My husbands cousin brings us bags and bags of clothes for our son when they come home for the holidays. They left them with the parents this time and we went to pick them up. We want to send them a gift card or something in appreciation because these are some very nice clothes. Any ideas? A store they shop at or Chuck E Cheese maybe? We have money to spend they just would rather give us their sons stuff rather than throwing it out so any ideas?
What about a Visa gift card that they can use for anything they like!
How nice to be the recipient of their generosity. Hopefully you keep paying it forward like they are!
Maybe a gift card for a place that they shop for their kids clothes (which would ultimatly fall into your hands someday :). Gift card to restaurant etc like Chuck E Cheese if they go often. Even a gift card to Toy R Us or somewhere that might help them with their holiday shopping budget.
I am the same way with my SIL. They are the ones that probably need the clothes more, but her kids are older than mine. I took her out for a pedicure and dinner and she loved it! Something she would never have done on her own and it gave us some girl time together without kids!
Without knowing anything about your husband's cousin, it is hard to give suggestions for something they would like.
Probably, the only thing needed is a heartfelt thank you, whatever that means to you. I've been on both ends of the clothes thing... received a lot when ours were little, and passed on a lot to other kids when ours outgrew/outgrow stuff. The best part of giving it to someone is knowing that it is getting used and not wasted, and being able to do something nice for someone. My favorite thing is to SEE the kids wearing the clothing! And a few comments here or there about how much the kids enjoy or love a particular item.
Chuck E Cheese is not a bad idea if the kids the clothes are being handed down from are of the age to enjoy that. I know sometimes, my kids are reluctant to get rid of certain things, even though they are long outgrown. So the kids being acknowledged for their generosity is nice, too. :)
hth
Love your idea of blessing them back. Starbucks gift card, restaurant gift card. I don't know if I'd do Chuck E Cheese though. LOL Their son might enjoy it, but not sure they would so much. LOL Pop it in a little note card with a warm thank you note.
The teacher we pass special things on to always sends a nice thank you card and a GC to someplace we all love like Dairy Queen. Something the whole family will enjoy is nice. I do donate loads of clothes, but there are just special things that I love to pass on to people I actually know. I'm sure this is the case for your husband's family member.
I'm personally not a fan of Chuck E Cheese, but if you know that they are, that would be fine.
How about a thank you card with a GC to a place to eat out?
I was in the same boat with a friend who generously gave me her son's clothes and baby equipment throughout the year. Rather than buy her a gift card for stuff that I might eventually inherit, I purchased a family membership to the local Historical Society which allowed this stay-at-home mom and son outings to over 20 museums statewide (9 in the metro alone.) They loved it! Another option is a children's museum or zoo membership. While a $100 (or less) on a gift membership seems like a lot, it was nothing compared to what I would have had to spend on clothes, and other stuff those first few years.
I think what's most important is to have your child thank them by way of making a thank you card that is very special.. I buy those blank cards from the craft shop (they also come with envelopes) and my son picks out different stickers to decorate both the card and envelope) additionally, he writes in his own words some kind and also might include a drawing that he did.
I think things like this show that great effort was put into the thank you..
best of luck
When we get lots of clothes from friends and family, I send them cookies- cookiesbydesign.com or some assortment. I figure the kids love them, and it's a great way to thank them. We also write a nice note (my kids are too young to write, but they sit next to me as I write and get a crayon to color a "picture" on the card too). We always talk about who gave us the clothes, and when we have clothes that are too small, we get excited to give them away!
