And the big hit under the tree was...

[nmoira]

Four collections of Cul de Sac comics. The girls were so sad when the strip ended this fall.

 

And Thinking Putty. :D

 

 

[TechWife]

A drawing desk for ds, a set of All-Clad for dh and a town bike for myself!

[Forget-Me-Not]

The Webkinz in my older DDs stocking. So far she's completely ignored her Santa gift, LOL. That's art supplies though, and I know she'll get to them :)

[calledtobehome]

Everything!

 

9 yr old- Lego Starwars Frigate set, Fishing guide, Diary of a Whimpy Kid Third Wheel book, PJ's, and money from Grandma

 

8yr old- Lego Batman Cave, Lego Batman Encyclopedia, Diary of a Whimpy Kid Third Wheel, U-draw set with Marvel SuperHero Squad

 

Me-PJ's, fuzzy cozy house socks

 

Hubby- Desk globe engraved with his name from Things to Remember

[Wendi]

A huge box of my brother's 1990s video games (a console, a handheld, and a zillion games) for my ds! My son loves collecting and playing "old" video games, so I asked my SIL to see if my brother was willing to part with any of his. He was more than generous, and my son was so excited opening the box and finding more and more. Very cool.

[Paula in PA]

A red panda plush. She adores them and has wanted one for a while. She's been carrying it around all day. :thumbup:

[Farrar]

Me: a new skirt from this Etsy seller from dh

 

BalletBoy: a new ring in his stocking and Guilty Party on Wii

 

Mushroom: the Lego chess set I made and some pens (no, really, he keeps hugging the pens dh put in his stocking)

 

Dh: a memento board for all his piles of saved up theater tickets

 

ETA... For the homeschool! I should have listed that. We got a couple of schooly things, but the kids lit up when they saw the digital imager for the microscope that my dad got us. I hope it works!

[Arcadia]

My boys like the Target dog gift card toy. They played with that first, than played with their new checkers game (and still playing)

 

They also got a hexbug each to add to their collection, a Lego Minotaurus maze game, Lego Heroica game. They are playing those after checkers since its raining here.

[PrairieSong]

A sound bar for dh, tickets to Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" for our daughters, big crocheted granny stripes blanket for dd, and a dehydrated alligator head--YES, a real one--from ds in the Army to his 13yo brother!

[AK_Mom4]

For DD11 - Rick Riordan's Mark of Athena. Oh, and all the Christmas candy in her stocking. I think she is in a candy coma under the tree reading her new book.

 

For DS17 - he posted a pic on facebook wearing his new Aviator subglasses (knock offs), Elmo pajamas, flannel shirt, and wireless gaming headphones. He says he scored "big time"!

[Annie G]

Ds: German ketchup

Dd: High quality pink earbuds

Dh: A new watch with a Georgia Bulldogs logo on the face

 

Me: An autographed photo of Robert Downey, Jr. and a box of all dark Godiva.

[Dory]

A big bag of elastic guns for everyone and chocolate oranges for all the kids. The war that ensued was awesome and everyone had a blast.

[Just Kate]

Two dumbo rats! Ds was so surprised!!! The look on his face was priceless - he had no idea. And this was the big Santa gift, so I am so very proud of us for pulling it off!

[delaney]

DS's new gaming chairs

DD's new sewing machine

DS 6 Skylanders stuff

DS 4 Christmas Goldfish snacks :bored:

[Jilly]

The kids loved everything they got. My daughter's favorite was a book of Opera scores. My youngest son loved a handmade plush of a comic character he created. My oldest son loved a game guide the most.

 

As for me I was very touched by a Christmas song the kids wrote and recorded for me.

 

Here it is, Christmas City. :001_smile:

[nmoira]

DH was very happy with our new, fancy towels, and I got a Blu-ray So I Married an Axe Murderer (we have it on VHS, but no player) and Barbara Comyn's Who was Changed and Who was Dead, a book I've wanted to read for years.

 

The kids were happy with all their other gifts as well. It was a good morning for non-morning people. :)

[BarbecueMom]

DS4 and DS3: The cheap, barely working battery-powered Christmas trains that my mom bought at CVS for about $1.50 each. They opened them last night as their early present and actually stopped opening gifts this morning to go back to playing with them.

 

DH: A blow gun. From my mother. Who didn't realize it had real blow darts in it.

[Seasider]

My kids really spoiled me this year. One of my favorite things was a work of art from my son. He printed a page from Swiss Family Robinson on a piece of parchment and asked an artist friend of his to illustrate a translucent scene of their ship vessel at sea over the text. I love it!

 

I also got two things I really needed, knives and a really nice travel mug. Also a pretty specially chosen necklace from little bit.

 

Big hits for my kids? One son gave another son a CD of an old Beasty Boys album, the bass is shaking the house. Well, in short bursts, anyway. This gift is particularly funny because we are actually a pretty straight laced crowd. A wii sports game and a ukelele were well received.

 

It was a good year. Time for a nap now. ;)

[simplyme99]

Oldest DD (11) - Zebra print Volleyball and knee pads/iTunes card

Youngest DD (9) - Legos set/duct tape tote

[Joshin]

DS7, a tie between the snap circuit rover and the $50 radio shack gift card from his grandma.

 

DS12, the new tent. He's been using a huge four person tent so he is excited to finally have a one-man backpacking tent.

 

DH was most excited by the box of foam heads. He's an artist and has big plans for those suckers!

 

For me? The kids surprised me with a waffle iron. Think they are hinting at something? :laugh:

[nmoira]

The Aftermath. :D

 

 

[blondeviolin]

For the 6yo, Furby and a constellation night light.

 

For the 5yo, a Power Rangers toy and an RC helicopter.

 

For the 3yo, a Lalaloopsy doll.

 

For the toddler, CANDY!

 

They also got a bunch of other things, but these are the big things today. The Lego, LeapPad, and Kindle Fire are all family gifts and will get plenty of use throughout the year.

[Alte Veste Academy]

The kids say everything is their favorite, so no misses I guess.

 

My favorite was from the kids, a big pastel plush turtle from Pottery Barn Kids. A close second is my first iPad (from DH). The cool thing is that the crook between the turtle's head and shell provides the perfect angle of support for the iPad. :lol:

 

http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/turtle-plush/#viewLargerSubsetOverlay

[HomeschoolMamaOfTwo]

DD - Cinderella's Castle like the one at Disney World (we actually got it used from a friend, though, I could not bring myself to pay this much for it!) http://www.disneystore.com/cinderella-castle-play-set/mp/1254691/1000265/

 

DS - Star Wars Blasters, 2, slightly different, but like this... http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12426358&CAWELAID=1166829744&pla=plat&cagpspn=pla

 

DH - iTunes gift cards

 

Me - hand blown glass ornament from DH

[readinmom]

9yo dd: American Girl doll/Rebecca

 

Both Ds: Lego Lord of the Rings Xbox, Cash for clothes shopping

[Jenny in Florida]

We did well all around this year, it seems.

 

My daughter's favorites, I think, are the Shutterfly calendar I made her with pictures of our dog from puppyhood to now and the cooking/baking "starter kit" we assembled for her. She is starting to plan for moving out into her own place and is trying to learn to cook some basic things for herself. She also LOVES to design and decorate her imaginary apartment. So, we got a big plastic storage tub and filled it with vegan cookbooks and baking equipment in her preferred colors.

 

She was very excited, too, to find the third book in the Montmary Journals series under the tree.

 

My son was extremely enthused with the contents of his stocking, which were all related to card tricks and card games. He was thrilled to get the third Brotherband book but was probably most happy with his big gift, a storage tub (same size as his sister's, of course) full of supplies for his tinkering/building/costuming hobbies. I can see the gears in his head turning already, coming up with new things to make.

 

My husband was pleased with the shirts I appliqued for him and the ridiculous fleecy lounge pants. The gift that got the biggest reaction from him, though, was the craft item our daughter made for him. She transformed a beanie-type plush koala into a representation of a gaming character my husband created as kind of a joke some time ago. She dressed the litte guy appropriately and then action-figure-like packaging for him, complete with photos and text and a logo. He was totally surprised and delighted.

 

I got some nice goodies in my stocking, including the Yellow Submarine DVD that I've been hinting about forever, and a book and calendar under the tree. My favorite things, though, were the gifts from my kids. Each of them chose a charity I support and worked with my husband to make a donation. Each kiddo them decorated a wooden Christmas tree ornament representing that charity and gave them to me with the donation certificates. Absolutely perfect!

[readinmom]

I might want to add that I stressed a lot less night about the lack of gifts under the tree...everything went great! The kids were able to focus more on the gifts they did receive rather than be overwhelmed in a sea of wrapping paper. Thanks for all the great advice from everyone on the boards. Hope everyone has a loving day with family.

[Clarkd]

Dd (6) slide projector art desk

Dd (5) fiberoptic illuminated create an animal set from Aunt and gray glitter dress boots (also from Aunt)

Ds (4) lego fire truck, play doh road creator set

Ds (3) ice cream parlor and a fire truck play tent (from grandparents)

[MtnMama]

DS6: Roman and Egyptian Playmobil stuff

 

DD2: dollhouse

[Remudamom]

Cash.

[MarinesWife]

Wii U. Their first video game. I think they are still in shock. We are too. Haha.

[zillymom]

The big hit for DD (3) was some Melissa & Doug Doctor costume set/play clothes, complete with stethoscope and other equipment. She's been giving me shots all morning! :laugh:

[Giraffe]

DD: Hexbug & arena. All gift opening stopped while she and DH played. She's gone back it over and over. We didn't finish opening presents until late tonight as a result.

 

DH: an external hard drive full of audiobooks for his commute.

[prairiewindmomma]

ds1: rest of the Fablehaven series of books

ds2: star wars lego minifig sticker book

dd: Hello Kitty shoes

baby girl: moby wrap--she has GERD & loves to be upright

[Mergath]

Me: Stainless steel mixing bowls to replace my crappy plastic ones. Woohoo! :D

 

Dd: A big toy horse with poseable legs and all kinds of accessories.

 

Dh: Big soft headphones.

 

The Cats: Dd's hexbug. Best cat toy ever.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Me: Trader Joe's gift card from my brother

Dh: Nice T-shirts with pockets

Ds1: Mario, Luigi & Toad stuffed animals

Ds2: Monster sock monkeys

[VeteranMom]

Sculpey clay seems to be the biggest hit with 11 yo dd. She's made 5 animals this afternoon. My boys, 10 and 11, are enjoying their xbox and have been playing Minecraft for a few hours.

[Caroline]

My youngest two got iPod touches so they can FaceTime with their grandparents, amongst other things. Their grandparents have loved chatting with them.

 

Oldest DS got a Real Madrid Iker Casillas jersey that he immediately put on.

 

Middle DS got an away Spain jersey and a hoodie and beanie from his own soccer club.

 

 

[Dana]

DS (10) - Lego MineCraft set (funniest part of presents was when he got the same book from two different people: Cartoon Guide to Chemistry :) )

I got a camera! (And dh wrapped the latest Colbert book that we bought a month ago but hadn't unwrapped from amazon when we had all the boxes for Christmas. I didn't have a clue until I unwrapped it :) )

[GailV]

Dd 13 received a tshirt that says "Modern Dancer" with Batman and Robin on it -- a reference to Starkid's Holy Musical B@tman which probably no one else she knows will understand. She's been wearing it all day, layered with the Gryffindor quidditch team tshirt she got.

 

She made her older sister a set of Dr. Who Christmas ornaments -- all 11 doctors -- using fabric from Spoonflower.com that was supposed to be used for finger puppets. Older sister was absolutely speechless. I had made her an amigurumi David Tennant/10th Doctor.

[myfunnybunch]

Ds12--A coupon to go see The Hobbit with me; ds9--a guitar tuner (He sat down and tuned his guitar and played us Jingle Bell Rock, lol.); ds8--Probably the keychain with his name on it from Japan, sent by last year's exchange student; dd17--new camera; dd19--gc to the fabric store; Exchange student--the cards and bookmarks from the boys; Dh--pizza stone; Me--I asked to have my gift money early and bought gifts for a teen mom and a baby (squee! cute baby things!). Oh, wait, the boys got me cute socks, which I needed, and my mom knit me a hat and sent me a book. :) It's been a really good day.

 

Cat

[celticmom]

A dsi with some game and a decorate it yourself skateboard were the biggest hits for dd8.

[dirty ethel rackham]

DD12 - Flat Iron for her hair and a new Miche cover for her demi purse.

DS16 - Distortion pedal for his electric guitar

DS19 - $$ toward speakers for his dorm room

Dh - I feel like such a dork. We got him 2 ties because he felt his were dated, but I totally forgot to buy one thing he would like - the songbird clock.

Me - a HUGE fleece blanket (no-sew) that my kids made for me - right under my nose and I had no idea. And a gold cross to replace the one I lost earlier this year.

[OnTheBrink]

DS: iPhone 5, Dr. Martens, cash.

 

DD: Avengers stuff, guitar pick punch, piano chord book, music composing course.

[TammyinTN]

Ds: Google Chromebook --he was so happy!

DD25: Necklace from Esty with grand daughters date of birth and foot prints.

DD23: Money to buy items they need for their home.

DH: Military Saber

Me: Necklace and earrings from DH

[southcarolinamom]

For dh, it was a DVD of Battleship and Cowboys & Aliens

 

For ds it was a pair of Adidas goalie gloves ($100+ my husband found at the Adidas outlet for $5-- Score!)

 

For dd it was her pair of fuzzy Ninja Turtles lounge pants (they are actually men's pants, complete with drawstring and "the button") :laugh:

 

For me it was a new set of brightly colored measuring spoons and cups - really, really necessary this year! My other sets have disappeared into the big black hole of kitchen drawers.

[Unicorn.]

Everything! I have to say, I don't think there was a bomb anywhere this year.

 

Ds- Mike Rowe Boy Scout shirt (from 2010 jamboree- they sold out in 5 minutes at the jamboree, and he really wanted one)

Dd1- portable dvd player and tons of movies

Dd 2- Dr. Who everything- hat, towel, shirts, socks

Dh- new set of hair clippers/trimmer

Me- an extra bowl for my KA mixer!

[Parrothead]

Me - the iPad

Dh - the Kindle Fire

Dd - Lego

[Mommy22alyns]

Sylvia was thrilled to get Caroline. Rebecca is enamored with her Shawn Johnson gymnastics DS game, oddly enough. It was a random, inexpensive purchase that I stuck in her stocking. She didn't have a big reaction to her beam, but it was just a picture on a scroll, not the real thing (it won't arrive until mid-Jan.).

[Annie Laurie]

DS12- stop motion animation software

DD10- art kit

Ds8- Lego Star Wars Clone Turbo Tank

Ds2- play kitchen and play food, he spent the entire day cooking for us.