Overtoyed
There will be no toys this Christmas!
No, I haven't become the toy-hating Burgermeister Meisterburger.
I have decided that we will not be buying toys for our kids this Christmas. This has nothing to do with all those recalled Chinese toys of recent months. The decision mostly comes because our house is overflowing with toys.
We are overtoyed! Did I just make up a new word?
My kids have toys from last Christmas that they haven't played with since, well, last Christmas. They have toys they don't need, toys that don't work, toys that are too young for them, and toys that we can't even figure out. There are toys in their clothing drawers and toys under their beds.
There's nothing wrong with toys. I like 'em. I have many of my own. But the sheer overwhelming numbers of them in our house have become too much for all of us.
This Christmas, my kids will be receiving books, candy, games, DVDs, clothing, educational gadgets, and many other fun presents. But no toys!
No, I haven't become the toy-hating Burgermeister Meisterburger.
I have decided that we will not be buying toys for our kids this Christmas. This has nothing to do with all those recalled Chinese toys of recent months. The decision mostly comes because our house is overflowing with toys.
We are overtoyed! Did I just make up a new word?
My kids have toys from last Christmas that they haven't played with since, well, last Christmas. They have toys they don't need, toys that don't work, toys that are too young for them, and toys that we can't even figure out. There are toys in their clothing drawers and toys under their beds.
There's nothing wrong with toys. I like 'em. I have many of my own. But the sheer overwhelming numbers of them in our house have become too much for all of us.
This Christmas, my kids will be receiving books, candy, games, DVDs, clothing, educational gadgets, and many other fun presents. But no toys!
Permalink posted by Phil at 9:41 PM
15 Comments:
I want to say, good luck with that, but I can't help but feel it's half sincere and half sarcastic when I hear the words actually come out. I do fully realize your pain.
Also, I can't help but notice you didn't mention the fast food toys that are only of interest that day. Have you somehow found that magic way of never having to buy the happy meals, and if so, can you share the secret?
The fast food toys have never bothered me, mostly because they're so small. Most of them are so strange and pointless that the kids don't care if we throw them out. Some, like the movie tie-ins, I've boxed up just in case they're worth something in years to come. A few others are just sitting out on the kids' shelves.
As for not buying the Happy Meals anymore, well, it took awhile but I have managed to turn my kids' favorite fast food place from McDonalds to Schlotzsky's Deli. No toys at Schlotzsky's! And the sandwiches are much better.
We are "overtoyed" too! Not hard to do when two kids share one bedroom in a smallish two-bedroom apartment. Every year we go through toys, stuffed animals, books, and games and pick out some to donate to the Women's Center Thrift Store. That's how things always work in our place, even for us adults--nothing new can come in until something old goes out. Otherwise, we'd be living in squalor!
We are overcarred and overblocked. We asked all our family for no more cars or blocks. We prefer books. My MIL gave us an aquarium membership (yeah!) AND let me sit down at Amazon.com and pick out several books for our son. So awesome.
I noticed last week that my son has 3 or 4 PC games from last year that he hasn't even opened. I suggested to my wife that we re-wrap them just to see if he notices. She didn't go for it.
Family members buy enough toys for our kids that in some ways I'm annoyed: I WANT TO BE THE ONE to pick out some of the toys! (On the other hand, I don't spend a whole lot on toys as a result.)
No toys this year either. Got snow shoes, megaball (thru jcpenny's) art stuff (a real art set is always cool but you have to get enough canvas) books ,dvds(Tremors haha!),new sleds ,basketball hoop and music stuff. Restoration Hardware has some neat gift ideas.( there is a great sled ) Oh and Schlotzsky's is the best.
Yee haaa, I agree. We do the same for a while now. Some DVD or CD and books, always books. And I also demand educational things when they were smaller, now books ok to fill that gap and then we give gift cards so later the year when the sales comes up they can go buy themselves.
Little man keeps getting all the old toys from the TT's so his room is getting fuller and fuller, I've put my foot down and said if you don't want it any longer donate it to the welfare bin.
We are thinking of getting them new bicycles .. will see.
I love that you mention Burgermeister Meisterburger. Our family loves "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." I'll have to look for it on ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas specials. Thanks for the reminder.
I'm with you about too many toys. We've been reluctant to toss what should be tossed, but our plan to move within a year is making us think "do we really want that any more?"
Here, here. We are doing the same thing this year. The kids get enough toys from Gramma and Grampa anyway.
Thought you might appreciate the plan for us this CHristmas...we are doing a WANT, a NEED and a SURPRISE. That is it. The kids get to ask for one thing...they can help choose their need and then they gt a surprise. It is going to be so nice to know they are going to USE what we are spending money on, it has gotten ridiculous here as well!!!!! That and I am so concerned they are not understanding what other people who have NOTHING do for fun..
I hardly ever buy the kids toys with their grandparents giving them too many as it is. I'm always boxing up stuff for the Goodwill or tossing out little toys all the time. We have way too many and it drives me crazy. The kids are getting mostly books, clothes and activity things, like scooters. Hopefully the grandparents won't go too nuts this year.
We're cutting way back on the toy giving this year for the same reasons. I've also been secretly getting rid of some of the older ones.
We feel the same way about toys. We are even getting rid of a lot of the toys we have and dropping them off at a local collection point for others.
Annual pass to the zoo, museum, and such makes great gifts for kids if you ask me.
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