Christmas Gift Ideas 2015

I’ll bet half of you are already finished with your Christmas shopping. Some of you enjoy leisurely shopping in festive stores all through the Christmas season. But some of you may be like me the week before Christmas: Hallelujah, Amazon Prime!! I rarely shop, and even rarer still is the leisurely shopping trip. I also have no place to store gifts prior to an occasion. So I’m all about two-day shipping the week of.

Every year, though, I come up with a few ideas ahead of time and share here on the blog. Some of these gift ideas are things we have enjoyed this past year, some are things I’m considering as gifts for my kids or loved-ones.

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What’s on your list?

:: Educational Stocking Stuffers ::

Ancient Egypt TOOB (I love all the TOOB collections—so many to choose from! They’re a perfect shape and size for stockings! Around the World, World Landmarks, Musical Instruments, Mystical Realms…)

Roman Playmobil Guys (My kids have played with Playmobil sets more than any other toy I’ve purchased for them and they hold up well! They’re the toys I’ll be saving for grandkids.)

Classical Historian’s Ancient History Go Fish (My boys enjoy the American History version and I’ll add the Medieval version to our collection next year.)

Professor Noggin’s Ancient Civilizations Trivia Card Game (Many others to choose from in this series including various history, science, and geography editions)

Timeline Historical Events Card Game

Math Wrap-Ups or Think Fun Math Dice

Story Cubes

Magnetic Poetry –Kid Genius Kit (I adore so many of these sets! Use in the car or on-to-go with a magnetic board or cookie sheet!)

:: Activities and Toys ::

Amazing Minecraft Math: Cool Math Activity Book (I can’t be the only one with Minecraft-obsessed children.)

Ralph Masiello’s Ancient Egypt Drawing Book (I love all of Masiello’s drawing books, especially the robot and dragon ones, but my boys have enjoyed this one as we’re studying Ancient Egypt.)

Illustration School: Let's Draw Happy People (This drawing book was a huge hit with the two young artists who received this book last year. It’s so sweet and fun! There are other books in the series.)

Ozobot Bit 2.0 (I think Russ and the boys are receiving this robot/coding toy this year.)

:: Games ::

7 Wonders (It took us a few times to get the hang of this one because it’s complicated to learn, but now it’s our favorite game to play!)

Forbidden Island (The boys are getting this one for Christmas.)

Catan Dice Game (A little bit Catan, a little bit Yatzee, great small package for an on-the-go game)

Ticket To Ride (The European version has been our overall favorite game this year. We need to add another version, maybe The Heart of Africa expansion.)

 

:: Movies ::

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Only $4.75 right now; I’m adding this one to our family movie collection.)

:: Music ::

The Hunts: Those Younger Days (By far my favorite album this year!)

Andrew Peterson: The Burning Edge of Dawn (This album was just released in October and it’s fantastic!)

:: Books ::

Boys in the Boat (This was one of my top favorites this year and has wide appeal. It’s a WWII-era non-fiction, hopeful narrative, underdog sports story. Everyone I know who has read it—teenagers, men, and women—has loved it!)

In Defense of Sanity (G. K. Chesterton has to be one of the most quotable writers of all time. This is a collection of his short essays—entertaining and brilliant.)

The Chosen (A serious modern classic and a fascinating look at Jewish culture. Levi and I loved this one this year.)

The Awakening of Miss Prim (Do you have a homeschool mom on your list? One who loves Classical education, charming French villages, and Jane Austen? This is the book for her. I reviewed it here.)

The Squire’s Tales (This is my own personal favorite series. Easy to read. Romantic. Strong male and female characters. Hilarious. Profound. And a little bit of cultural literacy. Boys love it. Girls love it. Moms love it. I don’t know what else to say about it.)

The Knight’s Tales (If you have kids on your list too young for The Squire’s Tales, start with this series.)

Dominic (This is one of my favorite children’s chapter books. Perfect for kids ages 4 to 90. Read some snippets here.)

A Nest is Noisy (This whole picture book series is gorgeous!! Each book can be a short read-aloud or provide hours of magic as a child pores over the details on each page.)

:: For Book Lovers ::

Personal Embosser (From the library of)

Personal Library Kit from Knock Knock (oh, I miss the days of checkout cards and date stamps!)

Punctuation Page Markers (fun!)

Shakespearean Insult Bandages

First Lines of Literature Mug and Novel Teas (individually tagged with literary quotes)

Reading Journal

:: For Jane Austen Fans ::

Jane Austen Bandages

Jane Austen Tattoos (we had so much fun with these at book club!)

Marrying Mr. Darcy Board Game

Magnetic Poetry—Pride & Poetry Kit (or other authors such as Shakespeare, Brothers Grimm, or Edgar Allan Poe)