Christmas Presents

I don't buy any Christmas gifts any more. Hubby and I don't exchange and I no longer exchange with my friends as we end up passing a gift card back and forth. I would rather go out to dinner with him or lunch with a friend... to me now, being with someone is the best gift. I do not have any children so I don't have to worry about that either.

Re 10 & 12 year old grand children, do they do crafts? perhaps some crafty stuff, something different then tech items. Do they like books? Maybe a special book they want. I would ask their parents for an idea from their wish list and get them something they would like.

Good luck! I am sure anything you give them, they will love. Perhaps scrap books for both of them from birth to now.

 

I’m in the same spot with the grandkids, ages 10 & 12, boy and girl. I would love to hear ideas.

I did get Alexandra Wreck that Journal. She had a lot of fun with it.
They got a silly card game this summer, The Great Delmudi, and loved playing it.
Another game, Exploding Kittens, is fun.

 

I would suggest a board game, crafting kit, or book, or if they live close enough make them a ticket to take them on a special outing.

My children's favourite games are Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, and Destinations and Chronology.

 

My family now does mostly experience gifts because time is truly our favorite gift of all. Some ideas in that area are: tickets to a local museum or attraction, a science kit or subscription box you can do together, a night or weekend for each planned around things they enjoy, an annual pass to visit state parks.

Also, possibly a themed gift, such as movie or game night. You could include a new movie or game, plus snacks, popcorn, etc. I saw Exploding Kittens mentioned above and we love that game. Some other new favorites are the Oregon Trail card game and Suspicion (kind of like Clue, but we liked it a lot more).

My husband and I each get a special gift for our daughter individually each year. She is nine this year. My husband is getting her a Lego set based on a city he recently traveled to for work. I am getting her a Harry Potter apron, cooking tools, and cookbook so that we can bake together.

My daughter is also asking for this fun book called Happy Mail, which is aimed at pre-teens and teens. It teaches basic hand lettering and encourages kids to write letters to connect with friends. It is a BEAUTIFUL book. You could do something like that with a new set of Brush Pens and Gelly Roll pens to use with it.

 

I never know what to give my dad or in general males in our family.... I reckon is a good thing in one way that we don;t have family here in the UK, because I remember traveling for the holidays and a whole suitcase would bve the kids and relatives presents!!!!
Not sure what kids that age like these days... but I remember Sarita still played with dolls at 12
@GlazeFamily3 , we are like that too... the time spend together no school, no work, was the greatest thing, plus the shopping for food and decorating the house...she always preferred something like a trip to the museums or trips outside London....for her 15 (which is the sweet 16 for us Latinas) she asked for a trip, no "material" presents...and she has always been very happy even with socks or some thing bought in a charity shop....I guess I am lucky she isn't much of a material girl!!!

 

My girl isn’t a material girl either— other than books

 

My 11 y.o. granddaughter is happiest with a $20 bill. My older girls also get money but they get checks in the mail with maybe a handmade card. I've also given them iTunes and Sephora gift cards in the past. Now their wants are so specific they are happiest doing their own shopping.

 

Some good ideas here.

I have a 10 year old and just turned 13 year old. They like things like craft items such as fancy coloring books, markers, pencils, journals, paint & canvas materials, nail polish, scarves, jewelry, etc... Not sure if that will help you.

 

Desi yes, I got that! and after all, I don't think books come into the "material" description!!!!! I wish Sarita would love reading... we did try, but she only ever read full books for school, and at some point she got excited with Jane Eyre (in school) and read it all, but she asked me to get the DVD which we watched together. Then it was Miley Cirus book , which I honestly wasn't sure I would include in "literature" LOL but she tells me the best stories are on cinema and she doesn't have patience.... which frustrates me hugely as I was an avid reader at her age .

 

I haven't read everything but will come back as these ages I find hard too. They seem to all be into everything digital [which can be read as expensive!]; be very picky but need nothing exactly. I'm leaning towards movie cinema gift cards & actually bought my niece's each a box of Xmas crackers (bon bons _ not sure if they have other names) as last year they all fought over them & the cheap plastic prizes & jokes more than anything they unwrapt ( found out MIL did the same so there'll be lots of them this year)

 

@bellbird Christmas Crackers are a favourite here too.

 

I definitely feel your pain. My Mom is the hard one to shop for on my list always. She never wants or needs anything, but I always want to give her soemthing, you know? Recently for Mother's day or birthday, I end up taking her out to lunch and buying her flowers because she doesn't really want more stuff in her house, and just likes to be pampered. What about a manicure or pedicure for the girls? At their age I wouldn't have even have known what that was, but I probably would have love it. OR a manicure/pedicure party at home? Get them all the stuff to do them for themselves? A couple colors of nailpolish, the toe separators, cotton balls and nail polish remover and a cute little bag to hold it all in?

At their age I was ALL about anything crafty. I loved colored paper, pens, markers, paints, yarn, etc. I wonder if there are any kits you could get them, like cross stitch or a little sewing project or a how to crochet book complete with yarn and crochet hooks?

My boys are 11 and 13 and can't think of a single thing they want. My 11 yo told my MIL that he wants nothing for Christmas. Sigh. I mean I think that's great that he isn't' begging for a zillion expensive things, but again, I know Grandma WANTS to buy him stuff. My 13 yo just wants cash to save for a new computer.

 

My daughter is 9- and like a lot of other posters- craft stuff, books & money would be her top items on her list. She actually is asking for a label maker for Christmas!

 

My daughter who is 11 is asking for clothes, books, craft supplies and a cell phone. She won't get a cell phone, but she will get the other stuff. She also likes playing board and card games with her friends, so I'll probably get her some of those.

I got these erasable markers from Amazon for my DD 11 and she loves them.

https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Frixio...t+Which+Attached+the+Eraser+Only+for+Friction


For games, I'd recommend bounce off. We got that last year for my kids and my siblings' families and they all loved it.

https://www.amazon.com/Mattel-CBJ83...TF8&qid=1510595076&sr=1-1&keywords=bounce+off

Another option I've done or the grandparents have done is to get family passes to the local amusement or water park, so we can spend time together as a family during the summer. The last couple of years, I've just bought cherry hill water park passes for DD and me to go swimming in the summer and not for the rest of the family because they are working or don't live close by. I've even talked to some of her friends' parents and they've bought cherry hill passes for their daughters too, so we could all go together. Black Friday is the usually the best time to get these types of passes, so check with your kids and see if they like that idea.

 

oh and how could I forget pjs. I just got an email this morning and justice has $12 pjs sets today! My DD 11 loves justice pjs.

I also forgot to mention that since DD is getting older, she likes to pick out her own clothes. I usually take her shopping and let her pick out several things. Then I ask the clerk to keep them on hold and I come back later that day and pick and choose a few things to surprise her with on Christmas morning. That way she gets clothes that she wants, and I don't have to return things that don't fit or she doesn't like. I don't know if your granddaughters live close enough to do that, but it's a thought. Otherwise, I'd just ask which stores they like to shop at and give them a gift card.

 

I find most of my family hard to buy for! I have fought for years to go to no gift-giving between the adults but we still do it. Sigh.

My dad doesn't have any hobbies, doesn't read, and doesn't belong to any groups or clubs so he's always impossible to buy for at Christmas (but is very insistent on receiving a gift). My sister is very particular about clothes & her house so she can be difficult as well but I found a Saved By the Bell board game at Target this weekend (when I was with her) and snapped it up for her present. I only buy small things for my aunt & grandma so I usually just go with food, house things, or a gift card.

 

I love the nifty craft kits that come out just for kids.
My boys love them too. The parachute cord bracelets are a big fav for all ages.
There is a tie blanket kit, that is too cute.
Also, lap blankets are a hit for ALL my kids, and they have them so cheap now...and they are soooooooooo soft!

I seem to remember my girls loving a nail kit. It had a buffer and such for doing pedicures. They did nail art with it too. Hair curling irons were a big hit for one of my girls. She would watch youtube vids of hair styles for hours.
Those color the poster things are neat too. One of my girls we got a purse with designs and it came with markers just for it! she loved that!

 

I have the attention span of a goldfish tonight, so sorry if I sound like a broken record. Last year we gifted our girls things to do so we could make memories vs a lot of stuff; movie tickets, tickets to the Deer Farm, we took them to play in the snow in March...little things like that. They really liked going and doing things, they're 10 and 5. We plan on doing the same this year.

 

@LeeAndra my dad is impossible too. He buys what he wants, and likes tv and top golf (virtual). One of his favorite presents is still this carousel photo holder with photos in it. He asks me to change them out about yearly. It was like $15? At Target one year. Holds 8-10 photos. Just a random 'throw away' gift in my eyes, but he still likes it and keeps it in his work desk.