I struggle a bit with this season, especially as the kids get older. I’m pulled between the urge (which I think is just engrained in me as an American) to buy up great deals and have many presents under the tree that will make the kids happy, and the sick feeling that comes from knowing that:
1. We don’t NEED a lot of it.
2. A lot of it won’t even be put to use.
3. It will break and be in the trash in a year.
4. I need my kids to grow up knowing how fortunate they are and to be appreciative of more than just all the “things” under the tree.
Phew.
This could get deep. But I’m not fully going to go there.
Basically, I want to find the balance where I can get the kids some of the things they really want, and still feel good on Christmas night about not going overboard and knowing what I did get them won’t end up in a landfill too soon.
Leyna’s big present this year – the Chalet Dollhouse by PlanToys USA– strikes that perfect balance, I think.
No, I’m sure. I pulled it out of the box, and it made my heart happy.
I set it up while she’s at school today, partly so we could get assembly out of the way, and partly so I could play with it.
This was already on my Amazon Wish List, and my one big idea for Leyna’s Christmas gift when PlanToys reached out to me to see if they could send me one!
I knew it would get so much use in our house, not just from Leyna, but from Kendall, too. And the only reason it would be “for” Leyna is because Kendall already has a tree house in his windowsill that both of the kids love to play with.
All the pieces are made with non-toxic, natural and recycled materials. And this thing is mega sturdy. Those pieces of furniture can be thrown in many a crate and lost under plenty of beds without breaking.
I’m not saying every toy under the tree or in their stockings will be wooden and free of licensed characters. But it’s nice to fight back at so many of the commercials forced upon my kids and give them something I know will still delight them just as much as a pair of Stompeez, the newest baby doll that talks and creepily runs after you, or the giant Power Ranger.
Even better knowing this thing very well could be passed down to my grandkids someday, or at least passed down to someone else’s kids, and not the local dump.
Overall, I think my kids will be getting less this year than last, and I’m okay with that. While I didn’t spend much last year because I got so many “deals,” it still made me feel a little icky at the end of the day. And one of my Christmas gifts to myself is to try to avoid the ick when it comes to overdoing it on gifts.
Have you ever felt like you’ve gone overboard and regretted it? What are you doing to combat that this year, if anything?
PlanToys sent me the dollhouse at no cost to me. I was under no obligation to write a review about it, but I truly love it, and it really did make my heart happy. They have a wonderful assortment of toys at different price points, all are made and packaged responsibly. You can check them out at PlanToysUSA.com.