Hellobee

Another Christmas is over and now it’s time to see how well Santa did with the present choices.

Gifts are my love language so I like to think I’m pretty good at gauging what gifts my kids will like. I spend a lot of time during the year saving ideas for their birthdays and Christmas. This year, in particular, I feel I did especially well since it’s now a few days after Christmas and almost every toy has been opened and played with at least once, though usually more than that. A bonus is that toys meant for one kid seem to be appealing to the others too, leading to some fun sibling play (that can also lead to sibling squabbling sadly). These are the top 3 gifts that each kid got. I asked Drake and Juliet their favorites and guessed Fiona’s by seeing what she was gravitating towards the most often.

Drake – Age 6

Books – As usual books win the day for Drake. I’m not sure whether it’s because Drake just loves books like I do or because I have always given books to him, but books are always a favorite for him. He asked Santa for 2 specific books, which was similar to his wish last year of Octonaut books. With gifts from us, family, and friends, I would say Drake ended up with close to 20 new books. His favorites were Shine a Light Secrets of Animal Camouflage,  Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and To the Sea.

Puzzle Games – When I saw this Safari Rush Hour game I knew it would be perfect, combining Drake’s love of puzzles and animals. Drake has been having a good time with it, I admit that I enjoy the game after Drake goes to bed and have been playing with it myself! Drake also really is liking this maze puzzle game and set it all up by himself one morning before everyone else woke up for the day. Since then he has been making a new maze every morning and showing us after we all get up.

Art – Drake got a variety of drawing apparatus this year and he has alternated using them since Christmas day. Juliet is quite fond of them too and it works nicely that there are 2 different kinds so they both can use one while the other is on the other.

Juliet – Age 3

Ice Cream Counter – This was a last minute impulse buy for me that paid off in spades. Juliet is very into pretend play these days, especially when it comes to setting up picnics or pretending to cook. Last Christmas I ended up getting this little oven for her as a last-minute-couldn’t-resist-it-was-so-cute gift and it is still being played with daily. So when I saw this ice cream counter I knew it was going to be a great hit. I had finished shopping at that point but decided it was worth it because I knew how much Juliet (and Drake) would love it and my guess paid off. Juliet was heavily into Frozen this year and almost all her gifts centered around that theme, but this topped even that; when asked what her favorite gift was this year she always says “Ice cream!”

Frozen Singing Dolls – The only thing Juliet wanted from Santa this year was “Elsa and Anna” and so when I saw these 2 singing dolls I knew it was perfect. Juliet has carried around Anna for the last few days even taking her to Target with us.  In the morning I hear them singing in her bedroom as she plays. This was the perfect choice for her request I think.

Frozen Radio Player – I have been singing “Let It Go” for months so when I saw that this little radio top would sing for me I wanted it for me more than Juliet. Now I can hear Juliet sing Let It Go all day long with a microphone to boot; what could be better!

Fiona – Age 1

Puppy – This was actually a gift my mom got Juliet, but Fiona has fallen in love with it. When it’s on she crawls after it screaming with joy! They all seem to enjoy it though I think the older two are more amused by Fiona’s reactions to it than the actual puppy.

Bath Toy – All my kids love baths so I knew that even though it was for Fiona they would all enjoy it. The sprayer is pretty fun but Fiona seems to love the crazy spinners and could sit in the tub pouring water into it all day if I let her.

Blocky Books – All my kids love books and she also received quite a few, but I thought these Blocky Books were the most fun since they are great for her small hands. Her siblings like to move them around for her making little shows, which makes them even more appealing. I am thinking about getting her the farm set maybe for Easter now since she is liking these so much.

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Which Christmas gifts were the biggest hits with your little ones?