Christmas Shopping Guide for Boys - 2017

Check out our gift guide for the ladies here, and for the guys here.

Christmas is less than two months away! I don't know about you, I've been running our Christmas shopping plans through my head for a few weeks, and I'm ready to start checking off those mental lists.We have a few years of experience under our belts when it comes to shopping for boys, so we thought we'd share a rundown of some of our favorite gifts for these little fellas to help give you a jump start on your shopping, too!

These are all things we're thinking about for our boys this year, or items we've actually bought in the past. We follow the "four gift" plan for the most part - something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read - but we typically get two items in the want category (unless it's one more expensive gift) or add a larger family gift, plus we also do a few small gifts in stockings and a Christmas Eve box. But we try to mix in a big dose of giving along with all the getting. Here's how we do it:

Something They Want
We'll show several items in each category, but the goal would be to pick just one item per category (though we typically pick two "wants"). For this category, you can really just pick whatever your child wants the most! Here are a few of our household favorites:

1. Legos - A big starter set, or a smaller model set in their favorite theme (superheroes for us!). Plus Duplo legos for the smaller fellas (we love the construction sets, zoo, and house!)
2. Play Food - always a big hit at our house, and they've had their eyes on this pasta set.
3. Wooden Blocks - this set includes a storage box!
4. Animals - we like the the larger animals by Safari Ltd (like the mama and baby bear), but the Toob sets would also be great for a stocking!
5. Peg Doll Playsets - you can find these on etsy or make your own! We made a little camping set that our boys love, but you could do whatever interests them - superheroes, knights with a felt castle, even animals (I'm working on a raccoon family with a felt log for boy #3's birthday)!
6. Small Slide - this slide has been going strong for several years with our boys. We even bring it inside for the winter so they can slide off some energy. They use it daily!
7. Indoor Swings -  this is another of those "burn off energy in the winter" items. Boys gotta move. I would love to get this doorway swing and climbing set, and my boys would get a kick out of a pod swing. 
8. Climbing Things - our boys love the climbing dome in our backyard. And the mama would love to add some indoor climbing options for winter (it's my theme this year). My wishlist includes putting in monkey bars over the bed, some rockwall holds up the wall in their room (I like the ones that look like real rocks), or a ninja slackline. 
9. Camera - not pictured, but this is one of the best gifts we've ever given Boy #1! You can read all about which one we got and why we love it here. (see the camera here)

Something They Need
This is a really broad category, because what your kids need may be very different than what mine need! We've also put things they want that will be really useful into this category. Sometimes we end up a more boring item like shoes, and sometimes it's something fun like a sleeping bag or backpack. But remember, only one! That's the hard part.

DIY Desk Series #22 - Add-On Drawers for Any Desk

We're wrapping things up today with a final plan to add-on storage to your favorite desk. This time it's two versions of desktop drawers that are perfect for keeping your smaller office supplies in line.

P.S. Check out the rest of our free DIY Desk Plan Series here!

We'll be doing a version with two separate units like the inspiration photo. You can leave it as an open cubby, or make a small drawer to tuck in:

And a full-length version to reach completely across the desktop, with a drawer at each end (you could leave these open as cubby spaces, too.

You can stack them together, or even stack one with the hutch from yesterday's plans!

DIY Desk Series #21 - Add-On Hutches for Any Desk

We're wrapping up our series with a couple add-on storage plans that can be modified for use with any desk in our series. Today we'll be looking at two simple hutch designs that will be a great addition to your work space!

P.S. Check out the rest of our free DIY Desk Plan Series here!

inspiration photo source

We'll be building a taller hutch with shelves at the top, and a shorter hutch with the shelves on the side.

Here are a few more hutch inspirations to get your wheels turning:

Want a little drama? Make your hutch extra tall and add trim around the top.

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Try shelves on both sides for even more book storage.

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Or an extra short hutch for a different look.

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But enough chit-chat. Let's get started! Here are shopping lists for the tall hutch as-is, but keep in mind you'll likely need to change the width of the hutch to fit your desk, so you'll need a different amount of 1x10s. Scroll down for instructions for the shorter hutch.

DIY Desk Series #20 - Hideaway Corner Floor Desk

This floor desk gives you a ton of work space and storage space all in one. And just wait until you see this guy's moves.

P.S. Check out the rest of our free DIY Desk Plan Series here!
And the rest of the floor desk plans here!

The storage section is on casters and can be configured into an L-shape desk.

Pull it out for a little more work surface and easier access to the storage.

And when you're done, the storage unit completely tucks underneath to free up floor space.

But wait, there's more - you can customize the storage unit to fit your needs! Big drawers, small drawers, open shelving... it can pull of any of them.