Too many nieces and nephews!

[mariec99]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

how about a family gift? Something like tickets to the zoo or some fun outing?

Great idea! I once pitched in with another sister to buy another sister, her husband and my niece an annual membership to the Denver Children's Museum. They loved it and were able to enjoy it for an entire year. Since I split the cost with another sister, it was easier to afford for both of us. The membership also came with a couple of guest passes, which they used for my niece's friends to have a special play date at the museum.

[Ima saver]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

I like the big tins of popcorn idea too. I think food makes a great gift!

[greedy4chips]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

greedy4chips, what is a "white elephant gift"? I have never heard that term before.

It is a junk type gift. What we do is pick something around your house you do not need or want (like a broken keyboard) and wrap it up. Then we choose numbers from 1 to whatever and you pick in that order from the big pile of white elephant gifts. It's actually hilarious to see the looks on people's faces when they open that horrid centerpiece that you thought looked great in 1972.

It costs nothing since most wrap them in newspaper and you get rid of clutter around the house. No one keeps the gift they are given either, most hit the trash within minutes of receiving.

Who wants a white elephant for a gift anyhow.

[cicy33]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

We have 5 neices, 2 nephews plus several cousins. I try to do the inexpensive gifts at walmart. But I have also found the mine do not mind ebay items. They are just happy to be remembered. My dh aunt did the mcdonald $5 thing last year and mine loved it! They thought that was the coolest thing to spend their own money at mcdonalds. my oldes dh took the kids to the zoo here a while back for one of the kids bday and the only cost to her was fuel and parking. The zoo is free here. unless you do a special exhibit. We sent food and drinks in a cooler on wheels that you are allowed to take in. So she probably spent $20 or $30 total. The kids had such a good time! One way to take the sting out of xmas is to buy them slowly all year. We do spend a fair amount at xmas but we don't spend all year. The kids pretty much only get stuff on their bday and xmas. They earn $2 a week to help out and they can spend it how they want but that is it. So we try to make the holiday special.

[mom-from-missouri]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

I give mine a small gift (usually hand made) and a note that I will share a day with them. Last year my neice got an apron I made for her and a black photo album to put recpies in. Her folks and I picked a weekend for her to come spend with me-She brought her apron and we cooked and baked all weekend long. She also copied down some recepies for her book. Another one I gave a $1 bucket too, some flower seeds, gloves, and a hand shovel. (all under $6 picked up thru out the year when on sale). That spring, I came to her place a couple of times and we made her very own small garden. I also got invited back this summer to eat some of her peppers she grew.
They get a small gift, but a LOT of free memories.
Now that I have moved an hour away, I am thinking of things we can do for weekend projects here at the farm. I am trying to think of some ideas.
I have one neice (10) who is wanting to learn to sew. I may give her some fabric and she can come up over Christmas break and we can turn it into something. I am still looking for ideas for the others.

[cicy33]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

now those are some really good ideas. not just because of cost but also because of the interaction with the kids. I think that people get focused on the cost or keeping it low and forget that most kids really just want some of our time.

[PrincessPerky]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

I give mine a small gift (usually hand made) and a note that I will share a day with them. Last year my neice got an apron I made for her and a black photo album to put recpies in. Her folks and I picked a weekend for her to come spend with me-She brought her apron and we cooked and baked all weekend long. She also copied down some recepies for her book. Another one I gave a $1 bucket too, some flower seeds, gloves, and a hand shovel. (all under $6 picked up thru out the year when on sale). That spring, I came to her place a couple of times and we made her very own small garden. I also got invited back this summer to eat some of her peppers she grew.
They get a small gift, but a LOT of free memories.
Now that I have moved an hour away, I am thinking of things we can do for weekend projects here at the farm. I am trying to think of some ideas.
I have one neice (10) who is wanting to learn to sew. I may give her some fabric and she can come up over Christmas break and we can turn it into something. I am still looking for ideas for the others.

Those are awesome! why can't you be my kids aunt!

[DivaJen]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

I do think it would be horrible to say you can't afford to buy gifts when it sounds like what's actually bothering you is the expectation that you have to buy gifts. You could get any number of nice but inexpensive gifts for young children - books at $5-$6 a piece, as well as what others here have suggested.

Do what makes you feel good for the children come holiday time, and let the other adults deal with it as they see fit. If they judge your gift-giving based on dollar amount, it's their problem, not yours. If you truly don't care to do anything for the children, then don't and let those chips fall where they may.

[boefixepa]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

What I don't is this. I offered my sister to fly my oldest neice (her DD 12 yrs old) out to me for the summer, at my expense! There is lots of family her and I had all likds of fun ideas of things we could do. When I offered the first words out of her mouth....

"Then I don't have a baby sitter for the boys."

Her two younger boys are 9 and 6.... see what I deal with! Rather than have her daughter enjoy a summer out doing things! All it was was excuse after excuse...she doesn't want her children to spend time with me...she just wants me to help buy things for them so she doesn't have to!

[geojen]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

I do think it would be horrible to say you can't afford to buy gifts when it sounds like what's actually bothering you is the expectation that you have to buy gifts. You could get any number of nice but inexpensive gifts for young children - books at $5-$6 a piece, as well as what others here have suggested.

Do what makes you feel good for the children come holiday time, and let the other adults deal with it as they see fit. If they judge your gift-giving based on dollar amount, it's their problem, not yours. If you truly don't care to do anything for the children, then don't and let those chips fall where they may.

You are totally right. Thanks for helping to put that in perspective. They all get so caught up in the dollar amount, not the thought or the gesture, or even the gift itself. It would also be nice is my SILs taught their children to say thank you, which they haven't yet...

[Ima saver]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

I have a problem with that. When I was young and still had grandmothers and aunts, I always had to write a thank you note for any gift that I received. This started at age 5. I have never received a thank you from my daughter or granddaughters. (The girls some times e mail and say thank you, but that is all)

[PrincessPerky]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

I made my kids do thank you notes for a long time, but the ILs kept telling me not to...

I still have them send a card homemade, and I insist on a verbal thank you but I don't always make them write out 20 thank yous..

[cicy33]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

What I don't is this. I offered my sister to fly my oldest neice (her DD 12 yrs old) out to me for the summer, at my expense! There is lots of family her and I had all likds of fun ideas of things we could do. When I offered the first words out of her mouth....

"Then I don't have a baby sitter for the boys."

Her two younger boys are 9 and 6.... see what I deal with! Rather than have her daughter enjoy a summer out doing things! All it was was excuse after excuse...she doesn't want her children to spend time with me...she just wants me to help buy things for them so she doesn't have to!

While I don't know if she is just doing it so that you can't spend time with them. Please keep in mind that a lot of families do count on the older children to help with daycare in the summer while they work. otherwise sometimes working isn't worth it. daycare for one child in this area for one week is somewhere around $70. for a baby it is over $100. If a parent is working to help support the household then that much out for daycare can wipe it out. and as long as the child is old enough then I don't have a problem with older children caring for younger.

[mom-from-missouri]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

This is a good time to buy school associated items on sale--Right now Walmart has rulers for 10 cents, crayons for 10 an 15 cents, glue for 15 cents.....Add more cheap items, bits of yarn, pompoms, beads straws, put it in a tote bag or box and you have an art box--Kids love that! Hobby lobby also often has small items for a quarter or less to add to it. I buy my kids supplies for the next year after this years go on sale.
After Christmas is a good time to get toys on sale. Last year after Christmas I got some barbies (already wrapped and hidden for this year) for 99 cents (normally $4 to $5). I always get some extra toys for birthdays and such. If you keep your eye out during the year and look in unexpected places--garage sales, flea markets, out of business sales...you can stock up. Word of advice--if you have little ones at home--keep them in a locked suitcase or a locked closet so they don't get discovered.

[Ima saver]

Re: Too many nieces and nephews!

I think in large families, you should just draw names.