How do you keep christmas different?

Do you stick with their wish list and top brands that are trendy with school mates each year?

We don't watch free to air tv so the advertising for toys just doesn't reach this house....

Kickstarter gets a workout primarily because the prices are better than retail for their board games and computer games, it helps launch start ups...and kickstarters utilise bulk shipping distribution centers which means we save up to US$100 on shipping. A great deal of which never reaches retail in Australia. But it requires planning as much as 6 months to 2 years in advance and being flexible if production goes overtime.

We have a ×3 comic series in the cupboard 3 card games one of the board games have arrived some gaming accessories (card caddies). 3 dice games 4 card games and 3 more board games along with extensive expansions coming.

We have some awesome dice sets incoming.

Some brilliant collectors quality graphic novel and graphic art books coming...and 2 computer games

We like their board games computer games dice and card games and they come up with some nice tech and robotics....not the sort of stuff you find in kmart. We also do an annual pilgrimage to science works where mum has some fun raiding the giftshop for some of the harder to find items.

Kmart we do hit up for craft items lego bubble wands etc..oh and their cheap remote control vehicles....jeeps helicopters spiders and quad copters ....the stocking stuffers but that's about it...

Do you have any philosophies or tactics behind your christmas shopping?

I like to peg it a little beyond where they are currently at and have it both fun and educational and its made a hit...

Those kids kitchen appliances their dad brought were 5 years too late and crashed and burned as they already were using good quality breville and Kambrook appliances....they do like quality over novelty for their utensils now.

I'm wondering if I should actually consider including toy junk this year at all (they have so much of it already) I never bothered with it in the past because their dad stuck almost religiously to 'toys' and never got the age right....and he won't be sending any this year....

Anything reminding them of dad triggers them something shocking and I'm a bit hesitant to go there...even if it did balance things out a little....the youngest has literally decided to box and sell all the Zhu Zhu pets and crap he has ever given her...which gives me a hmm is it just because it is from him, she has outgrown it, or should I just not go there at all...sort of situation.

We have replaced the trampoline and they are getting it earlier rather than later because since they killed their last one which acheived the grand old age of 10 years we have needed something for her to just burn energy off on...they have more bikes than they could possibly ride including a half dozen in the shed they were given to rebuild (a house full of girls they were totally into it)

Oh and there is a stack of new books in the cupboard waiting to be wrapped and cracked....

Being as the youngest is heading into the last year stretch before high school we have considered TV's for their rooms a number of times...and then reconsidered....the computers can stay in the living room we already have to confiscate mobile devices often enough...

I didnt really have to think about it last year the financial hit of it all meant christmas was exceptionally lean and anglicare with their Christmas hamper did the bulk of it with make up by the truck load and some craft stuff....even they struggled as most of what gets donated isnt for their age group and well outside their interests.

I really am quite lost up until now my role at Christmas was to try to offset the tidal wave of junk which more often than not broke in a day....

I'd love to get them all new tablets but the budget isnt THAT generous....and their samsung galaxy 3's and 4 more than have that sort of thing covered.

I'm at the point where I'm just going to present the games and trampoline as family gifts and hand them cash to use over their holidays..... they are 14 13 and 11......