A. Jame's birthday is two months after Christmas. Plus one day.We were still trying to figure out what to do with all of her toys a month before her birthday. I knew I didn't want anymore toys. She isn't a huge fan in the first place. She has a couple of favorites i.e., (water baby, naked baby, big baby, and little baby)--but the rest I'm sure I could give away and she wouldn't even notice. She prefers to be outside, draw, paint or read.
So I decided we would have a "book themed" birthday party and encourage guests to bring their favorite children's book or make a small donation to our public library. I was a little afraid that people would become upset and feel that I was dictating what they were to buy. However, it was exactly the opposite. The party was a huge hit. It seemed that everyone was thrilled with the idea of buying books instead of toys. The library even received enough donations to purchase four new books (all of while have her name inside). Instead of having lots of toys taking up space---we had a nice neat stack of books to add to the book shelf.
It was a win-win for everyone. I highly recommend trying something like with your family. Especially making some sort of donation in honor of the event, whether it be a Birthday, Anniversary or another Holiday it is a wonderful way to teach your child about giving and selflessness.
