Family Reunion gift bags

[apollos1princess]

My family is having a family reunion at WDW and we are making shirts and gift bags. We are going to have 5 kids under 13 and alot of adults. Does anyone have ideas of what we can put in gift bags for everyone?

 

[KGH]

maybe some pins to trade? a disposible camera for each of the little ones?

 

[JerseyMamaBear]

for my sons suprise 10th bday to the world I had, in mickey mouse gift bags for all of our guests, custom tees, custom pins, mickey crispy treats from the gift shop, band aids, tylenol, maps and schedules, bday party invites for chef mickeys that were made on ebay, small travel sunblock and a few other items I cant remember. Since we were there a few days before our guests arrived I dropped them off at check in desk with tags with their reservation numbers, arrival dates and names on them and also had the cm add a note to their reservations so when they checked in they new to give them the bags. They were a huge hit!
FOr the little ones what about 1 time use cameras, autograph books and pens, pins, a snack or two and glow sticks from dollar store.

 

[apollos1princess]

Thank you to all who have helped so far. Those are great ideas. I hope to hear more creative ideas.

 

[apollos1princess]

Does anyone know of ideas of stuff I can put in the bag for a 13 year old boy? This will be the first time meeting this member of my family and dont know what to include.

 

[LadyDi13]

I am coordinating a GG for our family this Halloween. So far I have put together little first aid bags (bandaids, neosporin, handsanitizer) and put them in disney pencil cases i found in the dollar section of target. Actually alot of the stuff I found in the dollar section of target...cars, nemo, princess stickers pens and pencils. I haven't seen any Disney themed stuff there for a few weeks but I am hoping for more. I ordered Halloween mugs from the DisneyStore outlet for 2.99 each!! They were a steal! I bought tubes of glow sticks from Michael's for a dollar each. I also plan on getting Disney themed fruit snacks and graham crackers to put in the bag so the little ones have somthing to snack on. Now these were a huge splurge, but I also ordered Disney M&Ms from the M&Ms website. They have Toy Story, Princesses, Fairies, Mickey and Pooh candies.

In response to your question about a 13yr old, my brother is 15, and his bag will have a few pins I acquired from ebay and of course snacks, because adolescent boys need to eat! I also got him a 2pack of disposable cameras and my sister contributed a wall-E umbrella.

I hope this was some help, I will keep an eye out for other suggestions.

 

[Jill in Chicago]

I know I am going to be a real downer when I say this, but really think about if the receivers of your gift bags are going to appreciate your time, effort and money. Will you be sad if you don't see or hear nice thank you's, or at the least see some smiling appreciative faces?

I have found, over the years, that some folks are just not that into gifts. Usually the kind people who love to give gifts, are the same ones who enjoy gifts. That means a small token gift really means a lot to them.

Many people do not get the whole token gift concept. This is especially true of men. They think, "What am I going to do with this?" They may not want to wear the t-shirts you make, or even find them uncomfortable. (My husband and I have huge heads and t-shirts of any kind always choke us. My brother's head is so large, for him to wear a t-shirt he has to cut out the neck hole.)

On top of all that many parents get upset when their child is given, "One more little thing for me to pick up." They don't see the fun value of a little toy to play with on vacation. All they see is something that could get broken or lost.

For the 13 year old I would stick with a Disney gift card and let him choose his own gift. For the little ones I would find something quiet for them to do in the room, maybe a coloring book and crayons. (This is great for wind down time before bed.)

If the rooms have microwaves maybe popcorn for the older children who will not choke. If you truly want to gift the adults, maybe you could give a gift card to watch their children so they can have a bit of alone time. (Alone time for adults sure is hard to come by at Disney, and often you need to catch your breath and regroup.) Maybe you could coordinate and pay for a pizza party. The cost of those little gift bags will add up.

As for pins, though I love the idea, I would not do that. Many families do not want to get caught up in pin trading. By giving out a pin you may start a pin trading fever that the parents will not appreciate.

Like I said, I know your heart is in the right place, but I have heard so many stories on this board and I just don't think people will appreciate your efforts.