It’s Christmas Eve, and we’re celebrating the final day before Christmas with something special! As we wait for Santa to drop down the chimney and leave lots of gifts under the tree, the elves are up to a little magic of their own. This fun annual holiday tradition is one that Kristy and her family love and cherish. Read all about the Christmas Eve elf boxes below.

Frugal and Thriving may earn a small commission via affiliate links in this post. See full disclosure here.

One of my favorite traditions is our “Elf Parting Box” that we do every year. On Christmas Eve, the elves leave a special box for my kids, filled with items that represent their favorite character of the year. Some of the goodies inside include holiday pajamas, a book, an ornament for the tree, a plush toy, and hot cocoa with candy. I love how their tree has become a collection of meaningful ornaments, each marking a different phase in their lives, and it’s always so nice to look back on those memories. Even after they stop believing in the elves, I’ll keep this tradition alive. After all, who doesn’t love a new pair of pajamas and some chocolate on Christmas? What are some of your favorite traditions?

These gingerbread man boxes are just adorable! They’re a festive way to store all the little goodies you’ve got. This year’s themes are Hello Kitty and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Cozy pajamas are a must! This Hello Kitty set is purrrr-fect for Christmas morning, and these Sonic the Hedgehog pajamas are delightful treat.

A holiday-themed book is always a good idea! Meet the Scout Elves and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever were this year’s choices.

Cute companions! These sweet plushes (Sonic and Hello Kitty, accordingly) will be their new besties, always ready for a little snuggle.

And, of course, new ornaments for the tree! Grab your themed Hello Kitty and Sonic ornaments and add them to the collection for the kids’ tree (if you have a dedicated one).

It’s Christmas Eve, and we’re celebrating the final day before Christmas with something special! As we wait for Santa to drop down the chimney and leave lots of gifts under the tree, the elves are up to a little magic of their own. This fun annual holiday tradition is one that Kristy and her family love and cherish. Read all about the Christmas Eve elf boxes below.

Frugal and Thriving may earn a small commission via affiliate links in this post. See full disclosure here.

One of my favorite traditions is our “Elf Parting Box” that we do every year. On Christmas Eve, the elves leave a special box for my kids, filled with items that represent their favorite character of the year. Some of the goodies inside include holiday pajamas, a book, an ornament for the tree, a plush toy, and hot cocoa with candy. I love how their tree has become a collection of meaningful ornaments, each marking a different phase in their lives, and it’s always so nice to look back on those memories. Even after they stop believing in the elves, I’ll keep this tradition alive. After all, who doesn’t love a new pair of pajamas and some chocolate on Christmas? What are some of your favorite traditions?

These gingerbread man boxes are just adorable! They’re a festive way to store all the little goodies you’ve got. This year’s themes are Hello Kitty and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Cozy pajamas are a must! This Hello Kitty set is purrrr-fect for Christmas morning, and these Sonic the Hedgehog pajamas are delightful treat.

A holiday-themed book is always a good idea! Meet the Scout Elves and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever were this year’s choices.

Cute companions! These sweet plushes (Sonic and Hello Kitty, accordingly) will be their new besties, always ready for a little snuggle.

And, of course, new ornaments for the tree! Grab your themed Hello Kitty and Sonic ornaments and add them to the collection for the kids’ tree (if you have a dedicated one).

White elephant gifts are a great way to celebrate the holidays with friends, family , or coworkers. It takes the pressure off of having to find the perfect gift, because the expectation is that the gift is meant to be lighthearted and fun. Whether you like to go the gag gift route or you enjoy gifting something a bit more practical, these white elephant gift ideas from Amazon will do the trick! See our roundup below.

Frugal and Thriving may earn a small commission via affiliate links in this post. See full disclosure here.

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1. Add a little dark humor to your every day with this daily calendar!

2. And watch your last nerve go up in flames with this funny candle.

3. Who doesn’t love a good dad joke?! Keep ’em coming with this Dad Joke 3000.

4. Want to know what the future holds? Consult Mr. Predicto for a glimpse of what’s coming.

5. Spread the positivity with this adorable positive duck!

6. The tool that does it al! This multitool is great for anyone to keep handy.

7. Take your drinking games to the next level with shot roulette!

8. Scritch-scratch! Get those hard-to-reach spots with this telescopic back scratcher.

9. Snuggle up like a little burrito with this burrito blanket!

10. Fling those frickin’ chickens! The fun never stops with this silly game.

11. When you just can’t take it anymore, this screaming goat will be there for you with a sympathetic scream.

12. Time doesn’t exist on the toilet . . . until now. Gift this toilet timer to the person who spends way too much time on the john.

13. What makes a better white elephant gift than a pair of comfy cozy elephant slippers??

“I’m bored in the house i’m in the house bored”… Oh sorry, nothing to see here! For my house, I fortunately haven’t had to hear those dreaded two little words. Last summer was my first full summer with kids who weren’t doing some kind of summer camp and were literally on summer break from school. I ended up logging all of our daily activities on my Facebook page and it really was wild how busy I was able to keep them! It’s pretty much the same song and dance this summer break and I’ve got some great boredom busters for you to try!

bored little boy leaning against the railing

This current summer isn’t much different than last year, other than one of my kids is attending a four week summer intervention program. This is a three hour long, three days a week, for four weeks program. She loves going to school so this is something that she looks forward too!

Frugal and Thriving may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this post, see full disclosure here.

Pool – We have an above ground pool so a lot of time we don’t have to leave the house, my kids are fish and can literally swim around for most of the day. We have a ton of floats, diving toys, the watermelon ball and goggles, all you need to add is a friend or two sometimes and that’s a wrap!

Library Events – We have an amazing library in our town that offers a summer reading program for the kids, coordinated story times and crafts, demonstrations, classes and special events to attend. Our events are well known and loved so you often times have to be quick to sign up or you’ll be placed on a waiting list! Check your local library for summer hours and events, I was surprised at how often we go there during summer break. This summer they are also doing a scavenger hunt including other local businesses in town.

$2 Kid Movies at Regal Theaters – My kids love these, even if it’s a movie they’ve seen before, there’s nothing like seeing it on the big screen! Our theater has the nice reclining seats, so we bring blankets to get cozy, even my two year old son sits through a whole movie! On Tuesday showings, if your a rewards member the popcorn is half off so all five of us can see a movie and eat the oh so buttery popcorn for under $15! We sign up for all the movies we want from the end of June through August and if something comes up and we can make it, you have the option to release your seats and get a refund, I love the no pressure aspect of it.

Kids’ Bowl FREE! – This is a good activity on a rainy day! We have a few bowling alley’s around us that participate in the Kid’s Bowl FREE program where kids can bowl two FREE games of bowling each day during the Spring and Summer months. Sometimes we’ll go just us or we will make plans with friends to meet up and let the kids all bowl together and grab some lunch while we’re there! It is super easy to sign up too; you just find a participating center in your community by inputting your zip code, register your kids and go bowling! Two games is just enough time until they are ready to head back home!

Zoo/Aquarium Membership – We have a membership to our local zoo and when it’s not too hot, we’ll make a day of it getting our steps in and seeing all of the animals we can get to, along with some of the activities that they have, such as a train-ride, feeding the giraffes, and more. The more the merrier, with our guest passes we can bring some friends to join in on the fun too!

VBS – Vacation Bible School! VBS happens all throughout the end of June, July and beginning of August. We attended and I was a group leader for our home church VBS program. We also VBS – hop around to experience our friends church programs! They are usually 5 days long for 2-3 hours – either in the morning or at night. There’s a theme and so many activities, no two do it the same, and my kids thoroughly enjoy them, they just finished one where they got to see a live helicopter land, do a demonstration and take off!

County Programs – The county where I live has an events calendar every summer, they include family friendly shows located at different locations, the latest one we attended was a pirate magic show and movies in the park, so 1-2 times per week a movie will be projected onto an inflatable screen and the public can come out with their entire family and watch! We like to pack up our lawn chairs, blankets, bug spray, lantern, lots of snacks and popcorn and head on our way to catch an outdoor movie with friends or just us! All of our county programs are FREE to the public! They even offer summer concerts, pickle ball, guided trail walks and other special events.

Let us know in the comments what type of boredom busters you do with the littles to keep them busy!

“I’m bored in the house i’m in the house bored”… Oh sorry, nothing to see here! For my house, I fortunately haven’t had to hear those dreaded two little words. Last summer was my first full summer with kids who weren’t doing some kind of summer camp and were literally on summer break from school. I ended up logging all of our daily activities on my Facebook page and it really was wild how busy I was able to keep them! It’s pretty much the same song and dance this summer break and I’ve got some great boredom busters for you to try!

bored little boy leaning against the railing

This current summer isn’t much different than last year, other than one of my kids is attending a four week summer intervention program. This is a three hour long, three days a week, for four weeks program. She loves going to school so this is something that she looks forward too!

Frugal and Thriving may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this post, see full disclosure here.

Pool – We have an above ground pool so a lot of time we don’t have to leave the house, my kids are fish and can literally swim around for most of the day. We have a ton of floats, diving toys, the watermelon ball and goggles, all you need to add is a friend or two sometimes and that’s a wrap!

Library Events – We have an amazing library in our town that offers a summer reading program for the kids, coordinated story times and crafts, demonstrations, classes and special events to attend. Our events are well known and loved so you often times have to be quick to sign up or you’ll be placed on a waiting list! Check your local library for summer hours and events, I was surprised at how often we go there during summer break. This summer they are also doing a scavenger hunt including other local businesses in town.

$2 Kid Movies at Regal Theaters – My kids love these, even if it’s a movie they’ve seen before, there’s nothing like seeing it on the big screen! Our theater has the nice reclining seats, so we bring blankets to get cozy, even my two year old son sits through a whole movie! On Tuesday showings, if your a rewards member the popcorn is half off so all five of us can see a movie and eat the oh so buttery popcorn for under $15! We sign up for all the movies we want from the end of June through August and if something comes up and we can make it, you have the option to release your seats and get a refund, I love the no pressure aspect of it.

Kids’ Bowl FREE! – This is a good activity on a rainy day! We have a few bowling alley’s around us that participate in the Kid’s Bowl FREE program where kids can bowl two FREE games of bowling each day during the Spring and Summer months. Sometimes we’ll go just us or we will make plans with friends to meet up and let the kids all bowl together and grab some lunch while we’re there! It is super easy to sign up too; you just find a participating center in your community by inputting your zip code, register your kids and go bowling! Two games is just enough time until they are ready to head back home!

Zoo/Aquarium Membership – We have a membership to our local zoo and when it’s not too hot, we’ll make a day of it getting our steps in and seeing all of the animals we can get to, along with some of the activities that they have, such as a train-ride, feeding the giraffes, and more. The more the merrier, with our guest passes we can bring some friends to join in on the fun too!

VBS – Vacation Bible School! VBS happens all throughout the end of June, July and beginning of August. We attended and I was a group leader for our home church VBS program. We also VBS – hop around to experience our friends church programs! They are usually 5 days long for 2-3 hours – either in the morning or at night. There’s a theme and so many activities, no two do it the same, and my kids thoroughly enjoy them, they just finished one where they got to see a live helicopter land, do a demonstration and take off!

County Programs – The county where I live has an events calendar every summer, they include family friendly shows located at different locations, the latest one we attended was a pirate magic show and movies in the park, so 1-2 times per week a movie will be projected onto an inflatable screen and the public can come out with their entire family and watch! We like to pack up our lawn chairs, blankets, bug spray, lantern, lots of snacks and popcorn and head on our way to catch an outdoor movie with friends or just us! All of our county programs are FREE to the public! They even offer summer concerts, pickle ball, guided trail walks and other special events.

Let us know in the comments what type of boredom busters you do with the littles to keep them busy!

tired little girl sleeping on book at home

“I’m bored in the house i’m in the house bored”… Oh sorry, nothing to see here! For my house, I fortunately haven’t had to hear those dreaded two little words. Last summer was my first full summer with kids who weren’t doing some kind of summer camp and were literally on summer break from school. I ended up logging all of our daily activities on my Facebook page and it really was wild how busy I was able to keep them! It’s pretty much the same song and dance this summer break and I’ve got some great boredom busters for you to try!

bored little boy leaning against the railing

This current summer isn’t much different than last year, other than one of my kids is attending a four week summer intervention program. This is a three hour long, three days a week, for four weeks program. She loves going to school so this is something that she looks forward too!

Frugal and Thriving may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this post, see full disclosure here.

Pool – We have an above ground pool so a lot of time we don’t have to leave the house, my kids are fish and can literally swim around for most of the day. We have a ton of floats, diving toys, the watermelon ball and goggles, all you need to add is a friend or two sometimes and that’s a wrap!

Library Events – We have an amazing library in our town that offers a summer reading program for the kids, coordinated story times and crafts, demonstrations, classes and special events to attend. Our events are well known and loved so you often times have to be quick to sign up or you’ll be placed on a waiting list! Check your local library for summer hours and events, I was surprised at how often we go there during summer break. This summer they are also doing a scavenger hunt including other local businesses in town.

$2 Kid Movies at Regal Theaters – My kids love these, even if it’s a movie they’ve seen before, there’s nothing like seeing it on the big screen! Our theater has the nice reclining seats, so we bring blankets to get cozy, even my two year old son sits through a whole movie! On Tuesday showings, if your a rewards member the popcorn is half off so all five of us can see a movie and eat the oh so buttery popcorn for under $15! We sign up for all the movies we want from the end of June through August and if something comes up and we can make it, you have the option to release your seats and get a refund, I love the no pressure aspect of it.

Kids’ Bowl FREE! – This is a good activity on a rainy day! We have a few bowling alley’s around us that participate in the Kid’s Bowl FREE program where kids can bowl two FREE games of bowling each day during the Spring and Summer months. Sometimes we’ll go just us or we will make plans with friends to meet up and let the kids all bowl together and grab some lunch while we’re there! It is super easy to sign up too; you just find a participating center in your community by inputting your zip code, register your kids and go bowling! Two games is just enough time until they are ready to head back home!

Zoo/Aquarium Membership – We have a membership to our local zoo and when it’s not too hot, we’ll make a day of it getting our steps in and seeing all of the animals we can get to, along with some of the activities that they have, such as a train-ride, feeding the giraffes, and more. The more the merrier, with our guest passes we can bring some friends to join in on the fun too!

VBS – Vacation Bible School! VBS happens all throughout the end of June, July and beginning of August. We attended and I was a group leader for our home church VBS program. We also VBS – hop around to experience our friends church programs! They are usually 5 days long for 2-3 hours – either in the morning or at night. There’s a theme and so many activities, no two do it the same, and my kids thoroughly enjoy them, they just finished one where they got to see a live helicopter land, do a demonstration and take off!

County Programs – The county where I live has an events calendar every summer, they include family friendly shows located at different locations, the latest one we attended was a pirate magic show and movies in the park, so 1-2 times per week a movie will be projected onto an inflatable screen and the public can come out with their entire family and watch! We like to pack up our lawn chairs, blankets, bug spray, lantern, lots of snacks and popcorn and head on our way to catch an outdoor movie with friends or just us! All of our county programs are FREE to the public! They even offer summer concerts, pickle ball, guided trail walks and other special events.

Let us know in the comments what type of boredom busters you do with the littles to keep them busy!

It’s that time of year when the weather is getting nicer and you’ll spend hours trying to convince your kids to put down the iPads and get outside for some much needed fresh air! If you’re struggling to find fun outdoor activities for your littles, we’ve rounded up some enticing options that will provide endless afternoons of entertainment. See our roundup below.

Toys and Games

Frugal and Thriving may earn a small commission via affiliate links in this post. See full disclosure here.

Sensory Garden Box | Sensory Construction Box | Frisbee Golf | Inflatable Wheel | Connect 4 Game | Twangled | Nature Walk Lantern | Scavenger Hunt | Butterfly Garden | Rocket Launchers

Your kiddos will be entertained while building hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and critical thinking skills. They can tend to a butterfly garden, play a game of frisbee golf or Connect 4, or build their very own rocket launcher!

Bubble Wands | Bubble Blower | Water Blasters | Girls’ Bike | Bubble Machine | Sidewalk Chalk | Boys’ Bike | Foam Axe Thrower | Toss & Catch Game | Bubble Lawn Mower | Disc Bowling | 8-in1 Sports Set

These toys will offer hours of fun and keep your young ones active. Watch them blow bubbles, ride a bike, or bowl strike after strike.

Inflatable Pool | Soccer Goals | Water Table | Large Bounce House | Basketball Hoop | Slide | Small Bounce House | Swing Set | Cottage Playhouse

Add a (semi)permanent play fixture to your backyard so the kids can play time and time again. A swing set, basketball hoop, or inflatable pool for those sweltering summer days are all wonderful options!

DIY Birdfeeders

And if you’re looking for an easy hands-on activity you can do with your kids, these DIY birdfeeders are great for spring!!

What you need:

  • Cardboard
  • Scissors
  • String
  • Peanut Butter
  • Birdseed

How to make birdfeeders:

  • Cut cardboard into whatever shapes you prefer (we did hearts!)
  • Punch a hole at the top and tie a piece of string into a loop
  • Spread peanut butter onto both sides of cardboard cutout
  • Dip onto plate of birdseed to cover peanut butter completely
  • Hang feeder from tree or bush and wait for the birds to flock!

It’s that time of year when the weather is getting nicer and you’ll spend hours trying to convince your kids to put down the iPads and get outside for some much needed fresh air! If you’re struggling to find fun outdoor activities for your littles, we’ve rounded up some enticing options that will provide endless afternoons of entertainment. See our roundup below.

Toys and Games

Frugal and Thriving may earn a small commission via affiliate links in this post. See full disclosure here.

Sensory Garden Box | Sensory Construction Box | Frisbee Golf | Inflatable Wheel | Connect 4 Game | Twangled | Nature Walk Lantern | Scavenger Hunt | Butterfly Garden | Rocket Launchers

Your kiddos will be entertained while building hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and critical thinking skills. They can tend to a butterfly garden, play a game of frisbee golf or Connect 4, or build their very own rocket launcher!

Bubble Wands | Bubble Blower | Water Blasters | Girls’ Bike | Bubble Machine | Sidewalk Chalk | Boys’ Bike | Foam Axe Thrower | Toss & Catch Game | Bubble Lawn Mower | Disc Bowling | 8-in1 Sports Set

These toys will offer hours of fun and keep your young ones active. Watch them blow bubbles, ride a bike, or bowl strike after strike.

Inflatable Pool | Soccer Goals | Water Table | Large Bounce House | Basketball Hoop | Slide | Small Bounce House | Swing Set | Cottage Playhouse

Add a (semi)permanent play fixture to your backyard so the kids can play time and time again. A swing set, basketball hoop, or inflatable pool for those sweltering summer days are all wonderful options!

DIY Birdfeeders

And if you’re looking for an easy hands-on activity you can do with your kids, these DIY birdfeeders are great for spring!!

What you need:

  • Cardboard
  • Scissors
  • String
  • Peanut Butter
  • Birdseed

How to make birdfeeders:

  • Cut cardboard into whatever shapes you prefer (we did hearts!)
  • Punch a hole at the top and tie a piece of string into a loop
  • Spread peanut butter onto both sides of cardboard cutout
  • Dip onto plate of birdseed to cover peanut butter completely
  • Hang feeder from tree or bush and wait for the birds to flock!