The thrill of the great Black Friday gift hunt is lost on me. A friend of mine posted the following on Facebook today: online shopping = introvert's bliss. I heartily "hear, hear" that sentiment as I would rather do many other things (i.e. eat a mega size bottle of Tums in one sitting, stick needles in my eyes, sell Scotch tape door-to-door, etc.) than brave the crazy crowds storming the gates of Target today. Black Friday may be the best day of the year to get a deal, but I was affirmed in my suspicion of the madness when I heard this report on the radio.
All of that being said, I very much enjoy searching for that perfect gift and if I had the time I would browse every enchanting storefront in Fairfield County looking for something special for each person on my list. The conflict here is that while I do enjoy browsing, I prefer the efficiency and convenience of online shopping. Since becoming a mom, Amazon Prime is pretty much my best friend. Diapers, goji berries and party balloons delivered to my door within two days and no shipping costs? Yes. Please.
While Amazon is my go-to for many items, it can be truly overwhelming as far as browsing goes. When I shop for Christmas I prefer a narrower selection of items that are specifically curated for my tastes. Now that there is a kiddo in the mix, we are considering not only the kinds of toys that are in our house but the quantity of toys. Shawn and I have decided to get Eleanor a couple of special books and a small toy or two. And seeing as just the other day she played with an empty baby food jar for, oh, 45 minutes or so, I think that she'll be happy as a clam with whatever is under the tree.
...
Here is a small list of some "mom and pop" online toy shops that I will be visiting in search for some little goodies for my sweet girl:
- Romp- Originally a brick-and-mortar store in Brooklyn, this now exclusively online store is owned by actress Kellie Martin (aka Christy Huddleston).
- Brimful- A new online store with a limited and lovely selection of toys and books
- Giggle- A high-end baby store that has a surprisingly approachable selection of toys for the "under four" set
- Fat Brain Toys- A wonderful educational toy site that has an awesome "shop by age" feature.
- Land of Nod- A well-known, larger retailer that has truly outdone itself in the toy department this year. The unique selection is extensive yet not overwhelming and just so cute. Plush-a-saurs anyone?
- As far as literary gifts go, the free 2013 Kid Lit Guide (brought to you by Modern Mrs. Darcy, but discovered through Camp Patton) is amazing! I subscribed to Modern Mrs. Darcy in order to gain access to this thoughtfully compiled list and I am so glad that I did.
I'm curious: how do you shop for your kiddos at Christmas time? Do you have any favorite stores? As always, I love suggestions!
The best kind of toy: handmade with love. A felted rattle made for baby Eleanor by my good friend, Jen.