DCF Christmas Ideas

[Baby Beluga]

The thread about a Christmas social gathering with DCF's got me thinking - what do you get your families for Christmas?

I was toying with the idea of doing a date night out for a couple of hours in early December free of charge to the parents as their gift.

[bananas]

I've been taking candid lifestyle-type pictures photos of the kids playing/doing their thing I'm going to put together an album for each parent of their kid's pictures from Shutterfly. I'm hoping to get into kids photography one day so I'm getting good practice in

Here's one of my daughter:

[rosieteddy]

I took the children an extra night for "dinner and a movie" .What a long day that was.I guess I am just not into extra hours with dc kids anymore.For the last 5 yrs I have done a "family gift" I buy pajamas that match for the children a holiday book a movie from when my children were little (last year was Fieval).I include movie snacks,a juice box and sometimes a small stuffed animal (oriental trade).A new toothbrush. Then I write a card or note "put pj's on set movie up give snacks,when movie done brush teeth read story and bed" what parent does with the 2 hours is up to them. All the parents loved getting matching pj's (most used them for Christmas morning)Some shared that they got takeout and had a glass of wine while the kids were entertained. Works for me.

[snbauser]

The dinner that I host is my gift to the families. I tell them that it is a night where they don't need to cook, don't need to worry about the kids while they eat, and don't need to clean up.

[CraftyMom]

I don't get gifts for my dcf's. I have the kids make a craft and we wrap it for the parents. Last year was salt dough handprint santas

[Unregistered]

Nothing for the family from me. The kids make a gift though.

[midaycare]

I'm doing a photo album for parents too. I take pics almost daily!

[Josiegirl]

Nothing here either. Makes me feel like a Grinch but I just cannot afford it.
The dcks make something for the parents and I always send a plate of goodies home or a bread of some kind with all. Well, I guess I do give them something I've baked. But that's it. And since I've been without a camera for most of the year, I can't do anything with pictures either. One year I took pictures all year long and then did a calendar made out of poems, handprint picture each month along with a picture of their child. It was a LOT of work, they came out super cute and I think 1 dcp said thanks. So I decided I'd never do those again. I would have been thrilled getting something like that when my kids were small.
Anyways, I digress.

[LysesKids]

I do an open house brunch the 2nd Sunday in December between 10:30a-1:30p. Nothing fancy, but at most I have 25 people yearly come in and out to chat & snack. Last year all my parents brought gifts, and it's when I hand out the little gifts to my "bubalas" (the babies)

[taylorw1210]

I don't do gifts for the dcp's, but I do have the kids make a gift for their parent. This year I think we're going to do the hand print on an ornament and paint them into snowmen. (http://www.pinterest.com/pin/124552745918143577/)

I do little gifts for the dck's. Last year it was a box with a set of large crayons, a few coloring books, an usborne book, and a few christmas themed candy pieces. I'm not sure what I'll be doing this year, yet... but I try to keep it around $10-$15 per kid.

[Second Home]

I don't do gifts for the dcp but each dck gets a gift. The dck make cards , crafts for their parents . Also the dck make cookies to decorate and send home.

[CraftyMom]

Those who do photo albums...are you talking printing pictures and putting them in an album? Or a photo book that you make online?

I take a ton of pics, maybe I'll do a simple album.

I love the photo books, but they are time consuming! I started one when a fave dcb was leaving but I got too detailed with it, spent HOURS on it and only had 4 pages done so I gave up ::

I do them for my own kids though

[taylorw1210]

Those who do photo albums...are you talking printing pictures and putting them in an album? Or a photo book that you make online?

I take a ton of pics, maybe I'll do a simple album.

I love the photo books, but they are time consuming! I started one when a fave dcb was leaving but I got too detailed with it, spent HOURS on it and only had 4 pages done so I gave up ::

I do them for my own kids though

I'm lazy and make ones through shutterfly. Super easy, not too time consuming, and they turn out really nice! And they always have specials running on their photo books it seems.

[mim]

I don't do gifts for the dcp's, but I do have the kids make a gift for their parent. This year I think we're going to do the hand print on an ornament and paint them into snowmen. (http://www.pinterest.com/pin/124552745918143577/)

I made these a few years ago for all my dcks. They turned out super cute. I got one from my son when he was in pre k. That sparked the idea.

I don't do gifts for my dcf. Kids make something tho. I don't know what to do this year. The dck get a book from me.

[CraftyMom]

I'm lazy and make ones through shutterfly. Super easy, not too time consuming, and they turn out really nice! And they always have specials running on their photo books it seems.

It was shutterfly that I was using :: I think it's just me being too detail oriented!