6th Annual Christmas Thread

[Disney Mommy 3]

I"m curious about something here. I'm wondering how many people here really think about what the person you are buying for is into before you shop and how many are like 'okay, I have to shop for a 4 year old boy, I see a boy toy on clearance, appropriate for a 4 year old boy so I buy it and 4 year old boy is done'. Probably moreso for kids than adults and probably moreso for the random kids on your list, not your own. I feel like I'm more picky than most people when it comes to picking out gifts and I'm thinking maybe I am stressing myself out unnecessarily.

well...it depends on who you are purchasing for...my Nephew for example,..on my side he is the only one I have~and since he has been born, I buy for him like I would one of my own~as far as getting a list from his mom and really getting what he like..now that he is older, I ask him specifically and he tells me. He lives 3 hours from me and since I can't have him here as often as I want him, then I don't mind taking the time...and he appreciates it and doesn't get much from his other side of the family...when we were buying for DHs side when they were younger, I took forever buying all the nieces and nephews gifts, trying to find what they wanted and doing it 'right.' We were very bad off financially (as most newlyweds are!) and the majority of them didn't even say thanks~in fact a few of them looked at each other and rolled their eyes and threw the gift bags on the floor and walked off! This ranged from around 4-15 at that time. So, I decided I was finished with that! And that is how they are all the time..so I am not sweating it..and we didn't do the gifts for them again~once my kids came we drew a name and I asked their moms what they wanted or just got a gift card to the Toys R Us or Target stores..
So,..it depends on who it is~And I took a lOOONG time to say that didn't I? If it is a very close relative and you want it to be special, take a little more time, but if it is someone you don't know well, like a neighbor or friends child, and you cant really ask what they like~GC to a toy or book store work for me!Don't stress...we put way too much pressure on ourselves I think...so I am letting you off the hook!

 

[BigMomma49]

Hi all ... new to the forum and just happened to stumble across this thread. I have a 5 year old daughter.

I know it may sound bad, but she is already hooked on video games ... well to be more specific; games on my phone. So I'm thinking about getting her an educational electronic type of item.

Do you folks have any gift ideas for a 5 year old girl?

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Hi all ... new to the forum and just happened to stumble across this thread. I have a 5 year old daughter.

I know it may sound bad, but she is already hooked on video games ... well to be more specific; games on my phone. So I'm thinking about getting her an educational electronic type of item.

Do you folks have any gift ideas for a 5 year old girl?

Glad you stumbled into this thread! LOL!! So...we always bought our kids LeapFrog game systems when they were younger..by 8 or 9 they had graduated into cheaper Nintendos...but the Leap Frogs are great and very durable!!

 

[LilyWDW]

I"m curious about something here. I'm wondering how many people here really think about what the person you are buying for is into before you shop and how many are like 'okay, I have to shop for a 4 year old boy, I see a boy toy on clearance, appropriate for a 4 year old boy so I buy it and 4 year old boy is done'. Probably moreso for kids than adults and probably moreso for the random kids on your list, not your own. I feel like I'm more picky than most people when it comes to picking out gifts and I'm thinking maybe I am stressing myself out unnecessarily.

I spend way too much time trying to come up with the "perfect" gift for everyone on my list. With the kids, I do have to ask other family members what they want. As of right now I don't get to spend much time with them (different states) and what they like can change so quickly.

I have been working a bit more on my list:

Cousin and her Husband: Gift Basket with treats and Disney travel book, Ornament, cooking supplies, cider mixes, and gift card to Bonefish Grill for a "date" night. I decided to do one big basket for them instead of separate gifts and then a combo gift. I think this will work better.

Nephew 1: Clothing and Toys, Ornament I already have all the clothing but still need the toys and ornament. I do have a Mickey Mouse coloring book already. Gonna wait a bit closer to Christmas to get the toys so I have a better idea of what to buy vs what he has. I want the ornament to be a tradition for both of these nephews.

Nephew 2: Clothing and Toys, Ornament I only have clothing for him so far. Gonna wait until closer for the toys just like for his brother.

Grandma: Gift Basket with treats and crossword puzzle book. Outfit from outlet. Ornament I have the outfits and ornaments. Ended up finding 2 outfits I really liked so went with both.

Nephew 3: Clothing, toy, gift card to Barnes and Noble I have nothing for him yet. He is really into building and electronics so looking for an idea within that. He also wants to learn how to cook and I have promised I would teach him after I move.

Niece 1: Clothing and toy Got her a Hello Kitty necklace so far. I have NO idea what else to get for her!

Nephew 4: Clothing and toy I got a police helicopter today for a good deal. He loves anything that has to do with police work or swat teams.

Niece 2: Clothing and toy Got her a Minnie Mouse necklace. She is very much into artsy stuff. I was thinking of getting that rubber band bracelet making kit that is out. Going to have to check and be sure she does not have one.

Nephew 5: Clothing and toy I have nothing yet and no ideas.

Aunt and Uncle 1: Gift Basket with treats, Ornament I got a cute little frog garden statue for my aunt, some cider mix, and some olive oil and seasonings. I have to check if I got their ornament yet. I can't remember! Oh, and a nice wine stopper! Need a few more things to fill it out. Has to be somewhat "healthy" as my uncle had a heart attack recently (in July).

Aunt and Uncle 2: Ornament We keep our gifts small.

Dad: Hickory Farms Gift of some sort for sure (tradition). I also got him an ornament. Need something else though.

Stepmom: Spa basket I am thinking. Nice robe, slippers, and candle (or maybe a nice warmer).

Stepsister: No freaking idea. I don't know her all THAT well.

Step Niece (is that a term?): Also no idea.

I will also be making cookies and treats to share.

I just feel like I have SO much to buy. Also hard because I don't know what state I will be living in come Christmas. I will be IN Indiana for the holiday either way though. I think I will need the kids to distract me from my first Christmas without my mom.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

For Nephew 3 they have LEGO and the LEGO architect sets at B&N...so you could get his toy and GC there if you are stumped...my youngest son is a 'builder' and loves all the types of LEGOs...he had a couple of Kinex (sp?) sets but preferred LEGO...maybe that would work. I love all your gift basket ideas! I love putting those together...and yes, all the kids will help you get through the holidays!

 

[BigMomma49]

Glad you stumbled into this thread! LOL!! So...we always bought our kids LeapFrog game systems when they were younger..by 8 or 9 they had graduated into cheaper Nintendos...but the Leap Frogs are great and very durable!!

Thanks for the suggestion!

I looked around and found the VTech Innotab line.

I think that might just work and also stop her from using my phone! One Christmas present down and a ton more to go!

 

[BigMomma49]

...There aren't any major new electronics that my kids are crazy about- thank god! They got small tvs a couple of years ago and the Xbox 360. We already had a Wii...

Whew ... good thing they don't know about the new gaming systems Playstation 4 and XBOX ONE coming out a month before Christmas! They are pretty pricey items and they might have a shortage as well!

My 12 year old son is asking about getting one of those new systems, but I'm hoping I can persuade him into getting something else.

 

[scnrc00]

Hello everyone! I just came across this thread and thought I would join in. In our family there is Me, DH, DD13 and DD9(but will be 10 Dec.2nd) and DD14. Christmas is my favorite holiday and usually I start my shopping around May and sometimes the day after Christmas. But this year we are going on our very 1st trip to WDW Dec.1-6th so I have been focusing on it and haven't really thought much about gifts and such yet. This trip is our DD's Christmas gifts from us but we will have their stocking stuffers and 1 or 2 gifts from Santa! But of course they will get gifts from grandparents and other family so they will still have gifts to open.
I have 2 nieces and 4 nephews to buy for also and then parents and brothers and sisters will get homemade items this year. I am also thinking that this year for my nieces and nephews I am going to make them custom t-shirts for their gifts. They love all the shirts I make for my girls and the ones I sell so that should be perfect. I am so loving my cameo and heat press, both will be used to make pretty much all my Christmas gifts this year.
My DD9's bday is Dec. 2nd so we will be at WDW then so I scheduled BBB and a princess meal for her that day. I also have been picking up all sorts of Disney related little gifts that I will put in this cute reusable vinyl bag that I got from Michael's with the princesses on it.
We are going through her American Girl collection which is huge and she is parting with over half of it. She had 13 dolls and is only going to keep 4 plus we made her a custom 6 ft tall x 8 ft long dollhouse for the dolls and now she no longer wants it in her room which means all the furniture will go plus lots of clothes and accessories. She still plays with them but said she just has way too much and I agree. So I guess I will be selling off most of her collection on craigslist but at least I can put that toward our WDW trip and Christmas! My oldest 2 DD's 13 &14 love books, electronics and clothes so I won't have a problem getting them a couple gifts.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Hello everyone! I just came across this thread and thought I would join in. In our family there is Me, DH, DD13 and DD9(but will be 10 Dec.2nd) and DD14. Christmas is my favorite holiday and usually I start my shopping around May and sometimes the day after Christmas. But this year we are going on our very 1st trip to WDW Dec.1-6th so I have been focusing on it and haven't really thought much about gifts and such yet. This trip is our DD's Christmas gifts from us but we will have their stocking stuffers and 1 or 2 gifts from Santa! But of course they will get gifts from grandparents and other family so they will still have gifts to open.
I have 2 nieces and 4 nephews to buy for also and then parents and brothers and sisters will get homemade items this year. I am also thinking that this year for my nieces and nephews I am going to make them custom t-shirts for their gifts. They love all the shirts I make for my girls and the ones I sell so that should be perfect. I am so loving my cameo and heat press, both will be used to make pretty much all my Christmas gifts this year.
My DD9's bday is Dec. 2nd so we will be at WDW then so I scheduled BBB and a princess meal for her that day. I also have been picking up all sorts of Disney related little gifts that I will put in this cute reusable vinyl bag that I got from Michael's with the princesses on it.
We are going through her American Girl collection which is huge and she is parting with over half of it. She had 13 dolls and is only going to keep 4 plus we made her a custom 6 ft tall x 8 ft long dollhouse for the dolls and now she no longer wants it in her room which means all the furniture will go plus lots of clothes and accessories. She still plays with them but said she just has way too much and I agree. So I guess I will be selling off most of her collection on craigslist but at least I can put that toward our WDW trip and Christmas! My oldest 2 DD's 13 &14 love books, electronics and clothes so I won't have a problem getting them a couple gifts.

We are glad you are joining in..we went through my dd's AG collection yesterday~we have way more to get rid of than I thought!!! She too is wanting to thin it out..we will probably keep 2 dolls and their clothes and that's it...

 

[Pesky]

Had to share this as it might be a useful idea for many. I was talking with my sister about how my MIL was going through the kids' toys and we were purging a lot of it. Like the Loving Family dollhouse was going back on CL and other stuff being donated. My sister was saying she needed to do the same as the kids had too much. It just dawned on me -- "hey, would you prefer to get some movie theater gift cards for the kids instead of toys?"

"YES!" she practically shouted. She mentioned that zoo memberships or other museum memberships would be great too.

So moral of the story is to consider experiences as gifts for kids too -- be it movies, zoo, plays, concerts, museums or whatever!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

good idea Pesky!

 

[kristinradico]

Hi all ... new to the forum and just happened to stumble across this thread. I have a 5 year old daughter.

I know it may sound bad, but she is already hooked on video games ... well to be more specific; games on my phone. So I'm thinking about getting her an educational electronic type of item.

Do you folks have any gift ideas for a 5 year old girl?

My 7, 5 and 2 year olds all LOVE their Leap Pads!!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

I had mentioned it before, but will repeat it~we have some American Girl dolls,clothes, etc that look brand new that we are getting rid of..if you or anyone you know are interested for Christmas gifts, or because you know a collector, PM me and maybe I can help you out!

We are 15 weeks and 2 days away from Christmas!! I know it still seems like a pretty good way off~especially for those of us dealing with the heat and lingering humidity!!! In fact, not sure what allergens burst out yesterday, but my sinus/allergies are flared up today! I had to leave church and go get sinus meds and come back! The longer I sat there, the worse my throat started to hurt...and my eyes are killing me and things look blurry...hate that! But, I am thinking that as soon as Sept comes and goes,..it will ease up...this is a long month for me! LOL!!

 

[mom2t]

Had to share this as it might be a useful idea for many. I was talking with my sister about how my MIL was going through the kids' toys and we were purging a lot of it. Like the Loving Family dollhouse was going back on CL and other stuff being donated. My sister was saying she needed to do the same as the kids had too much. It just dawned on me -- "hey, would you prefer to get some movie theater gift cards for the kids instead of toys?"

"YES!" she practically shouted. She mentioned that zoo memberships or other museum memberships would be great too.

So moral of the story is to consider experiences as gifts for kids too -- be it movies, zoo, plays, concerts, museums or whatever!

We always give one experience gift to our son for Christmas. Last year he got front row tickets to the Globetrotters in March.

 

[100AcreWood]

Had to share this as it might be a useful idea for many. I was talking with my sister about how my MIL was going through the kids' toys and we were purging a lot of it. Like the Loving Family dollhouse was going back on CL and other stuff being donated. My sister was saying she needed to do the same as the kids had too much. It just dawned on me -- "hey, would you prefer to get some movie theater gift cards for the kids instead of toys?"

"YES!" she practically shouted. She mentioned that zoo memberships or other museum memberships would be great too.

So moral of the story is to consider experiences as gifts for kids too -- be it movies, zoo, plays, concerts, museums or whatever!

Oh definitely! My in laws gave the kids museum memberships for two years in a row. Last year we asked for gift cards to an arcade with games you play for prizes. Normally we would never take the kids so this was a real treat!

 

[LilyWDW]

We are 15 weeks and 2 days away from Christmas!! I know it still seems like a pretty good way off~especially for those of us dealing with the heat and lingering humidity!!! In fact, not sure what allergens burst out yesterday, but my sinus/allergies are flared up today! I had to leave church and go get sinus meds and come back! The longer I sat there, the worse my throat started to hurt...and my eyes are killing me and things look blurry...hate that! But, I am thinking that as soon as Sept comes and goes,..it will ease up...this is a long month for me! LOL!!

My sinuses have been horrible too the last few days. The worst part? I can't take anything for them. I have an appointment with an allergist on Thursday. Recently I have had 2 episodes where I had a respiratory reaction to something so, even though it will be out of pocket, I have to do this. I don't want to end up in the ER again unable to breath!

I got my Aunt 2 a bracelet today at the Celtic Festival. I was able to find the tartan for our family and bought the bracelet in the red and black from it. It is hand made using metal circles. I also got one for myself. I love it because it has meaning behind it with the colors AND it is unique!

I also forgot, but I got my nieces a small journal for each of them.

Nephew 3 is 12 and starting to out age legos, though he does still play with them. Might see if I can find a really cool set...

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

My sinuses have been horrible too the last few days. The worst part? I can't take anything for them. I have an appointment with an allergist on Thursday. Recently I have had 2 episodes where I had a respiratory reaction to something so, even though it will be out of pocket, I have to do this. I don't want to end up in the ER again unable to breath!

I got my Aunt 2 a bracelet today at the Celtic Festival. I was able to find the tartan for our family and bought the bracelet in the red and black from it. It is hand made using metal circles. I also got one for myself. I love it because it has meaning behind it with the colors AND it is unique!

I also forgot, but I got my nieces a small journal for each of them.

Nephew 3 is 12 and starting to out age legos, though he does still play with them. Might see if I can find a really cool set...

Heck,,,mine is 14 and he still loves them! LOL...have you seen those Architect ones? He really likes those~they have sets of Landmarks around the world...pretty cool! Hope your allergies stay calm till you can get some treatment! That is the worst feeling when you can't breathe!

 

[AZMermaid]

Toys R Us is having 30% off all Thomas tracks and accessories this week. And, if you spend $100, you get a free tunnel. I won't spend that much, but I think I may get a cool tunnel or bridge or something for my DS3 who loves trains! He got a table and starter tracks last Christmas. This should jazz it up a bit!

 

[la79al]

Every year I get stuck on what to get my dad. I admittedly don't see him that much, maybe 10 times a year. One of those times though is a week at Wildwood NJ. He mentioned this year that he just realized he has been coming to Wildwood for 50 years. So in my early planning stages here, I am wondering if getting him something Wildwood related would be wierd. My best idea is buying a brick for the sidewalk at the historical society. Backup ideas would be a book or dvd or something. Wierd or okay? We live about 4 hours from Wildwood but they go down a few times a year. I really don't have a lot of ideas for him and usually get him stuff that sounds great but in reality probably never gets used. Along the same lines, I think I'm adopting a terrapin for my girls. Or a horseshoe crab. They'll love it but I doubt my dad would be impressed with sealife adopted in his name.

 

[gracie1]

I also have a hard time buying for my dad. I am going to give him a book of giftcards this year as his main gift and thought about getting him a good pair of binoculars. He has no hobbies at all but likes to look in the field at the deer.
I just ordered my mom a pair of gold hoops off of Macy's. they were $360 on sale for $99 and I also got her and I tickets to an Elvis show and some bath and body works. I am we'll on my way with her.