Forget the $25 per child gift exchanges your playgroup had last year. Your kids most likely don't remember what they received last year anyway at this party. Opt instead to have a class party or kid holiday gathering on the cheap. Plan some simple entertainment and youngsters will have too much fun to notice any parent budget cuts!
Stop Giving Every Child in Your Kid's Class a Present
Many playgroups, classes and kid activity groups (like soccer or scouts) exchange gifts amongst all the kids over the holidays. But let's face it, your youngsters end up with lots of small trinkets that they may or may not play with or use, and young children can sometimes get overwhelmed or are even disinterested altogether. This is a good time to end the tradition. But since parents may still want to give something to everyone, suggest Santa stockings for every child and family "elves" can tuck in a small item for each kid. Then, every child can open their stocking and find unwrapped, simple items (that aren't marked with a "to" and "from") and then get back to the business of having fun!Cut Out Party Extras
Themed paper plates with matching dessert sizes, napkins, plates and tablecloths are certainly adorable, but do kids really even notice? Truth is, pricey party goods are usually overlooked by kids, who really are just looking for food, fun and favors. Plain plates work just as well with kids. You can always pick up some festive napkins without going overboard with everything else. The same is true on expensive Mylar balloons and over-the-top decorations. Kids want to be entertained, and won't remember whether the house was decorated with snowmen, reindeer or Santas anyway, or what they ate either, for that matter. Young kids can have lots of fun with simple balloon games, Pin the Antlers on Rudolph (or other holiday variation).Create Themed Exchanges to be Given in a Fun Way
The notion of giving and receiving a single gift should please any youngster. Keep the gift exchange simple by numbering presents and let kids find that number and then open it with the group. Chinese Gift Auction style exchanges are often too complicated for young children (the game also takes too long and it can create a case of "coveting" of a certain item as well). Consider using a theme for presents. Ornaments, Hot Wheels cars (young boys may become excited over a $1 race car), hair accessories, zany sock exchange, books, or something to do with a particular sport or activity are a few ideas. You can make it simpler still by getting everyone the SAME gift that is then wrapped and opened, but this only works if all parents agree.Make Your Own Take-Home Presents with a Craft
You don't have to look far to find an array of easy-to-make child crafts that kids can create and then take home as their exchange. The plus is that it keeps kids entertained and everyone has something to remember the party by. Crafts should be kept simple and be fast, or else excited kids may quickly lose their attention.Make Christmas Reindeer, Elf or Santa Hats
Kids typically love hats and can create a festive reindeer antler headband out of brown construction paper (trace hand prints for the antlers, cut out, staple onto a brown strip of paper that becomes a head band, trim to fit, and you're good!). Or, a crafty mom can personalize Santa or elf hats for kids with their name written in glitter glue beforehand. The present (along with the hat) can be a group photo of the kids taken together. Photos can be quickly printed off from home or recruit a parent helper to make a quick dash to a quick-print place. Add more craft fun by having kids design their own personalized photo frame out of paper and stampers or markers or using fun foam photo frame kits found at most craft stores.Decorate Cupcakes or Cookies and Take Home Kid Cooking Essentials
Let kids decorate and then eat their own cupcakes, cookies, or even personal-sized cake. A gift could then be kid-sized cooking gear like a spatula, measuring spoons, etc., with a recipe to try in their own kitchen. You may be creating future chefs from all the fun they will have!Integrate 'Duck, Duck Goose' or Similar Kid Games to Gift Exchanges
You can entertain kids and make opening gifts a simple and fun affair by integrating games into the party, and having the winner pick out a wrapped gift. The notion, of course, is that all kids will get a gift at the end (no peeking until everyone has a present). A variation of the cake walk works well too. Put gifts in the center, have kids walk around and when their number is drawn, they pick a wrapped gift and then go sit until all gifts are selected.Make Reindeer Food to Take Home for Christmas Eve
Kids can make their own magic and help Santa's sleigh at the same time by making reindeer food. Ingredients may vary, but a classic recipe is oatmeal with sprinkles of glitter magic that helps them to have the energy to fly. Kids can take home their personalized mix in their own baggy. Add a Christmas countdown craft (like red and green paper rings that are numbered and one removed each day to help kids easily see how many days remain until Christmas Eve) and you're all set!Have a Mock Slumber Party
Have tykes come dressed in their pajamas and bring their favorite pillows and stuffed animals. Let their kids pick out their own new mug (thrift stores usually have an abundance of these for cheap) and make their own hot chocolate (a simple instant hot chocolate packet with warm tap water works just fine). Provide marshmallows, sprinkles or whipped cream for extra fun. Round them up by a toasty fire and read them a favorite Christmas story while they drink their hot chocolate and munch on a favorite cookie. After the drinks are finished, provide each kid with a turn at the "stage" (in front of the fireplace while others are seated) to share their favorite traditions and lead a favorite song. The mug is theirs to take home.Have a Canned Food Drive as Party Admission
Get away from the getting altogether and go for the giving by conducting a canned food drive, a used clothing or coat drive, or all the above! Kids can bring donated goods to an animal shelter or some other worthy cause. Organizers can turn that into the party by having kids bring their donations, sing a carol or two for the staff there (always a welcome treat unless the place selected is a quiet zone) and then finish the fun outing with refreshments. A successful party can be just that simple, with the gift being the feeling of giving from the heart!Skip Holiday Party and Plan a New Year's Celebration Instead
No one is asking you to be Scrooge this year, but the truth is that the holidays can be stressful and crazy for kids as well as their parents. Consider skipping the Christmas party and instead start a new tradition of a New Year's celebration. In early January, kids can come together to welcome in the new year. You can even provide traditional (and cheap) noisemakers and party hats (and these are often on clearance come Jan. 1--plenty of time to pick them up on the cheap). Have kids set a goal for their team or group, and then a second one for them individually that they can share. Since the "gimmees" are now over, you don't need to worry about presents or exchanges, and get back to basic kid fun!
