Excelsior! Academy Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 What gifts or gift ideas did you experience this holiday season? My mom, who lives 1/2 way across the country from us, sent us money for our family. She suggested we use it to eat out, see a movie, or just do something fun. The kids are wanting to go bowling at a local retro bowling alley. I thought that was such a fun gift idea! It is probably less than what she would've spent per person and something we will remember. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 DD20 got kitchen items. Kitchen aide mixer and attachments, Ninja blender and clothes. All hits!!! DSIL got a car part he wanted (not a need) and a floor safe. All hits!! DD13 got a laptop, accessories, wireless ear buds and clothes. The electronics will be good later, but she got in trouble right before Christmas and is grounded from electronics for at least a month. So...a bummer, but will be a hit eventually. DD25 got a computer monitor, bedding, clothes, games. All hits I got a new security system...which is what I asked for. It is already installed, up and going! Win! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 (edited) I got my Hot Tub! I love experience gifts we also got Jeff Dunh tickets. We gave a gift card for our friends whole family to see the new Star Wars. Edited December 26, 2019 by rebcoola 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 My mom and my aunt sent gift cards for our favorite amusement park. It’s a very low key place that we absolutely adore. My aunt’s been gifting us that for years, but this is the second year my mom has. It’s made it so that we can go and basically do EVERYTHING we could possibly want to do there, never needing to tell the kids no (unless they’re on the verge of getting sick from too much junk food, lol.). It’s a whole day of overindulgence for a relatively big family, and we still came back with a little credit last year. So that’s definitely my favorite! On giving, my youngest kids have been wanting Nintendo Switches since they first came out, but they’ve always been way beyond a budget I’m comfortable with. This year, I splurged by going with the Switch Lites, but I was worried they’d be a little bit disappointed (not purposely, but still) with the downgrade. My 12yo non-hugger cried happy tears and hugged me for a very long time. So I think that was a win! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 My kids got an inflatable tumble trak and an incline mat for tumbling. Kids ages 2-16 and it was a huge hit with all of them. We don't do individual gifts so I am really happy if I can figure out family gifts that everyone likes. The smaller gifts were well received as well--a handful of board games aimed at different ages, a Duplo-compatible marble run set, nice binoculars, a water-doodle mat for the youngers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 Last minute (the day before Christmas Eve) I was at Walmart with my 12 year old dd and we passed by the end cap that had the Comfy Sweatshirt Hoodies (not sure if that is exact name, but just picture a giant hoodie that is also a wearable blanket). Dd commented that she hoped she got one for Christmas (I knew she wasn’t getting one), so after thinking for a minute, I bought four of them for our little family. Ds (15) was suspicious when he opened it but I’ve noticed him wearing it a lot. I’m actually wearing mine now as I lounge on the couch, drinking my coffee and enjoying reading the forums. I don’t normally make last minute purchases like that and dd thought it was really fun to be “in” on this gift for the family. My other favorite gift has been my Apple Watch. I purchased it myself and got a great deal on it. I’m still trying to figure it out, but so far I’m enjoying it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Jessica* Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 I always get a family gift that the kids open on Christmas Eve. Usually it is a board game, but this year I decided to get a set of “snowballs” for a snowball fight. My 85 year old grandma had so much fun with it! I knew everyone else would love it, but her enthusiasm was surprising and made the day extra special. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 I got two cool gifts this year that I'm really excited about. I got a fleece throw blanket with my dog's face on it. My dd sent the company a picture she liked and they imprinted it on the blanket. His face fills the whole blanket! 😂 I wish I knew how to get a picture off my phone and onto this page because I'd love to show it off. The other gift is a hoodie from 6DollarShirts.com. I love that site! DH got me one that says "I just hope both teams had fun". Yay! Every time he watches a sports game, I always comment on how sad the losing team looks. The fans faces just hang down and I feel so bad for them. Naturally I'm happy when my team wins but I just wish everyone could be a winner! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 Hits here: My 22 yo grad student daughter dresses like a homeless person. It is a source of great (mock, mostly) distress to me and my 19 yo, so 19 yo and I spent hours picking out clothes for the 22 yo. 22 yo purports to see nothing wrong with the way she dresses, so we weren't sure she would appreciate our efforts. But dang if we didn't hit it out of the park; the 22 yo looks great (and knows she looks great) in her outfits. Plus, they fit her criteria--not dressy, but comfy with functional pockets, and still nice-looking enough. The 19 yo and I kept high-fiving each other; we felt like we'd done it as a team, and that is what was fun about it. No one else would look at the clothes and think they were anything special; 19 yo and I intentionally kept them low-key, opting for subdued over flashy, but 22 yo looks like a lovely young (non-homeless) woman in them, and that is a win. My 16 yo son loved his ski jacket and, surprisingly, his weighted blanket. I haven't seen him yet today to see how he slept, but he hung out on his bed, under it, all afternoon. This was the gift I bought solely because it appeared on all of those "what to get your teen" gift lists. No one I know in real life has one, but apparently they are all onto something. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeLovePassion Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 youngest got paint pens and air dry clay...a hit. She also got an American Girl doll dress form and book with projects to sew for AG dolls...hit oldest got a weighted blanket and some drawing and charcoal pencils...hit both got new prismacolor pencils, RPG figure painting set and figures...hit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 3 hours ago, Night Elf said: I got two cool gifts this year that I'm really excited about. I got a fleece throw blanket with my dog's face on it. My dd sent the company a picture she liked and they imprinted it on the blanket. His face fills the whole blanket! 😂 I wish I knew how to get a picture off my phone and onto this page because I'd love to show it off. The other gift is a hoodie from 6DollarShirts.com. I love that site! DH got me one that says "I just hope both teams had fun". Yay! Every time he watches a sports game, I always comment on how sad the losing team looks. The fans faces just hang down and I feel so bad for them. Naturally I'm happy when my team wins but I just wish everyone could be a winner! One of my daughters got one of these blankets for my 16 yo. It is hysterical! We kept trying to see if the dog recognized himself; no sign that he did, but it was such a fun gift. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readinmom Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 3 hours ago, plansrme said: My 16 yo son loved his ski jacket and, surprisingly, his weighted blanket. I haven't seen him yet today to see how he slept, but he hung out on his bed, under it, all afternoon. This was the gift I bought solely because it appeared on all of those "what to get your teen" gift lists. No one I know in real life has one, but apparently they are all onto something. I have yet to see my dd16, either. Disappeared after dinner, dh checked and she was underneath the blanket sound asleep. It came highly recommended for teens. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 My mil of all people got me the best gift this year - for sure a first in 30 years. She took a picture off my FB page of me swimming with dolphins in the open ocean and had it put on a 12x12 canvas for my wall. Super happy with how well it turned out since it wasn’t that great a picture originally. my husband is very happy with his Fitbit versa2. Even went walking with me this morning to get steps Th is morning. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoeless Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 I got a robot vacuum and love it! I have about 1300 sq ft of tile in my house and 3 pets. Despite sweeping 2-3 times a day, the floor still always felt grubby/gritty to me. But this thing is doing a great job! The floor feels smooth and not gritty at all. Even DH commented that he could feel the difference. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 My eminently practical kiddos loved their new bathrobe (ds9) and potted bamboo plant (dd14). DS also spent a long time playing his new Lego game on the Switch. And also reading his new books (yay!!) Add me to the list of very pleased new weighted blanket owners. FIL bought mine and made fun of me the entire morning ("It was so heavy the UPS guy walked away with a limp!") but it was totally worth it. Thinking I'll be getting one for dd's birthday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 (edited) My Navy kid was home for Christmas. Best gift ever and having all 4 kids in the house and getting pictures of them all together ❤❤ Edited December 27, 2019 by lynn 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy1 Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 I’m not a tangible gift person, plus I am very practical. My dh loves buying gifts that are somewhat frivolous and (for me) expensive. For years, he’s tried so hard to buy me things...clothes, jewelry, tech things, flowers. I appreciate his efforts, but truly this year he nailed it. We have a foster baby who’s mama is in a rehab facility and she is rocking her case plan and is about to be reunited with her darling baby. I am so beyond proud of her and her tremendous work at getting healthy for her kiddos. The facility she’s in is truly wonderful and nurturing and helping mamas and kids stay together. This year, I felt he really heard me. He gave a donation to the non-profit facility in my name. It means so, so much to me that he did that, even though he will never truly understand how it touched me. I cried reading his card. We got our girls concert tickets to Billie Eilish, and I’ll be taking them to a neighboring state for a girls weekend for that. They were squealing and shrieking with excitement. It was magical! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 Dh went to Ulta to get me some gifts. I guess the lady looked up the brands that I buy from there and made suggestions to dh. So, he ended up buying me two of the things that I just bought myself a couple of days before he went! The lip gloss I’m keeping for my purse. The other item I’m returning because I don’t need two and the only reason I bought it for myself is because I got it on when they had it for 50% off - dh didn’t get that deal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familia Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 Dd made a cosmetic sized bag for my travels - I have said that I can never have enough small bags for incidentals. It is a very simple bag, but particularly special that despite relentless school and running her own fiber business, she found time to do this. Most happy that she hasn't lost her professional level sewing skills - I appreciate a well done zipper=) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 I got our oldest daughter a pair of leopard print shoes, which seem to be all the rage in NOVA, and a pair of short boots. She also received some boot socks, a candle, wick trimmer and snuffer. She loved it all but especially the shoes/boots.🎄Youngest daughter and SIL received their gift early, a generous check for a new patio set. It came in handy when they had 13 people over for Thanksgiving dinner.😊 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 I gave my 10yodd the training mannequin head that someone here linked in the unusual gifts thread. That, along with a bag full of rollers, hair clips and a water spray bottle has been a hit! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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