But first, here’s the full post on how we celebrate Valentine’s Day, if you’re curious of our other traditions, like our Waffle Bar.
Mr. Valentine visits!!!! When my sisters and I were growing up, Mr. Valentine would deliver a small gift basket for each of us by our front door while we were at school…or while my mom took the trash out. ;) We LOVED it and I want to continue this with KK and her siblings.
I also love when holiday gifts aren’t just clutter, but instead are things they can actually use all year. I love thinking of gaps in our wardrobe, items that will grow with us, seasonal things we could use through the years, books we’d love to add to our bookshelf. To help us have a plan, we give something to wear, something to read, and something to play/use. So we do set aside a little money all year long for this. (Same with our Easter baskets.)
While we follow the wear/read/use/play gift formula as well, we also use our Mr. Valentine basket as our yearly reminder to prioritize new socks, undies, bras, and/or toiletries, if needed. Because really, Mom and Dad deserve to have, say, underwear we love or good face soap, and I love the Mr. Valentine basket as an annual excuse to indulge in these fun - yet practical! - things. (And like I said - I like to give holiday gifts that we actually use. And there are lots of fun options of these particular items this time of year.)
However, if we don’t need anything in these categories - or, in KK’s case, she’s too young - we just use the “wear” category of this to fill in any gaping holes that have become apparent in our wardrobe. Like, KK might get a pair of shoes in the next size up, or I may get something I need for our Fit4Mom classes. You get the idea - we just try to be intentional.
ALSO! Mr. Valentine brings a gift basket for both Brett and me, too! It’s more fun that way. ;) Just because, again, I love an excuse to make a small, holiday-themed gift basket to show someone I love them.
faq: Brett really enjoys that I buy my own gifts, and I enjoy it, too. This works really well for us.
I bought plenty of white baskets - enough for Brett, me, KK, and future siblings - at Target to be used year after year for Mr. Valentine, Easter baskets, etc.
And remember, my 2022 goals were to buy no more toys, clothes, or books…except for holidays. So we are trying to be especially intentional with this year’s basket contents. LOVE this personal challenge.
But first, here’s the full post on how we celebrate Valentine’s Day, if you’re curious of our other traditions, like our Waffle Bar. And here’s KK’s Mr. Valentine basket last year - her first Mr. Valentine basket!
And here’s what’s in our Mr. Valentine baskets this year!
KK:
wear:
pair of Old Navy pink joggers
maybe a few plain white shirts she wears all the time, in the next size
pair of her white shoes, in the next size*
read:
use/play:
(she will not be getting all of the following things, but I wanted to brainstorm a few possibilities before deciding)
pretend strawberry smoothie like our daily smoothie for her play kitchen
or these felt cookies that we could also use for in her sensory tables
some pink (or Valentine’s themed) measuring cups for KK’s sensory tables + her play kitchen + bath time play
this red set of lidded, plastic bowls for the above reasons
red tambourine and/or red microphone and/or red harmonica
Curious what we already have for our Valentines-themed play? Click here!
*Here’s a full peek into KK’s closet - she has a fairly simplified wardrobe to keep it easy for me.
Haley:
wear:
a new pair or two of my favorite athletic socks
read:
use/play:
my cleanser, my toner, my exfoliant, my moisturizer, and/or my serum
a bag or two of my favorite Valentine’s candy, let’s be real here
or my lash serum (I changed to a cleaner formula and I LOVE it)
see my full list of cleaner toiletries + household products here
TBH, I’ll probably only do one or two things from this section for me (or I’ll skip this section altogether - I have everything I need) to instead make more room in the budget for Brett’s coffee gift (more on this in a second), since I greatlyyyy benefit from that, as he makes my coffee every morning
Yes, I buy my own gifts. Brett and I both prefer it that way. :)
Brett:
wear:
he doesn’t have any need whatsoever for new undies/socks, so I’ll skip that to maybe grab him a new pair of his favorite shorts for working out/working at home, or a shirt from one of his favorite coffee houses
read:
use/play:
his cleanser
a fancy pants coffee grinder he loves and a french press he’s been crushing on
Brett was a chemistry major. So to him, coffee is an excuse to have a daily chemical experiment. He gets really into it. Once a week he picks up freshly roasted beans from local roasters - and he’s very particular about his beans. He has a state-of-the-art scale, a gooooood electric kettle, and a myriad of coffee brewing toys. His Chemex will always be one of his favorites. Coffee is his love, his hobby, his passion - so we prioritize this joyful routine of his in our schedule, in our budget, and in our holiday gifts.
Did you enjoy this post? I’d love if you said hi on Instagram! I share allll the innerworkings of my routine-and-tradition-loving heart there. (Along with quite a bit of dinner ideas. Woo!)
Other blogposts you may love:
My Favorite Things (excellent gift inspiration!)
Cheers to special memories and intentional traditions! Happy dreaming, y’all.
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