Yass Phoenix Gift Giving Guide for Children

Perhaps this year more than others, it’s important that we all support local businesses at Christmas time. Keeping our Christmas dollar in the region means economic viability for small businesses, jobs, and prosperity for all. Besides which, there are unique businesses here that provide bespoke and well-appreciated gift options.

The Phoenix is presenting a Christmas gift giving guide throughout December. Each week we’re offering two categories of gifts for your consideration – tangible presents as well as experiences for your loved ones.

The first principle of gift giving is to think about the interests and hobbies of the individual and always let your knowledge of the person in question inform your choice of gift. When buying gifts for children it’s very tempting to consider buying them gifts to build their strengths in read’in, writin’ and ‘rithmatic, but Christmas is not the time to be buying presents that highlight personal deficits. Trust us, there is no joy to be had in receiving a “Fun Maths” book on Christmas day, and nor does it have the desired effect – just the opposite! So, consider the heart and soul of your child and seek gifts that honour who they are, not who you want them to be.

For the child who enjoys playing sport, consider purchasing new sporting equipment for them. A new cricket bat, skateboard, or bicycle are always treasured on Christmas day, and if the budget is an issue, buy second-hand.

If your child is older and enjoys arts and crafts, consider one of the ‘diamond dots’ kits so they can produce a lovely sparkly work of art. Don’t also forget that some of the old-fashioned toys that we used to have, such as pom-pom making kits or “Knitting Nancy’s” are still popular with children. If your child is a budding seamstress, consider purchasing a small sewing box and filling it with sewing treasures and some ‘fat quarters’.

For the budding builder, model airplane sets, Meccano sets, and Lego are hard to beat. For our bookworms, a new book featuring their favourite author is a brilliant option. We have some amazing bookstores in our region that feature contemporary and second-hand books, so do check them out.

For the child who enjoys cooking, consider assembling a set of baking equipment for them from one of our specialist cookware stores. If the budget won’t stretch that far, go to Vinnies or the Salvation Army to see the range of baking ware on offer. You are sure to be pleasantly surprised at what you will find.

For most of us the joy of Christmas is all about giving gifts to children, but in these helter-skelter days, the most precious gift is spending time with your child – giving them your full attention; being present. Switch off your mobile device and put it away. Here’s some suggestions for spending time with your kids:

• Take the kids to the local park and play with them – no sitting on the sidelines.
• Go to Cooma Cottage in Yass. Talk about Hamilton Hume’s exploration and his life and times.
• Go camping with your kids in our region. Yes, you might not be far from home, but my goodness what a great time you will have! There are great camping facilities at Lake Burrinjuck, and you are sure to have a great time fishing and having great walks.
• Take a trek on the Hume and Hovell Track www.humeandhovelltrack.com.au.
• Take the kids to the local swimming pool and have a great time splashing around together. Buy the kids an ice-cream. Dab coloured zinc cream on their noses. Take lots of photos.

The very best Christmas gift you can ever give your child is time together – the time you spend together sharing experiences, talking over the old days, and making new memories. Let’s make Christmas 2021 the best one yet.

• Topics:

• Christmas
• Shopping