Holiday Gift Guide for the Big Family

Holiday gift guides are everywhere this time of year. Sadly, though, with as many kids as I’ve got, none of them seem to cover the entire range of ages that I have to buy for each year. As much as I would love to make our trip to Florida the family Christmas gift, I know that I need to have something under the tree for everyone on Christmas morning.

Gifts for you/me/moms in social media:

I love to feel pretty in the kitchen wearing my Flirty Apron. There are a ton of gorgeous, fun, and sassy styles. I know I love mine! There’s something so much more satisfying about cooking when you feel pretty.

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Friends frequently ask me what I would recommend for a lens upgrade for their SLR. My first answer is always the 50mm lens. It is a super affordable, high quality lens that I recommend everyone own. If you don’t have an SLR yet, I totally recommend that you put one on your list, like the Canon Rebel. Stat.

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I fear I wouldn’t be a true social media mom if I didn’t have an iPadon my wishlist. I know it won’t make it under the tree this year, unless I hear from Apple PR in the next couple of days. I can dream, can’t I?

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Gifts for Dad/Husband/the big guy in your life:

I’ve got a Garmin nüvi GPS and love it, but it must stay in my car and my car only. He needs his own. (And despite what men might think, they really do need help with directions sometimes).

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Similarly, I’ve got my Flirty Apron, now he needs his. I love their line of aprons for men, with sayings like “I Turn Grills on“, “Caution: Extremely Hot” and “I like Big Buns.” And having a manly apron might just motivate him to cook more often.

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Every dad needs a digital frame to put on his desk. Digital frames are perfect for dads because the photos can be rotated frequently, reminding them of what their kids look like while awake. This 3.5″ desktop frame from COBY, not only displays jpeg photos, but it plays mp3 music files and had a digital alarm clock, calendar & temperature display. Plus, it’s on sale for $33. Bonus.

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Gifts for teens and pre-teens:

My big kids love taking video of themselves, their friends, and their siblings. A mini camcorder is high on the list for the teen crowd. This one from COBY is a great deal for $36 (OpenSky sale price).

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I’m sure it doesn’t come as a big surprise that my kids all want cameras of their own. My 11 year old specifically asked for a blue or green camera (she knows what’s important). I was happy to find something well under $100: Kodak EasyShare C143 Digital Camera (Green)

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My oldest daughter has been begging for pearls. I didn’t have my own pearls until I was a mother, but when I found this set of Freshwater Cultured White Pearls (Necklace Bracelet & Stud Earrings)for under $15, I didn’t hesitate to order them for her. Now I need to face the fact that she’ll be wanting to wear them somewhere.

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Gifts for older kids:

As kids move away from little kid toys, they tend to gravitate towards crafts and projects. We love making Friendship Braceletsat our house. There is always a need for ore string and new patterns. Necco practically has her own friendship bracelet business at school, with requests coming in weekly.

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My oldest son (almost 10) eats up anything by Rick Riordan. I highly recommend the Percy Jackson series as well as the newer Kane Chronicles series from Rick Riordan. I’ve read all of them alongside my kids and love the stories.

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All boys that I know love anything Playmobil. My girls love it, too. It’s classic, long-lasting, and great for the imagination. Both of my boys are getting Dragon Land Playmobilthis year.

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Gifts for little girls:

My little girls loving mimicking mom, and that includes in the kitchen. What little girl wouldn’t love a kid-sized apron just like Mom’s? Flirty Aprons has adorable styles for little girls, and I can’t wait to get some pictures of Reese cooking with her own apron.

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My kids love creating art work. New art supplies, like this Young Artist 68-piece Discover Boxare always on the top of their lists. Have you ever noticed that new crayons and fresh paints make even better pictures? At least that’s what my kids claim.

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One of the biggest surprise hits of the year was the Sing-A-Ma-Jigsthat I got at BlogHer this Summer. One Singamajig is fun, but 2 or 3 or 4 is even MORE fun! If you haven’t seen them yet, click on the link and watch the video. Too cute!

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Gifts for little boys:

I have been fascinated with these magnetic wooden blocks from Tegu every since I discovered them a few months ago on OpenSky. My boys would love these!

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Forget my kids. I want one of these LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System. I love when I can combine fun with learning. And I love the idea of having my own iTouch back every once in a while.

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AJ played with this set of Melissa and Doug “cutting food” at another friend’s house and couldn’t get enough of it. What is it about handing a kid a play knife that gets them all giddy?

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What is on your Holiday gift list this year?

Disclaimer: This post was not sponsored but the links are either my own Amazon affiliate links or are linked to my OpenSky store.

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About Lolli

Lolli has written 3740 post in this blog.

I became a mom in 1996, and in 2005 I had my fifth. Yes, 5 kids. In 2007, this blog was born (my 6th baby that will never grow up) and I've been sharing recipes, photography tricks, parenting tips, and everything in between. (Formerly Better in Bulk)

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