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Beyond the Toy Aisle
Creative Gifts Grandchildren Will Love By Beth B. Hering
While toys are often appreciated for a time and then passed over, a keepsake gift can grow in importance as a child ages. A few to consider include a jewelry box, a music box or a baseball signed by members of a favorite team.
"I like giving my grandson an ornament each Christmas because when he's grown he can put them on his own tree," says Paulette Braccio of Matteson, Ill. "Hopefully, they will rekindle happy memories of what he enjoyed while he was growing up baseball, cars, Thomas the Tank Engine, Winnie the Pooh and of his grandma."
A similar idea is to start a charm bracelet. Each year a new charm can be added that symbolizes something that was important to the child during that year perhaps a dog charm for a new pet or a cheerleader charm to commemorate making the squad.
Parents of infants often enjoy receiving items that they can use or display at the moment but also keep for their child for the future. Melissa Durante, a mother of two from Bartlett, Ill., says, "Some of my favorite gifts given to my children have been personalized items, which can be useful at the time and are also wonderful keepsakes for later, such as personalized burp cloths and baby shoes personalized on the soles."
Spend an afternoon baking Christmas cookies together. Take in a holiday flick and then grab some pizza. Dig out Monopoly, Scrabble and Clue for a board game marathon. Drive around looking at Christmas lights before coming home to some hot chocolate. Toys may get broken or outgrown, but good memories last a lifetime.