My children are excellent receivers of gifts (and it’s very nice to give to them).  Of course, they prefer a year round schedule of toy giving, but they also eagerly anticipate the holiday season and the rush of gifts and celebrations.  I always hope for an exuberant Christmas morning, while guarding against an excessive, consumer focused experience.  As with many things, in the choice of toys and gifts, simplicity is often the key.

On a personal note, we are blended family with Christian and Jewish traditions that meld with each other nicely to create some wonderful and meaningful holiday traditions, the best of which is gathering our family and friends together to celebrate our love for each other.

A couple of thoughts about toys, gifts and creating an holiday experience for children:

TOYS

When choosing toys, consider material, aesthetics, origin, child development:

• Material:  Some toys are plastic, some metal, some wood, some cotton or wool, and so on.  Pay attention to the kind of material with which the toy is made.  There is an experiential difference, for example, between something that is made of plastic and something that is made of wood, and there is an experiental difference between something that is handmade and something that is molded in a machine.   Make a conscious desicion about the kind of experience that you are offering your child.  I generally seek toys made out of natural material such as wood or cotton or wool.  That said, wooden toys, often handmade, are likely much more expensive than their plastic counterparts.

• Aesthetics:  Each object or toy offers an aesthetic experience to your child and affects him or her in some way.  Be mindful of what the toy looks like — sounds obvious, but I know that I have come home with toys that when I look a little closer, are weird looking or oddly distressing in some way.

• Origin:  if possible, support local craftsmen and craftswomen.  Sometimes it is not so easy to find — the local farmer’s market is a good place to find local craftspeople. Small toy makers are under duress because of the recent government mandate of toy testing.  Click here for a recent New York Times article about the  Burden of Toy Safety Laws on small toy businesses.

• Child Development:  Choose toys that are socially and developmentally appropriate for your child, sometimes this is self evident, sometimes this is not so easy to discern.  the important thing is to be conscious and mindful of what you are purchasing.

SIMPLE, INEXPENSIVE GIFTS

One way to cut costs with gift giving is to make them:  baked goods, painted cards, hand sewn pouches filled with treats, yarn pom-poms, tissue paper stars;

another way is to find treasures in nature:  a lovely piece of driftwood,  a bouquet of gnarly twigs, pressed flowers, fresh herbs grown in the garden;

another way is to hit the thrift stores — I have found some really unique and fun gifts that way — including a pair of antlers for a friend with a rustic bent, and some vintage “Florida” salt and pepper shakers for a relative down south.

As with many things, the presentation is so important: fun or pretty wrapping paper and bright ribbons and bows go a long way towards expressing your care and attention.

Of course, more than just dolling out stuff, gift giving is an expression of love for another person,

and is a wonderful way to recognize and  appreciate the people in your life.

There are lots of simple ways to achieve a feeling of abundance and celebration:

• Bake cookies or other treats for friends and neighbors;

• Decorate the house with candles and cards and paper snowflakes;

• Light candles, or make a fire in the fire place and sing songs — pop popcorn over the fire, or make smores;

• Invite friends and family over for a potluck dinner or brunch party.

Here are some websites where you may discover all sorts of treasures and wonderful gifts:

Acorn Toy Shop I love this website for its beautiful curated selection of toys, home decor, and clothing.  Out of Brooklyn, NY,  the owners of this lovely shop, Karin Schaefer (an artist) and Diane Crespo (a film-maker) have stocked their store and website with exquisite handcrafted toys and accessories.

A  Toy Garden offers lots of fun creative toys, many of which are fair trade or made in the USA.

Nova Natural Toys and Crafts With beautifully photographed toys and craft supplies and books, Nova Natural is a long established ‘go to’ place for thoughtful gifts.

For more ideas for gifts, also check out the Juniper Tree House Blog.

Books make great gifts and these books from Steiner Books are on our list this year:

HAPPY GIVING!!