Christmas 2020
This year we went back to our old school format of not asking the kids for ideas. They didn’t really like giving them, and Jeff and I really prefer being able to have a date night where we discuss the kids and choose gifts we think represent their year of interests or their general personality. We headed out for Mexican one night and got it all figured out over chips, salsa, and guac. :D
Parker:
•The Care of Souls/The 12 (Books)
•Whiskey stones
•Whiskey in gorgeous bottle
Parker is all books and liquor. Haha. I chose a book that focuses on the emotional side of pastoring, as well as the book his namesake had published this year. While not an every day drinker, he’s gotten into trying different whiskies. We got him one he wouldn’t be able to afford on his own, as well as some stones to avoid watering down the flavor with ice.
Olivia:
•White pitcher
•Earrings/Necklace
•Art Markers
Olivia is pretty easy to buy for. She loves almost everything. Earlier in the year she mentioned wishing she had a nice pitcher to serve sweet tea from when she had guests. She loves accessorizing, so the jewelry was a no-brainer. She also lucked out by being the only kid who got a suggestion in before we said “no lists”. Hence the markers. ;)
Peyton:
•Compact Guide to Greek/The 12 (Books)
•PS game
•Shaving kit set & bag
Peyton is always the most difficult for me. Mostly because he’s not a person who wants much. We went with a book that will help him in his Greek studies (as well as Big Parker’s book), a disk with three PS games for the Play Station he bought himself on MarketPlace, and then we stuck with the tried and true gentleman’s category because he enjoys those old school things.
Mabry:
•Boxing gloves & pads
•Resin Set/epoxy/cords (Jewelry making)
•Camera strap
Our cousin got Mabry excited about boxing as a form of exercise while we were on our vacation this year. So it was fun to get her a set of her own. Jeff thought of the jewelry making stuff because she’s crafty and always wanting to DO SOMETHING. The camera strap was an easy decision. Her other one was a hand-me-down.
Fin:
•Small keyboard
•Xylophone Music Machine kit
•Pikmin (video game)
Fin started mentioning how much he wished he had a portable keyboard MONTHS ago. He loves to just sit and figure out melodies from games and shows. But he also likes being in the living room with the rest of the family. Jeff did some great research and found one that could be battery or plug-in, uses headphones, and will record his stuff for play-back. He was SO HAPPY. The music machine kit was just a fun project for him, and the video game gave him a new thing to do with Peyton. :)
Lottie:
•AcroStacks
•Dress-up shoes
•Peppa Tin Purse
Lottie makes towers out of EVERYTHING. So when I saw these “Acrostacks” on Facebook I got excited. Turned out to be crap because they’re too light and fall over really easily. Boo. But the princess dress-up shoes were a HIT and the Peppa tin purse has been the most useable. She stores all of her Peppa and Daniel Tiger figurines inside. It was cute when she opened it... she exclaimed, “My lunch box!” I didn’t realize she knew what that was. Haha!
Meirah:
•Peppa tin purse
•Pig family (fancy dress)
•Calico Critters cat family
Meirah and Lottie both love Peppa, so I focused on that, as well as the Calico Critters that Olivia loved as a child and wants to have Meirah collect. She was super happy with it all!
Christmas Eve T-Shirts:
•Raising Tiny Theologians (Parker)
•Raising Tiny Theologians (Olivia)
•Justified written in Greek (Peyton)
•Among Us (Fin)
•St Jude (Māb)
•Monogram (Lottie)
•Monogram (Meirah)
We go back and forth between pajamas and t-shirts for the Christmas Eve gifts. I had seen a couple of really good ones in the past few weeks, so I decided it was gonna be a shirt year. The Etsy monogrammed shirts for the little girls were SUPER sweet looking. Fin getting an Among Us one was an obvious choice. Peyton taking Greek meant I could use that as a jumping off point for his - Missional Wear for the win. Parker & Olivia got shirts from my friend’s business, and they were perfect! Mabry cried when she saw hers was St. Jude; I don’t think she’ll ever think of the aunt she never knew without being emotional. :)
Parker:
•The Care of Souls/The 12 (Books)
•Whiskey stones
•Whiskey in gorgeous bottle
Parker is all books and liquor. Haha. I chose a book that focuses on the emotional side of pastoring, as well as the book his namesake had published this year. While not an every day drinker, he’s gotten into trying different whiskies. We got him one he wouldn’t be able to afford on his own, as well as some stones to avoid watering down the flavor with ice.
Olivia:
•White pitcher
•Earrings/Necklace
•Art Markers
Olivia is pretty easy to buy for. She loves almost everything. Earlier in the year she mentioned wishing she had a nice pitcher to serve sweet tea from when she had guests. She loves accessorizing, so the jewelry was a no-brainer. She also lucked out by being the only kid who got a suggestion in before we said “no lists”. Hence the markers. ;)
Peyton:
•Compact Guide to Greek/The 12 (Books)
•PS game
•Shaving kit set & bag
Peyton is always the most difficult for me. Mostly because he’s not a person who wants much. We went with a book that will help him in his Greek studies (as well as Big Parker’s book), a disk with three PS games for the Play Station he bought himself on MarketPlace, and then we stuck with the tried and true gentleman’s category because he enjoys those old school things.
Mabry:
•Boxing gloves & pads
•Resin Set/epoxy/cords (Jewelry making)
•Camera strap
Our cousin got Mabry excited about boxing as a form of exercise while we were on our vacation this year. So it was fun to get her a set of her own. Jeff thought of the jewelry making stuff because she’s crafty and always wanting to DO SOMETHING. The camera strap was an easy decision. Her other one was a hand-me-down.
Fin:
•Small keyboard
•Xylophone Music Machine kit
•Pikmin (video game)
Fin started mentioning how much he wished he had a portable keyboard MONTHS ago. He loves to just sit and figure out melodies from games and shows. But he also likes being in the living room with the rest of the family. Jeff did some great research and found one that could be battery or plug-in, uses headphones, and will record his stuff for play-back. He was SO HAPPY. The music machine kit was just a fun project for him, and the video game gave him a new thing to do with Peyton. :)
Lottie:
•AcroStacks
•Dress-up shoes
•Peppa Tin Purse
Lottie makes towers out of EVERYTHING. So when I saw these “Acrostacks” on Facebook I got excited. Turned out to be crap because they’re too light and fall over really easily. Boo. But the princess dress-up shoes were a HIT and the Peppa tin purse has been the most useable. She stores all of her Peppa and Daniel Tiger figurines inside. It was cute when she opened it... she exclaimed, “My lunch box!” I didn’t realize she knew what that was. Haha!
Meirah:
•Peppa tin purse
•Pig family (fancy dress)
•Calico Critters cat family
Meirah and Lottie both love Peppa, so I focused on that, as well as the Calico Critters that Olivia loved as a child and wants to have Meirah collect. She was super happy with it all!
Christmas Eve T-Shirts:
•Raising Tiny Theologians (Parker)
•Raising Tiny Theologians (Olivia)
•Justified written in Greek (Peyton)
•Among Us (Fin)
•St Jude (Māb)
•Monogram (Lottie)
•Monogram (Meirah)
We go back and forth between pajamas and t-shirts for the Christmas Eve gifts. I had seen a couple of really good ones in the past few weeks, so I decided it was gonna be a shirt year. The Etsy monogrammed shirts for the little girls were SUPER sweet looking. Fin getting an Among Us one was an obvious choice. Peyton taking Greek meant I could use that as a jumping off point for his - Missional Wear for the win. Parker & Olivia got shirts from my friend’s business, and they were perfect! Mabry cried when she saw hers was St. Jude; I don’t think she’ll ever think of the aunt she never knew without being emotional. :)