Crunchy Mom Conquers Holidays

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If you are like me, a crunchy mom working towards a minimalist lifestyle, then you know the holidays are always a struggle. Every person has their own version of what minimalist is. For us it is open space, easy clean up, open ended, and sustainable. We are definitely not perfect but minimalist is what we are working towards. Our family on the other hand live a different lifestyle than we do.

The good thing about the holidays are that they are full of love and togetherness. Our children love visiting with family and my son has tons of toys at his grandparents that he tries to bring home every time. The past two years since becoming a mom I have started making gift registries/wish lists full of appropriate gift ideas for our son. I have found this to be the easiest way to be sure our extended family feels included and loved without coming across picky. This year I wanted to share a few of my top picks for holiday shopping so you can easily add to your family’s Amazon wishlist.

*Amazon is a great tool for out of town family members, they know it, they love it, and it gets shipped fast. My husband and I try to shop small/local when we can but sometimes convenience is what works best for others.

Free Play

When it comes to free play I am moving towards an organized system of “free” play. Each toy has a place it belongs for easy clean up. Also, each toy is somewhat open ended. In his room my son has 2 shelves for toys, each set of toys has its own basket so he knows exactly where it goes each time. Does your child seem overwhelmed with their toys? My son was that way before I simplified his play space and let me tell you clean up is a breeze! This year some of my top picks for my 2 year old are Rainbow Playsilks by Sarahs Silks and the Grimms 6 Piece Large Rainbow Stacker. Both of these will be beautiful additions to our play space while also allowing imaginative freedom. We tend to shy away from toys that make noise but my son has shown a fondness for musical instruments. So I added the Hape Melodies Mighty Percussion Instrument as well. Small enough to hide away but also entertaining for my little ones. I just love the fact that all of the instruments are in one unit; even if its loud!

Books

Can you really go wrong with a book? In our family we encourage books as gifts. I loved reading as a child and I hope to pass that along to my children as they grow. Neither of my children sit long enough for a whole story quite yet but they do love them. While building this list I stumbled upon these beautifully illustrated books! My son has become obsessed with the song “Old MacDonald” so farm books are crucial. Sleep Tight Farm, is a beautiful way to talk about winter in a way that my son can relate. Plus its “crunchy mom” approved. The Wish Tree is one of the cutest books I’ve seen. A holiday book you will read together forever. It is already in my cart, thank you Amazon Prime! A few others on my list are Because of an Acorn, Winter Solstice, The Giving Tree, and of course Harry Potter. The last one is more for me though!

Share/Give/Love

Feel free to send loved ones this post as your wishlist! Most of the items I have listed are for babies to toddlers. My children aren’t old enough yet but I also love craft and educational kits for when they are school aged. As for teens, just get them a gift card or two. One to spend on themselves and one to spend on others or donate. Two different amounts and they decide how much they want to give. What a wonderful way to teach giving!

Some may ask how do you tell someone what you would rather them buy? All I do is preface with, “Hey family member this year we had the kids make a wish list on Amazon, you don’t have to get them anything but I wanted to share what they picked”, then I attach the link to the list. So, don’t stress the holidays! Enjoy time with family and make it easier for everyone by making a gift list. That way you can relax and watch the love unfold.