With a lot of kids, it doesn’t really make sense for each child to give a gift to each sibling. It would be way too much work, too much money, and too much to open on Christmas! Instead, we do … Read More
Since our oldest turned 12 a couple months ago, most of our Christmas traditions have been around for nearly a decade now. We’ve we’ve done our Bethlehem dinner on Christmas Eve for at least that long, and we’ve eaten the … Read More
Though it always feels a bit tricky to find Christmas gifts for husbands, it’s a fun challenge each year. I actually super love thinking about Dan’s interests and finding a few things that he’ll love. I usually try to go … Read More
I’ve written a post about what we’re actually giving our kids for Christmas for the past few years, and it’s always the most popular of all my gift guides. And I understand why – I always prefer seeing what people … Read More
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Happy December 1st! We’re so excited to start our family advent activities for this year today. We usually have a few daily activities, and then have special events throughout the season. Here’s a look at what our daily family advent … Read More
Live Crude Skin Oil – 25% Off PLUS 20% Off I’m very excited to stock up on my favorite cleansing oil. I love that it doesn’t dry out my skin and keeps it so clear and healthy. I’ve been using … Read More
Will you be flying this holiday season? Holiday airport travel can definitely get busy and stressful no matter how many times you’ve done it before. After flying with our 6 kiddos countless times, we’e found that following these holiday air … Read More
Stocking stuffers are some of my favorite gifts to give and also to receive. And my kids adore them, too! I love giving a few useful little outdoors stocking stuffers each year. Here are a few of our favorite stocking … Read More
This post is sponsored by REI. All opinions are my own. Whether we’re planning a winter trip packing list or making sure we have the right winter hiking gear for kids and families right at home, we try to consider … Read More
This post is sponsored by REI. All opinions are my own. The last few years, we’ve tried to make the main gift for our kids for birthdays and holidays some sort of experience – we’ve gifted trips, classes, special activities, … Read More
With a lot of kids, it doesn’t really make sense for each child to give a gift to each sibling. It would be way too much work, too much money, and too much to open on Christmas! Instead, we do a sibling Secret Santa sibling Christmas gift exchange for our sibling Christmas gifts.
Our kids get so excited to chose and give thoughtful gifts to their siblings, and it’s one of the best parts of our Christmas morning. We always do the sibling gifts first, when excitement and enthusiasm are high, and to let those sweet gifts and kind hearts shine. They get so proud of themselves and feel so grateful to their sibling, and it fosters love and gratitude. It makes me misty just thinking about it.
At the beginning of December, we put each sibling’s name in a hat and they go around drawing them to choose someone for whom to choose a gift. They use their family economy money to pay for their gifts and honestly get so excited to use money they’ve worked hard to manage to bring joy to a sibling. I love that it allows them an opportunity to be generous to someone else.
We always set a dollar limit so things stay about equal – we’ve done anywhere from $15-$25 depending on the year. Our kids start participating in the sibling gift exchange by the time they understand the whole present-giving process, usually around the age of 3. We always help give lots of ideas to the younger ones and may not give as much detail so they don’t spoil the surprise. 😉 We also give some or all of the money to our younger kiddos who aren’t fully participating in family economy yet, so they can still participate in the gift exchange.
While it’s great for some people to go to a store and allow their kids to walk around to find something, that’s never worked well for our family. Our kids tend to get distracted by the zillions of options and are less honed in on specific interests for their chosen sibling. (I’m like this, too – I hate walking around a store looking for a gift!)
Instead, one parent will discuss a few times with them over the course of a few weeks to think about their sibling’s interests, needs, and to generally brainstorm ideas. I also have a running list of gift ideas for each child so may suggest a general genre or a few items if they’re struggling, and then let them choose between them.
Then, either Dan or I will order the item and help the kids wrap (the older kids wrap on their own). It’s so fun!
Here’s what our kids are giving each other this year!
Do you do a sibling gift exchange? I’d love to hear how it works!
