Holiday Toy Gift Guide Overwhelm? This Was My Answer.

In this episode of the Playroom Chronicles podcast, Charlene DeLoach dives into the stress so many parents feel this time of year—when every scroll, store, and site is shouting which toys to buy. She unpacks why most holiday gift guides leave families feeling overwhelmed (and kids underwhelmed), and shares the story behind her solution: the HoliPlay Summit. Created by a toy expert and mom who’s seen it all, this free online event helps parents cut through the noise, shop with purpose, and gift toys that actually get played with.

Takeaways

• Most toy gift guides are more noise than help
• The holidays often bring clutter—not connection
• HoliPlay was designed to calm the chaos, not add to it
• You can shop smarter and still keep the holiday magic
• Less overwhelm = more meaningful play
• The summit is your go-to tool for intentional gifting
• Created by a toy expert who’s also a real parent
• Watch from anywhere, whenever you need it

Resources

🌐 HoliPlaySummit.com

🎁 playroomchronicles.com/fun-vault

Keywords

holiday toys, toy gift guide, parenting tips, toy clutter, intentional parenting, holiday overwhelm, gift guide help, child development, play-based learning, toy expert

Instagram: PlayroomChronicles

Facebook: PlayroomChronicles

Website: PlayroomChronicles.com

Transcript

00:00 Charlene DeLoach:
What if I told you that the most holiday toy shopping guides aren't actually made with your child's play needs in mind? And that maybe, just maybe, the way we approach holiday gifting is setting us and our kids up for disappointment.

Welcome to the Playroom Chronicles Podcast, where toys spark imagination, learning, and independent play. I'm Charlene DeLoach, a toy and play expert, but a mom just like you, navigating building blocks, puzzle pieces, and snack rooms every day.

Ever wondered which toy will actually get played with, or how do I keep my child engaged without a screen? You're in the right place.

00:37 Charlene DeLoach:
From ready day rescues to skill building superstars, this is your go-to for honest toy recommendations, real talk, and play ideas that work. Ready to turn chaos into creativity one toy at a time? Then welcome to the Playroom Chronicles Podcast.

Hey friends, welcome back to the Playroom Chronicles Podcast. Again, I'm Charlene DeLoach, a professional toy expert, media contributor, but most importantly, a mom who has lived through her fair share of toy clutter, Christmas meltdowns, and gift regrets. And today's episode isn't just going to be about what toys to buy this holiday season. Nope. This episode is going to be why I created the HoliPlay Summit.

01:24 Charlene DeLoach:
…and how it is designed to shift the way parents approach toys, play, and parenting during the busiest time of the year. So let's be real. Every November, your inbox gets flooded with the top 100 toys lists and TikTok is full of gift guides and every retailer is shouting at you to buy now before it sells out.

01:51 Charlene DeLoach:
In fact, I probably shouldn't even say every November. It's pretty much every October and starting even now in September. But as someone who's been in the toy industry for over a decade, I need to tell you something very important. Most of those gift guide lists, they are 100% marketing. They're not meaningful guidance for you at all.

02:20 Charlene DeLoach:
Now, they definitely have their place. I'm not saying that they're the worst things in the world. I like them too. I like to see what people are thinking, what the trends are, what the coolest things are out there, so on and so forth. But at the end of the day, they actually don't take into account your child's actual interests, their developmental needs, your home setup, your budget, your family values, or your desire for a long lasting, purposeful, independent play, does it?

02:49 Charlene DeLoach:
It's like getting the grocery shopping list and walking in and going, what do I buy now? Tell me what will get my $100 to go really far. That's what we want with groceries. We want to know what tastes good, what is going to be the best bang for our buck, not just what the flyers are, right? We still have to figure out something to do with it. And gift guides don't really give that meaningful guidance.

03:18 Charlene DeLoach:
And how do I know this? Well, not only myself but every year I hear from parents and friends and family all of it basically we're saying like my kid has gotten a mountain of toys in the basement already or a mountain of toys in their toy box that we bought you know last holiday season and they still say they're bored or I spent hundreds of dollars last Christmas and they only played with one thing the rest of it basically ended up in the donation pile or like…

03:46 Charlene DeLoach:
…I just want to give my kids a magic holiday without losing my mind or my money. And I get that. I get that. And that's why I saw no one else is really talking about this. I see a gap between toys and play. I see a gap between toy professionals and professional parents. There are gift guides, but they're not play strategies. There are flashy toys, but not enough clarity on what is actually worth it.

04:16 Charlene DeLoach:
There are tons of expert opinions, but no place where parents can learn how to choose toys with confidence. And that's where I come in. And I especially wanted to change that going into the holiday season. So I created the HoliPlay Summit. Not to add to the noise, no, but to give you a quiet, clear place to land on this holiday sleigh.

04:42 Charlene DeLoach:
A place where you can learn how to choose toys that match your child's stage and interests and needs. Where you can hear from real experts, whether it's occupational therapists or pediatricians or parenting pros, on actually what supports development. And actually hear from the toy industry themselves, right? The moms and dads that are actually working in these toy companies. Why do they work there? Why do they believe so much in what they're creating?

05:11 Charlene DeLoach:
And at the end of the day, I want you to feel confident every holiday season to saying yes to toys that will last and no to the clutter in chaos. Because the holidays aren't magical because of more stuff, like we know that. They're magical because of more connection. And so why can't the HoliPlay Summit be any different? I really want it to be about connection.

05:40 Charlene DeLoach:
So as a mom, I've been in that moment, the one where you spent all this time, wrapping all these gifts, only for your kid to play with the box or with wrapping paper. You know, Christmas morning, if you celebrate Christmas, whenever have you, after that pile settles, you think, you know what, this doesn't feel like joy. And my kids don't seem appreciative. Or this just seems like a chore every holiday season.

06:09 Charlene DeLoach:
If that is where you're feeling like right now, that's why the HoliPlay Summit is for you. Because I want better for us, our kids, for our homes, for our wallets, for our budgets, for the critical thinking, creative thinking that their kids are going to need in the future to be successful. Because I know that when we choose toys intentionally, for whatever…

06:29 Charlene DeLoach:
…reason that we do. Everybody's different. Every family is different. Every child is different. But when we get to do it for our personal lives and our personal needs and personal goals, when we get to do that intentionally, we create more peace, more play, and more presence. And that is what the HoliPlay Summit is all about. Because I don't want you to just buy better toys. I want you to feel better about what you bring into your home, whatever that might be.

06:57 Charlene DeLoach:
And I want you to have less overwhelm, more confidence, and a toolbox of play and parenting strategies that you can return to every year and not just this holiday season. So if you've ever wanted a play-centered, sanity-saving approach to holiday toy gifting, then the HoliPlay Summit's for you.

So you can check it out at HoliPlaySummit.com. I'll spell it out, but I'll also put it in the show notes. H-O-L-I-P-L-A-Y-S-U-M-M-I-T.com. Join anytime. It takes place every fall. So depending on when you're listening to this episode, still head to the HoliPlaySummit.com. Maybe it's a wait list. Maybe tickets are being sold right now. Either way, you can get in on the action, get in on the list and make the next holiday season the one where joy actually shows up in your living room.

07:55 Charlene DeLoach:
So until next time, keep playing with purpose and keep giving your family the gift of less clutter and more connection.