My Kids Don't Really NEED Anything--what Can Their Uncles Get Them for Christmas

i agree that even though you may say they don't need anything as an aunt in this sittuation before , I can tell you i don't want to follow the parents rules. I don't want to get educational boring things, I want to see them open a present and be super happy. Give suggestions of an outing but also tell them what they're into (barbies trukcks...) and you can say they don't NEED for anything but will gladly accept whateevr they want to give if they choose to give.

Have them buy savings bonds and a book. That way something to open that will be used but something that will grow with them and can be used later for college.

I haven't read all the posts - but they could get :

Legoland tickets
Tickets to a show (eg Disney on Ice or circus - you could always get an IOU and buy them later)
Movie tickets

Membership to :
1.Brookfield Zoo
2.Children's museum (there is an all access option and you can use the membership at more than 100 museums across the country)
3. Morton Arboretum (the children's garden is beautiful and lots of events at the arboretum)
4. Membership to a museum downtown (Field/Shedd/Sci & Ind)

Good luck! Happy Holidays.

While your kids don't NEED anything they probably WANT things. As an aunt I want to give things to my neices and nephews that they WANT. I want to see their little eyes light up that they got the item their little hearts desired. I want the same thing for my kids too. So suggest something that your kids want and let them get it for them. Then teach your kids about giving things away too. Go though all their other toys and things they don't play with much and give those to charity.

I'm glad your raised this question. Same here, our kids want for nothing. I'm with Rachel, savings bonds are good.

I like to suggest things that are 'disposable'. By this I mean drawing paper, crayons, stickers, markers, paint by number pictures (for the older one)etc. Kids love to do crafts, and we go through this kind of stuff really quickly. It's nice to have someone else buy some of it. And, they can draw their uncles a nice picture to say thank you.

Your kids are the perfect ages for zoos and children's museums. Capturing the wonder of watching them see this new adventure along the way is just priceless.

Try thinking outside of the box on this gift giving thing. Perhaps your kids would like to go to a puppet show or some other kind of fun event like that? You say your kids have more than enough toys and books, so how do you store their beloved treasures. Perhaps the family can get things like storage boxes, bins, treasure chests, or the like to keep their toys in.

I also love things like cookie baking kits. While your kids are too young to bake cookies by themselves they aren't too young to help.

Do you have any budding artist? Large picture frames or poster frames to put their artwork on and display around the house would be a nice touch as well?

There are plenty of gifts that can be received and recommended. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

You can't go wrong with flashlights.
When my son was very young he had a Scooby Do lantern (works on 4 AA batteries) which he just loved when ever the power went out.
Now that he's older it seems we get little LED flashlights every few years and we use them every where - garage, car, reading under the covers at night.
I even have a tiny very bright one I keep in my purse.
They always come in handy!

Your kids are old enough to appreciate the zoo, children's museums, or the Morton Arboretum. Maybe your parents and brothers can just go in together on a family membership to one of those places for you. Good luck!

I would say if they were girls then pretend play items like princess dresses, crowns, dress up clothes and items they can play house, so many things like this. They are at the perfect age for that. If they are boys some pretend play items like chef's uniforms, fire fighter gear, doctor outfit, etc...girls are much easier than boys but it is an area that is often overlooked in boys.

They could do some outdoor items like an indoor outdoor easel, large blocks, a play house for inside, manipulatives, a balance beam and other items to develop large motor skills and can be inside or out, and just about anything you see in child care or at a school. These things can be stuff that parents overlook or just don't think about.

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Outdoor easel, we had a couple of these, well, similar/much less expensive.
http://www.amazon.com/ChildBrite-Single-Outdoor-Fence-Eas...

Variety of pretend play items:

http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/seo/f%7C/Assortments/Lak...

Manipulatives help them develop fine motor skills and are really fun. Watch though because some are too small for the younger child, for ages 3 or 5 and up.

http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/search/results.jsp
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An article or two about the importance of pretend play.

http://www.childcare.org/ccr/newsletter/ccr-news-spring-2...

http://www.smartmomuniversity.com/junior-college/item/why...

http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/the-importanc...

They would love tickets to something at this age, but when they open it they won't have any idea what it is!

I would suggest a small "toy" like a car to open and then may be tickets to go do something. After you go to the zoo or museum, make sure to send along pictures of the kids having fun!

For my son's second birthday, my sister and BIL sent him a "wallet" of gift cards and a little toy. They basically treated him to ice cream, McDonald's, a trip to the children's museum and a local indoor playground. He LOVED the activities and still uses the wallet to stash his "money".

When my daughter was little and needed nothing... still needs nothing... she received Savings Bonds. She received Savings Bonds when she was born as well. We have them put safely away for her along with a secret savings account she knows nothing about just yet.

What is hard for my family is that daughter's birthday is 12/27. This year she turns 17 and there is still the dilemma because she needs nothing. She will tell you herself that she needs nothing.

I told relatives that really wanted to send her something small to send something like the small bottles of Victoria's Secret PINK or Bath and Body... she LOVES the shea butter soft socks there.

Since your children are small... I think a small toy (especially for the 5 yr old) is fine. If you have to travel... maybe a travel game for the way home.

LOVE the idea of movie tickets, children's museum or zoo tickets....put them away until after the bustle of the holidays & you've got an outing!

Do they have 529 plans? Maybe a contribution to those? Maybe cash is too crass--depends on your relationship with "the uncles" I guess!

Not sure if you have boys or girls, but my 3 and 5 year old boys' favorite from Christmas (we did it last weekend) were these dinosaur heads on a stick from a drugstore. Trumped all the expensive Thomas stuff, games, etc. Figures, right? Like the box being better than the toy inside! Also, crayons and books are always good b/c you can store away for some dreadful February day too!

What about crayons and coloring books? That is always well received in our house.

One of my daycare provider pals got an "event" sort of gift for all of her daycare families. She is, in the last year, embraced a VERY fit lifestyle herself, and joined their local Rec Center to use as their gym (they live in a smaller community). It has a pool, weight room, running track, and classes for all ages.

She got them a 12-pass family pass deal for each of her daycare families. Not very exciting to open, I will admit, but she said the parents all LOVED the idea. The place has a few toddler and preschool aged "gym sampler" weekend classes that are 6 weeks long that they can use this pass for...then use the remaining days for some family open gym or open swim days. I thought it a grand idea for a gift!!

Got a Childrens Theater locally with any upcoming shows OK for preschool age? Here in Minneapolis we ahve Harold and the Purple Crayon coming up in January and the ages says 3+...so really both your kids could go. Tickets are $16 each...so look to something like that in your area??

I think event related gifts are great ideas! They might be boring to open, or even pricey, however? I remember at about age 5 my daughter got her first Target gift card...OMG, she was in heaven once she realized what it was (I think it was in a cutesy coin purse or something?). We went to the store and I guided her to make a good choice but ultimately she picked. We set some rules (no more than one small candy item I remember that).

She was very frugal with her own $20 to spend! It was before the "Dollar spot" but was an early lesson in spending wisely! She cried when the lady tried to keep the card...we had to make sure we kept any she got for a few years! She had a stash in her panty drawer! LOL

-gc to the children's museum sounds great!
-I agree that you can never go wrong with flashlights.
-Or a huge pack of batteries!!
-Do your kids have a bug catcher? All kidos need a bug catcher!
-Perhaps recommend a 'consumable' product, not something to eat, but something that won't just sit and take up space in your house, like workbooks or some sort of craft .
-Something to eat/make together like Smores or a gingerbread house
- I like the wallet idea. If they're crafy men, have them make a wallet out of duct tape. I think there are instructions on folding/taping online.

At our Christmas get together with my side there are 9 kids (most under 7). We are letting them decorate boxes and we are filling them with dollar store items (books, pencils, erasers, lip balm, snacks, toys, etc.). We really think the kids will get into decorating the boxes and will love the loot of stuff.

Or can you all do a gift exchange between the cousins?? Our's doesn't work to do that since we have 5 kids in one family.

I also like the museum pass idea with something small to open. Then when you take them you remind them that's it's Aunt X's gift.

I think some "experience" would be a wonderful gift. BUT they probably are way too young to appreciate it.

I think tickets to the zoo or museum is a great idea. Not only will they get to go, but it will make for a great family memory. Also, you could ask that people get them CDs (certificates of deposit) that can be saved for college. My mom does that for all the grandkids. No birthday gifts or xmas gifts - she wraps up the receipt for the purchase of the CD and they know that they have money being saved for their future. The little ones don't really get it, but as they get older they start to understand and really appreciate it!

Maybe ask for something cheap to just open - something that costs maybe $3. Since you said they have too much stuff already and then they could get them memberships to something or movie tickets.

How about gift cards to a bookstore? If your kids wouldn't like that, the yogurt shop....

Christmas ornaments? specially picked out for them from uncle? Every ornament we have has a story to it, and my young kids (8, 7, 4 and 3) remember and appreciate them! There are also some other great ideas here, too that some moms have already mentioned.

I second the savings bonds or a deposit into their savings account.

Several options:

1) they could give something to a child in need, and give your children a letter explaining that, (along with something small and disposable for a gift such as bubble bath, as mentioned below). Sure, the toddler is too young to really understand it, but there's no time like the present for her to start learning.

2) they could give money to your children for a bank account or educational savings account or something like that

3) they'll probably be old enough to appreciate tickets somewhere; and even if they don't understand it now, they'll learn or figure it out when you take them and remind them that Uncle Jason gave them the tickets for Christmas

4) a gift card to some store they like (even just Walmart). My FIL got my 7-y/o some Duplos (the super-size Legos), which are just too big, so I took them back and let my son pick out toys that he did want. Since I didn't have a receipt, they gave me a store card. My son was so thrilled and excited about it -- he thought he had his own credit/debit card like I have. :-)

I would suggest fun disposable type stuff, Bubble bath and bath tub toys and crayons add some cool character towels to up the expense.

New bed sheets and jammies with character on it.

At that age I would go with nice wooden Ravensburger puzzles.

Maybe for next year, ask uncle and grandparents to go in on one really really big thing.

Not picking on you queen of the castle But, i'm wondering something. At this time of year, knowing people will be asking me for gift suggestions for the kids and myself, i really limit what I am out buying. My dd needs new pj's and I could have bought her them at thanksgiving, but instead i asked sil to get her a new pair for christmas, don't get me wrong it wasn't that the jammies were so snug she couldn't breath or so short that they were up to her knees, but they were just starting to be outgrown. I am a frugal person and i could have gotten the jammies very cheaply, possibly even used, but knowing I didn't want more toys in my house ( gifts from sil) jammies are what I suggested to Sil. see what i'm getting at? Especially with young kids like yours, I would think there would be things you could plan ahead for others to possibly get. maybe your family doesn't follow your suggestions though, i don't know.

ok and now i am picking on all you aunts. What is the deal with insisiting on seeing their eyes light up and giving them the most awesome gift ever??. There have been some posts recently with the grandparents feeling entitled to play Santa and out shine the parents. I get that you don't want to just get them underwear but it almost sounded like you were trying to compete with Santa AND mom and dad. Am i misunderstanding?

anyhow, it seems like you've gotten some great suggestions. I hope your holidays are merry and bright! i'm off to have some eggnog and play board games with my babies.