What gift are you most excited to give this holiday season?

[mommyoffive]

Do you have a gift you are really excited to give? 

[alisoncooks]

All of them. Seriously. This is our first year that Santa isn't coming and all the gifts are from mommy and daddy. FINALLY! I get my much-deserved credit! I was tired of Santa getting all the props for awesome gifts. 😂

 

Edited December 5, 2019 by alisoncooks

[wintermom]

I am excited to give my dh a new pair of winter/hiking shoes. His current ones are a disaster, but he hates shopping (especially for himself). Finding the right style and size is going to be interesting. The gift won't be a surprise. 

[wintermom]

2 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

All of them. Seriously. This is our first year that Santa isn't coming and all the gifts are from mommy and daddy. FINALLY! I get my much-deserved credit! I was tired of Santa getting all the props for awesome gifts. 😂

 

So how did you make this miraculous transition away from Santa? 

[alisoncooks]

Just now, wintermom said:

So how did you make this miraculous transition away from Santa? 

It must have been miraculous because I have no idea how I managed it without mutiny. 

They'd been "in the know" for a few years but not willing to admit it (lots of pressing questions and half accusations). So this year, I said that they'd reached the age where Santa passes gift giving off to the parents (wink wink). They can take that however they like. 😄

[Noreen Claire]

Most excited to give? DS7 is getting a micro:bit inventor's kit. He's going to be over the moon!

Most excited to buy? DS5 asked for a plant for his room. I'm going to the local fancy plant store (not a florist, really just cool houseplants) to browse. My mother loves that place.

[wintermom]

6 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

It must have been miraculous because I have no idea how I managed it without mutiny. 

They'd been "in the know" for a few years but not willing to admit it (lots of pressing questions and half accusations). So this year, I said that they'd reached the age where Santa passes gift giving off to the parents (wink wink). They can take that however they like. 😄

That is an excellent strategy. Well done mama! I may do the same this year. 

Another question: will mom and dad fill stockings this year? 

[vonfirmath]

52 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

All of them. Seriously. This is our first year that Santa isn't coming and all the gifts are from mommy and daddy. FINALLY! I get my much-deserved credit! I was tired of Santa getting all the props for awesome gifts. 😂

 

 

My parents, growing up, never gave Santa "Credit" for the biggest and best presents.

That is an excellent strategy. Well done mama! I may do the same this year. 

Another question: will mom and dad fill stockings this year? 

 

We have never done Santa but the kids get stockings anyway

Edited December 5, 2019 by vonfirmath

[plansrme]

Ski jackets!  My husband, son and I went skiing last year for the first time ever, to a tiny little ski hill in an obscure town in Wyoming.  We begged and borrowed ski attire because we didn't know if we'd like it or not.  Well, they LOVED it, and are hooked, so I am getting them proper ski jackets this year.  I loved the trip and seriously want to move to this little town, but I did not get the hang of skiing.  But I did love that they loved it (and that it was my idea!, so i got credit--go Mom!) and am excited to try again.

I am excited about nothing for my 19 yo.  Any suggestions for college-age girls who are not super into clothes???

[alisoncooks]

42 minutes ago, wintermom said:

That is an excellent strategy. Well done mama! I may do the same this year. 

Another question: will mom and dad fill stockings this year? 

Stocking have always been parental domain, so no change there. (Somewhere I missed the memo that Santa filled stockings, lol.)

(And for those that can't see signatures, my kids are middle school, so it's not like I'm crushing the hopes and dreams of a kindergartner...) 😉

Edited December 5, 2019 by alisoncooks

[Momto6inIN]

D'S 17 wants a cello, so we are going in with my mom and dad to get him a not horrifically expensive beginner one. He wants one and has asked multiple times for one, but I don't think he actually expects to get one because I've told him multiple times that we don't have room and he doesn't have time to teach himself, so it will be fun to see the surprise on his face 🙂

[Sneezyone]

DH has been complaining about his laptop for two years. I am replacing it for him. 🤗 I am also excited to see DSs reaction to the record player and jazz LPs.

[TheReader]

This one is kind of cheesy, but every year we get the boys Lego Mini-Figs for their stockings. Lego releases little single packs, but it's a mystery grab bag -- there are 16 in the series each time, but you don't know which one you're getting in the pack. There used to be little dots on the packaging so you could kind of tell if you were getting duplicates or not, and DH would spend a while standing in the store checking, yet we'd always end up with one or two repeats. 

This year, whether strictly ethical or not, DH ordered extras/bought extras, and last night we sat and felt all of the packages trying to identify unique pieces in each one to determine what they were. We were able, we're pretty sure, to identify every single one in the series and return the duplicates, so that, if we were accurate in our package-feeling, the kids will have all 16, no duplicates, for the first time ever. 

We won't know for sure until Christmas if we were successful or not, but I really hope so and think so. 

[Slache]

1 hour ago, alisoncooks said:

It must have been miraculous because I have no idea how I managed it without mutiny. 

They'd been "in the know" for a few years but not willing to admit it (lots of pressing questions and half accusations). So this year, I said that they'd reached the age where Santa passes gift giving off to the parents (wink wink). They can take that however they like. 😄

My husband knew that if he stopped believing in Santa he would no longer get gifts from him so he believed in Santa until he was 16 when his 11 year old sister figured it out at the dinner table. He tried to signal her to stop but it was too late. No more Santa.

[TheReader]

10 minutes ago, parent said:

I know the effort that took!  I usually just hunt in the store and get the ones they (or I) want. 

Have you seen the people packs?  Target has a space one.

ooh, I'll have to check! Youngest has several of the People Packs on his list; we own enough Lego to probably open our own store, honestly, but.....he can never get enough Min-Figs. I'll have to check for the Space ones! 

[TheReader]

37 minutes ago, parent said:

Well, I was super happy.  I got in touch with one of my husband's hiking buddies and got some good mountain photos of their favorite places.  I had a panoramic 12x36 printed on metal and ordered a barn wood frame for it.  I also ordered 4 photo mugs each with a different mountain pic wrapped around.  Like a golden sunset, a foggy morning, and 2 others.  I've been so excited to give it to him.  But I was upset and told him not to get me anything for Christmas because I would hate it if he tried to get me an expensive gift to feel better.  He, in turn, said to not get him anything... so... and the stuff hasn't arrived yet from Shutterfly (ordered 2 weeks ago!) though I've had the frame for a week.  I hope it turns out well.

I'm super excited to give my 10 yr old daughter a sewing machine!  She will love, love, love it!  And absolutely not expect it.  My 5 yr old will love having his own rollerblades!  No super wow for my 8 yr old but he'll be happy with what we found.

Oh, I hope the gift with your DH works out; (((hugs))) It sounds fabulous. 

 

[wintermom]

53 minutes ago, Momto6inIN said:

D'S 17 wants a cello, so we are going in with my mom and dad to get him a not horrifically expensive beginner one. He wants one and has asked multiple times for one, but I don't think he actually expects to get one because I've told him multiple times that we don't have room and he doesn't have time to teach himself, so it will be fun to see the surprise on his face 🙂

Yes, let him save up for one himself. That is crazy to expect a cello when you're going to go the "self-teach" route.  I would offer up a guitar as an alternative. Way cheaper, easier to learn, and it's fun!

P.S. He could get himself a cello bow and play it on a guitar. Might have to invest in special strings, but again, WAY CHEAPER. 

Edited December 5, 2019 by wintermom

[Kareni]

1 hour ago, plansrme said:

I am excited about nothing for my 19 yo.  Any suggestions for college-age girls who are not super into clothes???

My daughter asked for a juggling set when she was in college. Also a hot water bottle.

You might browse the thread I started for some out of the common ideas ~

2019 edition ~ Have you encountered a unique gift? Post it here..

Regards,

 Kareni

[TheReader]

1 hour ago, plansrme said:

Ski jackets!  My husband, son and I went skiing last year for the first time ever, to a tiny little ski hill in an obscure town in Wyoming.  We begged and borrowed ski attire because we didn't know if we'd like it or not.  Well, they LOVED it, and are hooked, so I am getting them proper ski jackets this year.  I loved the trip and seriously want to move to this little town, but I did not get the hang of skiing.  But I did love that they loved it (and that it was my idea!, so i got credit--go Mom!) and am excited to try again.

I am excited about nothing for my 19 yo.  Any suggestions for college-age girls who are not super into clothes???

College-aged kids are hard in general. Ugh.  I have roughly zero ideas at all for ours (boys, not girls, sorry) so.....no help. Or, nothing fun, anyway. We're doing some car stuff for the one who has a car (a portable tire airer-upper, a portable battery charger....), probably will get a Tile (item-finder-thingy) for each of them for attaching to their easy-to-lose items, maybe.....nothing exciting, at all, though. 

I think we're fast moving to the stage of giving cash, and then cutting back on what we give them. :sigh: 

 

[alisoncooks]

27 minutes ago, Slache said:

My husband knew that if he stopped believing in Santa he would no longer get gifts from him so he believed in Santa until he was 16 when his 11 year old sister figured it out at the dinner table. He tried to signal her to stop but it was too late. No more Santa.

Aw, lol. My kids are getting the same amount of presents, just all from me. 

 

I guess I'm most excited about this:  

I didn't do the kickstarter -- I bought the book from Amazon. My artist/gamer kiddo is going to love it -- it's beautiful. 

[Just Kate]

1 hour ago, alisoncooks said:

Stocking have always been parental domain, so no change there. (Somewhere I missed the memo that Santa filled stockings, lol.)

(And for those that can't see signatures, my kids are middle school, so it's not like I'm crushing the hopes and dreams of a kindergartner...) 😉

well, my youngest is in seventh grade and if I stopped doing Santa, I would be crushing her hopes and dreams! (She knows...but she really really likes pretending. I’m the same way...she is my mini-me!). 
 

When my kids were younger, I got frustrated because they did believe that all of their Christmas morning gifts came from Santa. And then their grandparents got them gifts, aunts and uncles, family friends, etc. But mom and dad didn’t get them anything (or only got them something small). So I changed it to Santa bringing them one gift each, along with their stockings. The rest of the gifts were wrapped up and from mom and dad. Made me feel a lot better!!! Lol

[vonfirmath]

11 minutes ago, TheReader said:

College-aged kids are hard in general. Ugh.  I have roughly zero ideas at all for ours (boys, not girls, sorry) so.....no help. Or, nothing fun, anyway. We're doing some car stuff for the one who has a car (a portable tire airer-upper, a portable battery charger....), probably will get a Tile (item-finder-thingy) for each of them for attaching to their easy-to-lose items, maybe.....nothing exciting, at all, though. 

I think we're fast moving to the stage of giving cash, and then cutting back on what we give them. :sigh: 

 

 

When you get to be an adult, cash (And bills paid) Can be the best Christmas Gift ever!  It's not sexy and doesn't make the advertisements or a good hAllmark movie. But we all know the stress of living under debt.

[rebcoola]

We got tickets for all of us except baby to see a big famous comedian.  It will be a total shock Dd13 was begging for a ticket for her birthday.  Tickets were announced a week before her day we said no and we had already bought your gifts.  Than she wanted too use her birthday money to by one  but it was sold out. So it will be a complete surprise that we got tickets as our big family gift.

[Momto6inIN]

54 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Yes, let him save up for one himself. That is crazy to expect a cello when you're going to go the "self-teach" route.  I would offer up a guitar as an alternative. Way cheaper, easier to learn, and it's fun!

P.S. He could get himself a cello bow and play it on a guitar. Might have to invest in special strings, but again, WAY CHEAPER. 

He doesn't expect one, that's why it will be so fun to give him one unexpectedly! 🙂 He already has a guitar - he's very musical and is self taught on everything except piano. 

[plansrme]

19 minutes ago, StellaM said:

Definitely a present for my son. It's a sweater, the kind that YungBlud wears - it's 'distressed' aka it has holes artfully pre-made, lol.

When he showed it to me online, I said 'Oh my goodness, I cannot imagine paying money for something that already has holes in it!', and I couldn't, but then later I decided to just buy it for him as a surprise. I still think it's ridiculous to spend good money on a sweater with holes,  but it's gonna make ds real happy, especially because we are going to see YungBlud in concert soon.

I don't even know who that is, but that is so sweet that you're just going for the joy that it will bring him.

[matrips]

3 hours ago, plansrme said:

I am excited about nothing for my 19 yo.  Any suggestions for college-age girls who are not super into clothes???

Can you give her a ‘subscription’ to a monthly care package from you? With necessary girl care items, laundry stuff, favorite foods, movie gift certificates, tickets to an event on campus, and various items?  Then mail her a box each month?  Maybe more fun than just giving a bunch of cash.  

[Kassia]

My daughter is impossible to buy for.  I got her one of those pillows that is from a photo of your pet for her to bring to college with her and am hoping that's a hit.  She's a minimalist who doesn't wear make-up, jewelry, lotions, nail polish, and doesn't care about clothes.  

[ScoutTN]

Nothing exotic, but these will be loved and appreciated:
A large pile of novels for Dd.
Basketball tickets to his favorite college team for ds.

Good down sleeping bags for both of them.

[Kassia]

23 minutes ago, kand said:

Where did you order the pillow?

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T6FGZ44/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It came out very nice!

[Spy Car]

My boy (15) loves to take videos, especially of himself skating.

So I'm getting him a couple of auxiliary lens  made by a company called "Moment" that he can attach to his iPhone.

One is a fish eye for that ultra wide look.

But the other one is an anamorphic lens (and it is the one that has me excited). 

Anamorphic lenses are what Hollywood uses to shoot big-budget wide-screen epics. They are VERY EXPENSIVE pieces of glass.

ETA: In contrast the Moment anamorphic lens is $150 when not on sale. I got 20% off.

The footage I've seen shot on iPhones with the Moment anamorphic lens has been amazing. And I made my living in Hollywood. Very impressed by what I've seen. Can't wait to shoot. Father-son present. This is the one.

 

Bill

 

Edited December 5, 2019 by Spy Car

[linders]

Tee shirt quilt for DS19. Hamilton tickets for family.

[Tina]

6 hours ago, alisoncooks said:

All of them. Seriously. This is our first year that Santa isn't coming and all the gifts are from mommy and daddy. FINALLY! I get my much-deserved credit! I was tired of Santa getting all the props for awesome gifts. 😂

 

I always gave the kids' lists to the family to shop for and picked out something they hadn't thought of - ice skates or rollerblades or whatever.  Santa never brought my kids the things on their lists.  An alternative...

[Sneezyone]

1 hour ago, linders said:

Tee shirt quilt for DS19. Hamilton tickets for family.

Hamilton tix is what I asked for from DH. We had family tix for July but moved before I could use them.

[hjffkj]

We found a free and in near perfect condition foosball, air hockey, pool, and table tennis table a few weeks ago for the kids.  It'll be a great addition to the growing hang out area in the basement.  But it is even more exciting for me because it was free and the timing couldn't have been more perfect since we were starting to worry about what we were going to do about christmas with limited funds.

Each kid is getting one more gift from us, exactly what they asked for, and we were able to spend less than $100 total on the 5.  Facebook marketplace has been a blessing for us this year in that we found the exact things the kids wanted at really low prices.

 

[plansrme]

23 hours ago, Kassia said:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T6FGZ44/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It came out very nice!

 

Just FYI in case anyone else wants to order one, i did today (thanks, Kassia!), and it has delivery between the 17th and 24th.  No guarantees of the 24th, even, but just in case you want it by Christmas, i would order today.

[katilac]

I'm really excited about giving my parents and myself an Amazon Show and Amazon Echo. These are Alexa devices, the Show has a screen. 

First, it's hard to buy them something fun, and my dad for sure will like this. He'll drive my mom crazy by asking Alexa what the temperature is in 6 different cities each day, lol. My mom will like it once she realizes she can call me and my sister with them, find her phone by asking Alexa to call it, and start and stop playing music hands-free. 

I love it because they are in their 80s and Alexa is the modern version of "help, I've fallen and I can't get up." Instead of pressing a button to contact the company, they can just have it call one of us or anyone on their contact list. It's possible an emergency would occur where they could press a button but not speak, but this is an affordable solution that covers most of the bases (and does lots of other stuff as well). I'm most worried about falls, and two devices will pretty much cover their little house. 

Oh, there's also the check-in feature where you can check-in to any device you have permission for. So they can look and listen to the main part of their house while they're gone (we have flash floods and the occasional tornado). You can also set Alexa to alert you if she hears a strange noise, like glass breaking (possible intruder), and you can check-in and even talk (to scare off an intruder). They will like that a lot. On my end, I can check-in to their Alexa if I have reason to be worried. 

I need devices on my end so they can have the fun of video calls, and also so they can call my device just in case they don't get me on the cell phone. The fun part of having them for me will be looking up recipes and such in the kitchen, and having hands-free music in most of the house - we already have one Echo, which currently plays music and tells stories to my sugar gliders 😄 now I'll be able to do the same for the cats. I always think of it at the very last moment, just as I am leaving, and I don't have the dedication to walk back to the living room and turn on the tv or music. 

 

[ScoutTN]

Got tickets to the seniors show (mid-morning on a weekday) at the Bluebird Cafe for my mom!  

She used to be able to do some of the touristy, fun, Music City things, but health issues prevent now. This she can do! I am excited to be able to give her something special.

[DawnM]

DH has talked about one of those green egg grill things FOR YEARS!  But he won't buy one due to cost, so we are getting him the Costco one for Christmas.  The neighbors have agreed to let us store it in their garage until Christmas.  He has NO CLUE.

I can't wait to give it to him.

He will cook more too......so.....win-win!

Edited December 8, 2019 by DawnM

[DawnM]

I ordered a T-shirt blanket from a company that makes them for my T-shirt loving son.  It will have all of his high school theater performances, soccer, mens' chorus, and scouts on it.

[DawnM]

19 minutes ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

Do you have a link to where you got it?  I was thinking of doing the same thing for my oldest as an 8th graduation present.

Yes, I got it from ProjectRepat.com 

https://www.projectrepat.com

I got it when they had a 40% off sale, well, I paid then, I didn't actually send the T-shirts for 2 more months after that.

[maize]

My kids are getting an incline tumbling mat, I think they are going to love it. 

We've got some other gymnastics and tumbling gear, mostly from past Christmases, my kids go stir crazy in the winter so I usually try to get them something with active potential.

[elegantlion]

It's not so much the gift as who I'm giving it to. One of my dear friends has become my boyfriend (which still seems weird to say at my age). He's very practical and sort of minimal, except for books (a perfect match or what?!). So, he's getting a nice tie, one he wouldn't buy for himself, and a book a new translation of the Havamal by Jackson Crawford. It has Old Norse and the English. He reads some Old Norse and we're studying together in our spare time. 

[katilac]

36 minutes ago, elegantlion said:

It's not so much the gift as who I'm giving it to. One of my dear friends has become my boyfriend  

Wait, what?? Did I miss this or did you just slide the news into this thread all stealthy-like? 

Either way, awesome! Reading ancient Norse together is the epitome of a Well Trained Romance, and I hope for a Gaudy Night style update at some point in the future 😍

[Pippen]

On 12/5/2019 at 10:34 AM, plansrme said:

Ski jackets!  My husband, son and I went skiing last year for the first time ever, to a tiny little ski hill in an obscure town in Wyoming.  We begged and borrowed ski attire because we didn't know if we'd like it or not.  Well, they LOVED it, and are hooked, so I am getting them proper ski jackets this year.  I loved the trip and seriously want to move to this little town, but I did not get the hang of skiing.  But I did love that they loved it (and that it was my idea!, so i got credit--go Mom!) and am excited to try again.

I am excited about nothing for my 19 yo.  Any suggestions for college-age girls who are not super into clothes???

My college age dd asked for a weighted blanket last year and she has loved it. She also appreciates Ulta gift cards and foods/beverages that are out of her budget--good coffee, chocolate, rice, etc.

[Janeway]

On 12/5/2019 at 10:44 AM, Momto6inIN said:

D'S 17 wants a cello, so we are going in with my mom and dad to get him a not horrifically expensive beginner one. He wants one and has asked multiple times for one, but I don't think he actually expects to get one because I've told him multiple times that we don't have room and he doesn't have time to teach himself, so it will be fun to see the surprise on his face 🙂

If you have not purchased yet, make sure you check Craigslist. They have some really good ones for low prices quite often.

[elegantlion]

10 hours ago, katilac said:

Wait, what?? Did I miss this or did you just slide the news into this thread all stealthy-like? 

Either way, awesome! Reading ancient Norse together is the epitome of a Well Trained Romance, and I hope for a Gaudy Night style update at some point in the future 😍

Totally stealth. 😎

[Momto6inIN]

4 hours ago, Janeway said:

If you have not purchased yet, make sure you check Craigslist. They have some really good ones for low prices quite often.

Too late, but if he gets good enough to want to upgrade we will definitely remember this advice!

[plansrme]

On 12/8/2019 at 7:13 AM, Pippen said:

My college age dd asked for a weighted blanket last year and she has loved it. She also appreciates Ulta gift cards and foods/beverages that are out of her budget--good coffee, chocolate, rice, etc.

Bringing this thread back to say I had actually already ordered a weighted blanket for my 16 yo son, on the grounds that he is a fitful sleeper (he says--he certainly sleeps through all kinds of things I wouldn't), and I laughed when I picked up the Amazon box--OMG, it was so heavy!  I did not really comprehend that the actual blanket would weigh like 40 pounds.  Maybe it isn't that much, but I laughed the whole time I wrapped it.  THIS is what everyone loves so much?  I'm bowing to public opinion here, majority rules, that sort of thing, because I do. not. get. it.  But I actually think he might love it!  We'll see!

So back to my hard-to-buy-for daughter:  I learned today that she can solve a Rubik's Cube in no time flat.  I am (1) jealous as all get-out, because 12 year old me, back when they were new and everyone was doing them, could never do more than on side, and (2) wondering if it gives anyone ideas for similar challenges she might enjoy?  She's never touched a RC until a few days ago when a friend loaned her one, and now she's a master.  (This child has had her struggles with academics, but she has weird strengths that pop up from time to time, and it's super-fun to see them.)

[Kassia]

24 minutes ago, plansrme said:

 

So back to my hard-to-buy-for daughter:  I learned today that she can solve a Rubik's Cube in no time flat.  I am (1) jealous as all get-out, because 12 year old me, back when they were new and everyone was doing them, could never do more than on side, and (2) wondering if it gives anyone ideas for similar challenges she might enjoy?  She's never touched a RC until a few days ago when a friend loaned her one, and now she's a master.  (This child has had her struggles with academics, but she has weird strengths that pop up from time to time, and it's super-fun to see them.)

 

They make different varieties of Rubik's cubes so maybe she would like a different one as a challenge?  

 

ETA:  something like these?  https://www.amazon.com/Speed-Roxenda-Pyramid-Smooth-Puzzle/dp/B073VK31T1/ref=sr_1_14?keywords=rubik's+cube&qid=1575909572&sr=8-14

 

Edited December 9, 2019 by Kassia

[Corraleno]

On 12/7/2019 at 8:04 PM, elegantlion said:

It's not so much the gift as who I'm giving it to. One of my dear friends has become my boyfriend (which still seems weird to say at my age). He's very practical and sort of minimal, except for books (a perfect match or what?!). So, he's getting a nice tie, one he wouldn't buy for himself, and a book a new translation of the Havamal by Jackson Crawford. It has Old Norse and the English. He reads some Old Norse and we're studying together in our spare time. 

This is the best news, I am so freaking happy for you!!!!! ❤️