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Favorite presents (yours or someone else's)

RootAnn

By RootAnn,
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RootAnn

RootAnn

Posted
Posted

We were very blessed this year. My kids are still at good ages for receiving gifts and while we don't have a lot of them, a lot of thought goes into them. I thought I would share some of the favorites so far and hope you do, too. It helps for ideas for other Christmases.

Two our our kids are into fitness and asked for a pull up bar. DH made one out of pipe pieces. (He said there were plans & YouTube videos on the web.) The two kids are thrilled to have one in the house and DH was able to put it in an out-of-the-way spot that was still handy.

Sharpie's, gel pens, coloring pencils, and felt tip markers. It was almost a running joke how many different writing & coloring utensils got opened today. I've already seen several sets used for thank you mnote rough drafts and writing on my new calendar.

World Atlas-Something the whole family can use and enjoy. Ds#1 is loving looking through it and pointing out things of interest.

My Roomba. Definitely expensive, but fascinating. I don't plan to use the app or hook it up to wifi, but it has already run several times and my floors don't look like we just had wrapping paper everywhere. Even the floor near the tree is free from needles (for now). I think it'll be a great addition to the family. The kids are debating a name for it already. 

Those are the current favorites. What are yours?

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AbcdeDooDah

AbcdeDooDah

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I got a mug when I was in 3rd grade or so. I used it up until about 3 years ago when ds broke it. I'm 45, so it had a long, loved life.

He found another one and gave it to me today. It was seriously the most thoughtful gift ever and I am so happy. I don't know how he found it as it seemed pretty hard to find.

I'm pretty much a person who uses things rather than collect and display them so I'm torn on what to do. He put so much thought into this and I dont want it to break. Maybe it will be my "Christmas Day" mug.

received_382615345829341.jpeg

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fairfarmhand

fairfarmhand

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Posted
21 minutes ago, peacelovehomeschooling said:

My daughter is 14 and I just love having a teen, especially at Christmas.  She is fun and even though she knows there is no Santa, she still enjoyed a magical Christmas.  Mostly she wanted money (which is completely understandable and fine with us).  However, I decided to surprise her with a few surprise presents.   She knew she would get these, but had no idea what they may be.   I try to always be a good listener.  This summer she learned to felt in her art class and really enjoyed it.   So we surprised her with a felting kit (to felt a squirrel).  She was blown away that I remembered she liked felting because she hasn't mentioned it in months.  I truly think the "gift" of knowing I paid attention meant as much to her as the gift.  Her other favorite was a journal.  I found it on Etsy (along with the felting kit...Etsy always comes through for those special gifts that mean a lot) and it is really cool for teens.  It has lots of cool prompts and things to not just journal, but draw....and more than I can't remember right now.  She loved all her presents, but these two really stood out as extra special to her.

I really love the teen years (have been through them before with my son) and find that though they look different, they are just as magical as the younger years. 

The bolded...I totally agree. We love that the kids get fewer cooler gifts that when they were small. My oldest was tickeled with boots and a heated mattress pad. Second dd got unusual bedding for her room. Third dd got a cool pompon crafting kit and a tent for camping. Son got a tent and a book about tracking animals and reading nature signs. My kids are quirky and have such unique interests that shopping for them is fun even though my youngest kid is 11. And yes, my almost 17 yo was up begging and sending nagging texts to dad to wake up so we could open presents. 

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Beaniemom

Beaniemom

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The only thing I could think of that I wanted was cookware that was Not Nonstick.  I ended up with 3 different sets but the winning set was picked by DH and my kids.  It was the only one that didn’t have some type of nonstick coating on it.  I was impressed by his listening skills.  

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JustEm

JustEm

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My favorites were tickets to see comedian Demetri Martin(fil), a new purse(mil), gift card to the restaurant we play trivia at(mil), and an expansion to The Last Night On Earth(dh).

For the kids,  dd3 got a bunch of Calico Critters, ds1 got a bunch of nice play food he's very excited about, ds6 got stilts and legos, dd8 got karaoke machine, ds10 legos and a drone.  

Dh's favorite gift, I don't know.  He got some graphic novels, board games, and other random things.

It was a fantastic christmas 

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Tap

Tap

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Posted (edited)

DD20 loves, loves, loves her Apple Watch 4 in pink/gold (from her Air Force husband who couldn't be here), and Himalayan Salt bowl/lamp, diffuser/oils and new clothes.

DD12 is super excited to have a new pair of sneakers.  She wears a women's 11 wide, so it is super hard to find cute shoes in her size. I stumbled across a pair of Brooks that while they aren't wide sized, they are made wide. She has been wearing them since she opened them LOL  She dosn't know that she has another pair of boots coming tomorrow. She had a pair of Bear Paw redish-purple shearling boots with a fun tassel on the back, that she wore out last year. I tracked the exact same boots down in her new size and they will be here tomorrow. She has missed her boots every day this winter, so she will be elated to have some more. It is hard to find fun kid items when they wear plus-sized adult shoes/clothes. I was able to find some cute PJs, clothes and a new robe too.  She will spend her break in various states of PJs I think LOL

Ds20 adores his new sushi items, anime and mini-figs.

Dh and I are getting new carpeting after the first of the year, so that will be our present. 

 

Edited by Tap
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HomeAgain

HomeAgain

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Isn't it funny how the favorite presents aren't what we think they are? 🙂

Youngest's favorite present was a pajama set with a fuzzy bathrobe.  He immediately put on the robe and exclaimed over the pockets.  Now I'll have to check the laundry more carefully for legos. 😄
Oldest's was a tool set meant for electronics.
Dh was surprised by the jersey I found him.
Mine was the set of books I got.  Each person gave me one of my favorites - hard to do since my collection is well thought out. I can't wait to snuggle up in January with them.

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ThisIsTheDay

ThisIsTheDay

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Posted

I'm a puzzle fan, and my sister sent me a custom jigsaw puzzle of the town where we grew up. I already completed it (we celebrated Christmas early). It was such a great and unique idea! I am also a huge map fan,  so this was just a perfect gift!

https://shop.nationalgeographic.com/collections/maps-puzzles-and-gifts/products/nat-geo-my-town-custom-usgs-map-puzzle

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Janeway

Janeway

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My grandma is in her 90's. Since Mom died and Grandma sold her house and moved even further away (she used to be a 12 hr drive away and now is a 24 hr drive away) I figured I would never see her again. Well, she showed up! Just like that! To surprise us! I was so happy I broke out bawling. I am going to start crying again just typing this. I am so happy to get to see her.

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ScoutTN

ScoutTN

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Posted (edited)

Dd's favorite is a HP ring that looks like the snitch with a tail. That and some comfy, soft clothes. 

Ds's is either his Auburn gear (hat, sweatshirt etc.) or the Lego. 

Mine is a tie: weighted blanket and a Happy Light.  Eta: Weighted blanket was too heavy. May trade it for a lighter one.

Dh's are a Vols golf shirt and a movie theater gift card (multiple super hero movies on the big screen!)

 

Edited by ScoutTN
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Ali in OR

Ali in OR

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Dh surprised college girl with tickets to Hamilton in San Francisco. She's never seen it but knows the songs by heart--she was shocked. I told her if she can't find a friend to go with her I will fly down and join her! Youngest is thrilled with her set of 48 Prismacolor brush tip pens. She's been very into art this past year and has been using our 10-year old set of 24 chisel tip prismacolors. The 48 set was only like $8 more than the 24 set at Dick Blick--I was thrilled to find it, she was thrilled to get it and is working on her first portrait tonight (so excited to have skin tones!)

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Shoeless

Shoeless

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2 hours ago, AbcdeDooDah said:

I got a mug when I was in 3rd grade or so. I used it up until about 3 years ago when ds broke it. I'm 45, so it had a long, loved life.

He found another one and gave it to me today. It was seriously the most thoughtful gift ever and I am so happy. I don't know how he found it as it seemed pretty hard to find.

I'm pretty much a person who uses things rather than collect and display them so I'm torn on what to do. He put so much thought into this and I dont want it to break. Maybe it will be my "Christmas Day" mug.

received_382615345829341.jpeg

This is so sweet.  ❤️

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PeterPan

PeterPan

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3 hours ago, Tap said:

DD12 is super excited to have a new pair of sneakers.  She wears a women's 11 wide, so it is super hard to find cute shoes in her size. I stumbled across a pair of Brooks that while they aren't wide sized, they are made wide.

If you need more shoes in the future, Brooks do come in a wide. https://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/womensshoes/?r=brand%3ABrooks%2Cvariants.widthGroup%3AWomen's+Wide  My dd has high tops on her feet *and* takes a wide, and the Brooks wide is beautiful on her. She also does really well finding shoes on amazon and getting deals. You can search women's wide and they usually have free returns.

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TechWife

TechWife

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3 hours ago, Janeway said:

My grandma is in her 90's. Since Mom died and Grandma sold her house and moved even further away (she used to be a 12 hr drive away and now is a 24 hr drive away) I figured I would never see her again. Well, she showed up! Just like that! To surprise us! I was so happy I broke out bawling. I am going to start crying again just typing this. I am so happy to get to see her.

I’m so happy for you! I have tears in my eyes! I hope you have a wonderful visit with her! 

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TechWife

TechWife

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One of my sisters came up for Christmas. She never married or had children and has felt out of place at family gatherings that take place near her - they are centered around our other sister’s family. We have thoroughly enjoyed her visit and she really appreciated the thought I put into her gift (two sweatshirts) and the items in her stocking. I’m happy that she’s happy & is having a good Christmas. She will here until Thursday. We’re going to take her out to dinner for her birthday before she leaves (it’s Thursday the 27th). 

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Jean in Newcastle

Jean in Newcastle

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There were no misses here:

Dh was happy with the book and mug I got him and the tool dd got him. Book and tool were on his list which is great for a guy who is hard to shop for. Ds’ gift is still coming. 

Ds was happy with the guitar ornament and money I got him, the Greek books dh got him and a replacement t/shirt that dd got him of a shirt that he’s loved to death. 

Dd was happy with the book ds got her (called “What If”), the camera backpack dh got her and the ice skate ornament I got her with money for new ice skates. She’s already ordered the skates. 

I am happy with the tech shirts dh got me, the framed pictures of all my pets that dd got me and the fact that ds set up and taught me how to access Netflix. I am binge watching “Death in Paradise “ now. 

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HomeAgain

HomeAgain

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10 hours ago, peacelovehomeschooling said:

Please share what books you got!

Oh, but you'll laugh!  They're all different! 🙂

The oldest ds gave me a collection of Winnie The Pooh.  Youngest - Murder On The Orient Express.  And DH gave me 1984.  They are all either ones that I've given the kids (but have no copies of my own) or I had, but lost through extenuating circumstances.
 

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Beth S

Beth S

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Posted (edited)

Our ds gave us the Biggest Surprise Gift Ever.
He wrote a check to pay off his student loans to us.  In full. 
After talking with me at Thanksgiving that he was working on building up a Buffer Fund (so not able yet to pay it off)!
Yes, it brought tears to my eyes.  Just so proud of him.  😀

 

Edited by Beth S
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PeterPan

PeterPan

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7 hours ago, MercyA said:

DD10 knows I love naps and sloths. So she gave me some stuffed napping buddies. Here's my sweet dog posing with them. :) 

(If you quote, please leave out the pic. Going to delete later, 'cause I'm a privacy nut.)

 

What kind of dog is that? She's adorable!!

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Lecka

Lecka

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We got Mario Party on Switch and two extra controllers, and had so much fun.  Four people can play at the same time!   We have problems lately where one of my kids doesn’t do well participating in some board games and will just be kind-if left out or not really want to play.  He did great with Mario Party.  There are a lot of mini-games that are 1 against 3 or 2 against 2, with teams randomly assigned.  My son who usually will never do well in a game won a 1 against 3 game and was ecstatic.  My daughter and I beat my son and husband at a game, and my daughter was so happy to ever beat her dad at something.  And then I loved being on a team with my husband when it worked out that way.  

We are planning to play a lot over this vacation.

The only problem is there are 5 of us and only 4 can play at a time, but that is working out fine.   

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MEmama

MEmama

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3 minutes ago, Rachel said:

My 11 year old made presents for his siblings. He was so excited about giving them, he could barely sleep, and then woke the entire family up at 4:56! I sent them back to bed until 7. His excitement was contagious and so sweet. 

ED174F17-7391-4C4C-8939-C32478D749F3.jpeg

WOW!!!! The dollhouse is amazing! 

Love that he woke up early because he was so excited about GIVING--you must be so proud of him! 

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mommyoffive

mommyoffive

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12 hours ago, Tap said:

DD20 loves, loves, loves her Apple Watch 4 in pink/gold (from her Air Force husband who couldn't be here), and Himalayan Salt bowl/lamp, diffuser/oils and new clothes.

DD12 is super excited to have a new pair of sneakers.  She wears a women's 11 wide, so it is super hard to find cute shoes in her size. I stumbled across a pair of Brooks that while they aren't wide sized, they are made wide. She has been wearing them since she opened them LOL  She dosn't know that she has another pair of boots coming tomorrow. She had a pair of Bear Paw redish-purple shearling boots with a fun tassel on the back, that she wore out last year. I tracked the exact same boots down in her new size and they will be here tomorrow. She has missed her boots every day this winter, so she will be elated to have some more. It is hard to find fun kid items when they wear plus-sized adult shoes/clothes. I was able to find some cute PJs, clothes and a new robe too.  She will spend her break in various states of PJs I think LOL

Ds20 adores his new sushi items, anime and mini-figs.

Dh and I are getting new carpeting after the first of the year, so that will be our present. 

 

 

That is so sweet about the boots you got your dd.  I am the same size and it is so hard to find shoes.  

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Jenny in Florida

Jenny in Florida

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Posted

My family did well by me this year, but my two favorites came from my husband and my son's girlfriend.

My son's girlfriend painted two small pieces for me with images and quotes from a TV show we both love. 

My husband managed to dig up historical information about a place I remember being taken as a kid that I had not been able to find anything about in years of looking. I had seriously begun to assume I had imagined the whole thing. He found information verifying that it did exist, spoke to the daughter of one of the owners, acquired a vintage postcard with a photo of the place and put the photos, postcard and historical information in a frame I can hang on the wall of my office. It is probably one of the top two or three gifts I have ever received in my life.

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mommyoffive

mommyoffive

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11 hours ago, Janeway said:

My grandma is in her 90's. Since Mom died and Grandma sold her house and moved even further away (she used to be a 12 hr drive away and now is a 24 hr drive away) I figured I would never see her again. Well, she showed up! Just like that! To surprise us! I was so happy I broke out bawling. I am going to start crying again just typing this. I am so happy to get to see her.

 

HOw did she get there? 

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mommyoffive

mommyoffive

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Posted
1 hour ago, Beth S said:

Our ds gave us the Biggest Surprise Gift Ever.
He wrote a check to pay off his student loans to us.  In full. 
After talking with me at Thanksgiving that he was working on building up a Buffer Fund (so not able yet to pay it off)!
Yes, it brought tears to my eyes.  Just so proud of him.  😀

 

 

Wow!!  That is amazing.  You did a great job with him. 

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lavender's green

lavender's green

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Posted

One of my kids gave me a battery in an old earring box, a handful of marbles, and a couple lumps of wax. He's been planning this gift and putting it together since June or so. 😄

I feel really happy with how our gifting went this year. When we decluttered over the summer I paid a lot of attention to what DH actually likes and needs, so my gifts to him were better than usual, even if IMO a little boring and utilitarian. 

I got a very long strand of irregular multi-colored pearls that I can wrap around my neck a few times. So pretty! I can't stop looking at all those unique beauties.  And a new bullet journal and pen. What a lovely way to spend Christmas afternoon, drawing next year's calendars and planning out my whole year.

The hugglepod was a huge hit with the kids, along with rubber band guns and nerf guns. My kid who likes snaps circuits and radios was thrilled with the snap circuit radio kit. My girl loves her new baby doll, fairies, and unicorn. We had an all-around great time.

 

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AbcdeDooDah

AbcdeDooDah

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3 hours ago, Jenny in Florida said:

 

My husband managed to dig up historical information about a place I remember being taken as a kid that I had not been able to find anything about in years of looking. I had seriously begun to assume I had imagined the whole thing. He found information verifying that it did exist, spoke to the daughter of one of the owners, acquired a vintage postcard with a photo of the place and put the photos, postcard and historical information in a frame I can hang on the wall of my office. It is probably one of the top two or three gifts I have ever received in my life.

That is the best! I have places like this my dad used to take me I would love to visit and my word, that's an amazing gift!

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lynn

lynn

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Getting to spend Christmas with my Sailor and having another Christmas eve with my 87year old fil.  He has several health issues but is still mentally strong and we're thankful he's still with us even after going through hurricane Michael and loosing his home.  No better  Christmas gift than getting more time with loved ones.

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Farrar

Farrar

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My boys had two big gifts... they each got tickets - Mushroom is seeing Be More Chill on Broadway (he's been obsessed with it for going on two years since it was in workshop) and we gave BalletBoy two tickets to see Marinsky's Le Corsaire ("The variations!" he exclaimed) with a friend of his choice. And then they also got a Nintendo Switch - that was a huge surprise so they were thrilled.

It made me so happy to surprise them. I agree with the idea that having teens is great. They were very grateful and gave us nice presents too. Mushroom gave me a pretty book necklace. And BalletBoy went to the holiday market and found me perfect, soft fingerless gloves.

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chocolate-chip chooky

chocolate-chip chooky

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I love threads like this, where we can all appreciate how kind and thoughtful everyone's loved ones are.

I'm loving these stories: @Janeway having her Grandma turn up; @lavender's green getting a battery, marbles and lumps of wax; @Jenny in Florida having her childhood memories so beautifully confirmed; and especially the replacement mug for @AbcdeDooDah.

These Christmas stories are all so precious. 

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goldberry

goldberry

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DD had somewhat of a rocky start with her future in-laws (wedding next June).  This year has improved though.  They got her some very nice gifts, including a stocking with her name on it to go with fiance's, and a holiday pajama set that matches one fiance has worn since he was a teenager.  She was so happy, she finally felt like they were accepting her into the family.  The feeling was the best gift!

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Sk8ermaiden

Sk8ermaiden

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DD has been dying to see Potted Potter (A parody of all 7 Harry Potter books done in the style of the Reduced Shakespeare Company). We've had a very hard last half of the year, culminating in the loss of DH. So our plans to see it kind of got lost, of course. She would get sad every time an ad for it came on the radio, and I reassured her it would come back to town in a few years. 

When they extended their run here I got tickets for her and myself and kept it a total secret. I gave her a Hogwarts gift bag and inside was only a photoshopped image of Harry Potter in a flowerpot. When she figured it out, it was priceless. 

DS got his first bike and is so excited. As he went out to ride it he said, "Everyone will see me and think, 'Man, that's a cool kid!' "

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alisoncooks

alisoncooks

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DD10 got Calico Critters (for the first time). We spent a good amount of time opening all the tiny bits and setting them up in her new dollhouse. She was thrilled with them!

(I had my reservations about buying this for her, but funny enough, I saw my cousin on Christmas and *her* DD10 had asked for and got the  LOL dollhouse, haha. I love that these growing cousins both are still embracing play!)

 

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KidsHappen

KidsHappen

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18 hours ago, Beaniemom said:

The only thing I could think of that I wanted was cookware that was Not Nonstick.  I ended up with 3 different sets but the winning set was picked by DH and my kids.  It was the only one that didn’t have some type of nonstick coating on it.  I was impressed by his listening skills.  

Would you mind telling me what set that was?

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Ann.without.an.e

Ann.without.an.e

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, alisoncooks said:

DD10 got Calico Critters (for the first time). We spent a good amount of time opening all the tiny bits and setting them up in her new dollhouse. She was thrilled with them!

(I had my reservations about buying this for her, but funny enough, I saw my cousin on Christmas and *her* DD10 had asked for and got the  LOL dollhouse, haha. I love that these growing cousins both are still embracing play!)

 

 

See, my 16 year old just said "really?  mom? that is sweet and sad all at the same time, I wanted these 7 years ago" 😂

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Ann.without.an.e

Ann.without.an.e

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Youngest DS never has a Christmas list and we had no idea what to get him this year.  We looked at reviews and suggestions for his age and picked Cozmo as one of his gifts.  He doesn't watch commercial TV so he had no idea what it was but he loves it. It has been a huge hit ❤️ 

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