for the little ones
Last year I shared some thoughts on our wishes for Christmas. My family really wants to shower our daughters with toys for Christmas - and surely I understand and appreciate that they care so much for our girls. But I'm also very realistic and I know that all these new toys will end up in a drawer if we're not thoughtful about it. Of course I allow family and friends to spoil the girls at Christmas, but I really don't want them to spend all this money on toys that my girls aren't going to play with. When writing the girls' wishlists I really make an effort to find classic toys and to think about which toys interest them the most. My eldest, Olivia, never cared much for dolls, but because she was a little girl she got three dolls for her second Christmas. Those dolls have been stored in a closet for a few years. Luckily Elinor came around and she loves playing with dolls. And now the girls actually play 'House' together. But Olivia is always the big sister who doesn't really have to take care of the babies. I'm glad the dolls came into use, but it bothered me for a while that very expensive dolls were just lying in the closet, not being played with.
I November and December I always tidy up the girls' room and sell or donate the toys that they haven't used in a while. Barbies and My Little Pony were kind of abandoned, but it didn't bother me as much as we bought them at flea markets during the summer. Olivia willingly gathered them all and gave them to her little friend, who loves playing with them. I feel so good that they're not just laying around our house anymore. My girls really don't have that many toys, but they have toys that they love, and which they play with over and over again. Of course a few toys have been added to their wishlists for Christmas. Here are some links to some of those toys and to our favorite toy stores - if you need some inspiration (I don't use affiliate links, and this post isn't sponsored, just to make that clear)
We bought a little doll similiar to this one at Butik Astas for Elinor. Olivia found it in my bag and gave it to Elinor a few weeks ago, and it has been her favorite every since.
We had to buy another Christmas present for Elinor. We bought the talking doll at Børnenes Magasin - after she played with in the store for half an hour. Olivia, who is four, is a big fan of Lego Friends and can play for hours and hours. She's getting Elsa's castle for Christmas. I can't wait to see the look on her face!
On their wishlist are also costumes, playdough, a bunny lamp for their room, Children's books in Danish (like 'Lotte', 'Alfons Åberg', 'Mumitroldene', 'Totte', 'Pippi Langstrømpe', 'Jakob og Joakim'), Geoform magnets, Enamel cups and plates, and a few games. Askeladen is a quirky little store I'd like to recommend.
We are not buying the girls big presents - 'cause we are quite sure that they will get a lot of presents from our dear family and friends. Instead we saved a little money and we'll go traveling and spend some time just the four of us in the new year, away from work, dirty dishes and laundry. I'm so excited!
I want to add, that an idea I'm really fond of is putting money into the girls' savings accounts as a present. When the girls were born we created a savings account for each of them, and at birthdays and Christmas we'll write the account number at the bottom of their wishlists.
This year I also added some clothes to the girls' wishlists. I know it's a bit practical, but I swear my girls just love wearing skirts and dresses. And all things that glitters, even if it's just a pair of socks.
I've been selling and giving away a big part of their wardrobe the past few months, making space for bigger sizes in their closet. They are growing so fast those little girls of mine, almost fitting the same size. I don't mind the growing as they wont grow up. Not yet anyway.
This is a visual wishlist for my girls. I try to buy clothes that can be worn all year around, either with woolen underwear underneath for those cold days of winter, or with bare legs on a warm summer day. I hope you'll find some inspiration.
Barrettes // Doll // COS socks // Brush
