We all know the annual drill: Your kid writes a wish list of the presents she just HAS to receive this holiday season. It’s 101 lines long and includes everything she’s spotted at the toy store all year (plus all the items her, ahem, spoiled friend received for her birthday last month). Sure, maybe one or two of those items will find their way into your home, but chances are you want to avoid caving into her desire for one more jewelry-making kit, the full-size drum kit, or the Elsa costume you’ve been resisting for years now. Instead, you want to choose something more unique. Or less loud. Or something more creative. The gifts in this guide will fit all those requirements. There are challenging mind-benders for your favorite game fanatic, make-it-yourself craft kits for budding artists, beautiful sweets for your sweetie, enchantingly illustrated paper-dolls for your costume-obsessed kid, counting blocks for little learners, and so much more. We’ve found loads of gifts that are organic or eco-friendly and made by small artisans or little-known companies. The gifts are mostly aimed at school-aged children but we haven’t forgotten toddlers, babies, and even soon-to-be babies and their parents. Most of the gifts are under $50 and there are even quite a few that are under $20. Whatever the price, each gift is something special that you won’t find at every big-box store. So forget about trying to shop from her wish list and give these picks a try instead. We guarantee smiles all around this holiday season.
