I know this is a bit late in the game, but I've been getting this question a lot, and if you are like me, you make heavy use of Amazon Prime the last few days before the holidays. So, here goes!
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| Will's first Christmas (in 2014) was sure exciting! |
As I'm sure will come as no surprise based on
my last post, my #1 recommendation is . . .
Books!
Books may feel old-fashioned, or too educational, or too low tech, but they aren't too expensive, don't need batteries, travel well, are easy to store, and last for a long time. Giving books as gifts emphasizes that they are special and deserve to be treasured. We give Will books as gifts for every birthday and holiday:
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| The Easter Bunny is a total nerd. |
The issue we run into is that we already own a lot of books, and we make generous use of our local library, so it's not clear what books we are worth purchasing. We want to chose books that Will will love, treasure, and remember fondly, without spoiling him and buying him dozens of books he will never read. So, here are few guidelines I use to choose books as gifts for Will.
Books that we have checked out from the library again and again. There are few library books that Will is never willing to say goodbye to. This starts to feel unfair to the other kids, plus these books have become part of our memories of this year, so Will will get a few brand-new copies of his favorites to unwrap on Christmas:
This is Paris,
A B See, and
Snow. (Note: this works best if you have returned them to the library at least few weeks before the gifting. Will has been asking about some of his favorites, and he understands that someone else is reading them now, so he will be thrilled to get them back!)
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| We like to test-drive books before buying them! |
Books we can't get at the library. Will loves
This is Paris, but the other books by the same author aren't available at our library, so we giving Will
This is New York.
Books that are out of print. One of Will's favorite library books this year was Susan Jeffers' beautiful
Hansel and Gretel. She has illustrated many gorgeous fairy tales and songs, and Will finds her work mesmerizing. However, many of her classics are out of print, so this year Will is getting a used copy of her
Thumbelina before it's gone for good!
Note: I believe it's perfectly fine, even lovely, to give children used books as gifts! Books don't have to be brand new and expensive; children will love them and wear them out anyway. I buy used books at used books stores, library sales, garage sales, on Amazon, etc.
Books about holidays. We have a collection of Christmas books that we add to a little every year. These books are put away most of the year, and we read them before bed only during the holidays. This was a family tradition for me growing up and my father continues it with Will when we are together. I've always remembered those books fondly and I'm glad we still own them so we can continue the tradition. In addition, it's pretty hard to get seasonal books from the library during the right seasons! Our current favorites include
How the Grinch Stole Christmas,
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
Christmas Mice,
Olivia Helps with Christmas, and our family treasury is The
Norman Rockwell Christmas Book.
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| My dad reading Will his nightly Christmas story |
Books that reflect our values. This year, we feel more passionate than ever before that we provide Will with books that reflect the diversity of our global society. We include in this category books about traveling to other countries, books in other languages, books that highlight, not hide, our nation's history, and books that feature main characters that don't look the same way we do or have our privileges. Some of my favorites in this category are
Gorrion del Metro,
Henry's Freedom Box, and
Last Stop on Market Street. I recommend The
Coretta Scott King Award page for more great books that are often overlooked.
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| We have counting books in several languages. |
Other Great Gifts
- Sidewalk chalk. If you live in a cold snowy place, like we do, you can include a small hand-held chalkboard, or paint chalkboard paint on a wall or table so you can enjoy sidewalk chalk all year. I find the sidewalk chalk works better for little ones than traditional chalk, which they tend to break.
- Bathtub crayons! Seriously this was the best thing we got Will last year other than books. He used every crayon until it was tiny nub.
- Crayons, markers, and fun things to write on. I like these huge post it notes for displaying Will's work!
- An alphabet puzzle or magnetic letters. Will loves to play with the letter pieces in his alphabet puzzle. Sometimes we copy or trace them, sometimes we look for them in books, and sometimes we load them into his toy garbage truck to take them to the dump.
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| Will is using his puzzle letters to start to work on matching letter sounds to key words. |
Finally, my recommendation is to buy things that are not expensive, don't have batteries or need to be charged, and don't make noise. One of my favorite Christmas stories growing up was Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Mr. Edwards Meets Santa Claus," which ends:
"Think of having a whole penny for your very own. Think of having a cup and a cake and a stick of candy and a penny. That was a happy Christmas."
The best literacy gifts are not the gifts themselves, but interactions and memories with you and your loved ones over the holidays and make lasting memories. Happy Holidays from our family to yours!
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| Happy Holidays! |
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