Christmas Gifts

[motocrossmom]

Has anyone ever thought about using a Disney trip as Christmas gift? My children have "everything". Not everything but its SO hard to buy them gifts. So I had an idea I thought I would give the boys a Disney trip? Any thoughts on that?!?!?!?! Thanks!
****UPDATE****
DH said yes that sounds like a great idea!!! yea so I will start planning today.... We are going to tell our older DS 15 about the plan but our DS6 it will be a suprise at Christmas! Thanks for all the input it really helped my cause with DH!!

 

[daisyduck123]

It wouldn't work for us because we go pretty often (we checkin next week for an 11 day stay & then go again at Thanksgiving for a week) so that wouldn't feel like a gift to my kids, but for a family that's never been, I think that would be great, as long as they had some other items to open as well. You could have fun creating Disney gift bags with autographs books, lanyards, pins, etc.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

I am all about giving experiences for gifts! Lately, I've been doing movie tickets for birthday party gifts.

We go once a year so I am sure we would have to go again if I used it has a gift. I'm also not sure my 3 year old would totally understand the concept yet. My friend just took a 4 day trip to Chicago for her kids' birthdays - 7 and 5 because as she said they had everything they needed so why buy more stuff.

OT - Where is Wadesville?

 

[motocrossmom]

I am all about giving experiences for gifts! Lately, I've been doing movie tickets for birthday party gifts.

We go once a year so I am sure we would have to go again if I used it has a gift. I'm also not sure my 3 year old would totally understand the concept yet. My friend just took a 4 day trip to Chicago for her kids' birthdays - 7 and 5 because as she said they had everything they needed so why buy more stuff.

OT - Where is Wadesville?

we are building a house off Winery Road, in Wadesville Indiana

 

[eeyoremum]

Wow I could have written this. My kids so don't need more "stuff" so I was thinking Disney too. We had family come and stay this summer so we told the kids no Disney this year but I think I can swing a trip at Christmas. I would just do a stocking and then the surprise of get in the car our flight leaves at...

 

[motocrossmom]

Wow I could have written this. My kids so don't need more "stuff" so I was thinking Disney too. We had family come and stay this summer so we told the kids no Disney this year but I think I can swing a trip at Christmas. I would just do a stocking and then the surprise of get in the car our flight leaves at...

This is my same thought! My kids do not need anymore games, toys, cloths or motorcycles, or riding gear.... I dont know what I am going to get them anyway! My youngest son's birthday is December 14th, so I am going to give him a big party and invite all his class! But Christmas I am at a loss as to what else to get them!

 

[rt2dz]

You'll find lots of people around here who do that. We don't do that because we have separate vacation and Christmas budgets. However, we do keep the "stuff" at bay.

My kids don't get birthday gifts from us. We give them a party and then and make a deposit into their college funds. We ask friends not to give them gifts too, but they always do. At Christmas, my kids get things they need from us (relatives get them the bulk of the other stuff, even if I ask not to, so...), for example clothes. Other things they get will be books, magazine subscriptions, and art supplies, basically things we'd get them otherwise.

 

[Vijoge]

We Christmas gifted our two oldest grandchildren with a Disney trip a couple of years ago. We have also stopped buying them "stuff" for birthdays.

We're now getting magazine subscriptions, swimming lessons, movie tickets, roller skating certificates, etc. They have too much junk already.

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

Ask you kids ! DD has decided to forgo her Christmas presents in exchange for a trip to WDW. She reasoned that she would still get presents from her GP's and Aunts and Uncles and that would be enough for her. Not to mention her Birthday is 5 days before X-mas. Se said she is even going to ask her GP's for disney dollars for her birthday .

 

[eeyoremum]

This is my same thought! My kids do not need anymore games, toys, cloths or motorcycles, or riding gear.... I dont know what I am going to get them anyway! My youngest son's birthday is December 14th, so I am going to give him a big party and invite all his class! But Christmas I am at a loss as to what else to get them!

We have been trying to get to Disney every year, we always stay at POP which we love. If we go I will change it up a bit, I have wanted to try POF so I was thinking that would be a treat too.

Ask you kids ! DD has decided to forgo her Christmas presents in exchange for a trip to WDW. She reasoned that she would still get presents from her GP's and Aunts and Uncles and that would be enough for her. Not to mention her Birthday is 5 days before X-mas. Se said she is even going to ask her GP's for disney dollars for her birthday .

I would ask my kids but DS is 9 and still a believer. DS 14 only stopped believing 2 years ago, he reasoned that we are so cheap there was no way we would waste so much money on gifts...lol...I think. So I am torn as to weather to give up the myth and just tell him or let him believe....I am leaning towards the let him believe and make the gift from Santa.

 

[carone0318]

We did it in 2006 and we are doing it again this yr, but this time the kids know they are going when last time we woke them up on the day we were leaving and said they were not going to school, but to Disney. When we go in Dec we only go for a few days, but we still take our long Disney vacation in the Summer.

Basically what we do is make the trip from Mom and Dad and that's all they get from us, but they still get Santa gifts because our ds (7) still believes and dd (12) is a faux-believer.

 

[mjantz]

Our kids are old enough that we've started asking them if they want experiences instead of presents. DD still wants stuff to open (but it can be dollar store stuff) but DS really seems to get it. We discussed buying them a car DVD player for Christmas this year instead of various gifts & they sounded thrilled.
I say go for it. They should understand.

 

[daleswife]

My parents are taking the whole family to Disney in 28 days for our christmas present. My dad says the grand kids will get presents on christmas, but for his kids and their spouses.....dont even ask!!! LOL. He also said dont expect anything for the next 5 years!!! HAHAHAHAHA. They did spend quite a bit of money. 13 of us going all together!!!

 

[Benducci]

That would be good except your little one is 6 - does he still believe in Santa? How can you explain that Santa packed a trip for him under the tree? I like going to Disney but I still would think that he would be extrcting to see wrapped gifts under a tree.

 

[Taja]

That would be good except your little one is 6 - does he still believe in Santa? How can you explain that Santa packed a trip for him under the tree? I like going to Disney but I still would think that he would be extrcting to see wrapped gifts under a tree.

Santa could still leave a few gifts. But mom and dad would provide the larger one--the WDW visit.

It also would begin the transition between believing in Santa or not--which will happen within the next year or two at school, if no where else!

 

[motocrossmom]

That would be good except your little one is 6 - does he still believe in Santa? How can you explain that Santa packed a trip for him under the tree? I like going to Disney but I still would think that he would be extrcting to see wrapped gifts under a tree.

Yea little boy across the street has already told him there is no Santa. But we told him that he is wrong. I will still get him gifts to put under the tree & open but just small stuff. He is 6 so he doesnt know how much things cost. I am just trying to find a way to have a good Christmas without buying my kids a bunch of toys and gifts they wont play with or use just so they have gifts under the tree.

 

[princess&her4princes]

Our boys birthdays are November/December and this year we decided to do Disney from Mommy and Daddy for Birthdays and Christmas. We told them we would buy them one "big" (this is subjective, they are 5 &3) gift at DW and of course the first things from our oldest mouth was " will Santa still bring presents?".....so of course, he will, it just may be a little less this year.

 

[holly7347]

I am all about giving experiences for gifts! Lately, I've been doing movie tickets for birthday party gifts.

We go once a year so I am sure we would have to go again if I used it has a gift. I'm also not sure my 3 year old would totally understand the concept yet. My friend just took a 4 day trip to Chicago for her kids' birthdays - 7 and 5 because as she said they had everything they needed so why buy more stuff.

OT - Where is Wadesville?

I agree with that. My IL's give us a pass to the zoo for Christmas each year which we love. And this past Christmas the girls got a pass to a local indoor play area from Santa. We had a pass there before and it expired in October and every time they asked to go after it had expired I said we will have to ask Santa for a new one and Santa came through I think your 3 year old might be able to under stand. My youngest turned 3 in March and she knows Santa brought us the pass to Otterville and when I told them the other day we needed to make one more trip to the aquarium before our passes expired DD said Santa can give you a new pass for Christmas

Here lately I'm totally about less junk and clutter in the house. I didn't have that much "stuff" when I was a kid and I still grew up happy. My parents didn't have lots of money but since they weren't buying me new toys all the time they were able to use their money to give me swim, dance, and music lessons which I think were much more valuable than a toy that I would have outgrown or broken. So I would totally do it. And if you still really want to give them something else you could always let them pick out something at Disney or let them pick a character meal.

 

[holly7347]

Yea little boy across the street has already told him there is no Santa. But we told him that he is wrong. I will still get him gifts to put under the tree & open but just small stuff. He is 6 so he doesnt know how much things cost. I am just trying to find a way to have a good Christmas without buying my kids a bunch of toys and gifts they wont play with or use just so they have gifts under the tree.

I ordered those personalized maps and the planning DVD from Disney. You could always get something like that and wrap it. My DD especially loves looking at those maps. When we first started planning the trip I also got a Disney planning book that was geared towards kids with lots of color pictures of characters and rides. Something like that would wrap up well and lead into Santa left this book so you could read up on the big trip he gave you for Christmas then pull out the maps etc.

 

[GoofyFairie]

I think it is a great idea! I would to do this, but I am not sure I can sell DH on it. We definately wouldn't travel over Christmas, but I would get a some vacation type stuff to open, like shorts from Disney store to wear on trip, and I would certainly wrap a certificate that told them exactly where and when they were going. I think it would be awesome! We have only been to Disney once, but the kids talk about it EVERYDAY!