Holiday Gifts To Combat Kids’ Gimmes
If there’s a parent out there whose kids don’t come down with a serious case of the gimmes this time of year, please step forward. Consider it a public service to the rest of us desperate parents hoping to make this year’s holiday season one that isn’t completely dominated by rampant materialism and over-indulgence of the kids in our lives.
Seems right around the time local radio stations kick off their “All Christmas Music, All the Time” marathons and holiday catalogs start multiplying in the mailbox, most parents start to hear wails of “I want that!” at every turn. Though I haven’t figured out how to solve the problem of kids’ holiday gimmes, I do have a few ideas for making holiday gift choices that could make a lasting impression on the children in your life.
Experiential Gifts
Growing up, my mom and dad weren’t much interested in things like art and theater. We were good, practical Catholics for whom a pair of slippers, new underwear and a banana seemed like excellent stocking-stuffers. But I had an aunt who persisted during my childhood in using gift-giving opportunities to take me to the theater, the art museum or other cultural events. At the time, it seemed weird to 10-year-old me and frivolous to my parents, but today I credit my aunt with making me a lover of the arts.
How can you have that kind of impact on a niece, nephew, grandchild or even your own kids? Look to any of the rich cultural resources of Northeast Ohio to find gift ideas. Give tickets to the Discovery Theatre Series at Playhouse Square (216.830.7221 / http://www.playhousesquare.com/discovery) or a class in visual arts, music or theater at The Beck Center for the Arts (216.521.2540 / http://www.beckcenter.org). For an animal lover, give the gift of a membership to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (216.661.6500 / http://www.clevelandzoosociety.org/join.aspx) or the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (800.317.9155 / http://www.cmnh.org).
If these gifts don’t fit your budget, create your own experiential gifts to suit the interests of the children in your life. Make a “gift certificate” of your own for a day with Mom or Dad at a destination you know your child would love. Offer your own “cooking class” for a niece who’s always admired your culinary skills. And if the children in your life would look askance at a boring ticket or gift certificate sitting in a wrapped box – and I know mine would – pair it with a small gift to help make it seem more concrete, such as a kid-sized apron with a cooking class gift certificate or a dinosaur toy with a CMNH membership.
Expand a Child’s World View
Maybe your travels this year have taken you to Costa Rica or Indonesia or Italy, and you’ve had the opportunity to bring back gifts and stories for the kids you love that expose them to a slice of life outside of the U.S. But even if you’re not a world traveler, you can still use the holiday gift-giving season as an opportunity to expand your child’s world view. Start with a visit to Ten Thousand Villages in Rocky River, Downtown Cleveland or Hartville (http://www.tenthousandvillages.com) for a handcrafted fair-trade toy, puzzle, game or musical instrument. Just don’t forget to tell ‘em where it came from.
Give the Gift of Reading
I suppose I could be biased as a writer, but books are always at the top of my holiday gift lists. The vast selection of children’s books at the nearest national chain bookseller might be tempting, but don’t forget about Cleveland’s excellent independent bookstores, including The Blue Heron in Peninsula (330.657.2575 / http://www.blueheronbookstore.com), The Learned Owl in Hudson (330.653.2252 / http://www.learnedowl.com) and Loganberry Books in Shaker Heights (216.795.9800 / http://www.loganberrybooks.com). The holidays are also a great opportunity to support Cleveland’s local children’s and young adult authors, including Sara Holbrook, Cinda Chima, Mary Ryan, J. Patrick Lewis and others.
Okay, Toys are Cool, Too
I like to play as much as the next gal, and I love finding classic toys that inspire my kids’ imaginations. If you’re planning to buy toys for kids in your life, skip the big box retailers and head straight to one of the locally-owned toy stores in Northeast Ohio. You’ll likely find a selection of toys designed to get kids using their brains and bodies, rather than just their thumbs and eyeballs. While there are too many to list here, start with Play Matters? in Shaker Square, Pepper Pike, Solon, Avon Commons and Mentor (http://www.playmatterstoys.com); My Little Red Wagon in Stow (330.688.5506 / http://www.mylittleredwagon.com), FU Ndamentals? in Medina (330.722.8697), Kid Concoctions in Strongsville (440.572.1800 / http://www.kidconcoctions.com) or Once Upon a Time Toys in Rocky River (216.333.2327 / http://onceuponatimetoys.com).
For boys devoted to cars and trucks, check out American Hot Rod Racer at Beachwood Place (216.831.1817 / http://www.americanhotrodracer.com) or Tom-C-Toys in Garrettsville (330.527.7601 / http://www.tomctoys.com). And if you’re longing to give your children the classic toys you remember from your own childhood, head to Big Fun Toys in Coventry (216.371.4386).
Don’t Forget About the Giving Part
Take a few extra minutes and dollars to pick up a gift for someone in need while you’re shopping this year, whether it’s sweater for a resident of a local nursing home or a toy to donate to Toys for Tots (donate at Toys”R”Us or Babies”R”Us, or check http://www.toysfortots.org for other area locations). Check your local non-profits to find out how you and your children might be able to lend a hand this holiday season.
Because when a kid’s caught the gimmes, I can’t think of a better remedy than generosity.
Don’t miss our “2007 Holiday Guide” in this month’s issues of Cool Cleveland for some more great holiday gifting ideas for kids (and adults).
From Cool Cleveland contributor Jennifer Keirn jenniferkATwowway.com
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