A Surefire Way to Get Your Kids Excited to Give Gifts to Their Siblings at Christmas

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Ask our kids what Christmas traditions they get excited about – they’ll both tell you, “Sibling Super Secret Spy Shopping Trip!” 

It’s one of my absolutely favorite traditions, too.

I’m not sure when we came up with the idea – and the silly name – I think our youngest was about 4 and our oldest 6.  We wanted a way to get them excited about giving at Christmas.  

Getting excited about getting comes so easy to kids, but giving, well…that can take some coaching.

This tradition is quick and seems to reduce the distractions and temptations of finding gifts for themselves, instead of their intended.

Which is a perennial danger in every toy store – every single time. No?

This will be our 6th year of enjoying this special evening.  If I’m honest, the idea came from me feeling like taking each kid separately to the store to get a gift for each other was just WAY too many trips to the store.  

Plus, leisurely strolling up and down the aisles was bound to lead to them forgetting why were there – and change to adding more and more to their list.  

Or worse – changing their list after we’d already gotten our shopping done!

Here’s how our “Sibling Super Secret Spy Shopping Trip” works:

• Ed and I each pair up with one of our kids.  
• The kids have a mission: choose and buy a gift for each other without them knowing what it is.
  • (Wha..?  You may ask: that sounds a lot like an absolutely normal way to buy gifts for other people.  Thanks for wasting my time.)
• But wait!  There’s more:  Everyone is in the exact same store at the exact same time.  
• We need to sneak around the store, find a great gift and get through the cash without the other sibling seeing anything!

You guys – it’s a blast!  For us all.  

And you know, shopping is not my thing (unless I can do it in my pyjamas).  

We ALL look forward to this night.  We get to look like weirdos creeping around, laugh like maniacs and do things like creating diversions and false trails.

Kids love being secret agents – our daughter’s Secret Agent Spy birthday party and our son’s Ocean’s Eleven Heist party were just the tip of the iceberg.  And c’mon, admit it, you love being a spy too.

Now, our little family, with just two kids, makes this tradition pretty easy, we’ll admit.  So we tried to think through some other family scenarios to help our readers out.

What if you have more than 2 kids?

• If you can find other willing adults to help out – you’re golden.  Or maybe a responsible teenager, like the neighbourhood babysitter?  Give them cash to pay for the gift and pair them up with the child who needs the least parental guidance.
• Drawing names so that each sibling finds a gift for just one could work, too.  (You could “rig” the drawing to ensure the most compatible siblings are buying for each other.)

What if you have one kid?

• I had to include this one because I was an only child growing up and only children need fun traditions, too!  Heck, after witnessing what a blast my kids have together – just on any given day – I think only children need even more fun planned with them in mind.
• It could work to do this with a friend, or a cousin.  Or maybe just play the game with the goal of buying for one of their parents, who are also “unsuspecting” in the store.

What if you have a very tight budget?

• In the early days, this was us too.  We used the night as a learning exercise and gave the kids a guideline of less than $20.  We would say, “look for a number that starts with a 1”. (i.e. $1_.00 not over $2_.00) Generally, this works, but sometimes they find something with two more digits after the 1!  We would just bad mouth whatever it is and steer them toward a cheaper better gift.
• There’s fun just in the sneaking around – you can do it at a dollar store and still have a hoot. 
• Maybe instead of a gift, you give them the mission of searching for a great ornament – or a selection of their favourite candies.

What if they’re older?

• You may need to expand your horizons a bit when they’re teenagers – though many toy stores have great board games for teens, too.  (These stocking stuffer sized games are great for teens and tweens!)
• You could try a larger department store or a defined area of the mall.  If the space is too large – some of the fun is lost. (Could be a good learning opportunity, too – talk about how the mall is designed to trick you into spending more!  They’re wired to find the mall interesting.) 

This activity is part of our annual Countdown to Christmas – our low key, highly fun way to share the excitement of the season – more on that here.

There are so many fabulous things to make and do at Christmas! Here are some more of our Holiday Ideas:

• Really fun Stocking Stuffer Games for Teens and Tweens
• Easy Prep Christmas Countdown Activities
• Dollar Store Christmas Decorations
• Keepsake Christmas Crafts to Cherish Forever
• Holiday Free Printables for Gallery Wall
• Easy, Natural Holiday Nut Wreath
• Declutter for the Holidays in 30 Days: Simple Tips and Strategy (Free Printable!)
• Want to add even more giving of thanks to your family’s Thanksgiving celebration? Check out these 20+ Thanksgiving Thankful Crafts: Gratitude Crafts for Adults and Kids

 

And so many fabulous things to cook! Check out some of our Christmas recipe ideas:

• 20+ Unique Christmas Cookies for Cookie Exchange this Year
• 20+ Easy, No Bake Christmas Desserts
• Christmas Cranberry Apple Cobbler in the Slow Cooker (a decadent breakfast idea!)
• 20+ Holiday Crockpot Side Dishes
• 20 + Holiday Instant Pot Side Dishes
• Stuffed Turkey Breast Wrapped in Bacon

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