Keeping gift giving simple

For years, my husband and I have not exchanged Christmas gifts. I am not entirely certain when we decided to do this, but it has taken a lot of stress out of the holidays. Rather than run ourselves ragged in search of the perfect gift for each other we realized we preferred to spend our money traveling, eating out or doing something fun together. As we have taken the focus off of gift giving for ourselves, I would also like to pass this idea onto our son.

In the future, I don't like the idea of him creating enormous lists, constantly nagging us to buy him certain things and  having unrealistic expectations come Christmas day. Now before I sound like a Scrooge, I will be the first admit, I am constantly buying him clothes and books throughout the year. To me, Christmas is really just an excuse to wrap up things I would naturally buy him anyway. In an effort to keep things simple I have stuck with this template for gift giving I heard of a few years ago: something to wear, something to play with and something to read. Since little children's books, clothes and toys can be so reasonably priced this might equate to an entire outfit, pajamas, a couple of books, a few art supplies and a toy. 

My favorite places to shop:

For church and special occassions: Janie and Jack. For everyday, stylish clothes: Zara and Gap Kids. For inexpensive play clothes and pajamas: Old Navy

My favorite place for fun, creative toys: Land of Nod, Pottery Barn Kids and Etsy

My favorite place for craft supplies: Modern Handmade and Target

My favorite place for books: Amazon and Land of Nod

Although, I don't have a ton of time to run around and shop at little boutiques for all my daily needs, there are a variety of wonderful little children's shops in the Seattle area I like to frequent like Clover Toys in Ballard and Wee Tots in Bellevue.