Fantastic Christmas Gifts For The Whole Family

Inside: Looking for some fantastic Christmas gifts for the whole family? Here are some ideas for one gift that the entire family can enjoy together.

Here’s something you may not know about me. I’m the middle child. I grew up with two older brothers, an older sister, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. And you know what? We’ve all multiplied. In fact, many of my nieces and nephews now have families of their own.

As you can imagine we have a very full house during the holidays. When it comes to gift-giving our budget could quickly get out of hand if we’re not careful.

One solution to avoid near bankruptcy every Christmas has been family gifts. This is basically one gift that is given for the entire family to enjoy together. This way we can give a gift to everyone and still stay within budget.

Gift Ideas that the Entire Family Can Enjoy

If you also come from a big family or your gift list has a few families on it, here are some Christmas gifts for the whole family gift that are sure to be enjoyed throughout the year.

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Board Games

Board games make the perfect family gift because they really help bring everyone together.

My family’s personal favorite is probably Catch Phrase. We all sit in a big circle every Thanksgiving and play the game. Everyone from Grandma to the older preschoolers loves playing the game.

Other family favorites include:

Qwirkle Board Game. You can vary the level of difficulty and it’s great for family members as young as five or six.

Melissa & Doug Suspend Family Game. This is a game the whole family can play and have fun. It honestly works for those as young as 3 years old and will be just as enjoyed by any competitive teen.

Scattergories Game. It’s so much fun to see the kids come up with their own ideas when playing Scattergories

And don’t forget about the classics. Classics, such as Monopoly, The Game of Life, Sorry, Clue, and Parcheesi are wonderful for the entire family to play. In fact, each of these classic board games has been in regular rotation around here.

If you’re not sure if a board game is the way to go, there are a few alternatives that still build family togetherness.

First, consider puzzles. You can pick out puzzles in all skill levels and price points.

Another alternative for hours of fun supplies for a family craft night. One year we got a large pack of colored sharpie pens and a few packs of shrinky dinks. We all had fun coming up with our own unique creations.

You can also consider an Ice Cream Ball ice cream maker. This is super fun for the family. You basically play with the ball, while the ice cream is churning away. I especially love that it doesn’t take up nearly as much room as a traditional ice cream maker.

Depending on your budget you can include some ice cream cups and toppings.

Finally, FAMILY TABLE TOPICS. This is a box filled with great questions to start great conversations.

Gift Cards For Family Activities

Another category for Christmas gifts for the whole family is to give a family activities gift card. I think gift cards are sometimes hard to give because they tend to be impersonal.

However, when your gift card is aimed to help strengthen family bonds, they are anything but impersonal. To make it easy for you, you can pretty much get any kind of gift card right on Amazon.

But if you need some ideas, here are a few of my favorites:

Bowling
Ice cream or Frozen Yogurt shop
A Family Restuarant
Ice skating rink
Movie Theater

Book Series

We absolutely loved to read together as a family. All the while the kids were growing up, it was a regular part of our nightly routine.

Some of our favorite series included:

The Chronicles of Narnia Series
The Little House Series
Lemony Snickets
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series

Our number one favorites were from the Lamplighter books. Over the years we collected quite a few of them. I think Christie’s Old Organ remains our all-time fav.

Outdoor Fun

With technology surrounding our lives, most families welcome a good excuse to get outdoors. An outdoor game is an excellent way to help them out. Here are some to consider:

Bocce Ball
Frisbee Golf
Croquet Set
Cornhole

Movie Night

Movie baskets are always a big hit. You can include a new family movie or a classic t.v. series on DVD. Some fun extras to include are a pair of cozy socks for everyone in the family. One or two couch blankets for cuddling up to watch the movie. Add some popcorn, these popcorn boxes are so cute. Then top it off with a variety of movie-style candy.

You can also pick up a good selection of snacks and candy bags.

Pizza Night

Another great family gift idea is to put together everything for a fun, homemade pizza party for the entire family. Pick up pizza dough, fresh mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce, and toppings. Include a pizza stone or pizza cutter and some breadsticks. You can even include a fun pizza parlor style tablecloth.

Everyone will have so much fun putting together their own personal pizza.

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Bonus Idea for Christmas Gifts For The Whole Family

Last year my brother came up with such a fun idea I have to tell you about it. It was a big hit and everyone loved it!! He got inexpensive water bottles (think 99 Cent store or Dollar General). He wrapped one for each person and they were all wrapped the same with no names.

Adults and kids were equally included and we all had to open our gifts at the exact same time. Then inside one of the water bottles was a card to be exchanged for a larger gift. My other brother happened to get the bottle with the card in it and out came a large 50 inch T.V.

Everyone was surprised and it was very fun. In the end, it cost him less than if he had purchased a 10 to 20 dollar gift for each person there.

You could do a television like he did, or another fun option might be a video game console or even a karaoke machine.

Christmas gifts for the whole family do more than provide a needed gift, they help that family draw closer together and strengthen family bonds. Of course, they also cut down on clutter!

What would you add to this list, I’m always looking for new ideas!