Kids' Holiday Gift Guide, Scandi-Style

Instead of piles of presents under the tree, Scandi-style Santa gifts fewer, higher quality items that entice long-term, unstructured and imaginative free play, ideally outside.

Nov 22, 2024

“This year I’ll prove that Santa Claus is not real!” my middle son proclaimed yesterday.

“Well, what’s going to happen to the presents Santa would bring you, if you decide he doesn’t exist?” I asked.

“They are from you anyhow! The card from Santa was in your handwriting!”

Guilty as charged. That said, whether you believe in Santa or not, and whether you live near the North Pole or not, you can still gift like you believed and like you lived near the Arctic Circle. Why? Because as a parent, it will make your holiday season simpler, less stressful, and more enjoyable—with more free time to actually do what you really want to do: relax, take some me-time, and bond with your littles.

There are a few guidelines to Nordic-inspired gifting. Note that it is not the same as what parents gift to their kids in the Nordics. I have compiled this guide so that you can give your children the gift of a more Nordic-like childhood: more play, and ideally outside. Nordic kids already get that at daycare, at school and with the independence they have to roam around their neighborhood—we can create that for them at home.

Use these guidelines and the gift guide as thought-starters, stick to those that would benefit your kid, skip what would not, and remember, I also keep adjusting my guidelines each year based on how the Christmas went—so this is an evergreen project with a goal to get as much joy out of your holiday as possible, and not repeat anything that you lost sleep over (like wrapping too many gifts the night before), or brought too much stress (like complex gifts that parents need to take hours to build).

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I also would love for you to use the actual GIFT LIST as inspiration—some items might be exactly what you are looking for, and some might give you ideas for something else. Some items are pricy: they are meant to last for years and from child to child (and they can be a shared gift). Don’t break the bank. Pricier item doesn’t mean it’s a “better gift”.

Some of the links in the gift guide are affiliate links; this newsletter is free so if you purchase anything using these links (or share them), I might get a small bonus fee, and I really appreciate it. Thank you for that!

1.Three Gifts Per Kid

While there are no official numbers on this, three gifts per kid for Christmas sounds like Nordic-style amount. For example, Jonas, my 4-year-old, will get a bike with training wheels, a big gift to keep him active outdoors, a book from his favorite Finnish series Tatu & Patu, and a little headlamp for outdoor or indoor adventures after dark.

If your child gets gifts from other family members, coordinate: it’s better to invest together in a better-quality, long term gifts rather than a one-time thing. I don’t think the amount you spend on gifts or the size need to be similar for each kid: it’s the joy that counts.

Displaying everything under the tree can make things tricky for that, but there’s a workaround: you could, for example, put a few burlap sacks under the tree, with the child’s name on it. You could put each gift (wrapped or unwrapped) in a larger paper or canvas bag with a bow on it. You could create a trail of gifts to the window sill or fireplace (Santa was in a rush!) to create visual illusions for siblings who might instantly compare gift sizes.

If you or your spouse has been on the “tons of gifts” per child track (look, I get it—that's my American husband:-), you could, for example, explain to the kids that now that they are older, at whatever age they happen to be at, they move to a different category in the North Pole Gift List and will start getting fewer but way nicer gifts. It’s all about how you sell it!

2.Long-Term Gifts

My long-term philosophy means that a gift should be able to be enjoyed for at least a year. If it can not be, then it’s not something Santa would think of—because he wants maximum joy for the children until he returns again!

Think: bike instead of a lego set. A mud kitchen or gardening station instead of a remote control car (that no one remembers to put new batteries in, and of which the actual remote control will always get lost). Wooden train tracks rather than an electric train that a child can’t actually do anything imaginative with.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a lego set, if you want to buy yourself an hour or two of relaxation time as the child builds it—but that’s often all you get from it. I sometimes buy legos throughout the year just for that purpose: “babysitting”. Legos can be rebuilt of course, but once you have one box full of old legos to rebuild, any new legos are unnecessary and don’t count as long-term play.

3.Free Play Gifts

Toys that are electronic, toys that do something on their own, or toys that keep the child stationary belong on the “skip”-list. These types of toys do not offer the kind of creativity, imagination and exploration that will turn that gift into a long-term, active toy.

There are exceptions of course as always, and only you know your child: the electric toys that have brought years of joy for our boys have been the chargeable electric cars they can actually ride in—they drove around Brooklyn streets in them and on Connecticut streets and on our backyard and driveway until the cars actually stopped functioning. We still have one that works. Another exception is something like a battery-operated flash light (just teach your child how to change the batteries by himself).

When you choose a free play gift, think of it as something that entices play that doesn’t require supervision or participation from a grownup, and it has no defined purpose or end goal, no specific start or end. It’s a tool that feeds the child’s imagination. I also consider sport items to be free play tools.

Now, let’s start shopping! I have several of these items on this list, so if you have questions, just leave a comment.

GIFT GUIDE FOR KIDS: OUTDOORS, choose based on your weather

mud station / gardening station for the outdoors
scooter from 1+ to teen
bike with training wheels (with tips on how to get the right size)
buckets, small shovels and large shovels, watering can, rake and other yard tools, outdoor broom & snow shovel (I also tried to find a Nordic staple: kids’ snow plow, but couldn’t find one!) — these are all staples at many Nordic daycare playgrounds where kids play outside for hours, and taken out seasonally—we have had ll these for a long time, so I can’t find the exact ones we have
Jenga wood blocks (we have those x 2)
electric mini cars (Jonas has this)
Kids’s trick or BMX scooter (great for backyard tricks)
Skate/ Bike Jumps/ Ramps (we have this)
Freestyle BMX/ Trick Bike (works great with the skateboard ramp)
Skateboard or Cruiser
Hoverboard (also get a full face helmet:-)
Sports equipment: soccer goals, soccer balls, ice or hockey skates (Do not order skates online!! Skate sizes are not the same as shoe sizes and they need to fit like socks. Go to a local skate/hockey shop that sells used skates and get them fitted), street hockey sticks and pucks, basketball hoop and ball, tennis rackets and balls (tips on how to get the right size racket)
Sled or racer
Cross country skis (you need to get these fitted as you need special shoes also) or snow shoes
Snow shoes

GIFT GUIDE FOR KIDS: INDOORS

Indoor Jungle Gym: swings, indoor knotted climbing rope (lower price point options here), wall climbing bars (different price point options here), balance beam (or get in on Amazon), little kids climbing set (or get in on Amazon), trapeze bar (I don’t like any of the Amazon options as they have handle bars attached the trapeze bar, hindering kids’ movement on the trapeze), monkey bars
Wooden slide
Dollhouse (modern ones are great for boys and girls): Jonas got this one for his birthday (also on Amazon) and it’s so amazing for imaginary play for boys and girls
Rocking Horse
Stapelstein stacking stones
Wooden train tracks and trains (Brio)
Real cooking or baking supplies (if they love cooking and baking): they also don’t need to be “kid” sized; you can buy the brands you’d also use
Toddler tower (to participate in everything by the kitchen counter)
Large rolled painting canvas (you can cut pieces or just use it as is—sometimes I throw it just on grass and all my kids paint together on the same canvas) and water-soluble (but oil-like) non-toxic paint and paint brushes for younger kids/ paint brushes for older kids
Real sowing machine or knitting supplies
Woodwork: pieces of wood, saw, hammer, nails and cloth! (stop by your local hardware store)
Record player & records for music lovers (I’d go to a proper music store to learn about the options, but Amazon picks here).
Indoor herb garden to plant and take care of for plant and food lovers

Other ideas?

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