Hits and misses?

[Carrie12345]

I'm really bumming for my 10yo.  I made sure he got the piece of junk watch he had been eyeing at Target, but there's a piece that keeps falling off of it. I have no idea where the box wound up, so I guess that's that.  And then, of all things, he was in love with a stupid whoopie cushion.  He came over to me, said "I love this giant whoopie cushion so much!", gave it a too-hard whack, and popped the thing!  But the real let down is that I agonized over finding a good, but reasonably priced Pokemon plush for his collection. His wish list had at least a half dozen on it, but there was no way he was getting more than one.  Somehow, I wound up getting him one that wasn't on his list, which he already owns!  :huh: Total Mom fail.  He made the best of it, but I know how badly he wants to "catch 'em all".  I think he might wake up to a surprise later in the week.

 

On the bright side, he's thrilled to have a guitar!  And his little brother popped his own whoopie cushion, too, eventually, so it doesn't seem as bad, lol.

 

I was getting very nervous that my 7yo was going to be disappointed that his Kindle was not an iPad.  I've been telling him for weeks that he's too young for an iPad, period.  And he's going through a very uncomfortable stage of getting rude and angry pretty easily. But it was a win!  He keeps calling it an iPad, so I guess he doesn't know the differences between tablets, anyway.

[DawnM]

Oh, apparently I did have a fail......my son who got the Xbox One......I didn't get him the headphones......and it is hard to play with his earbuds he says.....oops.  But at least he got to play yesterday.

 

And apparently the code for the one year online doesn't work.  He has a 14 day free trial that came with it, so he is good for now, but I need to see if I can get that taken care of.

 

Last night I finished my son's duvet cover.  It has the initials of his school and his school mascot embroidered on it.  He was surprised! YAY!

 

Oh, my Cinn rolls were a miss yesterday.  Tried a new recipe for "quick" rolls and they didn't do so hot.  I may try to make more today or try for New Year's......or not.  We will see.  I would actually like the sugar out of the house.

[Zinnia]

A friend of mine brought over a giant Amazon box for ds#3. He played in it all day. Lol

 

My ds#1 got 2 jerseys he loves, as well as blokus, a thrift store find for a sibling gift. They are all just the right ages to play that, with or without us, so a great gift.

 

My dh did so well this year. Last year was a last minute dollar store fiasco. This year, he replaced the watch he had given me when dating (it was not repairable and so sentimental), as well as some awesome local folk art I had been eyeing for years. He helped the kids get me fuzzy socks, earrings, locally made soap, and Pioneer Woman salt and peppers. I am highy pleased with all of that.

Edited December 26, 2017 by Zinnia

[Spryte]

Did they pull it off without you knowing at all? :)

Not this time - they told me a few nights before, because we had a scheduling issue. But DH has done stuff like that before, and pulled it off. :)

 

Still - best present ever, for me. I needed it! He rocks.

[HomeAgain]

Hits: 

Dh got me the soundtrack to Hamilton on records, and ds18 got me Letters Of Note, a set of books from this blog: http://www.lettersofnote.com/

Ds7 loved his new playdoh set, one that he had asked for for 3 years. :o  We never thought he was serious about it.

Ds18 is old enough to be thrilled with a new set of waterproof boots, perfect for the rainy weather at his college.

 

Misses:

I got dh the wrong set of knives. :( I'm off to return them today, and possibly exchange them for *one* knife in the collection he has.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I love my new fitbit!

Playstation VR is incredible, everyone is totally wowed by it.

The beanies with the bluetooth headphones were a way bigger hit that I expected, which made me very happy.

[lynn]

My dd is really good about her brothers hand me down electronics. Never asked for her own anything. In November she dropped the 2ds in the sink while water was running. Although dh got it dried out and working the screen would mess up. She never complained, she would just set it aside then go back to it. She was overwhelmed when she opened her brand new 2ds. To sweet for words. She really asks for nothing much when it comes to material things so to get something that brings her joy...well you know that feeling as a parent.

 

All gifts were a hit. Dh ordered my favorite chocolate Carmel's from Utah, Tim Horton's coffee, and let dd pick a new color strap for my Brighton bracelet. Love it all. He did give me an early Christmas gift that I love its an electric kettle that boils water in about90seconds I think. I don't have to wait so long for my French press coffee now and ds likes it for ramen noodles

[lmrich]

I gave our family vacation as a gift this year. I wrapped up clues as to where we are going and a calendar with the dates so the kids had to guess. They did - Chicago in May. 

I love giving a fun gift. We are going to see Hamilton while we are there so it was a great gift for me too!

 

My mom loves to do silly stuff for the kids on Christmas and made a wreath out of some drink supplement my nephew likes. The girls all got rings that they loved. 

 

But we laughed the hardest at my dd's gift to dad. He is really hard to buy for; he really does not like stuff. He enjoys a nightcap of a white Russian. My dd cannot buy the alcohol part so she bought him milk. AND presented it in the CVS bag. AND all of this was purchased at 6:00 pm on Christmas Eve. Thankfully she and dh have a great sense of humor and laughed along with us. 

Edited December 26, 2017 by lmrich

[Angie in VA]

My dd is really good about her brothers hand me down electronics. Never asked for her own anything. In November she dropped the 2ds in the sink while water was running. Although dh got it dried out and working the screen would mess up. She never complained, she would just set it aside then go back to it. She was overwhelmed when she opened her brand new 2ds. To sweet for words. She really asks for nothing much when it comes to material things so to get something that brings her joy...well you know that feeling as a parent.

 

All gifts were a hit. Dh ordered my favorite chocolate Carmel's from Utah, Tim Horton's coffee, and let dd pick a new color strap for my Brighton bracelet. Love it all. He did give me an early Christmas gift that I love its an electric kettle that boils water in about90seconds I think. I don't have to wait so long for my French press coffee now and ds likes it for ramen noodles

 

 

That is so sweet! 

 

Now, about that electric kettle...we need details. 

[Pippen]

DD was super excited and surprised when she opened her Bose noise cancelling headphones. They're pricier than we usually do for gift giving, so she would have never asked or expected them. 

 

Another hit was this Gourmia Garlic Twist I got for DS. He loves to cook, but hates the fussy prep work. 

https://www.amazon.com/Gourmia-GCU9260-Manual-Crusher-Diameter/dp/B01M4RH8RA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1514297219&sr=8-4&keywords=garlic+twist

 

[plansrme]

Misses:

--Atlanta Ballet's Nutcracker, which pains me to say.  We have seen AB's Nutcracker probably 20 times; my oldest was a nesting doll for a couple of years; I LOVE Nutcracker; but we've gotten busier and have let it drop from our Christmas tradition.  We were, however, all excited to go for the first time in 8 or 9 years.  And it was just--meh.  I googled reviews when we got home and found one from an Atlanta arts magazine that confirmed exactly what I thought about the performance.  With my being down to driving just one kid to and fro, I was considering season tickets to the ballet, or at least seeing a couple of performances every year.  I love ballet, but now I'm kind of--errrr, maybe not.  It looks like they couldn't be bothered to properly rehearse a show that represents something like 78% of their ticket revenue every year.  

 

--Gifts for me!  I mostly liked what I got, but I asked specifically for two things and got neither of them.  What's up with that?  You asked what I wanted; I told you.  And then one thing I didn't need--running socks, I received twelve pair.  I wear one kind of running sock, and only one kind, but I'm GOOD on running socks.  I wear four pair a week; I have probably 9 or 10 pair.  That's plenty.  Well, now I have twelve more!  They last forever, so this is easily a five-year supply.  But I did get a great t-shirt to wear to my son's baseball games, a new pillow that I really like, and a couple of books I am already enjoying.

 

Hits:

--Winter clothes for my southern girl who is headed to Toledo for college.  She tried out some of the gear when we went to an outdoor light display last night; wind chill was in the high 20s, we were out for about 3 hours total, and she was toasty.  Lands' End down parka (thanks to LE for making down parkas in petites), Love Your Melon pom-pom hat, Columbia fleece gloves and socks.  The rest of us were a little shivery, but she was cozy and looked pretty cute, and the "cute" part, despite the fact that she is not the girliest of girls, was not at all lost on her.  This kiddo has a teammate who is headed to Colorado for college, and they were comparing notes on Christmas gifts--they got just about the same array of items--down parka, ice scraping equipment for their cars, gloves, hats.  

 

--Clothes for my college senior who, left to her own devices, dresses like a homeless person, albeit a homeless person with a strong Amish aesthetic.  It's a thorn in my side for sure, but she has already worn most what I gave her.  I feel like I need to set her up with a Garanimals system.

 

--A new phone for my husband, with accessories.  Set-up, activation and transfer all went without a hitch.  I have such a love/hate relationship with screens and technology that giving someone a new phone makes me feel like Elisabeth Shue's character in Leaving Las Vegas when she gives Nicholas Cage's character (who is trying to drink himself to death) a flask.

Edited December 26, 2017 by plansrme

[plansrme]

DD was super excited and surprised when she opened her Bose noise cancelling headphones. They're pricier than we usually do for gift giving, so she would have never asked or expected them. 

 

Another hit was this Gourmia Garlic Twist I got for DS. He loves to cook, but hates the fussy prep work. 

https://www.amazon.com/Gourmia-GCU9260-Manual-Crusher-Diameter/dp/B01M4RH8RA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1514297219&sr=8-4&keywords=garlic+

 

I've got to get one of those.  I get so tired of every stinkin' recipe starting with, "Peel and chop 47 cloves of garlic. . ."

[Saddlemomma]

All hits but one here.  Since it's just the three of us and we're very frugal, it was a sparse tree as usual. (DH and I only do stockings for each other.)

 

DD(15): LOVED the black, long-sleeved sweater dress; 150 colored-pencil set, blender pencils, sharpener, & gel pens set for her art; adult coloring book of mythological/fantasy creatures; black, grey, plaid fleece blanket she wanted; and gamer headphones for the role-play game she participates in with her older sister (who actually writes the game which is set during Medieval time period -- her big present); lined leather journal; hair ties; eyeliner; wooden spoon & spatula made by Dad to add to her collection for her hope chest; fairy art tile I made her to hang on her wall, some special homemade soap, and handmade Christmas ornament; The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Misashi

 

DH: He is terribly difficult to buy presents for (and he knows it) so he always makes a list for me and I choose from.  Using that list, I got him: ambidextrous safety for his AR; reloading dies for his 9MM; fleece long underwear set to wear in his office because he gets cold easily. DD got him a reloading scale.  His birthday is just a few days before Christmas and he got a sling for his AR and I got him a Crimson Trace Universal green laser sight for his 9MM.  That was his big gift, and he was thrilled.

 

Me: I also give DH a list, at his request, because he finds it easier. Otherwise, I get utilitarian or gun stuff...lol. So, I got several very detailed, expensive rubber stamps I really wanted to incorporate into my art tiles (my big present-they come from England); pretty, but heavy-duty socks which I desperately needed; some stamping blocks; a pocket holster for my CC gun (he had to throw that in, but I actually really like it); DD got me a set of fine, brush metallic markers and a set of paint pens I wanted.

 

We'll be meeting DD1 sometime in the next week or so, when her schedule permits, in Bangor (halfway point for each of us) to have lunch together and exchange gifts.  Apart from her job, DD1 writes, runs, and organizes a LARP (Live Action Role Play) that takes place 4 weekends during the summer months.  They rent a large LARP facility for this.  Again, it is set during Medieval times just like the role-play game she designed.  Therefore, we got her a pair of black metal bracers (her big present--handcrafted and shipped from Ukraine); gift cards for Joann Fabrics and Hobby Lobby; wooden spatula & spoon, homemade jellies & jams made by DH; handmaid ornament, bath bombs, soap, art tile, cookies & sweet breads made by me.

 

Each year the girls each get handmade wooden spoons from DH to build a collection or handmade wooden bandboxes or chests with hidden drawers.  They also each get one Christmas ornament to build a memory collection for their own trees when they start having them. This year I made the ornaments and DD2 was thrilled with hers.  I hope DD 2 will like hers as well.  Hopefully, I will be able to make them from now on.

 

The one miss was DH's long underwear that he wanted. Turns out they're not as warm as he thought they would be. It's too bad because our temps are supposed to dip down to -16 for the next week and a half.  That's without the windchill factored in!  Oh well, typical for here. At least we did get a foot of snow on Christmas day. It was so beautiful, but I did feel sorry for the guys out plowing...

 

Edited to add: And yes, Zoey (our American Dingo) got to rip open her two presents to find a large, stuffed rabbit squeeky toy and orange camo canvas pull toy. She loves both.  Mittens the cat was mostly high all day on her catnip toy and treats. She was hilarious.

 

Edited December 26, 2017 by Saddlemomma2

[Pippen]

I've got to get one of those.  I get so tired of every stinkin' recipe starting with, "Peel and chop 47 cloves of garlic. . ."

 

I love mine! You still have to peel it, and cut larger cloves into smaller chunks, but it's still way faster than doing the works. 

[TheReader]

We also got a Switch for the kids.  I knew it would be a hit and that they would love it, but they really LOVE it and had apparently thought it wasn't going to be happening.  

 

It's been a rather relaxing and fun day! They've been taking turns with the Switch, and for a little while one of them had the Switch, one of them had the WIi-U going, and I was watching a movie, all in the same little room using the same little entertainment system.

 

Yes! that is my favorite part of having those.....we can watch a movie, and the bored/younger kids can play on their device, all of us in one room, having family together time, even if not all engaged in the same activity. It's so fun!

 

Ok I liked everything I was given but am disappointed that my middle child kept asking what I wanted when she went Black Friday shopping and I only send then two things= fuzzy pajama pants and hat and gloves. She gave me two hats, and other things but no gloves ( my current pair is non matching) and no fuzzy pants. Otherwise everybody loved their presents including me. I just have to either wait for my birthday in two weeks or get things myself.

 

awww, I'm sorry you didn't get your gloves or pj pants (I have "fuzzy pj pants" on my list, too, for my MIL to buy me.....we go over today; we'll see if she got them or not. I hope so! If not, will be at the stores as well next week.....) 

 

On the gloves, though, one of my sons had gloves on his list and they were surprisingly hard to find, at all, in stores this year. We ended up having to order on Amazon. So, *maybe* your dd tried to find them, and couldn't. Maybe.  Either way, I totally relate to the disappointment and hope you get some!

 

Lots of hits here. In fact, I can't think of a single miss. The kids really went out of their way to get thoughtful things.

 

Ds gave one sis an insanely expensive pair of noise-cancelling headphones. Seems he won them in some sort of college door prize. We all wondered when we saw them!

 

We got dh a new router--he managed to blow up the 40-year-old one this past week. One of the BEST presents was using the router to add dd's name to the ranch sign out front.

 

One dd did paintings for her older sisters, and painted a pair of roping reins for another. She gave her db gas money to go to TX to see the girlfriend. 

 

I added to Navy girl's Willow Tree Nativity and gave her older sister a starter set.

 

Oldest made the rodeo queen sister a beautiful silk wild rag. I found nice gloves with mitten overlays--hers are worn out.

 

And ds really liked his "Cover Bag"--piece of luggage that you put your military hat in so it doesn't get squished. There was a mess-up with the order, so they'd sent me medal and ribbon wallet thing too.

 

I found a Vermont plate with Norwich on it from the 50's--just the right color for dd's dishes.

 

I made 3 queen-sized quilts for various kids. Every kid now has 2 quilts from me. Youngest dd's is a t-shirt quilt.

 

Dh got new cowboy boots.

 

Middle got work gloves and socks, and cash for new workout clothes.

 

Youngest got me a book called "Coming to Colorado", an autobiography of a German immigrant who ended up becoming an American pilot. She met the man in the Air and Space Museum over Thanksgiving and had him sign it.

 

2 out of the 3 military kids remembered their uniforms so I have a new photo of them!

 

The kids all went together and had the newspaper print out the article done on my retirement from hsing, along with a photo, and dh made a frame.

 

And the older kids made arrangements for everyone to go to the pro rodeo on Stock Show in January!

 

This is all just so sweet!!! Love that your family does such a wonderfully personalized, individualized bit of gift giving, all to each other. Thanks for sharing all of it, it's really heart-warming to read about. 

[TheReader]

Mostly all hits here, thank goodness. 

 

I did hear from the stepbrother in Colorado that the game was a huge hit (Twilight Imperial), so that is awesome! I was soooo thrilled to find it for him, and so glad he loved it. I wish we could have been there in person to see him open it. 

 

We surprised oldest ds with a wooden watch, which he loves. Middle ds had claimed not to want one, as he has a watch he likes.....saw his brothers, though, and now is jealous and wants one. Oops, and oh well. He got Zelda chess & Zelda monopoly, so is pretty thrilled....now wants to create a chess playing area in his room (small table with 2 chairs) so he can leave it set up, LOL! I told him we can try and make that happen. 

 

I managed to finish 4 throws/quilts just barely in time (an hour before Christmas Eve church Sunday night....), so everyone got their own "media room quilt" in a theme meaningful to them. One was super heroes, one was Star Wars, one was Nintendo, and one was Minecraft. I used a tutorial for the Minecraft one, but added some blocks that I had to draw myself --  the boys all knew they were getting these, so for the Minecraft one I had them pick the blocks to represent. They wanted their own faces from the game, and then each boy picked 3 things, so some of them I had to figure out myself. It was a huge hit, and so worth it. 

 

They all did good for me, clothes (I like one particular brand at Target, so sent DH a pic of the tag/name of the brand and told him anything that brand was probably good, LOL!), and youngest picked out 2 shirts from TeeTurtle for me and did good with that, and oldest got me a mega pack of Sharpies :swoon: 

 

The only "miss" this year so far was that Santa (aka, me) decided I love my new spin brush toothbrush so much, we all needed them, so tucked one in all the stockings. Youngest wasn't super thrilled with that, LOL! He got enough else (not in the stocking, but around it) that it was fine, but he did roll his eyes a bit on that one. Also dh did the stockings this year and they were kind of (very) lopsided. We usually do Lego Minifigures, but the boys already have the sets that are out right now, so skipped it. Next year I will take over again and make sure the actual stockings are a little more balanced, as 2 kids had 2 things each and 1 had a whole stash of stuff (and the youngest had the fewest). But dh had told me some items were for stockings....and then put them out as non-stocking Santa gifts instead. Oh well, no one really cared but me, so probably it's fine.

[jen3kids]

We had a pretty good day of hits here, except for oldest DS.  

 

He is the hardest to buy for because he always asks for ridiculously expensive things, but this year he toned it down and gave us a list of tools he want (of varying prices) and DH said he'd take care it.  Unfortunately, DH somehow managed to get the wrong tool, and because DH has told me it was 'really expensive - don't get him anything else', I didn't get a semi-big gift for DS' stocking.  DS was disappointed when opening his stocking because I only put in some new work t-shirts (along with candy and some little camping things), but I knew he'd be fine after opening his big gift.  It turns out that the tool DH bought was not the big expensive one; it was one of the ones in the middle of the price range and if I known that I would have put in a couple of the smaller tools that ds has asked for, or at least a gift card so he could buy some.   I tried to talk to ds about it, but he just kept saying it was fine; I hate when my kids feel disappointed on Christmas.  I feel like I let him down :(   DS decided to go to his girlfriend's house for Christmas dinner instead of spending the afternoon and evening with us, but they've been dating for over a year and they did come here Christmas eve for our traditional dinner, game and movie evening.  I'm not sure if he had already planned to go there or if it was in response to his disappointment.   Either way, I missed him yesterday.  

 

 

 

[callapidder]

These are so fun to read through!

 

Hits here:

 

DS19: Really liked the nice sweater and leather gloves I got him. Also, he's a genealogy buff, and we got him a 9-generation chart to fill out that we will then have framed for him. 

 

DS11: Minecraft Legos, Super Mario Odyssey for the Switch, and a crazy scooter-type thing -- all hits.

 

DH: I framed some National Parks posters he's had for years, just thumbtacked to the wall. He was surprised and thrilled. He also appreciated the cycling shorts I grabbed last-minute.

 

Me: My people got me books, board games, and quilting notions. Couldn't be happier!

 

No misses that stand out

[Guest]

The huge (and I mean huge in physical size as well) hit here was a Cozy Sack beanbag chair. I asked on here a while back about possibly making one. I did not make one, but I also decided against Pottery Barn and ordered one from Amazon. When I ordered it, I was warned that it may arrive post-Christmas, but it did actually arrive in time. That sucker came compressed and practically un-liftable. So it was slowly inflating, like The Blob, all day on Christmas. Ds13, the actual recipient, loves it, but everyone else is “fighting†over it, too! It is enormous! And insanely comfortable. And DH (rightly) predicts three days hence, I will be swearing under my breath at that big Blob being in the way.

 

My two biggest hits as a recipient were two things my boys gave me: DS13 gave me a coloring book full of mythical creatures and DS18 gave me a shirt with a Harry Potter quote from Dobby on it. These two gifts demonstrate that they are REALLY attentive to what kind of things I love.

[Guest]

These are so fun to read through!

 

Hits here:

 

DS19: Really liked the nice sweater and leather gloves I got him. Also, he's a genealogy buff, and we got him a 9-generation chart to fill out that we will then have framed for him.

 

DS11: Minecraft Legos, Super Mario Odyssey for the Switch, and a crazy scooter-type thing -- all hits.

 

DH: I framed some National Parks posters he's had for years, just thumbtacked to the wall. He was surprised and thrilled. He also appreciated the cycling shorts I grabbed last-minute.

 

Me: My people got me books, board games, and quilting notions. Couldn't be happier!

 

No misses that stand out

Where did the Geneology chart come from? I want to obtain one of these myself.

 

And, P.S., I haven’t seen you here previously but I love your user name! I am imagining it is a child’s pronunciation of “caterpillar†and it is adorable.

[happypamama]

Also hits: bikes for the two big boys, although it’s awfully cold here. (Oldest son’s birthday is in just a few weeks, so a bike for Christmas is actually a safer bet because we don’t usually get a lot of snow until closer to his birthday.)

 

9yo asked for a Batman comforter. He’s been pretty much wrapped up in it since he opened it. Perplexus has been a hit with everyone too.

 

CDs, band merchandise, fandom merchandise — all hits with my big kids.

 

4yo LOVES the real-but-kid-safe binoculars (and I love hearing him try to say “binocularsâ€). Also, new Imaginext villains and superheroes never fail to impress. Every holiday I get the little ones a few new pieces, and seriously, they play with them All. Day. Long. Every. Day.

 

We did a version of the jolabokaflod Christmas Eve with new books and chocolate, and they liked that. We have such a great library that I don’t buy a ton of books. 4yo keeps hugging Mighty, Mighty Construction Site and asking me to read it again, and 6yo (who lives in his own pretend world in his head) is giggling sweetly through Toys Go Out.

[amy g.]

Dh was thrilled with the paper mache mountain the kids made with the words, “World’s coolest Dad†inscribed on it.

 

My gift has been how nice and thankful my sister has been about her food restrictions.

 

My oldest loves her new copy of The Odessey translated by a woman and copy of Harry Potter in Ancient Greek.

 

My son only got chocolate and a big check, but he says Santa knows just what he needs.

 

Middle daughter got the most presents of all. The little girls missed her so much when she was away at school that they wanted to buy her something every place we went. I couldn’t guess which ones she liked the best.

 

Her roommate is spending Christmas with us. She loved the embroidery set I got her and spent all afternoon working on it.

 

My sister was excited about opening the Apples to Apples expansion pack. I also wrapped a pair of latex cleaning gloves so she wouldn’t have an excuse not to wash the dishes. She laughed and laughed about that one.

 

Her partner liked the local coffee and coffee cup I got her, but she really loved the chicken fabric pot holder my 11 year old made for her.

 

My 11 year old went crazy over the chicken quilt kit and sleeping headphones head band thing. She wasn’t thrilled with the science books I got her.

 

My youngest’s favorite present was an AG dress with deer on it. She did not like the k’nex simple machine sets at all.

 

Three youngest girls also each got a new American Girl doll. They spent the whole day playing with them in the basement.

[Elizabeth86]

Hits - My kids are 2, 4 and 6 so at that age they are pretty much all hits. In particular dd 2 loved her toy kitchen. My boys liked it too just like I suspected. Ds 6 loved the nintendo ds2. I wish we hadn't made it a combined gift for the boys because ds 4 wasn't as interested. From others dd2 loved the toy shopping cart and ds6 loved his hatchimal. ds 4 was thrilled with his stuff and his siblings stuff. Dh was thrilled with his Keurig.

 

Another big hit was our gender reveal. So we have boy, boy, girl and are welcoming another baby girl! My boys are thrilled as they have been calling the baby she since I got pregnant.

 

misses - ds 6 loves shopkins so to branch out a bit we got him a small pack of the grossery gang ( think a gross boy version of shopkins) and he was appalled. He thought they were too ugly. He wishes I had stuck with shopkins.

 

Dd2 likes wooden thomas trains and we got the engine Rosie for her. She has black freckles and dd says yuck and tries to wipe them off because she thinks her train has specks of dirt.

Edited December 26, 2017 by Elizabeth86

[happypamama]

Hits - My kids are 2, 4 and 6 so at that age they are pretty much all hits. In particular dd 2 loved her toy kitchen. Ds 6 loved the nintendo ds2. I wish we hadn't made it a combined gift for the boys because ds 4 wasn't as interested. From others dd2 loved the toy shopping cart and ds6 loved his hatchimal. ds 4 was thrilled with his stuff and his siblings stuff. Dh was thrilled with his Keurig.

 

Another big hit was our gender reveal. So we have boy, boy, girl and are welcoming another baby girl! My boys are thrilled as they have been calling the baby she since I got pregnant.

 

misses - ds 6 loves shopkins so to branch out a bit we got him a small pack of the grossery gang ( think a gross boy version of shopkins) and he was appalled. He thought they were too ugly. He wishes I had stuck with shopkins.

 

Dd2 likes wooden thomas trains and we got the engine Rosie for her. She has black freckles and dd says yuck and tries to wipe them off because she thinks her train has specks of dirt.

That is so cute and funny!

 

Congrats on another girl!

[Hilltopmom]

Lots of hits here. It’s fun having little kids again :)-

 

Cut apart Velcro play food, a baby doll stroller and bathtub, fake plastic cupcake set from Learning Resources, and the alphabet lock set from Lakeshore Learning, and a cheapo veterinarian kit.

 

Graphic tees for the teens and a new parka for the oldest who has been wearing the coat I bought to wear when I was pregnant with him 18 winters ago.

[Elizabeth86]

Lots of hits here. It’s fun having little kids again :)-

 

Cut apart Velcro play food, a baby doll stroller and bathtub, fake plastic cupcake set from Learning Resources, and the alphabet lock set from Lakeshore Learning, and a cheapo veterinarian kit.

 

Graphic tees for the teens and a new parka for the oldest who has been wearing the coat I bought to wear when I was pregnant with him 18 winters ago.

I love the cut apart food. I almost boughy some, but I went for the melissa and doug velcro pizza which was a hit too.

[Spryte]

Oh! Another hit here: tickets to Walk Off the Earth. Wheeeeee! Kids are beyond excited and that’s all we’ve listened to for the last 24 hours. And watched (love the Xmas special).

 

DS made altoid tin gifts for all. The pool table and bowling alleys were huge hits, and he made an AG make up kit for DD, with tiny make up items inside - she is giving her dolls makeover after makeover.

[happypamama]

I love the cut apart food. I almost boughy some, but I went for the melissa and doug velcro pizza which was a hit too.

That Velcro pizza has been played with maaaaaany times in my house. Great choice!

[magic]

The only miss was that my in-law's gave us the Google voice that is like Amazon's Alexa.  We are an Amazon family and do not have any of the devices that work with the Google one.  We said thank you and will find someone who can use it.

 

The biggest hits were:

 

DH- thrilled to receive Twilight Imperium 4 (he and our 3 boys played a 7 hour game yesterday), the movie Valerian, and a pair of lounge/sleep pants that were long enough for him.  He is 6'4" and everything is too short.  I found a pair at Scheel's that had a length of 36.

 

DS21- a record player and records (he is a big fan of rock bands from the 70's & 80's), several board games for his apartment, a book of all the Marvel heroes, and a Target gift card (to use to decorate his apartment)

 

DS19- an Origami desk, a map of the world that is a giant mouse pad, gaming headphones, and war history books

 

DS19 & DS17- metal miniatures, a giant paint set, and brushes- they really enjoy RPG and these are for them to use with that

 

DS17- a carrying case for his miniatures, a DS game, Munchkin expansion packs, a large dungeon map for RPG, Zelda puzzle, and a hoodie

 

DD14 (will be 15 in 3 weeks)- a letter jacket (she knew she was getting this but thought she would have to wait for her birthday), wireless Beats, Naked eye shadow palette (this one shocked her to receive), paper facial masks, a book of journal prompts, and High School Musical 3 on DVD

 

Me- a large colander that fits across my sink, Yankee candles, a really soft shawl, and the new Pioneer Woman cookbook

 

 

[GailV]

BIG HIT:  The multi-use hair clip from the Unique Gift thread http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/663699-encountered-a-unique-gift-post-it-here/page-3?do=findComment&comment=7926257

 

Thanks to the Hive for that idea!  Edited to add:  special thanks to Kareni for starting that thread every year!

Edited December 26, 2017 by GailV

[LucyStoner]

Hits:

 

Crochet, craft stuff and fancy markers and colored pencils for my older niece.

 

Giant stuffed bears for my younger son and younger niece.

 

With 4 kids here, we finally upgraded to a WiiU. Grandpa got them a refurb one. I considered the Switch but didn't want the cost of changing all the controllers and games too. My younger son got Zelda: Breath of the Wild for it and that was a nice thing for him.

 

Besides a Wii U game for each kid, Santa brought books and board games for everyone and that went over well.

 

Misses: my older son asked for nothing specific until the night of the 23rd when it was far too late to ship from etsy.

As a result, except for the video game his gifts were pretty boring- watch, alarm clock, school hoodie and more in that ilk.

[Baseball mom]

PS4 & headset was the big hit here.

[Seeking Squirrels]

Mostly hits here. The only miss was for DD5. She loves Chewbacca and wants chewie everything. She loves the build a bear chewie she got from her aunt, her chewie pillow from nana, her chewie clothes from us, small misc chewie things.... but she did not like the chewie mask. It's the kind that when you open your mouth it opens his and makes his noise. She has some sensory issues and that's too much for her. We hoped with it being chewie she would like it, but she won't even try it on. 

 

DD9 was thrilled with her AG kitchen from grandma. I recorded her opening it and she literally just screamed for about 30 seconds. 

 

SIL got me and DH tickets to comic con. We were excited to hear that. The loyalty launch prices are only good until end of December and we were wondering how we would get them by that deadline after Christmas expenses. 

 

 

[Beaniemom]

Many thanks to the person who posted about a magic set lightening deal. Dd7 adores it and has already learned and performed several tricks thanks to the dvd.

[Tenaj]

Lots of hits but I wanted to mention a big thanks to whoever on the board suggested the blank ticket rolls. I bought 4 rolls of 2000 from Amazon as a last minute gifts and my two youngest are having a blast with them!

[Selkie]

The surprise hit in our house is the Breville One Touch Tea Maker. Dh loves that thing. Thank you to whoever recommended it! He's been tinkering around with it and trying out the different settings all day.

 

Well, this one started out a hit but is now a miss. It worked great the first day but then began malfunctioning. We followed the recommendations in the troubleshooting guide and it would briefly work but then go kaput again. I looked online and found that others have experienced the same problem. Back to Amazon it goes...

[MarieCurie]

Miss - dd2 got the croup for Christmas. Definitely did not appreciate that "gift".

 

Hit - our wonderful pediatrician who opened his office on Christmas day.

[school17777]

Well, this one started out a hit but is now a miss. It worked great the first day but then began malfunctioning. We followed the recommendations in the troubleshooting guide and it would briefly work but then go kaput again. I looked online and found that others have experienced the same problem. Back to Amazon it goes...

Oh no! I’ve had mine for over two years, used multiple times a day, with no problems. Hopefully that one was just a lemon.

[Spryte]

Miss - dd2 got the croup for Christmas. Definitely did not appreciate that "gift".

 

Hit - our wonderful pediatrician who opened his office on Christmas day.

Oh no. I hope she’s on the mend.

[Tap]

This was the first Christmas gift exchange that dd11 really seemed to enjoy.  She is one the spectrum so that usually means that what should be a happy occasion is full of extreme highs and lows, with frustration and disappointment leading the way. I gave up on traditional gifts for her, skipped the toys and changed my focus. It was the best thing I have ever done for her. LOL 

 

She is super excited because I gave her Volleyball lessons in January/Feb, then a rec tournament in spring and another in summer. (She has had lessons before and loved them) They are all pre-paid and registered for so she can see the dates and anticipate them coming. She got a new gym bag for just volleyball gear, new tennis shoes,and 7 new Nike shirts for practice.  She says that is her favorite gift of all.  She says her favorite stocking gift was Just Dance 2018.  She also got  blue Bogs rain boots, short purple BearPaw boots, a few doll accessories, a new blanket and body pillow, snacks, hair scrunchies, and a few other things I can't remember. 

 

DD19 had an ok Christmas but few surprises so I know she was bummed a bit.  She usually gets a bit of extra presents because she shops with me and so I find little things along the way and go back and get them for her.  She didn't shop with me this year, so most of her presents she was involved with me on ordering online.  She got a new Vibedration backpack (for her medical supplies), Athleta pants, Victoria Secret sweatshirt, Benefit makeup brushes, Urban Decay eyeshadow pallet, Benefit mascara, Sperry shoes, a leather drawing journal, and a few other things. She liked her gifts alot, but there wasn't the Wow factor of Christmas for her. 

 

Ds23 got Warhammer items, a Marmot jacket, a new Ski coat, Anime movies.  One of his Warhammer items was a mispick by Amazon.  They sent him the wrong item but it was a more expensive item, so he is selling it and using the profit to buy something else instead (the original item he wanted is now out of stock).

 

DH gave me money to pick a new laptop, a new pillow and Sees Candies.  All hits.

I gave Dh 6 bottles of wine, a set of different flavored honeys, and new sheets. 

 

 

Overall it was all hits  It was just sad to see DD19 not super excited because she is my gift loving kid.

Edited December 27, 2017 by Tap

[chocolate-chip chooky]

Hit: I got my 11yr old a book about starting and running an Etsy business.

 

She now has her Etsy shop up and running  :)

[IfIOnly]

Hit: I got my 11yr old a book about starting and running an Etsy business.

 

She now has her Etsy shop up and running :)

Awesome! Link?

[Sk8ermaiden]

DD8's favorite gift was a new, larger tablet. Her old one was an 8G Fire 7 with the google universe loaded on it, and it couldn't handle hardly any of her apps at all, even with the largest SD card in it. So she got a 32(?)G Fire 8 HD and I stayed up loading eeeeeverything she could want on it so it would be ready to go. 

I also found a Chinese company making very good knockoffs of some Harry Potter Lego sets (they've been retired for years and cost hundreds on ebay). So "Lego" Hogwarts was a HUGE surprise for her. She spent two days building it. 

 

DS4 loved his Nemo snuggie tail (DD has a mermaid and he asked for one) and a plastic tool workbench the in laws got him. He's been playing "Brother Fixer" for two days. 

 

I loved a beeswax candle that's cinnamon vanilla scented, and a compact little cordless dustbuster. 

[callapidder]

Where did the Geneology chart come from? I want to obtain one of these myself.

 

And, P.S., I haven’t seen you here previously but I love your user name! I am imagining it is a child’s pronunciation of “caterpillar†and it is adorable.

 

We ultimately went with this one from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0131UD0CK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I had seen more decorative charts (on Etsy, that I specifically remember), but I thought he would appreciate something a little more simple and utilitarian.

 

Oh, and YES, "callapidder" is how my now-19DS used to say caterpillar. :)

Edited December 28, 2017 by callapidder

[Kareni]

BIG HIT:  The multi-use hair clip from the Unique Gift thread http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/663699-encountered-a-unique-gift-post-it-here/page-3?do=findComment&comment=7926257

 

Thanks to the Hive for that idea!  Edited to add:  special thanks to Kareni for starting that thread every year!

 

Thank you for the kind words, GailV.  I get a lot of pleasure out of that thread each year!

**

 

Hits:

 

My daughter lives and works in South Korea.  She was delighted with three books from Book Depository (which she requested) plus a surprise book and a 2018 Jumble calendar.  She also liked her box of edible goodies from iHerb (courtesy of my sister) and an assortment of Kindle books we sent her (some requested, some surprises).  On her trip home in April, I also gave her a couple of wrapped Christmas presents to take back. One of them was a pound plus chocolate bar from Trader Joe's; it was not a surprise, but it was definitely a hit.

 

My husband was delighted with bluetooth headphones, an LED light for his shed, some tools, assorted DVDs, a bottle of vodka from our daughter, a bottle of rye from my sister, a copy of What If?, and a black wool fedora that I found at a thrift store.

 

I received a number of Kindle and paper books I'd requested along with a half share of The Martian on DVD (our daughter gave this jointly to my husband and me).  I also received some low sodium edible goodies and a gift certificate to Goodwill.  My sister gave me a lovely new bag and an Amazon gift certificate.

 

In the might be a miss category are some clothes I received from my sister-in-law.  I need to try them on, but they are not really calling to me.

 

All in all, it was a lovely Christmas!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Junie]

We ultimately went with this one from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0131UD0CK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I had seen more decorative charts (on Etsy, that I specifically remember), but I thought he would appreciate something a little more simple and utilitarian.

 

Oh, and YES, "callapidder" is how my now-19DS used to say caterpillar. :)

 

Thanks for the link!

 

I think that I'm going to order one of these charts for my brother and SIL.  I have been researching our family genealogy for several years.  At Christmas I asked my SIL if I could research her family, too.  Their first baby is due next year, so I thought it would be awesome to have their genealogy mapped out.

[Angie in VA]

Thank you for the kind words, GailV.  I get a lot of pleasure out of that thread each year!

**

 

Hits:

 

My daughter lives and works in South Korea.  She was delighted with three books from Book Depository (which she requested) plus a surprise book and a 2018 Jumble calendar.  She also liked her box of edible goodies from iHerb (courtesy of my sister) and an assortment of Kindle books we sent her (some requested, some surprises).  On her trip home in April, I also gave her a couple of wrapped Christmas presents to take back. One of them was a pound plus chocolate bar from Trader Joe's; it was not a surprise, but it was definitely a hit.

 

My husband was delighted with bluetooth headphones, an LED light for his shed, some tools, assorted DVDs, a bottle of vodka from our daughter, a bottle of rye from my sister, a copy of What If?, and a black wool fedora that I found at a thrift store.

 

I received a number of Kindle and paper books I'd requested along with a half share of The Martian on DVD (our daughter gave this jointly to my husband and me).  I also received some low sodium edible goodies and a gift certificate to Goodwill.  My sister gave me a lovely new bag and an Amazon gift certificate.

 

In the might be a miss category are some clothes I received from my sister-in-law.  I need to try them on, but they are not really calling to me.

 

All in all, it was a lovely Christmas!

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

What?! There is a JUMBLE CALENDAR? It's out of stock on the 'Zon now, but I just ordered it. I'm practically a Jumble savant!  :lol:  Love this. One of the few things I miss about no longer taking the local newspaper. Thanks for this!

 

I hear ya on partial shares. I confess, I gave DH this, (it was on sale and I had a GC, so paid ~$20) but added my name after his on the "to" part of the to/from tag. The series is funny, but you only watch the whole thing to get to season 4's "Italian for Beginners" (funniest thing I've ever seen on a TV show) and "Bad Boys" (and you watch all the episodes leading up to it to appreciate That Line in this epside - and Moss! I :001_wub: Moss!) Warning: episodes and themes and lines can be a bit blue. 

 

Regarding The Martian: you do realize that Matt Damon's uniform resembles a certain droid, don't you? 

Edited December 28, 2017 by Angie in VA

[Wheres Toto]

A few days later and the biggest hit is something I didn't even list before.

 

The kids and I all got wireless bluetooth headphones (dh found them on one of the Amazon flash deals).  I swear dd hasn't taken them off except to sleep.  She figured out how to have them linked to both her tablet and her iPod, and basically just walks around with them on.

 

Hopefully these will last longer than the dozen pair of wired ones she's gone through lately.  They were cheap ones, but we found out that she also had a habit of chewing on the wires.  :glare:

[Angie in VA]

A few days later and the biggest hit is something I didn't even list before.

 

The kids and I all got wireless bluetooth headphones (dh found them on one of the Amazon flash deals).  I swear dd hasn't taken them off except to sleep.  She figured out how to have them linked to both her tablet and her iPod, and basically just walks around with them on.

 

Hopefully these will last longer than the dozen pair of wired ones she's gone through lately.  They were cheap ones, but we found out that she also had a habit of chewing on the wires.  :glare:

 

 

I've tried to get more than 1 on flash deals and have been unsuccessful. What's the secret?

 

So glad you found such a good hit!

[MarieCurie]

Oh no. I hope she’s on the mend.