Wishbooks, Wishlists and Giving, Oh My!

 

As I mentioned in my last post about giving, we're trying our best to raise kids who love to give. And so, since our little guy doesn't really know that the Wishbook is usually used to make a wishlist for yourself, we decided first to go through and see if we could put together a wishlist for other kids.

 

He loves looking at the pictures and marveling over how cool the toys are! I contacted CityKidz to ask them what age group they receive the fewest gifts for, and they told me that it's the 10-12 age group for both girls and boys. I wanted Hendrik to pick out a toy that he thought that a little boy like himself would like, so we decided to get a present for a little boy and a bigger girl.

After we looked through the Wishbook and and found all sorts of toys that would be so fun! to give to the other kids, we took a trip to the mall. We did some spying on Santa, but Hendrik didn't want to go meet him.

Then we stopped in at Sears. Hendrik was very impressed that there were MORE Wishbooks to look at in the store!

We took a look around at the toys in store. Hendrik was a little concerned that Elmo was about to eat the little boy, but I assured him that Elmo was just giving a hug. In the end, we decided that they toys that we liked best to give to the other kids were in the Wishbook, so we're going to sit down at the computer tonight and order them online.  As I've mentioned before, we didn't grow up in a house with a lot of excess money - so when I'm looking around for gifts to donate to others, I try to make sure that the toys A) are well-made toys and will last (I know I can trust Sears on this one!) B) Don't require batteries - batteries are expensive to replace - we don't want to cost the family money by giving this gift! and C) will last without having to buy new parts/accessories for it all the time - again, we want to spoil the kids without stressing out the parents!  I also don't buy really expensive toys for these - not because I think that the other kids deserve less than my own, but because I try not to spend a ton of money on my own family's Christmas presents, as well!

In the end, Hendrik and I picked out a wooden train for a little boy, and a super jewelry set (50% off! Score!) for a 10-12 year old girl. While the checkout processes had a minor hiccup, in the end, everything worked out and Hendrik is SO excited to go pick up the presents to bring them to the toy drive!

Now that we've got the giving part worked out, I think I'll sit down with him and show him how to make a wish-list for himself.

How about you? What's on YOUR wish list? Did you know that Sears Canada is holding a Wishes of Joy contest right now in which you can win up to $10,000 in prizes?  Head on over to to the contest site and get your entry in until December 15! 

Disclosure: I am part of the Sears Mom Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.