Up until last year, I had a dilemma concerning sibling gifts. I wanted my children to know the joy of giving to their siblings, but I had a terrible time trying to figure out how to work out the shopping trips alone and control the cost of the gifts. I read in a magazine how one mom set up Mom’s Store every Christmas with objects she had been collecting throughout the year that she knew would interest her children. She would designate a place in her home as Mom’s Store (usually her bedroom), she would set out a number of items appropriate to one child, then she would bring in 1 child at a time to “buy” a gift from that selection for her brother or sister. Then she cleared those items and prepared to do another round.
Mom’s Store gives me the control I look for over the types of gifts purchased and the price of each one. This not only works for Christmas, but for birthdays as well. Here is a list of items to collect throughout the year to use in Mom’s Store.
- Fun socks & underwear
- Coloring/Activity books
- Pretty chapstick/jewelry for girls
- New CD or DVD
- Inexpensive toys
- Games/Puzzles
- Bubble bath/Bath crayons
- Disposable camera
- Movie theater gift certificate
- Craft kit
What are your favorite types of sibling gifts?
View Comments (5)
Oh my gosh, my mother used to do this when I was a kid. I thought she was the only weird mother in the world...but it was a lot of fun!
She would let each kid come in and pick one item, help us wrap it with the wrapping paper of our choice and then we'd go put it under the tree while the next kid made their pick. This process went on and on until their were no more items to choose.
Happy Holidays!
Brethart77
Great idea! My kids usually like to give each other books, cd's and favourite cookies and candies.
LOVE this idea and I will be using it when my kids get a little early. Thanks for the great idea...it's right up my alley! ;)
What a great idea! Sounds like lots of fun!
This is such a good idea! I can usually get my girls out alone, but I never like what they pick out. It almost always feels like a waste of money. If I try to steer them in the right directions, they get upset. This would work great for presents for dad, grandparents, etc as well :)