Anonymous wrote:Experiences are always great, and can be renewed each year!

Membership to a local zoo, aquarium, indoor playground, etc.

A paint your own pottery place.

Gift card to the movies.

+1
Pay for Larla's dance lessons
Pay for Larlo's tennis lessons

Only issue is you need to send a photo once in a while of progress if the grandparents live far away and can't easily see recitals, matches, games, belt tests, swim meets, etc.

Enough ^

Suggest they donate to a charity of interest.
Even w the excess that’s clearly not needed.

I hate this too.
Mom just asked 10 year old and he wants a microscope. She found one for EIGHTEEN dollars which she thought was exorbitant but bought it anyway. I know this thing is going to be a piece of junk and then she will be mad if he doesn't gush over it.
Similarly with 7 year old, lasy year he wanted new crocs and she got him some imitation ones and then was mad when he wasn't over the moon. Of course I teach them to be polite and thank grandma and even pretend you live it but they aren't actors.
My own grandparents never gave us presents and we didn't even notice. We loved them anyway. It turned out they were giving us cash in a savings account which was a nice surprise upon reaching adulthood.

Tell them [omething that you already have], them return or donate the one they send you.

OP this is your chance to suggest things your kids would like or use. Take advantage. If you can’t think of things look at a toy catalogue or put “ gifts for 5 year olds” in the Amazon search bar and make a wishlist. Or books like PPs have suggested.

If adults are also exchanging then set a budget per person. Each adult suggest 3 things they might like.
We did an exchange at work last year and I said a candle, Starbucks gift card, flannel PJ pants and gave my size.
It’s not hard.

We have a white elephant gift exchange for the adults in my family. It is usually fun but not last year. My 72 year old BIL was clearly disappointed in what he got and was sour the rest of Christmas. So now this year, I feel pressure to buy something he wants not something funny and entertaining (last past years) with no guarantee he'll end up with it. So childish.

Anonymous wrote:I seriously hate it too. Every d*mn object in this house is somehow my responsibility to manage, maintain, clean, and put away. Getting anyone else to do anything is a fight. DH is no help. I would like to purge it all and never buy a gift again.

+100
We no longer exchange with anyone. Got some grief initially but I don’t care.

You should suggest experience gifts.

Amusement park tickets, great wolf lodge gift cards, local play places, concerts, etc. Send a picture to the gift giver or of your kids at the experience. Maybe have the gift giver join you at some experiences.

Quit the gifting to adult siblings. So wasteful. With little kids and cousins, an outing to see Christmas lights (or even the pumpkin patch) and finish with hot chocolate.

Yums monthly subscription or something like that

Wow that nanny list is terrific

I hate the gift thing with my in-laws too. They like to buy off of lists. But we all have plenty — like if my husband can dream up something for his “list” then he’ll probably just buy it. So my idea of gift giving is something small and/or unique. Food/ drink/ experience. But they just can’t do that.

Career nanny here and whenever parents ask me to help with ideas I suggest:

1) art supplies bc they are essentially consumable—sticker books that match the kids’ interests, brand new markers/crayons and a coloring book, paint sets, quirky stuff like paint markers, dot markers, stamp kits, washi tape, etc. I avoid mentioning playdough bc then you end up with a bunch of random playdough ice cream sets or whatever but things like kinetic sand are very cool and do need to be tossed after a while. One year I bought my nanny kids each a scotch tape dispenser that matched their room and those get a ton of use to this day 5 years later.

2) Outdoor consumables: lightweight balls (if you have some that are deflating), bubbles, sidewalk chalk, sand toys that have been lost at the beach

3) gifts that can be pooled in with existing toys (legos, magnatiles, dress-up stuff, brio sets—if you already have 300 pieces of something, 20 more aren’t going to make the mess THAT much worse) This is only a good idea if your kids actually play with whatever the category is.

4) magazine subscriptions—I really like anything from cricket/baby bug publishers. I also like nat geo zoobooks for littles and highlights after about first grade.

5) “special” versions of stuff they need anyway. They are going to need a 5t swimsuit come summer, so send the fashionable auntie links to some janie and jack swimwear. They need new bath towels but only grandma would spring for the $50 monogrammed version with their favorite character on it. They need new boots but if Uncle Silicon Valley thinks they need Northface who are we to argue? You can also ask for things like hats/mittens/umbrellas/water bottles that are going to be misplaced along the way.

Anonymous wrote:I seriously hate it too. Every d*mn object in this house is somehow my responsibility to manage, maintain, clean, and put away. Getting anyone else to do anything is a fight. DH is no help. I would like to purge it all and never buy a gift again.

Amen