It’s that time of year again when we start thinking about gifts for the upcoming holiday season (if you haven’t already), so welcome to this year’s Gift Guide as curated by Jenn and myself. You know that I’m all about gifts that inspire learning and using the whole brain and the whole body, and that’s precisely the type of gifts you’ll find on our list here today.

In addition to the list, I’ll also share some information about the perennial issue about gifts from relatives who want the credit that comes from your kid’s big reactions on the day, as well as some ideas about how to bring the intensity of the holiday down while increasing its overall enjoyment. Naturally, we’ll go through the Gift Guide, which you can find in the links section below, and I’ll offer my own commentary on the selections as we go along. Most important of all, I need you to remember that, particularly in this unprecedented year, you need to do ‘whatever the fuck you want to do this Christmas’, and to please never forget to reach out if you find you need help given the potential overwhelm of the season. With the pandemic continuing, this is going to be a long winter, so be sure to keep your mental and physical health a top priority throughout. I sincerely hope that today’s episode marks one step toward helping to achieve that.

The Finer Details of This Episode:

· Grandparents want the credit for gifts that their grandkids will absolutely love

· Create ‘hygge’

· Our $5 Christmas was one of our best ever

· You have permission to jack the holidays way up or bring them way down

· Check out the Gift Guide in the links section below

· You can make marble runs out of many things (ex. pool noodles, molding, etc)

· Don’t overstretch yourself this year financially

· Make sure you and your kids are geared up for playing outside no matter what the weather – Hanna Andersson snowsuits are phenomenal

· Subscription gifts can be problematic when it comes to renewal issues

· Check for scams or complaints about companies before ordering any of their products

· Make mental and physical health a priority

Quotes:

“If you have too much stuff, you’re going to get butterfly play…you want less stuff because it opens up deeper play.”

“If my house and my space are too cluttered, I get too cluttered.”

“You guys are going to want to be outside as much as humanly possible.”

“I’m really into functional fitness.”

“Take care of yourself, take care of your kids, take care of your mental health as well as your physical health.”

Links:

Jamie’s homepage -   http://www.jamieglowacki.com/

Oh Crap! Potty Training – https://www.amazon.com/Crap-Potty-Training-Everything-Parenting-ebook/dp/B00V3L8YSU

Oh Crap! I Have A Toddler -

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Oh-Crap!-I-Have-a-Toddler/Jamie-Glowacki/Oh-Crap-Parenting/9781982109738

Jamie’s Patreon Page:   https://www.patreon.com/join/jamieglowacki?

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