and is educational and fun for the kids. Below are some movies that will be playing at our house in the coming weeks! Before you jump into our list, did you know that Focus on the Family has a website called Plugged In with media reviews from a Christian perspective? Be sure to follow us on Instagram for more family holiday fun! What are you playing on repeat at your house? 

Christmas Movies for Kids:

The Snowman - Without narration or words, music accompanies the story of a boy who builds a snowman that then comes to life.

Art for Kids Hub – how to draw the Nativity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp0UrFi1lGI

Step by step drawing instructions for kids of all ages.

We want to know- what’s playing at your house?

Do you give gifts at Christmastime or opt for experiences and quality time? If you are a gift-giver, do you keep a running list all year, pull it together close to Christmas, or use another strategy?

Here's our gift brainstorming list updated for 2020! These are items we (or close friends) have found enjoyable, useful, and worth the money. Of course, the ultimate safe route is to ask the recipient or their parent, spouse, or friend!

What are your tried and true gift ideas?
​
One year:

• Lakeshore Learning What’s Inside? Soft Feely Box
• Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone
• Pretend telephone
• Duplo
• Stacking toys
• Nesting dolls
• Teething toy
• Handmade blanket
• College fund contribution
• Board books
  • Goodnight Moon
  • Boats Go
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar
  • Karen Katz books
  • Touch and feel books

Two years:

• Sand table or sensory bins
• Toddler trampoline
• Trains and train track (we skipped the table- our kids build on the floor) – some quality generic brands fit most popular brands
• Bubble blower and bubbles
• Crayons and paint sticks
• Play kitchen
• Play food and dishes
• Water table
• Kids picnic table
• Zoo, aquarium, or museum membership
• Books (some of our favorites):
  • Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
  • Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Kevin Lewis
  • Jamberry
  • The Goodnight Train
  • Go Dog Go
  • Snowmen at Night
  • Trucks Roll by Lyon and Frazier/ Planes Fly by Lyon and Wiggins
  • Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site
  • Mighty, Mighty Construction Site
  • Are You My Mother? by PD Eastman
  • Best Behavior Series by Elizabeth Verdick

Three Years:

• Play doh
• Sticker dolls or scenes
• Kinetic sand
• Magnetic tiles
• Wee Sing Book and CD
• Books on CD
• Watercolor paint
• Dress up/ costumes
• Baby dolls
• Balance bike and helmet
• Hopper ball
• Candy Land, Don’t Break The Ice or other age appropriate board and card games
• Sled
• Micro kickboard scooter
• Zoo, aquarium, or museum membership
• Books (some of our favorites):
  • Lola reads to Leo
  • Best Behavior Series by Elizabeth Verdick
  • Blueberries for Sal
  • Pout Pout Fish
  • The Gruffalo
  • Pete The Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
  • The Little Engine That Could

Four-Five Years:

• Baby doll
• Action figures from favorite TV show – Super Wings transformers are a favorite here
• Floor puzzles
• Matching game
• Lacing cards
• Candy Land, Sneaky Snacky Squirrel, Monopoly Jr. or other age appropriate board games
• Color pencils
• Zoo, aquarium, or museum membership
• Micro kickboard scooter
• Bike and helmet
• Lessons
• Educational CDs and DVDs like Leap Frog or Preschool Prep series
• Books (a few of our favorites):
  • What should Danny do?
  • Ready, Set, Read!: The Beginning Reader's Treasury, Mouse Tales, Poppleton, BOB books, or other Early Readers/ I Can Read Books
  • Hop on Pop
  • Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems
  • As An Oak Tree Grows
  • Becoming Bach
  • 20 Hungry Piggies
  • Zondervan Children’s Bible
  • Berenstain Bears
  • Further Tales of Peter Rabbit with CD by Emma Thompson
  • Beatrix Potter audio collection
  • Mind Your Manners BB Wolf
  • Simple science books

Six to Nine Years:

• Board games – checkers, Uno, Zingo
• Fine tip markers and other art supplies
• Lego
• Perler beads
• Friendship bracelet or other crafts
• Science experiment kit
• Paint by sticker
• Roller blades
• Helmet and pads
• Bike
• Adventures in Odyssey
• Tales of Buttercup Grove Series (early reader)
• Read aloud books:
  • Imagination Station Series
  • Charlotte’s Web
  • Mr. Popper’s Penguins

Ten to Thirteen:

• Crossbody purse
• Skating rink/indoor climbing, trampoline park passes
• Soccer or basketball goal
• Gift cards to favorite store
• DIY bath bombs or other crafts
• Crazy socks
• Fun throw pillow
• Chronicles of Narnia series
• Lord of the Rings series

​Fourteen to Eighteen:

• Gel pens
• Journal
• Fuzzy socks
• Nail polish or nail appliques
• Gift cards to favorite store or restaurant

​Teachers/ Day Care Workers:

• Hand written thank you note
• Gift cards
• Gift basket. Some filler ideas:
  • Kind Bars, Goodness Knows, or other healthyish treats (watch out for school-banned ingredients), fragrance free hand sanitizer, nice pen, notepad, Emergen C, special blend coffee or tea, dish towel

Adult Family Members:

• Donation to a charity or sponsoring a child or family for the holidays on their behalf:
  • Partner with your local church’s outreach initiatives
  • Salvation Army Angel Tree
  • Food For The Poor
  • Operation Christmas Child
• Plan a family outing or activity – sometimes the best present is to be present.
  • A special meal
  • Candy house competition
  • Snow tubing or ice skating
  • Caroling at a local nursing home
  • Participating in your church service day and sharing a meal afterward
  • Bundle up and do a Christmas scavenger hunt
  • Card making/ exchange with meaningful letters
• Create a family tree
• The Chosen DVD series
• Bluetooth speaker
• Customized kitchen towel
• Rechargeable battery fan
• Special blend coffee
• Coffee frother
• Pour over, French press or percolator
• Framed family photo
• Family photo session
• Book or audio book for commute
• Glass water bottle
• Plush throw blanket in a neutral color
• Battery vacuum
• Meal kits delivered
• Restaurant gift cards
• Portable DVD player or tablet (especially families with kids)
• Amazon prime membership

And when in doubt…socks!

Who's here for tips to simplify a busy time of year? We hope these ideas will help you make room for the things that matter at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and year-round. We’d love to hear your tips as well!

1. Over door mitten scarf holder. The weather is turning cooler which means all the gear. You can use an over the door shoe organizer for keeping mittens, scarves, and winter accessories sorted and available. 

2. Furniture sliders
Oh how we wish we’d discovered these friction reducing beauties many holidays and children ago! Furniture rearrangement seems to be a part of family life and if you are making room for a tree or other decorations, may we suggest these back savers.

3. Panera coffee subscription
For $9 a month you get unlimited coffee at Panera! Subscription includes 1 cup of coffee per phone number and resets every 2 hours. 

4. Tribl Worship Music App – Tribl is an incredible resource a friend shared with me. These prepopulated play lists will fill your home with worship all season long!

5. Dwell Bible App – Another way to keep your mind set on Christ throughout the season is to let someone else read Scripture over you. Check out this app which has a few books available for free listen. 

6. Ready recipes – easy, yummy, and scalable for crowds. These aren’t necessarily holiday recipes, but if you are hosting out of town guests or just need some simple ideas for your family during holiday prep check them out! We also do plenty of BFD (breakfast for dinner), hamburgers, and take out when our schedule is full.

• Baked Chicken Thighs: https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/crispy-baked-chicken-thighs/
• Crock Pot Brisket: Buy seasoned or season with your favorite rub. Cook on low 8 hours and top with your favorite BBQ sauce! 
• Meat Loaf: https://natashaskitchen.com/meatloaf-recipe/
• Panera Cream Cheese Potato Soup: https://www.food.com/recipe/paneras-cream-cheese-potato-soup-150863
• Chicken Salad: Boil chicken breasts until cooked. Shred in stand mixer. Add mayo (or cottage cheese and greek yogurt for a healthier version!) and your favorite veggies and seasonings. We use olive oil mayo, salt, pepper, green apples, slivered almonds, onion, and bit of lemon juice. Serve on salads, wraps, or crackers!
• Fish Tacos: Need a new twist on tacos? Try swapping beef or chicken for fish! We use Wild Caught Alaskan Pollock from Wal-Mart. It bakes from frozen in less than 20 minutes and is a great way to mix up tacos.
• Baked Brie: Aldi often has brie for a great price. We basically follow the recipe below, but skip the egg. Serve with apple slices.​  https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/raspberry-baked-brie/7e5bb469-fe1f-439b-bdaa-fed3da9e1335
• Cinnamon Baked French Toast Casserole: No batches to turn makes this an easy treat for crowds! ​https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/cinnamon-baked-french-toast-recipe-2120484

What are your go to recipes when you’re short on time?

Here are recipes from years past:

• Chicken Picante 
• Sushi roll ups – grill your favorite fish, steam rice, and roll both up in bite-sized Nori (seaweed snacks). Top with soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger as desired!
• Korean Beef and Rice 
• Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast 
• Crock Pot Taco Soup (Can also be made on stove top)
• Tater Tot Casserole​

​

For convenience, here are our tips from prior years but be sure to check out those posts here and here for all the details:

• Free Library App –offers instant access to books, audiobooks, and other media completely free
• Audiobooks and podcasts – Any task can be educational if you’ve got a good book or podcast playing in your ears. We also use these for our kids.
• Gift list/ card journal – You can create your own record of all-star gifts and even draft greeting card wording.
• Wal-Mart grocery delivery - $99 for annual subscription.
• Whole Foods 2 hour delivery  - free with minimum purchase
• Free USPS pickups – schedule on the USPS website 24 hours or more in advance and skip the trip to the post office. You need to have correct postage on the package at the time of pick up.
• Amazon Gift Card Greeting Cards Delivered by US Mail Same or Next Day
• Amazon Prime Music and Shows – stream shows and music! Build those Christmas playlists and stream your favorite Christmas shows and movies.
• Wal-Mart Online Grocery Shopping and Free Curbside Pick Up – saves us hours each week. Use the app to build your list as you think of items throughout the week.
• Paper Products- maybe it's just our life stage but paper products are always on our Wal-Mart grocery pick up list and not just at Christmas. 
• Poinsettias for 99¢ at Home Depot on Black Friday
• Mangers - A Completely Unbiased Perspective – a simple way to remember Christ throughout the Christmas season.
  
  

Last year we shared some of our family’s favorite Holiday Hacks- ways to keep the season simple in order to focus on Jesus, togetherness, and the joy of the season. We’re continuing the tradition and sharing a few more tips! Really, these can be used year round. 

1. Free Library App – Did you know many libraries offer instant access to books, audiobooks, and other media completely free? We love the readalong books for our kids. Check to see if your local library has an app you can download for those holiday titles and skip the trip! Ours uses an app called Hoopla. It also cuts down on those library donations (aka fees) for those who sometimes miss the deadlines (speaking for a friend).  
2. Audiobooks and podcasts – Okay this one is a little obvious but we use it a good bit. Any task can be educational if you’ve got a good book playing in your ears. If you’ve worn out your holiday play list and still have gift wrapping to do, holiday travel, meal prep, laundry etc, an audiobook (and some wireless headphones) are a great way to stimulate your brain while you match those socks.  *2019 Update: We also use these for our kids! Sometimes we just do the audio and other times we reserve physical books and the audio CDs from our library or library app and let our 5 year old follow along! Some of our favorites are the Beatrix Potter audiobook series (3 years+), Children's Book of Virtues by William Bennett (5 years+), Little House in the Big Woods (6 years +). 
3. Gift list/ card journal – We shared some of our favorite gifts by age group in a previous post because keeping track of gift ideas and cards is a way we save time! You can create your own record of all-star gifts and even draft greeting card wording so you’re ready.
4.  Wal-Mart grocery delivery – we’ve yet to use this service which Wal-Mart just launched in August but it is on the radar! Last year, free grocery pick-up changed the way we shop. It still saves us a lot of time! Delivery is going to come in handy when we occasionally need it, and unlike many services, you don’t have to sign up for an annual membership. So you can pay only when you really need it. Wal-Mart also runs promotions for free deliveries. *2019 Update: We just signed up for unlimited grocery delivery for 1 year for $99! Totally worth not loading up 3 kids, plus the prices are great! (Often better than or close to Aldi). We're also using Whole Foods 2 hour FREE delivery for some of our special grocery items!
5. USPS free pickups – Did you know the post office will pick up your packages from your doorstep for free? I didn’t until a friend shared this tip! You can schedule a pick up on the USPS website 24 hours or more in advance and skip the trip to the post office. You need to have correct postage on the package at the time of pick up.
6. A Ready Recipe Tool Kit - We shared three easy meals last year that cut down on time in the kitchen during a busy time of year! Here a few more fast and yummy recipes!

• Chicken Picante – follow the link to this recipe!
• Sushi roll ups – grill your favorite fish, steam rice, and roll both up in bite-sized Nori (seaweed snacks). Top with soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger as desired!
• Korean Beef and Rice – follow the link to this recipe!

For convenience, here are the meals from last year as well:

• Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast
• Crock Pot Taco Soup (Can also be made on stove top)
• Tater Tot Casserole

We hope these tips are helpful! We’d love to hear some ways your family saves time and energy this time of year. Merry Christmas!  

​Let’s talk about gift shopping.

What do you buy for the adult siblings who seemingly have everything? The in-laws? The children who aren’t anywhere close to your kids’ ages? Or maybe you don’t have children? What in the world should you buy? Socks. Lot of socks. Just kidding. Sort of.
Creative thinking takes time! Once I’ve found a gift that my kids love, I take note! And you better believe all the nieces, nephews, and kids’ friends who are the same age will probably wind up with that gift that year! I have a feeling I’m not alone. So let’s help each other out!

Comment the tried and true gifts you or your children have received! Don’t do gifts? Share your all-time favorite holiday outings, experiences, or volunteer opportunities! Please include kids ages (no need to share yours but you can if you want!) They don’t have to be trendy or expensive. You just have to feel they were worth it! For example, our best toys have been the ones that keep our kids occupied, regardless of the price tag! Our list is below, but our children’s age range is pretty limited. Let us know what you think! What are your tried and true gifts?

One year:

• Pretend telephone
• Duplo
• Stacking toys
• Board books
  • The Goodnight Train
  • Goodnight Moon
  • Chugga Chugga Choo Choo
  • Boats Go
  • Jamberry
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Two years:

• Sand table or sensory bins
• Toddler trampoline
• Trains and train track (we skipped the table- our kids build on the floor) – some quality generic brands fit most popular brands
• Bubble blower and bubbles
• Crayons and paint sticks
• Play kitchen
• Play food and dishes
• Water table
• Zoo, aquarium, or museum membership
• Books (some of our favorites):
  • Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
  • Go Dog Go
  • Snowmen at Night
  • Trucks Roll/ Planes Fly
  • Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site
  • Best Behavior Series by Elizabeth Verdick

Three Years:

• Play doh
• Kinetic sand
• Wee Sing Book and CD
• Books on CD
• Watercolor paint
• Dress up/ costumes
• Baby dolls
• Balance bike and helmet
• Candy Land, Don’t Break The Ice or other age appropriate board and card games
• Sled
• Zoo, aquarium, or museum membership
• Books (some of our favorites):
  • Lola reads to Leo
  • Best Behavior Series by Elizabeth Verdick
  • Blueberries for Sal
  • Pout Pout Fish

Four-Five Years:

• Baby doll
• Floor puzzles
• Magnetic tiles
• Matching game
• Color pencils
• Sticker dolls or scenes
• Zoo, aquarium, or museum membership
• Lessons
• Educational CDs and DVDs
• Books (a few of our favorites)
  • Early Readers/ I Can Read Books
  • As An Oak Tree Grows
  • 20 Hungry Piggies
  • Zondervan Children’s Bible
  • Berenstain Bears
  • Further Tales of Peter Rabbit with CD by Emma Thompson
  • Beatrix Potter audio collection
  • Mind Your Manners BB Wolf
  • Educational books like simple science books

Six to Nine Years:

• Monopoly Jr., Sleeping Queens, or other age appropriate board game
• Lego
• Perler beads
• Friendship bracelet, sewing kit, or other crafts
• Science experiment kit
• Paint by sticker
• Roller blades
• Adventures in Odyssey
• Little House in the Big Woods

Ten to Thirteen:

• Crossbody purse
• Skating rink/indoor climbing, trampoline park passes
• Soccer or basketball goal
• Gift cards to favorite store
• DIY bath bombs or other crafts
• Crazy socks
• Chronicles of Narnia series
• Lord of the Rings series

​Fourteen to Eighteen:

• Gel pens
• Journal
• Fuzzy socks
• Nail polish
• Gift cards to favorite store

​Teachers/ Day Care Workers:

• Gift cards
• Spill proof water bottle
• Hand written thank you note
• Gift basket with:
  • Kind Bars, Goodness Knows, or other healthyish treats (watch out for school banned ingredients like nuts), fragrance free hand sanitizer, pens, notepad, Airborne or Emergen C, special blend coffee or tea etc

Adult Family Members:

• Plan a family outing
• Bluetooth speaker
• Rechargeable battery fan
• Special blend coffee
• Coffee frother
• Pour over or French press
• Framed family photo
• Family photo session
• Book or audio book for commute
• Water bottle
• Meal kits delivered
• Restaurant gift cards
• Portable DVD player or tablet (especially families with kids)
• Amazon prime membership

​And when in doubt…SOCKS.

Our gifts of generosity- time, money, energy- given with a pure heart are an offering, a pleasing aroma to God.

God showed the ultimate act of generosity by giving His son, Jesus to all who will receive Him to save us from sin and death and to give us everlasting life.

In a season about giving, what practical things can we do to be generous?
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Here are some ideas:
- Operation Christmas Child by Samaritan’s Purse. Collection week is this week! November 13th- 20th. You still have a little time to participate. Pack a shoe box with toiletries and recommended items. Drop them off at a designated location. Samaritan’s Purse will include a gospel presentation and ship the boxes all over the world to children in need.
- The Salvation Army Angel Tree. Contact your local Salvation Army to hear how you can donate unwrapped gifts to local children in need.
- Donate non-perishables to a food drive or sponsor a family’s Thanksgiving or Christmas meal through your local church. 
- Bless teachers and people who serve our communities with gift cards or hand written notes.
- Visit with an elderly person who has lost a spouse and be a listening ear.

What are some of your ideas?
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“10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.” - Acts 10:1-4 

“18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:18
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“3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:3-4

So there are 7 weeks until Christmas.

Every family has traditions, commitments, and a different schedule but we all have to prioritize to find time for the most important things. We thought we'd share 7 things our family does to keep the peace in case they resonate with anyone else out there. We do these throughout the year but think they may be particularly helpful during this season! 

1. Amazon Gift Card Greeting Cards Delivered by US Mail Same or Next Day
Amazon to the rescue. They offer greeting cards with gift cards inside that ship the same day (if you order early enough) or next business day. It needs to be a day when mail is delivered (so not Christmas). But for all those close-to-Christmas special occasions that require gift giving, you're just one click away from a card in your hand. If you're really running behind you can even ship direct to the recipient. 

2. Amazon Prime Unlimited Music and Shows
An Amazon Prime membership includes unlimited access to streaming shows and (as we learned this year) music! Build those Christmas playlists and stream your favorite Christmas shows and movies. There are music and video apps for your phone. Don't have a Prime Membership? It's worth it all year round. Free 2-day shipping on a kajillion items, streaming (we use it for all our children's shows), and things like diapers and vitamins delivered to your door with automatic scheduling. Two Amazon plugs in a row! We don't get kickbacks from Amazon. We are just sharing out of the goodness of our hearts.

3. Wal-Mart Online Grocery Shopping and Free Curbside Pick Up
100% FREE. Schedule a grocery pick up time, shop and pay online, and then drive to the store. They bring your groceries to your car. If you have the app, you don't even have to call when you get there. The GPS notifies the store. We have been using this for a few months now. We tried grocery delivery but those services sometimes don't honor store sales, the actual food prices are higher, and there are annual memberships (plus tips for drivers!) We didn't grocery shop at Wal-Mart before. Now that I don't have to go into the store, I am there at least once per week.

4. An Easy Recipe List - Links Below
Not the highlight reel type. There is a lot of peripheral eating besides the Christmas dinner around the holidays! Maximizing time visiting with family means getting creative with meals that are fast and easy.  At the end of this post are a couple of ours! We'd love to hear some of your go-tos.

5. Paper Products
There is no shame in this game. Again, maybe it's just our life stage but paper products are always on our Wal-Mart grocery pick up list. And not just at Christmas. 

6. Poinsettias for 99¢ at Home Depot on Black Friday
Buy 10, throw them on your mantle, table, entryway, really anywhere that needs a little decorating. After the holidays you can keep them (or in our case try to keep them alive as long as possible), reuse the soil, compost them, or just throw them away. They biodegrade so this makes up for all the paper products. For those who dread venturing out on Black Friday, Home Depot is about the only store we brave in person!

7. Mangers - A Completely Unbiased Perspective
Last year our family used a manger to hold our gifts which is actually very practical. It takes 5 minutes to set up and tear down. And above all, it's a great reminder that Jesus is the reason for the season.

We'd love to hear from you? How do you simplify your holiday to spend more time with those you love and reflect on the real reason for the season?

Recipes:
Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Crock Pot Taco Soup (Can also be made on stove top)
Tater Tot Casserole