Skip time-consuming return lines; donate unwanted gifts instead

An anonymous (lovely) Parenthacker shared this suggestion for distributing the holiday gift excess:

If your kids are like many in this country, they got spoiled with tons of toys this Christmas...probably more than they know what to do with. Instead of fighting crowds and waiting in line to return them just to get a gift card to buy more stuff to clutter the home, use it to teach your children a lesson in generosity and humility. Pick a charity and take them to donate some new, unopened toys they got. For example, a Children's Hospital. They'll see how other children aren't as fortunate as they are and feel good about helping other children feel better.

Related: Teach your kids gratitude and perspective by sponsoring children via relief organizations

Comments

[magpie]

My daughter got one book that she already had. We plan to donate it to her kindergarten classroom.

[erika]

After each Christmas and birthday gift-giving frenzy I have culled through our existing toys and pulled out the ones that were outgrown, unpopular, or I just didn't like ;)

This year I decided my 3yo was old enough to participate in the process. We had a conversation about all of the friends and relatives who had given her gifts, and the fact that some kids don't have a lot of people to give them "extra" gifts (besides the ones that Santa brings, of course). I asked her if we could pick out some of her older toys to donate to these kids and she agreed. We spent an hour or so rooting through every toybox, bookshelf, nook, and cranny and choosing toys she was willing to part with. I respected her decisions, even when she insisted on keeping toys that I know she never plays with, so that she would have a sense of control and ownership of the process and not feel like I was taking her toys away from her.

In the end we loaded 4 shopping bags into my trunk and dropped them off at a local womens shelter. It was only about half of what I would have given away on my own, but my daughter learned about compassion and generosity, my home is a bit less cluttered, and the shelter has new toys for their playroom, so it really was win-win for everyone.

[Brian]

Another similar idea is to celebrate half birthdays by giving gifts to those less fortunate.

Every kid likes to be 'half' (who hasn't heard "I'm 4.5, Daddy!"). Help celebrate in a different way by picking some toys they don't want or need and donate them to a worthy organization.

[Alex]

I just asked my children's librarian at the public library, and there is a procedure for donating new books to be added to the collection. I figure it's especially nice to give them board books since they are constantly getting destroyed.

[mes]

Does any body have a trick for keeping those new toys in their boxes long enough to donate them? If you combine an excited 3 year old and some old folks who waited practically forever for their first grandchild...all you get is a pile of opened boxes and toys strewn around.

[Marita]

For my girls birthdays I've started including a note on the birthday party invitation asking for donations of old towels for the local cat shelter in lieu of gifts. My girls (3yo and 5yo) and I talked about this a lot before we did it and they love visiting the cat shelter and handing over the big bag of towels.

[jen]

the only caveat to the original idea, (which I really think is great!), is that it would continually be toys that the kid didn't favor, thus perhaps conveying that we give our second best to charity and keep the rest for ourselves. I'm not suggesting that kids give away their most highly coveted toys from the holidays but I think that we should maybe practice taking our kids out to pick a great toy THEY would love and don't have and donating that. just a thought I do think the original idea is far better and more than most do, though, so kudos for that :)

[jen]

This is an especially great idea for gifts that are food-related. If you are thinking that you might be returning that tin of cookies or sausage snack set, you might want to know that a lot of this returned merchandise ends up in the trash because stores can't legally resell it.

[nina]

Even if the items are opened I would still consider donating them to the Goodwill. Children enjoy toys all year around. It is nice to find a like new toy at the Goodwill.