Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
Wondering last minute how you can get more giggles from your kids (both little and grown-up) this season? Think no more: this is sure to excite parents who want to make Christmas more memorable for their kids!
I remember Mama telling us to shine our shoes for the first Sunday of January to see them filled with goodies the next day. I treasured those surprise treats, so with my kids, Christmas sacks (or stockings) hanging and filled by Christmas morning are a must. The sacks also become their snack to-go/survival/ boredom-buster kit as we tread our yearly three-hour trip to the farm on Christmas Day. We hang these as soon as the kids sleep on Christmas Eve so they’ll never get to find out what’s in it until they wake up Christmas morning.
Pack Last-Minute, but Prepare in Advance
It gets harder for me each year to keep the sack contents a secret, especially since the little ones are often with me even in my shopping. So little by little, I collect items no matter how early in the year.
It is tough to find and fund healthy or non-junk fillers. So I start saving up for this as early as summer. Remember that it’s not all about food. Be on the look-out for bric-a-bracs, depending on each child’s interest and taste. Drop in those little items you know your child would appreciate. They’re too tiny to wrap anyway!
Upsize!
The bulky ones fill up the space quickly! My eldest son would be super happy to get a clam chowder in can, while my eldest daughter would be content with a big differently-flavored can of iced tea. Those two items already occupy a lot of room. Haha!
Homegrown Costs Less
You can stretch your money by supporting local sources. Deviate from the empty calories: go for mango chews, cornik, hopia, nuts, and seeds.
All-Good Non-Food
Our children aren’t just in need of healthy Christmas goodies. The holidays are also a time for a break from the usual school routine, giving the kids productive yet stress-free mental activity. They can also make use of practical things like a toothbrush kit (brush to beat the sugar rush), a notepad or hair accessories. If they’re running out of pencils & erasers, now’s the time to give those cute ones they’ve been asking you for.
A Christmas sack must pamper the kids without spoiling their appetite. How to strike the balance? I asked my four kids (ages 7 to 24) what they enjoyed most about the sacks we gave them every Christmas. I tried to put them together in two sacks and this is what it looks like. There are items your little boy would savor, others your teen daughter would love. Some are perfect for your toddler’s tummy, some are ideal for your artistic gradeschool girl. More suggested items are listed below!
- Stationery set
- Hair ties & clips
- Coupons – for shopping or privileges (chore-free day, extra scoop of ice cream, etc.)
- Travel-size sketch pads
- Slinky
- Books for your little reader
- Cereal bars
- Fluffy bedroom slippers
- Harmonica
- Silly recyclable straws
- Cute socks
- Fresh fruits like apples, oranges, grapes or bananas
- Novelty fun items
- Mini board games
- Crossword/Word Finder book
- Cleaning cloth for eyeglasses
- Stress balls
- Balloons
- Yoyo
- Art supplies: glitter glue, washi tape, crayons, googly eyes
- Stickers!
More into numbers than words, Richelle Joson-Ligot grew up writing merely in her head and in her heart, making up stories and characters, mixing up syllables to mean a new idea, and recording these all on diaries and in cassette. A voice talent, homeschooler, creative consultant, and choreographer, she is gifted in many ways, but considers the best gifts in her life to be the people the Giver has blessed her with – husband Tot, and children Mishka, Nikita, Miro and Yakob.
