Musings from Graceland

STILL NEEDING STOCKING STUFFERS?

Around here, I am the primary gift buyer and provider. And since "gifts" is one of my primary love languages, I usually really enjoy this aspect of Christmas. To me, it isn't about materialism, it is simply about expressing love to my kids, husband, friends, and other families.

But, like most moms, I also have to be careful about how much I spend. Not only because we're not millionaires, but because I don't want to spend so much money on stuff that we both forget about Jesus during this season and forget about taking care of those around us who are in need.

So when I can find a good deal on presents that I know will make my kids light up when they open them, I get excited!

Today, I found such gift ideas.

The first find was at Dollar Tree. They had remotes that are compatible with Wii game systems. We bought a golf club and once we were home, the kids tried it out and it worked great. Other options available were tennis rackets, swords, steering wheels, and baseball bats.

At Target, we found a lot of good gifts in the dollar zone. Among the items I nabbed were colorful calenders and color-it-yourself calendars plus darling socks.

The last treasures I found for stuffing stockings were at Kroger...and I'm guessing that maybe their sister stores offer the same bargains. The BIG find were Silly Bandz for a buck. These are THE original brand and in many varieties --- Mickey Mouse and friends, Cars, Princesses, and Toy Story Three among other Disney offerings; super heroes such as Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Iron Man, and a variety pack; and then basic designs such as beach and dinosaur shapes.

Also at Kroger were MATCHBOX vehicles for 62 cents a piece!

A lot of these items would also be great to stock up on for future gift giving occasions such as birthdays and packing Samaritan's Purse Shoeboxes next year. In fact, I picked up about 20 packs of Silly Bandz...so if you invite us to any parties in the near future, can you guess what we'll be wrapping?

So have you found any great gift ideas for just a bit of money this year? Share it here if you have. I'm sure I'm not the only one who waited to buy gifts the very last week of the season.