If you’re looking for the perfect stocking stuffer for your musical child, I highly recommend checking out my Holiday Gift Guides from years past. These are great lists (if I do say so myself).
This year’s guide is for children: What gifts can kids GIVE this year?
In some ways, it’s hard being a kid during the holidays…no money, no car, and no unsupervised time during which to procure a gift. Here are some ideas for gifts musical kids can give during Christmas:
- Caroling. Children can knock on neighbors’ doors and serenade with a few holiday songs. They can enlist the help of family members and friends to play and/or sing along. Be sure to bring music and/or lyrics if involving others.
- “Give” a song to to your parent or grandparent. Children can write out the name of the song they’d like to perform for their parent, and then wrap it in a box. When the parent unwraps the box and reads the name of the song, the child will “give” the song to the parent by playing it for them.
- Holiday jam session. The highlight of my visits with extended family involve me playing music with my cousins. When we were younger and less skilled, we would all take turns playing a song for one another. As we got older, we started to learn the other cousins’ songs and could play in harmony. A lot of the time it sounded bad. But over the years we gained confidence and skill, and the jam sessions became enjoyable for the non-musical family members. Always bring your instrument to family gatherings!
- Play at church. This one might be easy or hard depending on if and what kind of church you attend. Growing up, the youth in my church would present a Christmas pageant every year. Every child participated in some way, and the music director always gave any child who wanted to play or sing the chance to perform . As I progressed, I was soon invited to play in the adult services. Talk to your pastor or music/choir director to find out ways to serve. If not during a service, perhaps at a Christmas dinner or social event.
- Play at a soup kitchen. One year when I was a teenager, my extended family decided not to invite us to Christmas dinner. But the knot of sadness in my throat soon turned to joy when my chamber music coach invited me to play at a soup kitchen on Christmas day. I showed up with my parents to a church in an economically disadvantaged area of Chicago. As the homeless entered the building and stood in line for their meal, I played through very simple Christmas songs, much like the ones found in the Christmas Kaleidoscope books, along with younger students. I felt so good about myself afterwards because I got to be a leader of the younger kids, and I knew my music was very much appreciated. That was, to this day, the best Christmas ever.
