There is no doubt at this time of year we are all planning on one of the largest holiday season with shopping, baking, decorating, etc. I always get carried away at Christmas with presents for my family, especially my kiddos. I love seeing how their faces light up on Christmas morning as they unwrap their gifts from Santa. My daughter once said casually while eating her milk and cookies that ‘Christmas and birthdays change lives!’ 🙂 I knew exactly what she meant.
As the kids get older though, the need for less stuff and more experiences seems to be what they prefer. This year we took my son to Chicago for a few days in honor of his birthday, you can check out my post on a Family’s Guide To Discovering Chicago here. It was his best birthday gift he said, and the memories will last a lot longer than a toy he got.
Now I’m not saying that gifts aren’t great, but I wanted to think outside the box this year and get the kids items that will last a bit longer than Christmas day. These are great gifts for anyone and to be given by anyone. Especially the grandparents who sometimes are at a loss on what to give the kids or can’t go shopping with the masses.
Family Attractions & Memberships
- Zoo Memberships
- Museum Memberships
- Annual Passes to the Aquarium
- Seasonal Passes to Theme Parks
- Crayola Express (Get discounted tickets to Crayola Express Mall Of America here)
Monthly Subscription Boxes
- Ecocentric Mom
- Bulu Box
- Le Tote
- Faithbox
- Little Ms. Crate
- Frecklebox
- Beauty Box 5
- Bramble Box
- Julep
- Your Bijoux Box
- Pampered Mommy Box
- Green Kid Craft
- Urthbox
- FabFitFun
- Stitch Fix
Charity and Donations
There are tons of charities you can give to in honor of someone. Make this a new tradition with your family and kids. Christmas is about giving and trust me it feels so much better to give than to receive. You are also teaching your kids charity, and it goes without saying what they learn about empathy towards someone less fortunate as well.
There are tons of charity to donate to, make sure you do your research also but here’s a list of charities we give to:
- St. Jude’s
- Salvation Army
- Disabled American Veterans
- Epilepsy Foundation Of MN
- Toys For Tots MN
Books & Book Clubs
This is one of my favorites because my kids and I love to read, and there’s never a shortage of books in our home. Here are some gifts for the book lover in your life:
- Book Of The Month Club
- Personalized Books (kids)
- Zoobooks (kids)
- Chapter Books (Kids)
- Bookmarks/Accessories
Magazine Subscriptions
Another great gift idea that keeps on giving way after the holidays is a magazine subscription. You can gift subscriptions to your family and friends and still don’t have to worry about breaking your wallet with discounts from:
- Â Magazine Deals Now
- Â Magazine Discount Center.
Classes
Classes are a great gift for someone that has everything already. These can be really fun, here are a few ideas:
- Dance classes
- Learn other language classes
- Tech classes
- Craft classes
- Paint classes
Pley
With Pley, parents can rent toys for their kids which is curated for their growth. Kids play with the brand named toys they love and use their creativity and imagination, while parents save money, reduce clutter and conserve the environment.
A Letter or Family Recipe
Write a letter to a loved one this holiday season, or hand down a family recipe to a someone special in your family. They will appreciate this for years to come. Put in an envelope and tie a big bow on it.
Gift Cards
Gift cards are the last resorts of gifts, but nevertheless, they can be what the person needed after all 🙂 Here are few ideas for you:
- Restaurants
- Itunes
- Amazon
- Department Stores
- Jewelry Stores
- Netflix
- Coffee Shops
Did I miss something? What gifts do you give that keeps on giving after the holidays?
I love this post Kami! So many good ideas and important to include gifts that give back at this time of year as well!
Xx
This is really smart! I love the idea of giving something that makes a lasting impression and lets the person remember you for a long time.
La Belle Sirene
This is such a great list. We have so many toys in our house right now and Christmas hasn’t even come. I’ thinking I need to share this for some ideas for my family 😉
So many great ideas! I had not thought of magazine subscriptions. I have some nieces who would love that !
Amazing list Kami! Definitely gave me some ideas I hadn’t thought of.
XO
Sameena
http://www.SameenaBemat.com/blog
I love that so many of these are experiences! They don’t take up any space, yet they leave memories that will last a lifetime 🙂 Great ideas!
It’s down to the wire and I’m still stuck with what to get a few people. Thanks so much for the unique inspiration!
Cool ideas. I would love if someone got me a wine subscription lol I always wonder how that would be handled on something like Stich Fix though.
Love this. Memberships can be pricey but sometimes necessary when you have little ones. It all adds up. I’m a huge subscription box lover so receiving a subscription box for Christmas would work for me too.
So many ideas. I’m absolutely loving this ideas. And there are so many. I’ll be saving this post for sure and come back for more ideas. Thank you so much. 😉 -Jocelyne from resonatecreations.com
Every Christmas we buy a family membership for the next year to either a zoo, a children’s museum, the pool. It all just depends on what we think we are going to enjoy in the new year.
I love the idea of monthly subscription boxes. They are so popular now that you could find one for just about anyones interests!
I’m definitely a fan of the subscription boxes! They have one for everything. Seriously, everything!
Seasonal passes are THE BEST!
I really love this post. Love the idea of giving something that is giving back. Charity is my number one pick for this post!
Divine @ Ladies Make Money online
latest post: http://www.ladiesmakemoney.com/increase-blog-traffic/
Really awesome ideas! These truly are the best kind of gifts. I received a magazine subscription one year and it was the best thing ever!
Subscription boxes are such a good idea!! I literally have never thought of that but it’s genius!
So nice to see a gift guide that isn’t just about ‘stuff’ because let’s face it, we’re all already drowning in stuff. Thanks for some great ideas.
Such a great list here! I love that you chose items that last longer than Christmas Day. I’ve been wanting the FabFitFun subscription box for a while now, but never thought to put it on a Christmas list. I may have some updating to do!
I love the idea of gifting a membership or a class of some sort. I’ve heard the Crayola Experience is awesome! You must be a fellow MN blogger. 🙂 A friend of mine took her oldest daughter there once for an event with some others and ended up getting a membership for the family.
I know that my nieces would LOVE zoo or aquarium passes
I love this list, especially for my niece who is older. I’ve noticed that she has so many things that she enjoys having an experience more than something material. I will send this post to her mom! Thankd for the ideas!