Phew! How many of you have been doing your Christmas shopping this weekend? We did a bit on Black Friday and I'll be snagging a few things for the kids today.
Both my kids get a ton of gifts and gift cards from our extended family so we tend to keep things pretty simple on the gifts-from-us-and-Santa front.
Santa fills the stockings and brings everyone one big (i.e. expensive) gift. Then, mom and dad toss 4-5 gifts under the tree from them.
My kids rarely get toys and electronics outside of their birthdays so we love to splash out a bit during the holidays.
I am generally willing to spend up to $200 for their gift from Mr. Claus and between $20-$30 a piece for the gifts from us.
I save up all year long for this so it's not such a big hit to the wallet during December.
Here's what we're looking to get Melanie this year for Christmas.
Gift Guide for a Five-Year-Old Girl
L.O.L. Surprise! House:
This is Melanie's gift from The Big Guy. She saw this in a store months ago and literally stopped in her tracks and audibly gasped (seriously, people had to steer carts around her).
Since then, she's been set on this being what she asks Santa for. It's expensive but damn if I'm not bringing the fucking Christmas morning magic this year.
LEGO Unikitty Unikingdom Fairground Fun:
Melanie is BIG into LEGOs right now. She's got several mini kits that she puts together and plays with on a weekly basis.
She saw this one in a toy catalog asked me if she could add it to her list.
Dowling Magnets Magnet Mania Kit:
About a month ago, Melanie came home from school extremely excited to tell me all about magnets. She learned about them in science class and was completely enamored by the science behind them. She talked about them for weeks so I picked out this set to give her for Christmas.
Toca Life Doodle Book:
Melanie just loves the Toca Boca apps and plays them all the time on her tablet.
I found this doodle book and thought it would be really fun for her on plane trips.
Calico Critters Deluxe Bathroom Set:
Last year, Santa brought Melanie a Calico Critter house and lots of furniture sets and families to go inside.
She loves playing with it but has lamented that her Critters don't have any way to go to the bathroom. This little set is adorable AND has a toilet so her babies can shit in peace.
Play-Doh Fun Tub:
Melanie has been super into Play-Doh lately. She's always loved building and creating things with her hands so Play-Doh is an ideal medium for her.
She also discovered a Play-Doh how to's channel on YouTube and spends hours making “creations”.
She makes me save these creations on a shelf in the kitchen – hence, we go through A LOT of Play-Doh and always need new ones.