This post was in partnership with Elfster but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only recommend brands we genuinely love.
"Every year the scene is the same. You’re sitting with your extended family opening up a present from that one obscure relative that knows nothing about you, and the fake smile plastered across your face speaks volumes. You know the smile that has your eyebrows touching your hairline and shows a bit too much teeth? Yeah, that one.
Now that we’re parents, we’ve had to teach our kids that same expression so they don’t offend Aunt Mildred when they unwrap the frilly pajamas she picked out. But how do you tell every single family member exactly what you and your kids really want for the holidays? Well, good news! We have a mom hack that’s going to save you and your family from all the guesswork that comes with holiday gifting this year.
Our Best Kept Gifting Secret: Elfster
Elfster lets you set up online wishlists and a Secret Santa gift exchange all for free. For exhausted moms that get even more overwhelmed during the busiest season of the year, Elfster takes a huge burden off of our plates. Elfster allows you to create countless holiday wishlists with items from hundreds of different retailers. Imagine being able to create lists for yourself and your kids including items you would actually use, and also see other family members’ lists and immediately know what and where to shop. In fact, you don’t need to imagine–it’s real and easy to use!
Source: Social Squares
How To Make a Wishlist on Elfster
Once you create your Elfster account, you or your kids can build a wishlist on their website or their mobile app in just a few minutes. The process is so easy:
- Start adding gifts from your favorite stores through Elfster (you can also type in a wish and link a specific product you’ve had your eye on).
- After you finish curating the perfect list, copy the link and easily share your wishlist with your loved ones. And if your kids are old enough, they can also make their own wishlists to share.
- Invite your family members to create their own lists.
- You can add gifts from Elfster’s curated gift guides.
And the best part is, Elfster wishlists are perfect to use year-round for any holiday or birthday.
Source: Social Squares
Try Budget-Friendly Gifting with a Secret Santa Exchange
If your family is anything like mine with five sets of grandparents (no joke) and an army of cousins, then you know how pricy the holidays can get. And as my family continues to grow, it’s impossible for our wallets to keep up. But with Elfster’s Secret Santa exchange, there’s no more pressure to get every single person a gift.
As the hostess for this year’s Christmas Eve party, I created a free Secret Santa exchange with all of the event details, gift budget, and invited our guests. After everyone is signed up, Elfster draws the name for me and takes care of the rest. It’s a wonderful feeling to not worry about 35 other people’s gifts this year, plus I know exactly what my person wants thanks to their wishlist!
Moms are always so busy creating magic for the holidays that we rarely get to partake in it ourselves. Elfster relieves all the stress from gifting and allows us to participate in the fun for once. It’s time to retire that fake smile and get the gifts we actually want this year!
This post was in partnership with Elfster but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only recommend brands we genuinely love.