Last night was the last night of Hanukkah. I think my kids were very happy with their gifts this year, and I think I did a good job of giving them things to play with as well as things to use. Before I share what I got for them, here is my Hanukkah disclaimer: I don’t love the commercialization of the holiday and while I think Hanukkah’s importance as a Jewish holiday has been exaggerated due to its proximity to Christmas, I still love getting things for my kids and enjoy finding good deals on gifts for them. As I see good deals and ideas, I snag them if they seem like things my kids would enjoy and I use Hanukkah as an excuse to give them gifts!
Gabbie got:
1. Crayola Virtual Design Pro – Gabbie had wanted this for her birthday, but ended up not getting it, so when it was on sale for $9.99 (regular price $29.99) I ordered it! This gift was from Gramy and Grandpa.
2. No longer available on the site, these are from Justice. Gabbie had been asking for a jacket with holes for her thumbs, and the leggings made this a great outfit for dance!
3. Ulta Time to Shine Collection – I don’t want Gabbie to wear makeup, so I made sure she knows this is just for special occassions – like her dance recitals!
4. Furry Boot Slippers from Old Navy and Fleece Hooded Lounger.
5. Samantha Mini Doll and The Awesomest Randomest Book Ever.
6. Shutterfly Calendar – I make these every year, but this year I made them Israel trip themed.
7. Rainbow Loom – Gabbie had an off brand version but she left it at her friend’s house in Israel. I was panicking that I didn’t have enough gifts for her until I opened my Amazon packages and remembered that I ordered this!
8. Vera Bradley Petite Double Zip Hipster Crossbody – Gabbie has a bag she carries around, but I liked this one much better! I had a brief panic attack thinking I’d ordered one that would be much too big, but when this arrived I was quite happy with it!
Gabbie also received an American Girl Gift Card from her aunt and uncle and money from other family members!
Zachary got:
1. Snap Circuits Jr. I picked this up because I thought that Zachary would enjoy it. After I’d already bought it, he asked me for it! This gift was from Gramy and Grandpa.
2. Dream Factory Space Rocket Comforter Set – Zachary was tired of having Thomas bedding, so I picked out this set for him. I thought it was cute because he used to talk about going to space in his sleep! He also got this t-shirt as an extra, it matches one that Simon got as well.
3. Ravensburger Puzzle – I love these and like to give them as gifts to Zachary’s classmates, so he had been asking for one for himself!
4. Old Navy Slippers – another thing Zachary had been asking for. Unfortunately, they were too small so I had to return them for a bigger size!
5. Guinness World Records 2016 – another often asked for item!
6. Shutterfly Calendar and The Henry and Ribsy Box Set – because he’s almost finished all of the Ramona books!
7. Inside Out – yet another gift Zachary asked for! You can see why he was the easiest to shop for!
8. Lego Auto Transporter – from uncle and aunt.
Zachary also got a prayer book with his name on the front – also something he asked for – and money from other family members!
Simon got:
1. Design and Drive Lightning McQueen – Simon saw this on youtube and was begging for it! This gift was from Gramy and Grandpa.
2. Lego t-shirt and Minions t-shirt.
3. Innotab Max from VTech…I was sent this one in exchange for a review. Unfortunately, due to a security breach, the site that you need to connect to in order to do almost anything on this tablet has been taken down. It is very frustrating for Simon and I am sorry I didn’t realize that before I gave him the tablet as a gift!
4. Water Bottle from LL Bean – not currently available. Simon lost his water bottle earlier this year so he got a new one. He said it’s beautiful!
5. Dot To Dot, Phonics, and Magicolor workbooks. Simon specifically asked for the Magicolor pad, but he enjoys workbooks!
6. Shutterfly Calendar and Suspend Game – which is really for everyone!
7. Minions Goggles and Minions Perler Bead Set.
8. Lego Junior Police Set – from uncle and aunt.
We all had a Happy Hanukkah!