It’s Christmas! LIKE FOR REAL. I’ve decorated the house, I’ve bought presents (well, most of them) and even hosted a Christmas party. But I still haven’t sent out Christmas cards. Or made teacher’s gifts. The only teachers in Lydia’s life are her teachers at church (she goes to two services on Sunday) and her ballet teacher. And to Lydia? They are all famous.

When Lydia was 1 I made the cutest card for her teachers at church. I digi-scrapped a picture of her with a nativity scene with the words, “Thank you for introducing me to Jesus.” Her teachers were teary-eyed and some have said they still have it on their fridge!

Along with that picture I made those pretzel-hershey-kiss-m&m treats. Have you had them? My friend Kathy from House of Hills made some with her daughter this week and did a great post about it! I also love the pretzel-rolo-pecans treats she did, too!

I’ve made and gifted Muddy Buddies–you know that yummy peanut-butter-chocolate-powdered-sugar Chex mix? Oh my goodness. It is divine. And very easy to make—you get to throw it all in a giant plastic bag and shake it up. Lydia loved it! Oh, I’m getting hungry!

So, I’ve been on the look out for a new kind of treat to bring to her teachers (and to my tummy) and I think I found a good one from Marie at Make and Takes! Look how fun, easy and adorable this is:

(photo by Make & Takes)

All you do is melt chocolate chips, dip your candy canes in and then gift-wrap! I am so in love with this. I just bought a pack of candy canes today so this is perfect!

And now, I can think of no other good way to segue this except: SPEAKING OF CHOCOLATE, Nestle is giving away a big bag o’treats to one of our lovely readers! They’ve got this big photo contest going on at Nestle Family.com where you can win one of several $50 giftcards! They wanted to share the wealth and have generously offered up a big holiday gift pack which will include coupons for FREE Toll House chocolate chips and cookie dough, Carnation Evaporated Milk and Breakfast Essentials, Stouffer’s, Juicy Juice and Boost Kid Essentials, as well as products from Wonka and Rasinets. Also, a cute silver picture frame and a yummy Carnation holiday recipe guide. The prize value is around $40.

If you’d like to win, please leave us a comment below. Any comment will do—even a simple Merry Christmas! But if you’d like to dazzle the judges with your impressive comment, please tell us about your favorite handmade treat you love to give at the holidays! And as always, you can receive an additional entry if you tweet or facebook this post!

Merry Christmas to you!

Like Amanda, I love giving gifts! The thrill of the hunt, knowing that the gift I picked out for a friend fits them perfectly…  as I watch my boys grow, picking the perfect gift for them is just as much fun!  And finding gifts that are meaningful and long-lasting, inspiring and educational… again, I love it!

We are also in the same boat as Amanda with our toys situation – although we don’t have a playroom for all the toys, they are everywhere! And Donovan’s birthday is 4 days before Christmas, with Elias following soon after.  The season of giving can be overwhelming around here!

But with gifts like these Top NON TOY Gift Picks for Boys of Any Age, we’ll be adding to their fun and excitement without adding more toys!

1. Abacus

Seriously.  How much more educational can you get while still being fun?  (Or am I the only one who thinks this is fun?) I remember playing with an abacus when I was young – and it wasn’t all about counting to me – my imagination ran crazy with it, making patterns that had nothing to do with numbers.

2. Inflatable earth and planets

Elias and Donovan are already crazy about space and the planets.  Not only can you play ball with the planets, you could hang them up in a bedroom (I’ve had this in mind since I hung the maps in Elias’s room).  Easy and educational!

3. Colorforms

A blast from the past!  An activity that just oozes creativity – and it is endless, because Colorforms can be used over and over again.

4. Dominoes

Blocks and manipulatives at the same time, plus they help kids learn numbers and can actually be used to play dominoes when the kids get older!  With a huge set like this one, you could also make some amazing domino-toppling-courses (or whatever you call the domino effect with actual dominoes!).

5. Etch A Sketch

Another classic!  Helps with fine motor skills, and lets creativity explode for years!

6. a parachute

Remember this from gym class?  I actually started getting sad about homeschooling my boys at one point, because I thought they would miss out on some of the best memories I have about grade school – playing with the giant parachute.  Turns out you can get these for your kids on your own!  And they come in all kinds of sizes, for any number of children!  You bet that my boys will be getting one of these soon.

7. a wagon

Look at this Radio Flyer wagon – it has all terrain wheels!  Perfect for a backyard – heading down to the park – pulling along side a creek on a little hike…

8. drawing books

My brother and I both loved Ed Emberley’s drawing books when we were kids – here are several that I’ve found online… and as kids get older, they can move on to books like this one from Lee J. Ames.

9. Play-Doh

Kids of ALL ages like this! ehem… and look at these great accessories that you can get, too.  Or you can go with old kitchen utensils – they work just as well at cutting and smooshing and rolling and pressing and playing.

10.  memberships/lessons

Two years ago, my parents gave us a membership to the Children’s Museum of Richmond.  What a fabulous gift!  We enjoyed a year of new experiences, full of learning and fun.  We’ve also been thinking about enrolling Elias in some sports classes – either a mixed sports class at the local gym, or a martial arts class at a local studio.  As kids grow older, you can give them music lessons or art lessons, too!  Check out children’s museums and science museums near you, and contact local gyms and studios to see what type of specials they might be running through the holiday season.

What’s your favorite NON-toy gift for a boy? Please share in the comments!

Did you miss our Holiday Gift Guide: Non-Toys for Girls?  Take a look there, and come back for more… we have a couple more gift guides up our sleeves for you!

Also – if you have a Holiday Gift Guide on your blog, click over to our first gift guide and link up with us, so we have a huge long resource list – and we can all go shopping together!

I love giving gifts. I love picking out THE perfect gift for a friend or family member. Now that I have kids I love thinking about gifts that will inspire them, spark creativity or just make them excited! Leigh and I have a few gift guides in the works and I’m excited to share this first one with you!

Lydia is only 3 but she has more toys than a small country. We have a playroom for goodness sakes! A room to store her toys! And to make matters worse, her birthday is 12 days after Christmas! I have purposed to NEVER buy her a toy. I try to buy things that will be just as exciting—only without all the plastic, lights and  speakers!

And now, here are my Top NON TOY Gift Picks for Girls of Any Age:

1. Umbrella

I know. This sounds silly. But having your own cool umbrella is—well, cool! I have a rainbow umbrella and my kids think it’s an adventure every time it rains. Lydia will be getting an umbrella this year and I’m kinda leaning toward this kitty umbrella above. Cute, right?

2. Hula Hoops

Lydia’s ballet teacher incorporates lots of fun active play in their class. They use scarves, the balance beam, a parachute and  hula hoops! The girls love every bit of it! I don’t think I want a balance beam in the house but a hula hoop I can do! Hula hoops come in all different sizes so I’ll be getting Lydia the mini hula hoop this year!

3. Jump Rope & Rhyme Book

Lydia is enthralled with jump ropes. I was trying to teach her to jump rope (unsuccessfully) and then remembered the rhyme, “Bubblegum, bubblegum in a dish…” but after that I was stuck. So, when I saw this book, Anna Banana: 101 Jump Rope Rhymesat the thrift store, I had to get it! We have had a lot of fun with this book. I think it would be a fun gift for older elementary girls coupled with a nice jump rope.

4. Anything from Crayola

I love Crayola products. They are quality AND very creative. I’ve told you how much we love the Washable Window Markers. We also have this Color Wonder™ Glitter Paint & Large Paper which Lydia loves because the paper is about 3 feet wide. Even a pack of colored pencils and a blank pad of paper would be a fun gift for a budding artist. Or a gift basket filled with lots of fun Crayola products!

5. Handmade, Vintage or Old-Fashioned Toys

I love the idea of kids having the same toys as their parents. Or their grandparents’. Etsy is full of sweet handmade dolls and other toys that would be perfect for a little girl. I love this little “lumpling” doll from Amy Rue.

For Lydia, I’m planning on getting her a Raggedy Ann doll. We have been listening to the audio version of Raggedy Ann from the library. It is an absolutely precious book and Lydia is enthralled with it. I think any girl would be excited to have her very own Raggedy (like this one from oh sew dollin’s etsy shop) along with a Raggedy Ann Stories book!

6. An Experience!

My very favorite gifts are more than objects—I like memories! In Atlanta we have a local magazine called Atlanta Parent. It lists all the local festivals, storytimes, camps and free activities. Try scouring one of these magazines or local blogs to find cool local kids events at the museum, specialty shops (like American Girl) or a big traveling show like Disney on Ice! You can put the tickets in a picture frame, tie them around an appropriate doll or book and it will be a fun gift for any age!

7. Sticker Book

When I was a kid, I collected stickers. I don’t think that’s cool anymore. But there are some amazing sticker books out there now. My favorite is by Phidal. The stickers are reusable with games and activities. Lydia has done matching, counting and color recognition with these books. AND they keep her busy for days! Her favorite is the Fairies Forever Sticker Book. Of course.

8. Start a Collection. Foreign money, nutcrackers, snowglobes, vintage book series, blown glass or a charm bracelet. You can couple this gift with the “supplies” that go with it (a book for storing stamps, a special shelf for the snowglobes, a book identifying money, etc.). The best part of this gift is that you never wonder what to buy again. You’ve got a set gift for years to come. It’s a tradition and gift in one!

9. Personalization.

Lydia loves to see her name on anything. Of course, you can never find “LYDIA” on stickers or a pencil. But kids still love to see “their” letter! I love this Peacock print from English Muffin’s etsy shop. (I know, I don’t have anyone in my family that starts with P–I should have named Lydia Polly!)

If you don’t want to do a letter or a name, there’s always another special even that is unique to your child–their birth month! This is the January print from Sarah Jane Studios. She has a print from every month and each one is as sweet and wonderful as this one.

Of course, there are always personalized necklaces, bags and shirts. Look for something your child would like and get their name on it! It adds extra pizzazz to a very normal gift.

10. Chinese Jump Rope

I may do an entire post on Chinese Jump Rope one day.  I had a Chinese Jump Rope as a kid and thought it was so cool. Then, when I lived in Florida, I subbed for a PE Teacher. He only did non-competitive sports in his class. One whole unit was on Chinese Jump Rope. I have never seen so many creative games and excited kids!

What’s your favorite NON-toy gift for a girl? Please share in the comments!

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If you’ve got a Holiday Gift Guide on your blog, please feel free to link it below! It can be a gift guide of any theme as long as it’s family friendly! I just know how much I love to see what others give and it would be great to see all our super ideas in one spot!

Please grab our button below or link to us in your post so others can join in on the great Holiday gift ideas!

(cool lego christmas tree photo by balakov)