This is our fourth year doing this want/need/wear/read thing and I love it! Since the children really haven't known anything different, they're very appreciative of what they get, even though the vast majority of it isn't toys. And I think it will grow very well with them - I even do the same thing buying gifts for DH, and it makes buying grown-up gifts pretty easy too!
DD1 (7)
Want - Wii game (Tangled)
Need - PJs
Wear - Apron (handmade)
Read - "Honest Pretzels" cookbook
DD2 (3)
Want - Wii game (Dora)
Need - PJs
Wear - Apron (handmade)
Read - "Pretend Soup" cookbook
In addition, we gave them a new family game - Kids of Carcassone - to share. They exchanged small gifts with each other, purchased at DD1's school PTSA "holiday shop". And they each had little stocking stuffers from Santa (DD1 had a calculator and LPS teenies, DD2 got a set of plastic matroyshka dolls and a Dora zippered wristlet bag).
Santa also brought the big "fun" gifts: DD1's Littlest Pet Shop Treehouse, DD2's Dora guitar and microphone.
So for those of you who do it - do you label the gifts as such? We haven't, but I was thinking of making reusable tags that had each girl's name on one side and "Something you _____" on the other side for next year. As far as I know, they don't have any idea that there's a pattern to their gifts!
Sarah
Mommy to:
Carolyn, 10/04
Anna, 7/08
Matthew, 8/13