yes, I know it’s October. but I have to plan wayyyy in advance what we’re doing gift-wise for christmas.
OTHERWISE I FALL PREY TO THE SIREN SONG THAT IS SEASONAL GIFT GUIDES.
y’all, i’m serious. unless I have a strict game plan in place wayyy in advance, I will be like, “oh, you’re right, cutesy blogger! i DO need that pretty trinket!”
repeat a thousand times over for each of those thousand million gift guides.
baby haley made so many mistakes. woo buddy.
so now, at the wise old age of 32, I’ve learned that our holidays go smoothest when I:
set aside money all year long for the holidays
take Brett on a date in September/October and talk about what we’d love our holidays to look like this year. a roughhhh draft of our plans and priorities for the upcoming months, if you will. like, last year we decided we wanted to block off Christmas Eve evening and Christmas morning as time spent under our roof, just the three of us and what about hosting a cozy family Christmas brunch at the beginning of the December to kick-off the season? and do we want to go to that light show exhibit, say, that second weekend - or was it even worth going to? do we maybe want to see my family on this day? hey, any ideas about what we should eat Christmas morning? taking time to dream about what we’d like the next few months to look like is so much fun (and makes saying no to the things not meant for us so much easier.) I love our holiday-planning date.
this year we may not have much to discuss with Baby Boy due Christmas Day and everything being dependent on his timing (and how I feel), but I still would like to go discuss the holiday (and newborn!) season with Brett regardless so that we’re on the same page. :)
ask ourselves: are there any things we need to buy now for festivities? before everything sells out? (ie tickets to a show, Christmas pajamas, etc)
sketch out in September/October what we need, would really like to have, or could use often in the coming year, and I make lists of potential Christmas gifts.
allocate which gift ideas go where. I brainstorm what should be apart of brett’s and my joint gift tradition, I brainstorm what Santa should bring us, I brainstorm what will go on our wishlists for Brett’s family, I brainstorm what we should get KK, I brainstorm what my parents should get us. (more on this next!)
and then here’s the kicker: I try to avoid the gift guides and the blogposts and the instagram stories as much as possible until after the holidays pass. because I know myself and they’ll just tempt me to buy, so I try to remove that temptation altogether.
because having a plan helps immensely. but taking a little social media break helps even more.
and, let’s be real, a social media break in december is the perfect time for me to focus on family and recharge for the New Year. win, win!
so that said, for those that would like to see an example of my list, here’s our Christmas Gift Plan of 2022.
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brett’s and my joint gift tradition
basically we were tired of the same old, “I don’t know, what do you want for Christmas?” year after year, so we decided to instead start a gift tradition that gave us a yearly reminder (and excuse!) to invest in both our home and our marriage. a push to splurge on our two havens, if you will.
so each year for christmas, we receive joint gifts in three specific categories:
Something(s) to increase the comfy + cozy factor of our home
Oftentimes during the year, we think, “Oh, wouldn’t it be nice if our home had XYZ?” Like, a tiny change. That becomes a passing thought and sometimes never acted on because important things (like HOA dues! and groceries! and toll road bills!) need to be paid. I love this category in our Christmas Eve Box because it gives us permission to intentionally indulge in something that makes our home that much more enjoyable and cozy. A new kitchen toy, upgraded linens, cozy home clothes, etc.
Most of y’all know, Brett and I have watched one episode of a show together most nights for as long as I can remember. (And we’re currently trying to be better about doing the occasional movie night.) But one of my favorite things is when Brett makes a bowl of his famous popcorn for our nightly show. We already have (and love!) our popcorn maker, so I thought it’d be fun to invest in some gooooood popcorn (and beverage) toys to try as this year’s gift.
some gorgeous new glasses to replace our cracked plastic ones
some oxo cocktail-making tools, if budget allows
Something(s) to strengthen our marriage + cultivate intimacy
It’s so much fun having a gift category specifically for this - it allows me the yearly reflection of asking, “What do we enjoy as a couple? When do we feel closest and most connected as a couple? What would I like to do more as a couple? What new thing would I like to try as a couple?” and from there, I choose a few gifts.
I won’t bore you with what I bought this year - you can use your imagination. and because I don’t want my answers to limit the possibilities of this category, as every couple is different - but know I love love love this category. So does Brett. :)))))
ALSO! There can definitely be overlap between this category and the next, as dates can arguably/definitely strengthen a marriage + cultivate intimacy.
Something(s) to do together in the coming year
I literally get giddy thinking about this Box. The last part is all about indulging in adventures and experiences for the New Year. Could be for KK-friendly adventures for Sunday Grill and Chill, could be for our monthly adults-only dates, could be for things we can do at home, could be items that elevate our current family rituals. This is especially good about holding us accountable for going on dates - because let’s be real, sometimes we get so consumed with adult stuff and home stuff and work stuff, that we’ll look up and realize it’s been a hot minute since we’ve done something outside of Netflix and dog walks. Enter this category of The Box. SO MUCH FUN. Even better, a whole slew of stuff goes on sale between Black Friday and Christmas (gift cards and memberships in particular). so that also inspires what we might grab.
We’re hoping to do a little getaway in a nearby town just the two of us sometime in the Spring, so I’ll grab a spa or restaurant gift card for this to get us excited. (We already have a credit to use on a bed and breakfast - YAY! - otherwise I might’ve gotten a gift card for this as well!)
This year I’m also thinking about rejoining two wine clubs as our big gift - the two wineries we found (and loved!) in our dating days. Having their wine shipped to our house a few times a year (or picked up from the winery for a date within itself) feels like the loveliest dose of nostalgia. (Not to mention the loveliest way to splurge on our at-home date game with a newborn and toddler.) You may remember from this post that I’m not a huge wine drinker, but I do enjoy it as a special occasion, especially when it transports me right back to our dating days. (And especially when enjoyed with a bowl of Brett’s popcorn!!!)
Or, I may get a gift card to a niiiiiice local restaurant for our monthly dinner dates - a restaurant that would normally be way out of our normal eating out budget, but a restaurant we’d loveeee a reason to try as a special treat. :)
PS here’s our little system in our home for how I store (and remember!) all gift cards.
here’s the full blogpost on this tradition - it lists out what we received in the past four years if you’d like some more examples. i cannot emphasize enough how much I LOVE this tradition.
what kk’s getting from us
we loosely follow the “play/read/wear” gift formula. (we also do this for our Mr. Valentine and Easter baskets.)
you’ll notice i’m big into gift formulas. because, like I mentioned previously, without some sort of strict plan or rigid parameters, the wheels on this train fall way, wayyyyy off. and because, if I’m spending money on gifts, I want to make sure I’m intentionally spending that money.
wear:
a few new bows from Etsy that coordinate with her capsule wardrobe
read:
two books for her Winter-Themed January Bookshelf
see link for full list of book ideas!
play:
a zoo membership
(and - depending on budget - maybe tickets to do one of their experiences, like Breakfast with the Giraffes)
we only go to the zoo twice a year, but it’ll be SO nice having those two visits already paid for!
some toys I got on deeeep sale (or secondhand) this past summer, but then decided to tuck away for Christmas:
if budget allows, a play dough kit from my favorite small shop, too!
what santa’s bringing us
for KK, santa brings one bigger toy that’ll be shared between siblings and last through the years.
for us, santa brings a few things from our alma mater (where we met) since we love this yearly excuse to stroll down memory lane. and we love a reason to indulge in yet another thing from our university…and because we use them all year long. (and they come in suuuuper handy for football season.)
and yes, Santa visits Brett and me, Mr. Valentine visits Brett and me, the Easter bunny visits Brett and me. it’s more fun that way.
santa also leaves filled stockings. because I don’t like hanging them all season, but I love filling stockings with small, fun things I think my family will love. stockings might be my favorite thing to shop for.
this year Santa’s bringing KK:
a mud kitchen for our backyard
(I bought this half off at Target almost a year ago, and tucked it away)
might add this plastic dish set to go with it, if budget allows
and a stocking:
some play dough tools (could also be used as cooking tools):
and/or kid-safe knives
and/or wooden tools
Santa’s bringing me:
a few UT pieces to coordinate with my capsule-ish wardrobe
and a stocking:
asking my parents for a game day bag to go with this strap
more on this in a second
turquoise bracelets from Etsy
turquoise hair pieces from Etsy - a barrette and a headband
a Lululemon headband or two for postpartum
cord organizer for the spare earbuds I keep in my stroller
my all time favorite night cream
and/or my beloved sunscreen
and/or my go-to serum
really anything from my beloved skincare/make-up routine would be appreciated
Santa’s bringing Brett:
a few clothes to coordinate with his capsule-ish wardrobe
stocking:
two Patagonia beanies he’s been wanting
some UPF neck gaiters he had been asking for for yardwork
a headlamp he’s been wanting…I kid you not
a pair of sunglasses that looked so good on him
what we’re getting from my family
my family does things a little differently. we just like to hang out together - and we don’t exchange gifts per se.
my parents don’t want us spending money - they just want to spend time with us. but my parents love to give very generous gifts - they just ask for direct links to what we’d specifically love to receive.
so when we go to my parents’ for christmas - whenever that may be - my sisters and I show up completely empty-handed. no food, no gifts, nothing. it’s magical. (my mom went to culinary school for funsies once she became an empty nester, so any holiday meal from her is especially magical.)
and, that said, since we’re not buying gifts for my family, it frees up room in the budget for our personal family christmas.
brett and i usually ask my parents for some sort of nice wardrobe staple that coordinates with our capsule-ish wardrobes. for KK I ask for pajamas, a membership, and an investment toy of some sort.
what I asked for…
for me:
some niiice postpartum/nursing clothes
see my baby prep blogpost for more details!
and/or this clear game day bag I love, to go with my new beaded game day purse strap in my stocking
same brand as all my luggage, my gym bag, and my college backpack I use as a diaper bag* - I love asking for these investment pieces for gifts!
*details on my diaper bag in my baby prep blogpost
because while I’d love to have this bag for UT football season to coordinate with my capsule-ish wardrobe, it’ll be handy to have for all sorts of other events/games that have a clear bag policy
for brett:
an olive green Patagonia nano jacket
to coordinate with his capsule-ish wardrobe
for kk:
annual family pass to our children’s museum
we don’t go all that often, but I love having the tickets already paid for when we do go. and this is an easyyy weekend family adventure (especially with a new baby!) when the weather is bad or unbearably hot, so I love asking for this as a Christmas gift
a nice train set of my dad’s choosing to keep at my parents’ house
I like keeping a few gooood toys at my parents’ house that we don’t have at home.
several sets of pajamas
we ask for a size up or two, and these pajamas last us until next Christmas
what we’re asking for from brett’s family
brett’s mom loves Christmas. in November, she asks for a wishlist of a few items we’d love to have - whether it be direct links to items, Amazon wishlists, or general favorite things we always love receiving.
and usually, I send over a list of kitchen things I’d love to have - things I rarely buy myself since what I have works well enough, but things that if I were to receive they’d feel like such a treat that would get so much use the rest of the year. a nice knife, a good cutting board, a new set of dish towels, a few upgraded spatulas, etc.
and for similar reasons, brett usually sends over a list of gardening (or coffee…or grilling…or…) things he’d love to have.
for KK I send over an Amazon Wishlist of a few toys, books, or art activities I’d love to have for our monthly play themes.
what we give neighbors and teachers:
Did you know I Decide Once for most of my gifts, but especially for this category? Read the quick - and very popular! - Instagram post here!
neighbors:
some sort of Trader Joe’s holiday plant (or goodie)
our holiday card
teachers:
some sort of Trader Joe’s holiday plant
“Thanks for helping me grow” gift card of some sort
and that’s our Christmas Gift Plan of 2022!
want a peek into other systems we love for holidays?
here’s my Decide Once gifts
here’s our Christmas Traditions
here’s my simplified gift wrap
here’s how Brett and I split household responsibilities, like gifts
here’s our yearly tasks + expenses list, aka how I remember everything I need to do for holidays
looking for more gift ideas?
my amazon storefront - recently updated!
our full list of all-time favorite toys - the toys that get played with over and over and over
but know I have an Amazon board of our favorite toys if you’d love a quick version
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