Holidays come each year, and go each year. Gifts are given. In those gifts are always ones my kids won’t play with. Why? So many reasons, but the biggest: toys are too young for them. So many people don’t include a gift receipt with holiday gifts. Don’t do that. Give a gift receipt to save a mother’s sanity. If I had gift receipts I’d head to the right store, and return the toys.

Gift receipts, providing them with your gifts, saves moms from going nuts trying to return toys stores don’t even sell.

Give a gift receipt if you love someone

When doing last minute holiday shopping, politely ask the cashier for a gift receipt for the items you’re buying. It’s super easy for them to do these days. All the major stores easily print out gift receipts upon request. Trust me, it makes for happier mothers, and fathers, whose children receive gifts that don’t “fit” their age. It also helps if toys don’t work when taken out of the box.

Don’t get me wrong, my kids and I appreciate all thoughtful gifts. I love them being cherished by everyone. Knowing people want to get them gifts to mark the holiday, is phenomenal. However, if a toy isn’t appropriate for my child, it would be great to return it, and buy something more useful. Even get the credit, and use it at a later time.

Buying gifts for kids

Unless you know the kid like nobody’s business, and can choose the perfect toy, or outfit, or hair accessories, for the child: ask for a gift receipt. Of course, if you are re-gifting the item, you can’t provide the receipt. I get it. However, when you re-gift, just take a little look at the age range for a toy. My son, is five years old, and a bit mature for his age, received a gift for kids marked ages 3+. Usually, an item marked for ages 3+ means it’s going to be good for a kid that’s around 3, perhaps 4. If it isn’t a board game, just pass on it for a child who is five years old.

There’s also the chance the child has the toy already. My kids are always excited to open gifts, and rarely care if they already have the toy, or item. It’s more me not wanting another of the same toy, especially if it makes a ton of noise. Or is not age appropriate. The procurement of a gift receipt is more a gift for the parents of children, not so much for the children.

Again, like everyone out there, we always appreciate the gifts. An extra bonus: when the gifts come with a gift receipt, to save moms from jumping off the nearest cliff, because she doesn’t even want to think about returning items, let alone returning the items without any kind of a receipt.

Make all holidays brighter, give a gift receipt for moms, and dads.