During the holidays, it's easy for family and loved ones to go totally over the top when it comes to gifts for the kiddos. Although the thought behind it is nice, in reality, for most of us it's just more pricey toys the little ones honestly don't need — and their parents don't have room for.
That's why one genius grandma came up with a new gift idea for her grandkids, and it's turned into a priceless tradition that you're going to want to steal.
This grandma's solution to the toys nobody needs: the 'adventure box.'
For Christmas 2017, Darlene Waller, who has four grandchildren, gave her two oldest something unexpected. Instead of yet another toy or game to add to the clutter, the 11-year-old and 9-year-old unwrapped a chest filled with envelopes and a special note.
The note explained that this year, Nonna was giving them the gift of family time.
Each boy was given 12 envelopes labeled one per month with a specific theme. Inside each was a preplanned and paid date for them with grandma, them with their parents, or them with their aunt and uncle.
"Some you choose, some I choose. But they are all fun as a family activity for us to do together," she explained.
The boys had to wait until the beginning of each month to open an envelope and see what surprise they had in store.
"The older boys don’t need a thing. They have every toy and electronic made," she tells CafeMom. "I’ve always enjoyed making memories, and a lot of the stuff I put in the adventure box was activities we would have done this year anyway."
From laser tag and bowling to baseball and movie tickets, grandma ensured that the following year was filled with exciting family time.
"The boys loved it and the parents loved it too because they didn’t need more toys. They live on a budget so it was nice for them to be able to take the boys to the movies or bowling when they opened that envelope," she says. "I took pictures every time we did one of the adventures, and I'm making a scrapbook for them to give to them this year."
