Do you ever feel like your house is full of stuff? Mine is! With seven kids and homeschool curriculum, every space in my house is occupied with something. Holidays are especially overwhelming because there are always new things to find a home for.
Nine years ago, we started combining gifts for the kids at least once a year. My parents purchased the first combined gift which was a metal swing set. They took the money they would have spent on individual gifts and pooled it together for one large gift. Mom still likes to have something for them to unwrap so she also finds a small gift such as a book or craft for them to unwrap on the actual holiday.
The metal swing set was such a hit that we decided to continue combined gifts year after year. Some years they have been combined Christmas presents, some years it’s a combined birthday present, and some years there are multiple combined gifts (from parents and grandparents).
Here is a list of some of our favorite combined gifts:
1. Metal Swing Set
These are great for younger kids. They have a small footprint and are easy to move around if needed.
2. Trampoline
This has held up for years and is fun for all ages.
3. Climbing Dome
These come in various shapes and sizes. We chose a climbing dome that was larger than the typical climbing domes you see on the market to extend the playing time for our older kids.
4. Airplane Seesaw
These are wonderful for families of all sizes. The one we have has enough seats that all 7 kids can get on at once or can be used as a typical two person seesaw.
5. Dump Truck Load of Sand
We built a large wooden frame out of 2x4s around our playground area and filled it all in with sand. The kids absolutely love having so much room to play.
6. Wooden Swing Set
When it came time to replace our metal swing set after 9 years we opted for a wooden style that had swings more suitable for the older kids. Check out my post on how to build a wooden swing set.
7. iPad
We have purchased more than one of these as joint gifts over the years for the kids to share.
8. Memberships to places like your local zoo, aquarium, children’s museum, etc.
We have done membership gifts for several years. Some years we just have one, and others we have memberships to multiple places. We make sure to use our membership as a fun day out around each of the kids birthdays.
9. New Beach Supplies for family vacation (sand toys, beach chairs, beach blanket, tent for shade, etc)
The kids love family vacations to the beach, so they are always excited to get new supplies as a gift because that means there is a beach trip in the near future.
10. Family Vacation
We love to last minute plan a getaway and surprise the kids. The first time we did this we planned a beach vacation the week before we were set to leave. A couple of days before we left we set up a tiny Christmas tree in October to surprise them with an early Christmas present.
11. Season tickets to a favorite sporting event
The last two years we have purchased basketball season tickets to the Lady Vols. The first year we had two tickets and my husband and I would rotate taking one of the kids. This year we were able to purchase 4 tickets so we rotated taking three kids to each game.
Amanda Kaye
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