Simple Ways to Get Your Kids Involved in Holiday Gift-Giving

We want our kids to be generous, kind people. At this time of year, we peek around the mountains of holiday gifts and shout: “The joy is in the giving! It’s not just about getting presents!”

During a time when the gifts and treats abound, let’s not forget to turn the tables and encourage kids to participate in their own gift-giving. Kids are naturally generous, so enjoy these ways to incorporate children into the joy of giving this year.

1. Kid-friendly Shopping

With a few dollars in their pocket, children thoroughly enjoy picking out thoughtful gifts for those they love. Whether they’ve earned it themselves or parents give them some money to spend, it can be a novelty that allows them to finally give back. Organizing one of our Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppes puts everything in one place and fundraises for your school at the same time! Gifts are affordable for children to buy (down to $1) and the experience is geared toward kids; the whole process is easy to set up and operate. View some of our gifts and find out more!

2. Homemade Treasures

From handprints in clay, to decorated mugs, to special drawings, sometimes the arts and crafts are the most treasured gifts (and some of the only ones kept for posterity). Take an afternoon and try these brilliant crafts your kids can create as gifts.

3. Photo Gifts and Ornaments

Kids and adults alike love to see how kids change and grow from year to year. Begin a holiday tradition that captures that year’s memories. Photo calendars and photo books are a collection of the year’s special moments. Kids can choose the photos and even lay them out with some of the easier-to-use services. Fill out a funny end-of-year survey to capture what makes them tick. Or give the gift of annual ornaments; your family can collect them year after year and look back with fond memories each time they trim the tree.

4. Home-baked Treats

We dare you to show us a Grandpa who wouldn’t love a tin of homemade cookies! Get baking with your kids with easy recipes, then wrap up some of your treats in pretty boxes or tins for a yummy gift. Just be sure to do your baking right before the gift will be opened to ensure freshness.

5. Experiences

Part of making the holidays (and childhood) special is by creating lasting memories. Doing special activities with loved ones can be a memory-making gift – one that could easily turn into a tradition. Try ideas like a Sled-a-thon, where you test out all the nearby sledding hills, go to see A Christmas Carol on stage, plan a fancy tea party complete with gloves and petits-fours, or just sit back and let the kids decide!



From shopping for the perfect gift at a Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppe to creating a homemade masterpiece, kids will not only enjoy giving gifts, they will get to cultivate their natural generosity and holiday spirit.

Teaching Children The Joy Of Giving

The season of giving is upon us and children everywhere have an opportunity to express their generosity towards others. A great way to do that is with Gifts 'N Things. If your child is lucky, their school will be hosting a Lil Shopper's Shoppe where they can pick out inexpensive gifts to give their loved ones. This is a fundraiser for the school designed to help children discover the joy of giving.

At Lil Shopper's Shoppe, 85% of our gifts are $5.00 and under. Children can afford and understand how to purchase and give a gift even at a young age. This is a great opportunity for kids, beneficial to their understanding of generosity as well as how money works.

If your child's school is not hosting a Lil Shopper's Shoppe this holiday season, you can teach them the joy of giving in other ways, as well. To a kid, receiving presents is a huge focus of Christmas. Teach generosity by suggesting your child volunteer for Toys for Tots. Your child could give a toy in this program or help wrap and send out toys to other local kids.

Another great way to teach children the joy of giving is a giving tree. Many churches and some schools have a giving tree where you choose a family or child in need of toys, clothes, or other items and fulfill that need, placing the purchased item under the tree. This helps your child understand some people do not have the means necessary to celebrate Christmas receiving new toys the way they do.

Other ideas for volunteering and giving back this season include serving at a soup kitchen, donating to a coat drive, and volunteering at a food shelf. The holiday season is the perfect time to teach children the joy of giving. Consider some way you can have that meaningful impact in a child's life today.

On Monday, December 19th, we will hold our annual free holiday shop at New Bethany Church in Allentown, PA. The church's soup kitchen serves the poorest families in Allentown. They will hold a Christmas dinner on Sunday  the 18th, give gifts to the children, then invite them back on Monday for our holiday shop to pick out gifts for their families (and a little something for themselves as well).

Donating: Not Just A Holiday Theme

The importance of donating is a much-needed lesson to teach your children. Many organizations do incredible work for their communities based off the giving of others and take little to no profit for themselves. There are many reasons to teach your children about the importance of giving, especially once the holidays are over. Here are a few to get you started:

Donations Are Always Needed

The holidays are the most popular times for donations, as shoppers see Red Cross volunteers ringing bells and are told that donations are tax deductible for the upcoming tax season. The truth is, after the holidays are over, many organizations are still in need of toys and other donations - perhaps even more so.

Declutter Your Child’s Space

To most children, the glamor of new toys begins to wear off after some time. Have your children think about older toys (perhaps from last year’s holiday gifts) that they no longer play with, gather them together, and have them pick out toys they are willing to donate. This helps declutter your child’s room and gives your family a jump start on spring cleaning

Teach Your Children the Value of Giving

Giving to those less fortunate should be a year-round theme, not just during the holidays. Teach your children about the importance of giving and appreciation of what they have by donating some of their unused toys. This lesson can be taught much easily shortly after they have just been given new toys to play with. Let them know that there are some children that are not so fortunate to receive new toys, clothes, and other things they may take for granted.

Understanding that they are fortunate to have what they have will give your child a greater appreciation for the people and things in their life. Help your kids build character and help their community at the same time by donating some of their toys to worthy causes. Perhaps you have a local favorite organization that is near to your heart - if not, check out some of the top-rated charities in America at charitywatch.org.  

Gifts ‘N Things Has Gift Wrap For All Occasions

No matter the occasion, Gifts ‘N Things offers gift wrap options in our brochure fundraisers for just about anything! We offer collections of matching gift wrap options, including patterns in various colors, like our popular Chevron Roll Wrap Collection with matching Chevron Gift Bags.

Coordinated gift wrap is great for Christmas morning, so everyone knows who’s gift is who’s and you can cater designs to each person’s style! See the video below to see swatches of some of our most popular winter styles and check out our Winter Wonderland catalog for all of our options and coordinating ideas.

Get Creative with Your Gift Wrapping This Holiday Season

For many people, finding the perfect present for a loved one can be just as fantastic as receiving one. Get creative with your gift wrapping supplies and skills this holiday season, and check out all the great options Gifts ‘N Things has in store for you.

Variety and Versatility

For every season, holiday, and celebration, Gifts ‘N Things has different holiday themes, winter scenes, and year-round prints including rustic, glamour, sophisticated, superhero, princess, sports, kids, color and pattern, animal, romance, party, and many more.

The decorative wrapping supplies found at Gifts ‘N Things also serve a variety of purposes beyond gift wrap. From the heavy duty material to the enormous selection of color, design, and sheen, Gifts ‘N Things decorative wrap can be utilized in art projects, to cover textbooks for students, and to decoratively protect shelves and storage. You can even find theme decorations to complement or accent your holiday décor at home.

Value Sets

There are great deals on every page of our Perfect Presents and Winter Wonderland brochures, but check out these excellent opportunities to make the most of your gift-wrapping this season.

Duo-Rolls are a hit this season! Made of extra heavy paper, crafters love this durable and versatile decorative paper. Duo-Rolls are comprised of two papers rolled onto one core. This means you get to benefit of more square footage, more textures, and more bang for your buck!

The Everyday Flat Wrap Value Pack, with 50 square feet of assorted wraps, offers 25% more paper than a standard roll. Preselected designs save you time and money.

The Jumbo Roll Wrap offers 60 square feet of reversible and coordinating wrap. This makes for better savings and colorful surprises. And with a variety of more bundled deals, you can find the perfect fit with extra deals in gift wrap, tissue paper, and bows.

Personalize Your Present

Don’t miss this year’s Chalk Board Roll/Table Runner. Use it as gift wrap and write messages, greetings or doodles for your loved ones. Try it out as a fun and festive addition to a party. Use it as a table runner or message board for friends and family to write messages on.

Accessorize and ‘Garnish’

In addition to gift wrap, you can find gift cards, tags, bows, ribbon sets, and a trove of treasures at Gifts ‘N Things. Creative gift wrapping goes beyond the wrapping paper you choose. Consider choosing a gift wrap that doubles as a present. Wrap a wine bottle in a scarf or monogrammed tea towel, or use a tote or decorative basket as a gift bag.

Consider using items that will double as a “garnish” for your gift. Use natural elements like pinecones, acorns, or a sprig of pine needles to add a woodsy touch, old skeleton keys or small lockets for a vintage touch, or trinkets and charms for a personal touch. It’s the little things and thoughts that can create the most joy.

It may be early in the holiday gift-giving season, but don’t delay the joys of gift shopping and present wrapping until the last minute. Get started today.

Christmas Craft Fun

Are you looking to get crafty with your kids this holiday season? We have just the solution for you! Christmas is right around the corner, and we have some excellent craft ideas that your kids are sure to enjoy:

Button Christmas Tree
You will need; green felt, foam sheet, ribbon, various sizes and colors of buttons, glue gun and Elmer's Glue.

Directions: Print out or draw a tree template and cut it out. Trace the shape onto the foam sheet and the green felt, then cut those out. Next, use a glue gun to attach the felt and foam together. Then pick out some buttons, place them on the green felt (for Christmas ornaments) and attach with Elmer's Glue. Lastly, use a scissors to cut a hole at the top of the tree and thread a small strip of ribbon through the hole, and viola- you have a button Christmas tree!

Reindeer Hot Cocoa Cones
You will need: Hot cocoa, mini marshmallows, piping bags, red pom poms, brown pipe cleaners, googly eyes, chocolate chips (optional), and circle sticky tabs.

Directions: Fill your piping bags with hot cocoa, and top with marshmallows (and a few chocolate chips if you choose) then tie the bag off. Next, wrap your pipe cleaner around the knot and position them like antlers. Use the sticky circles to attach the googly eyes and red pom pom nose. 

Snowman Milk Jugs
You will need: Milk jugs, chenille stems, pom poms, card stock, and adhesive.

Directions: Use the black cardstock and randomly cut eyes and mouth shapes. With the orange cardstock, create noses and glue the pieces to clean milk jugs. Next, glue chenille stems to each side of the milk carton. Lastly, glue pom poms on the end of each chenille stem to create earmuffs. 

Popsicle Stick Santa Claus
You will need: felt, cotton balls, popsicle sticks, googly eyes, pom poms and hot glue.

Directions: Start by gluing some popsicle sticks together. Place two sticks horizontally, and lay more on top vertically until you have a flat surface. Glue sticks into place using a hot glue gun. Next, cut a triangle-shaped hat for santa and add pom poms to it at the top. Shred the cotton balls for Santa’s beard and use a glue stick to glue it at the bottom. Lastly, add googly eyes and a red pom pom for his nose.

These are just a few easy crafts to try for your kids to show off some creativity. Encourage them to add their own unique pieces. Do you have any fun holiday craft ideas? Share them with us!