Do you have a Wow! gift?

[itutorfortravel]

I do have a wow gift for my DS (26). I loaned him a significant amount of money to attend nursing school (my late husband and I had already paid for one undergraduate degree at a private school - this was going to be degree #2). He has been working as a pediatric ER nurse for 18 months and has re-paid half of the loan. For Christmas this year, I am wrapping the loan notebook and marking it "Paid in Full". He will be very surprised and I can't wait to see his reaction.

All the ideas I've read are awesome, but this just gave me chills...you are helping your son start his new career without this loan looming over him. What an awesome gift!

 

[mbf]

antmaril that really is a wonderful gift. You must be so proud of your DS!

For oldest DD (just graduated college with a music ed degree), she is getting a Silent Brass System for her French Horn. It is a special mute that allows you to practice your horn and hear it through headphones so as not to disturb anyone else (she lives in an apartment house).

DD18 is supposed to be getting a new smartphone that I ordered from Groupon. Supposedly it was shipped on 11/23 but I have yet to see it. I just emailed them this morning. She broke her dumbphone over the summer and it still works but refused to get a new one.

DS7 is getting an XBox and Kinect w/ several games (including Skylanders Giants). He has been bugging for one forever so he is getting it this year.

 

[luvmy3]

We call our "wow" gifts "Open Last" gifts. Santa leaves the kids presents in a pile, but there is usually three boxes in front of the fireplace, one for each kid, with a special tag that says:
To _______
Open Last
Love, Santa

This Year's Open Last gifts are:

DD14 - a good camera (she's had a point & shoot for a few years)
DD 12 - Tickets to Wicked
DS 10 - Bike

I really love the idea of putting a special tag on the items you want opened last. I usually just stick them in the back of the tree that way by default they are the last ones the kids grab.

It should be a wow gift, I'm getting my two of my nephews (age 10 & 8) an Xbox 360 with 3 games. They are pretty poor, so they aren't expecting it but they aren't very grateful or polite so it could easily be not a big deal

Oh well, I tried.

What a great aunt you are for getting that, and hopefully your nephews see that an appreciate you (and your gift) this year

antmaril that really is a wonderful gift. You must be so proud of your DS!

For oldest DD (just graduated college with a music ed degree), she is getting a Silent Brass System for her French Horn. It is a special mute that allows you to practice your horn and hear it through headphones so as not to disturb anyone else (she lives in an apartment house).

DD18 is supposed to be getting a new smartphone that I ordered from Groupon. Supposedly it was shipped on 11/23 but I have yet to see it. I just emailed them this morning. She broke her dumbphone over the summer and it still works but refused to get a new one.

DS7 is getting an XBox and Kinect w/ several games (including Skylanders Giants). He has been bugging for one forever so he is getting it this year.

I sure wish we had one of those when dd was practicing her violin


It sounds like everyone's kids are going to be WOWed on Christmas morning

 

[antmaril]

I would like to thank everyone for their nice comments about the gift to my adult son. He has proven to me that he has every intention of paying me back. In addition, he has been saving like crazy to hopefully buy a home some day and go back to school to become a nurse practitioner. By forgiving the loan, he can make those things happen sooner, rather than later.

He is an only child, so no worries there. My husband died of cancer four years ago when my son was 21. We have been through a lot together. He deserves this.

 

[Goofy'slady]

My 14 year old daughter's wow gift will be her upgraded tv. When she was 6 my dat bought her this little tv/DVD combo and she loved it so much so that last year for Christmas I asked her if she'd like a new one and she said no due to my dat passing last year. She wasn't ready to get rid of it due to sentimental reasons, but all of a sudden this year she has mentioned maybe upgrading. It will be her last gift she receives, unwrapped with a red bow on it.

My 7 year old's wow gift is an electric scooter. She's long out grown her Disney Princess push one so this one is a major upgrade. She hasn't asked for it so she won't be expecting it at all. I will leave that gift for last as well, assembled and ready to ride.

 

[4GoofyCrew]

I've never considered it a WOW gift but yes, we make it so that each child has ONE gift from Santa each year (I could never keep track of more than one 'Santa' gift). We try to get one item off of the lists that they write to Santa. It isn't a price thing, it is just mostly a want thing. For example last year our DS wanted a 'bear with a shirt'. Seriously? But I LUCKED OUT because disneystore.com had Duffy in a hoodie!!!! One year our DD wanted a dinosaur. Enter the $10 Fisher Price one, the only one I could find!

I wrap them in special gold metallic wrapping paper, you know, something that I would never have in the house. I just remember as a kid questioning my Mom as to why Santa had the same wrapping paper as her...

Our DD is 9 and she still believes! Each year I feel like 'this is it'...pretty sure that this definitely will be it. I didn't think we would make it this long! Fun times though!

 

[spima3]

I always tried to get them a wow gift when they believed in Santa. My kids only get things for their birthdays and Xmas, so I wanted it to be special.

Sometimes they were game systems, cell phones, etc. But I'm happy if I can get something they have mentioned they liked but didn't end up on their list.

DD12 loved a stuffed penguin we saw at the zoo. I found one on Amazon. DD17 mentioned how she just loves bathrobes, and she is in a cheetah print faze, so I got her a cheetah bathrobe. DS15 is a little harder. I think I might get him either headphones for gaming or upgrade the modem.

They all want a puppy, but that is one surprise they are NOT getting any time soon!

 

[E-P-C-O-T]

I would like to thank everyone for their nice comments about the gift to my adult son. He has proven to me that he has every intention of paying me back. In addition, he has been saving like crazy to hopefully buy a home some day and go back to school to become a nurse practitioner. By forgiving the loan, he can make those things happen sooner, rather than later.

He is an only child, so no worries there. My husband died of cancer four years ago when my son was 21. We have been through a lot together. He deserves this.

You are a wonderful mom!

 

[skeettafic]

In our house, Santa generally brings one shared gift and then 2 individual gifts. Last year the shared gift was an air hockey table, this year it's a portable DVD player for the car.

Usually our Santa gifts are the thing they have made the biggest deal about Santa getting them so this year for DS it's a Furby and the Lego Mine, for DD it's the Monster High Lab and the American Girl McKenna Performance Set.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

My wow gift for dd almost 12 ended up being very cheap. She really wants a sewing machine and so many of them are cheaply made unless they are expensive. She wanted one like my mil has ( an older Kenmore model). MIL decided that since she has two machines and dd has already started sewing occasionally on the kenmore at her house she is giving it to her. It will be under the tree from as a Santa gift. I could not find a sewing table that was sturdy enough to hold the machine since it is heavy ( could only find ones made of plastic), but my mom found a heavy wooden one at Salvation army for $5!
Her b-day is a few weeks after Christmas and she is getting an ipod touch and a case for it.

No wow gift for dd16 this year. She just wants clothes and makeup. But I did just order both of them slankets (like snuggies) and they will be thrilled with those.

 

[Mkaz]

We have two "wow" gifts for our son. He is getting an ipod touch which he has asked for the past several years. It's a refurb, but stuff like that doesn't bother him. The second wow gift is going to be an emergency survival kit that dh and I are putting together. He made his own a couple of years ago, but this one will be full of stuff that he doesn't have.

DD is getting a Wii and just dance 4 that she asked for. She is out on her own now so we will mix in some fun things along with stuff that she needs. We already bought her a washing machine (early gift) a few months ago so she doesn't have to spend money at the laundry mat. She was VERY grateful.

 

[Suz D]

The Squinkies Cruise ship for our youngest (6) and a Chi flat iron for our oldest.

 

[Suz D]

I do have a wow gift for my DS (26). I loaned him a significant amount of money to attend nursing school (my late husband and I had already paid for one undergraduate degree at a private school - this was going to be degree #2). He has been working as a pediatric ER nurse for 18 months and has re-paid half of the loan. For Christmas this year, I am wrapping the loan notebook and marking it "Paid in Full". He will be very surprised and I can't wait to see his reaction.

My parents had loaned us a significant amount of $$ towards the downpayment on the house. We were paying it back with interest and after 2 years they forgave the rest of our loan and gave my sister an amount equal to the amount they forgave so that they could adopt their first child. It was such a wonderful gift. Your son will be thrilled and it will be a great blessing to you both. Merry Christmas to you!

 

[bjscheel]

I think I've found some neat things for both girls. DD11's biggest WOW will probably be the cell phone- a Tracfone touchscreen. Although she might flip over the Fab 5 gymnasts book I got or the ankle length dress coat. She has varied tastes!

DD14 will probably think the coolest are the leather journals. She is into the Lewis & Clark expedition. In Big Lots she saw a leather-look journal that had a flap to insert into a little loop to close it and she said she would like one because it would be like William Clark's. Well on Barnes & Noble I found some that actually have leather ties that loop around the whole thing a couple of times and have yellowed, unlined pages. Totally legit, IMO. Can't wait to see them in person.

DH saw a Dukes of Hazzard slot car set in a catalog and declared he had to have it. I turned up my nose and complained about the amount of space it would take when set up. Yep, he's getting it from me! That should be a wow.

 

[LynnTH]

Wow. I wouldn't call beats earphones, an electric scooter and uggs (assuming they are the real deal) "smaller items."

My DD8 is getting an AG Kailey doll. I found it on my FB yard sale group in mint condition in her meet clothes for $50!!!! My DD's name is Kaylie so it's perfect. She will be so surprised! She asked for a current AG knowing that "you can't get Kailey anymore..oh well". I also snagged the $50 AG bed from the deal this morning. STOKED!

Well, the Beats are the ones that go in your ear and I had a Groupon so go them for $79. The scooter was also on sale for $80 Black Friday. Last year they got I-pads and previously they got Netbooks and I-touches so no big gift like that - is what I meant. We don't have to buy for many others any more so I like to spoil the kids and have a tree full of gifts.

 

[Jenny3]

I wrap them in special gold metallic wrapping paper, you know, something that I would never have in the house. I just remember as a kid questioning my Mom as to why Santa had the same wrapping paper as her...

We do that too! Our Santa gifts are wrapped in Santa paper (that paper that has the realistic looking Santas on it) and Santa just writes their name on it in block letters with a black Sharpie

 

[mamaprincess]

This is fun!

For dd9 She asked Santana for a DSi and she has been asking for American Girl Marie-Grace ever since she got Cécile in February. We got the deal on Marie-Grace and we traded her old ds towards the DSi.

Twin dd's 14. Asked for cold, hard cash and they will get that, but they will flip over their Betsey
Johnson Jewelry and bags.

 

[4GoofyCrew]

I do have a wow gift for my DS (26). I loaned him a significant amount of money to attend nursing school (my late husband and I had already paid for one undergraduate degree at a private school - this was going to be degree #2). He has been working as a pediatric ER nurse for 18 months and has re-paid half of the loan. For Christmas this year, I am wrapping the loan notebook and marking it "Paid in Full". He will be very surprised and I can't wait to see his reaction.

I love this too! What a great, supportive Mom!

 

[4GoofyCrew]

We do that too! Our Santa gifts are wrapped in Santa paper (that paper that has the realistic looking Santas on it) and Santa just writes their name on it in block letters with a black Sharpie

Glad I am not alone! DH sometimes thinks I am crazy because his parents never did the Santa thing. In fact, when our daughter was a baby he said 'no way!' to the Santa idea. Glad I didn't listen... And to be honest, I can tell he does really enjoy some of the *magic* now!

 

[Fly4free]

We do that too! Our Santa gifts are wrapped in Santa paper (that paper that has the realistic looking Santas on it) and Santa just writes their name on it in block letters with a black Sharpie

I used to do that too! I always used Santa paper for the kids' gifts from Santa. I had to keep the Santa wrapping paper and tags hidden from my kids. So glad we are past that stage now. It's much easier not having to keep up the charade.