Holiday Shopping with Update

Its hard to go into specifics about our holiday gift giving plans when I know so many relatives read my blog, including my nosy teenagers who are itching to find out what they're getting. Ok kids, no reading past this point!

Today is the day I plan to finish shopping for the kids. Its pretty minimal because I've squirreled a few things away over the last few months. In fact, I'm on the hunt for just 4 things. I'll let you know how I do later today.

Good gift giving for kids is a challenge, especially if you are trying to keep it frugal while keeping your clutter potential down. All the electronic doodads that every kids seems to have really add up. Personally, I'm a fan of low tech, interactive toys like these Devil Sticks. We saw a guy on the beach playing with these and my kids were just fascinated. He let them try them out and it took a lot more coordination than they anticipated but it kept them busy for hours. I bought a set for the boys and one for the girls. Gifts that can be shared by siblings are a great way to give a worthwhile gift without breaking your budget. BTW, Chad over at the Devilstix website is a pleasure to deal with.

UPDATE
Upon entering the local mall, I encountered undulating masses of arms reaching and grabbing for toys and electronics. I'm not certain anyone was actually seeing what they were grabbing. It was akin to sharks in a feeding frenzy. There was little in the way of holiday spirit and I couldn't help but wonder where all these people were coming from at 1:00pm. Didn't anyone have to be at work? I left with nothing but a feeling of disappointment.

I headed back to the smaller plaza where my gym is located and entered a large toy store. It was equally crowded but at least it seemed a bit friendlier. It also helped that they had what I was looking for, a marching band type drum with cymbals for each boy, as well as small student size guitars. The lone guitar that Kyle got last year has been a source of jealousy all year. In fact, recently Am put his foot through it. As a result, the boys are buying each other guitars for Christmas. (FYI Toys R Us has them on sale for $19.99.)

A quick stop at another local store netted a digital camera the girls have wanted, on sale with a $20 rebate. Big ticket shopping is done, everything else will be hand made. More on that next week.