Friday, December 6, 2024
HAPPY FRIDAY, EVERYONE!
Even in retirement, we love it when Friday rolls around
and, never more so, than during this time of year!
If you are like us,
your calendars are filling up with lots of holiday cheer
as you do your best to get it all in…
the decorating, the baking, the caroling, the shopping, the wrapping!
We’re here to help!
Today we are sharing a few of our holiday FAVES…
Our stocking stuffer & gift ideas for 2024!
We have LOTS of ideas for you today!
We’re excited to share this year’s suggestions for Gifts Galore with you all!
Checking out our stockings on Christmas morningd
was always a cherished tradition for both of our families!
Our own kids couldn't wait to see what their stockings held each year,
filled with favorite repeats and new finds… they LOVED it all!
It’s a tradition neither of us can imagine letting go of,
so we’re always on the hunt for creative additions each year!
We’ve updated our lists and you’ll find them below!
Christmas Stockings for Our Middles!
First up… our list for our Middles (our adult children)!
NOTE: Many of these items would work for teen (or older) Littles, as well!
We love finding useful, silly and unique items to add to our Middles’ stockings!
Gift cards to a coffee shop, for a car wash, for gasoline or to a favorite restaurant
are always popular with our Middles!
Christmas Stockings for Our Littles!
These days we are especially excited to stuff our Littles’ stockings!
Here’s the list we’ve brainstormed for our infant & toddler Littles!
And here’s one we’ve created for older Littles…
Those in preschool or elementary school!
HAPPY STUFFING TO YOU ALL!
Laurie became a GRAND six months before Laura did
and, ever since, Laurie has been Laura’s “go to” for many things,
including gift recommendations for our Littles!
Below we’re sharing a few of our collective FAVES…
Each is a great option for young Littles!
We’ve divided our recommendations into 3 categories:
Large Motor Play! Creative & Imaginative Play! Quiet Time Fun!
Let’s get started!
Large Motor Play!
With the arrival of the winter months (especially here in Minnesota),
we find that a gift that encourages large motor play
is always appreciated!
Here are a few we love!
Laurie gifted these to her 2½-year-old Little last Easter and her whole family enjoyed them! You set them apart - inside or outside - and step from stone to stone. The uneven surfaces are designed to challenge and engage Littles both physically and mentally! Each set includes 5 “stones” which works well but if you really want to play outside, Laurie suggests purchasing 2 sets.
Shhh! Laura loved this idea so much, that she made a similar purchase for Little L!
This set includes 10 stones and a spinner for playing games! We’re hoping this set will provide lots of hours of active play this winter!
This gift is an investment but is worth its weight in gold when it comes to burning off energy! Both of us have purchased this for our Littles and it is used daily!
As our Littles get older (3 and older), this gift provides an appropriate challenge and improves coordination and balance while strengthening the body, too!
Imaginative & Creative Play!
Experiences that encourage imaginative and creative play
provide opportunities to develop independence, to experiment, to build confidence,
to increase language and social skills and so much more!
We’re sharing some that our Littles absolutely love!
Laurie’s Little D (3-years-old now) discovered this at a friend’s house and will definitely be receiving one from Santa! She loved it! You order from the "menu" and your Little can easily scoop and add toppings before serving!
We love everything about these - they're non-toxic, washable, quick-drying and mess-free! Littles can twist and paint and they are a great addition to any art center!
Magnetic tiles are an open-ended toy that grows with your Little! Laura’s Little L loves her set and plays with them regularly and in a variety of ways!
Quiet Time Activities!
Even when young children no longer take a daily nap,
research shows that downtime is still incredibly important!
A Little’s brain and body need time to reset!
(In fact, we ALL benefit from a bit of quiet time, right?)
Some of our favorite ways to encourage quiet play involve
READING STORIES TOGETHER,
playing with quiet toys or listening to music in a cozy spot!
Here are some gift ideas for promoting inner calm!
Again, this gift is an investment… our Middles actually purchased the starter set for their daughter, Little L, and now we (and other family members) can buy the different figures to add to her growing collection! Each Tonie figure plays music and/or tells stories! There are SO many Tonies to choose from and this set travels well, too! Little L listens daily during her Quiet Time!
This was actually a gift Laura’s Daughter J found and it’s definitely worth sharing! These puzzle books are compact and convenient, easy to carry and a great quiet time or travel activity! There are 9-12-16 puzzle pieces, from simple to difficult and there are many sets available!
This is a mosaic pegboard that our Littles can play with, often independently, by age three! Little L is always excited to play with this and the set provides 18 pictures and 50 colorful buttons! What’s not to love!
AND, OF COURSE, WE’VE SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST…
There really are no set rules when it comes to choosing books for young Littles
but some things we look for are
rhyming books, pop up or flap books, books with repetitive phrases,
boards books and books with beautiful illustrations!
You can never go wrong with the gift of a book!
Here are titles from 11 authors we love!
If interested, simply Google any of the authors below
to learn more about picture books they’ve published:
We hope our ideas help you in your GRAND search for that perfect gift!
And, if you are looking for a creative way to wrap those gifts,
be sure to check out yesterday’s post,
Of course, as much as we love spoiling our Littles,
we are also ever mindful that the BEST gift we can offer them
is the gift of time together!
In fact, we wrote a post about that last year!
Henry Thoreau said it best,
“It’s important to remember that the WAY we spend Christmas
Is much more important than HOW MUCH we spend!”
We are always looking for ideas to add to our own stocking and gift lists,
so if you and your family have a recommendation for us,
please share in the comments section at the end of this post!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Remember…
You can always find us by visiting our social media sites!
where we regularly share new and fun content!
We invite you to follow us, too!
We’ll be back next week with more Christmas Cheer!
We’ll be offering new ideas for Advent fun with your Littles,
we’ll review Laurie's 2024 Family Craft Day
and we'll have more holiday goodies for you, too!
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Thank you so much for sharing these lists! Santa is a little behind on stocking fillers here ;)
#MMBC
These are wonderful ideas! Thank you for sharing at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party #66.
Steph@CrazyLittleLovebirds
Great ideas! Sometimes in our busyness we forget how enjoyable a lovely Christmas with family can be. Melynda @scratchmadefood! Visiting from #MMBC
What fab ideas. I used to love filling my girls stockings when they were little.
Lots of great ideas for stocking stuffers. In my life from childhood to adult, I have received many of the small items you mention in a stocking. Some of my favorites include fresh fruit like tangerines (you don't need a knife to cut it!) and a handful of assorted nuts. My mother put a wooden nut bowl with nutcracker on the coffee table by November. She would mix a variety of uncracked nuts for us in the stocking. There were also a few small toys.