Monthly Archives: December 2014

Because I’m Happy | Happiness Jar Project

- - $20 or Less, Gifts for Me

I’m a true believer that happiness is finding joy in the little things in life.

That’s because you’ll have hundreds of small happy moments in one year, but only a handful of large happy moments.

happiness-jar-project-thoughtful-gift

Capture and collect your happy moments by writing them down and dropping them in your Happiness Jar.

When my husband cuddles with me before we go to bed, I’m happy. When I read to my son, I’m happy. When my co-workers make me laugh, I’m happy. When I eat a delicious meal, I’m happy. When I spend time outdoors in warm weather, I’m happy.

Sometimes we miss these happy moments because we’re focused on the negative things. The stress of work or family drama can overshadow the blessings in our lives.

A great way to start recognizing all of the happy moments in your life is to start a Happiness Jar. All you need is a jar or container, some scraps of paper, and a pen. Set the jar in a place that you will see it everyday.

Any time something makes you happy, write it down on a piece of paper with the date and drop it into the jar.

Each time you do it, good feelings will emerge. Be present in that moment and take time to savor those feelings. As you continue filling your Happiness Jar, you’ll find you become better at recognizing the happiness that sprinkles itself in the different areas of your life.

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Christmas Gift Giving Passing Game

- - Christmas, Experiences, Kids

I have four nieces and I almost always give them some sort of experience as part of their Christmas present. So I thought it would be fun to have them play a Christmas gift giving game.

I bought four presents that cost about the same price and that all of them would like no matter which one they received. I wrapped them up but didn’t put names on any of them.

Christmas gift giving game Dirty Santa White Elephant Gift Exchange

My nieces sit in a circle and prepare to pass their gifts left and right while I read them the story about the Wright family.

I gathered my nieces together, gave each one a present, and asked them to sit in a circle. I told them the rules of the game. Every time they heard the word “left” to pass their present to the left and every time they heard the words “right” or “Wright” to pass their present to the right. I told them to listen closely because the story gets awfully crazy!

Then I began to read out loud the following story. To make it even more fun, I read it quickly!

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Kids Will Love “The Book With No Pictures”

- - $20 or Less, Kids

Kids love it when adults act silly. Silly faces and sounds will get them to laugh and giggle, and there is no more beautiful sounds than children’s laughter.

The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak is a hilarious children’s book. Children won’t care that there are zero, zilch, nada pictures or illustrations in the book because they will be laughing so hard at the person reading the book to them.

the-book-with-no-pictures-thoughtful-gift2That’s because the reader has to say the silliest words and sentences like…

Blork.

Bluurf.

I am a monkey who taught myself to read.

The rule of “The Book With No Pictures” is the reader has to say all of the words in the book no matter what. That’s the rule!

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7 Alternatives to Store Bought Christmas Presents for Children

- - Christmas, Kids

alternatives-store-bought-christmas-presents-childrenChildren will naturally beg for the toys, games, electronics, and clothes they see advertised and sold in stores.

But parents and family members wishing to give more creative and unique Christmas presents will enjoy selecting from these alternatives to store-bought gifts.

RECORD YOUR OWN READ ALONG STORYBOOK

Pass on your favorite childhood books and stories to the next generation by recording yourself reading one of them out loud. Give a copy of the book and your recording as a gift. This gift idea can become an annual gift giving tradition.

The Velveteen Rabbit book and a stuffed bunny

THE MONEY BOX

The money box makes giving and receiving cash fun. Add a festive touch by decorating the box in Christmas wrapping paper.

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33 Awesome & Thoughtful Stocking Stuffers

- - $20 or Less, Christmas

Not all stocking stuffers are created equal. Just because something is small enough to fit inside a stocking doesn’t mean it should find itself there Christmas morning.

Don’t bother with trinkets. Instead, fill your loved ones’ Christmas stockings with some of these thoughtful treasures!

33-awesome-thoughtful-stocking-stuffers

By using our Amazon affiliate links to shop, you will be supporting SunburstGifts.org, making it possible for us to provide you with more thoughtful, heartful gift ideas in the future!

  1. favorite chocolates, candy or snacks (include their childhood favorites!)
  2. digital-tire-pressure-gaugedigital tire pressure gauge with the correct pressure written on it (the one my husband gave me has the tire pressure written on a small piece of tape)
  3. gas gift card
  4. car wash/detailing service gift card
  5. favorite restaurant gift card
  6. personalized stationery
  7. candle of their favorite scent
  8. framed photo of the gift recipient as a child at Christmas time
  9. thank you cards
  10. Forever Stamps Continue Reading

Automatic Snack & Treat Dispenser

httpvh://youtu.be/ovOZhEJTW0s

I love magic! Who doesn’t? With a wave of the hand – out pops a snack!

When I saw the SnackMan Motion-Activated Dispenser that makes healthy munching easy-peasy, I knew it would be the right gift for my husband’s sister and hersnackman-dispenser-sunburst-gifts-thoughtful-gift-idea spouse for Christmas.

They always try to eat healthy and this fun gadget creates a smart way to have portion control. The SnackMan Motion-Activated Dispenser features three settings: Small Handful, Large Handful or Bowlful. Once set, the same perfect portion is dispensed every time.

It looks like magic because with a simple wave of the hand, out pours your tasty snack treat. Continue Reading

A Letter to Your Child | Christmas Tradition

- - Birthday, Christmas

I started a new Christmas tradition in my family by writing a letter to my child.

Life moves at lightning speed, and each year I want to take the time to stop, reflect and remember all of my child’s happy moments full of fun, love and laughter by writing about them in a letter.

write-letter-to-child-christmas-tradition

This Christmas gift idea will be cherished far more than any wrapped present under the tree.

I must admit, the whole process intimidated me at first.

How am I supposed to cram a whole year’s worth of stuff into a single letter? I don’t have time to write pages and pages! What should I focus on if I can’t write about everything?

I stopped freaking out when I thought – KISS. Keep It Super Simple.

Focus on the cake and worry about the frosting and sprinkles later. If all I end up with is cake, it will still be awesome and better than nothing. (That just popped into my head. I’ve never thought of comparing a letter to a cake before… It must be because I haven’t eaten dinner yet… even though it’s almost 8:30 p.m.!)

So I came up with the basic ingredients for a letter to a child:

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Individual and Family Memberships | Experience Gifts

I have thoughtful last-minute gift ideas for you that will create year-round fun for the lucky gift recipient or their entire family!

science-museum-oklahoma-family-membershipWhat is it? Individual and family memberships or annual and season passes.

You can easily purchase these items online and they are easy peasy to wrap. Best of all, experience gifts make the most memorable type of gift! That’s my “experience” any way.

Envision this… children will have you to thank for their trips to the water park, families will have you to thank for their zoo outings, and couples will have you to thank for their season tickets to a performing arts theater.

If your gift is loved, it can become your annual Christmas gift tradition!

For a “thoughtful twist,” pair the membership or pass with a small related gift item, such as a stuffed lion with a zoo membership or a pair of ski goggles with a season pass to a ski resort.

Here are some ideas for types of membership and passes that make wonderful Christmas gifts.

INDIVIDUAL & FAMILY MEMBERSHIPS

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Deck the Walls with Christmas Cards

- - Christmas

Everyone sing with me!

Christmas-card-tree-thoughtful-sunburst-gift-idea

click to enlarge

Deck the walls with Christmas cards,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

‘Tis the season to branch out,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Place the cards in the shape of a Christmas tree

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Use painter’s tape or removable adhesive squares

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

I didn’t say it would rhyme. You probably had to sing it a couple of times to get all the words in but I think you got the message!

I love displaying our Christmas cards from friends and family to enjoy during the holiday season. This year, I used my cards as decorations to make a Christmas tree on my wall.

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5 Ways to Tell If You’re a Crappy Gift Giver

- - Catch All

5-ways-to-tell-crappy-gift-giver

1)  YOU’LL ONLY BUY A GIFT IF IT’S ON SALE

More than anything you’re focused on the bottom dollar. You’re not willing to spend very much money on anyone – not even your best friend or your own mother. So you buy only items that are on sale. When you see a 50% OFF sign or a bright red CLEARANCE sign, you immediately think, “Who on my Christmas shopping list can I buy for?” You think it’s heaven when you like something in a store and it’s BOGO (Buy One Get One) free. One for you and one for someone on your Christmas shopping list. Who cares if the person doesn’t have the same taste as you? It was BOGO!

Gift Giving Advice: The point of a gift is to show appreciation and to let someone know you’re thankful to have them in your life. By being stingy, your main focus becomes the price of the gift and not the gift itself. If you have a small budget, there are many wonderful gifts that don’t require you spending a lot of money. You can find many of them right here at www.SunburstGifts.org.

2)  YOU ONLY GIVE THE THINGS YOU LIKE

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