Let's talk Christmas Presents

Options
2

Replies

  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
    Options
    I love picking something out for someone! I also shop all year round- if I see something that I know X will love, I get it!
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
    Options
    81Katz wrote: »
    I really don't know what I want, if I see something I usually just buy it for myself.

    I also have no idea what to buy everyone else. Each year it seems like I rack my brain only to think I found 'the gift' but then their excitement seems rather 'Ho Hum'. So that sucks. I'd like to just give money but I figure that comes across like I must think so little of them that I could not be bothered to buy something 'heartfelt'.

    I'd rather just skip Thanksgiving through New Year's honestly. It shouldn't feel like such work each year. But somehow it always does.

    Signed,
    Debbie Downer

    You could do funny money gifts. Something like this Syran Wrap ball- for kids you could wrap individual dollars as well as candy.

    http://awesomejelly.com/the-saran-wrap-ball-christmas-party-game-is-a-seriously-good-time/

    Or the classic tissue box

    http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/gift-ideas/a24098/money-graduation-gifts/

  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
    Options
    CoffeeAndContour wrote: »
    This year I bought my little cousins and my niece lava lamps and a book. I buy a book every year because children don’t read enough anymore and I think the gift of another world is a beautiful gift to give. I’m also having a big Santa Claus piñata made for them. We’re filling it with money and small gifts like playdough, Lego’s, whoopie cushions, candy ect. And they can smash it open on Christmas.

    My Aunt has a long commute everyday, she’s a lawyer and works insane hours and she tries to spend as much time as she can with her husband. So I bought her a bath bomb set and a homemade bottle of wine to destress and a cook book filled with nutritious 30 minute or less meals so she can spend as much time as she can with him.

    For my Dad a beer lover. I bought him a dinner and tour to a craft brewery and restaurant. My father is near impossible to buy for so I hope he likes this.

    I love the travellers map idea! I keep wanting to make one to go over my desk but it looks complex.

    And that snow yeti is awesome!

    Geez I think I'm gonna steal your pinata idea.....that sounds like so much fun!
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
    edited November 2017
    Options
    CoffeeAndContour wrote: »
    This year I bought my little cousins and my niece lava lamps and a book. I buy a book every year because children don’t read enough anymore and I think the gift of another world is a beautiful gift to give. I’m also having a big Santa Claus piñata made for them. We’re filling it with money and small gifts like playdough, Lego’s, whoopie cushions, candy ect. And they can smash it open on Christmas.

    My Aunt has a long commute everyday, she’s a lawyer and works insane hours and she tries to spend as much time as she can with her husband. So I bought her a bath bomb set and a homemade bottle of wine to destress and a cook book filled with nutritious 30 minute or less meals so she can spend as much time as she can with him.

    For my Dad a beer lover. I bought him a dinner and tour to a craft brewery and restaurant. My father is near impossible to buy for so I hope he likes this.

    I love the travellers map idea! I keep wanting to make one to go over my desk but it looks complex.

    And that snow yeti is awesome!

    The travelers map is really easy!! Buy a map you like, I like the antique looking ones, go to michael or order online a frame without glass, glue the back of the map to a same size piece of cardboard or corkboard (so the pins will stick) and put it in the frame, buy pins and thats it! Make sure you don't buy too small of a map, you wanna have room for the pins.
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
    Options
    FAAB_too wrote: »
    My daughter wants a punching bag this year...secretly I want it too. Lol.

    Now that's a win win, I used to have a punching bag, it was great for stress relief. After a rough day I would walk straight in the door right to the punching bag and beat the hell out of it.......so relaxing, haha.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    edited November 2017
    Options
    I suck so bad at christmas gifts i have no family only people i have any need/desire to buy/make something for is normally my grampa, Whose 90 and has everything he wants and actually gives me money monthly since i dont. Feels weird to spend his own money i cant afford on stuff for him he doesnt need. I normally try to craft him something but admittedly its always awful and kind of expensive just to get art supplies.

    Besides that im a fkn useless gift giver. Never really been given gifts or been around family christmases or any of that so i guess i never learned. This year i need to find something for my aunt my grampa and my ex so ....hope i can find ideas here LOL

    edit to add: I did make some *kitten* little cubes picture things for my ex once. Just a cheap little glasscube from the dollar store, I tracked down some pictured of his family through calling his mother, Cut them to fit and held in place with a bit of tissue paper inside the cube and a small tea light. Now he has pretty little lit up photo cubes.

    Thats the best i got. lol
  • SomebodyWakeUpHIcks
    SomebodyWakeUpHIcks Posts: 3,836 Member
    Options
    I would like a job. Management position.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    Options
    For a guy, and maybe a girl, this is a cool and fun gift for around $70-$100

    https://youtu.be/f_F5D7COIoU
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
    Options
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    I suck so bad at christmas gifts i have no family only people i have any need/desire to buy/make something for is normally my grampa, Whose 90 and has everything he wants and actually gives me money monthly since i dont. Feels weird to spend his own money i cant afford on stuff for him he doesnt need. I normally try to craft him something but admittedly its always awful and kind of expensive just to get art supplies.

    Besides that im a fkn useless gift giver. Never really been given gifts or been around family christmases or any of that so i guess i never learned. This year i need to find something for my aunt my grampa and my ex so ....hope i can find ideas here LOL

    Some of the good ones so far that I've seen are Time Capsule(I'm going to do a 5 year one), the Xmas Pinata, okay I know this is an old one and we have alexa's now but for a 90 year old what about the clapper (hehe you remember the light that you clap on and off) Pretty useful for an older person. Candies from there youth. I'll try to think of some more.
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
    Options
    SomebodyWakeUpHIcks wrote: »
    I would like a job. Management position.

    I hope you get your christmas wish!
  • JillianRumrill
    JillianRumrill Posts: 335 Member
    Options
    My family loves the Pats, so Dad's getting a replica superbowl ring, mom's getting a throw pillow for the couch or bed, Bro's getting a blanket for his bed, Hubby bought me a t-shirt (I hate surprises), and sister-in-law is getting earrings. Hubby also bought an Xbox One CoD bundle for the both of us to enjoy. He noticed I had a bunch of CoD games- but no console (result of divorce, Ex took the console and his games.) Looking forward to playing World at War again!

    tl;dr: It's all about noticing things. What sports team do they like? Music they listen to? Games they play? and go from there.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    Options
    emmydoodles83 wrote: »
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    I suck so bad at christmas gifts i have no family only people i have any need/desire to buy/make something for is normally my grampa, Whose 90 and has everything he wants and actually gives me money monthly since i dont. Feels weird to spend his own money i cant afford on stuff for him he doesnt need. I normally try to craft him something but admittedly its always awful and kind of expensive just to get art supplies.

    Besides that im a fkn useless gift giver. Never really been given gifts or been around family christmases or any of that so i guess i never learned. This year i need to find something for my aunt my grampa and my ex so ....hope i can find ideas here LOL

    Some of the good ones so far that I've seen are Time Capsule(I'm going to do a 5 year one), the Xmas Pinata, okay I know this is an old one and we have alexa's now but for a 90 year old what about the clapper (hehe you remember the light that you clap on and off) Pretty useful for an older person. Candies from there youth. I'll try to think of some more.

    Yeah i wish i could do a time capsule for grampa but over the past 10 years its been on and off me and him getting sick on a rotation lol. We havent exactly gotten to do much but get together every sunday to take eachother grocery shopping XD Great idea for my ex i have a few things
  • KosmosKitten
    KosmosKitten Posts: 10,476 Member
    Options
    Motorsheen wrote: »
    Inked_momma_ wrote: »


    Christmas isn't what it used to be, everyone is so concerned about gifts that they forget what the true meaning of Christmas is.

    Fruitcake?

    You're a fruitcake. :D
    SurfyPants wrote: »
    The best Christmas present I ever brought myself was a ticket to Nepal but even in the Himalayas where I thought no Christmas would ever find me; I encountered a group of trekkers from the US singing Christmas carols :|

    :D The cosmos is apparently telling you that Christmas is all-permeating, lol.
    emmydoodles83 wrote: »
    This is the Snow Yeti I made for my niece one year.
    9s08lbscl7x1.jpg


    That is so stinkin' adorable! You did an excellent job. I might find this pattern and make one for my son. He would love it. :)

    I enjoy handmade gifts, but nearly no one I know is interested in doing them. They really don't appreciate the things I make, either... so I've just given up (for the most part) making things for others. Why spend so much effort on something that takes hours and weeks of your life only to have people treat you (and by proxy your gift) as though you are lazy or "less than" because you didn't spend hundreds of dollars on a gift for them?

    *kitten* it, I'm done.

    To be fair, there are a select few people who appreciate them. I still make things for them from time to time.
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
    edited November 2017
    Options
    CanesGalactica wrote: »
    Motorsheen wrote: »
    Inked_momma_ wrote: »


    Christmas isn't what it used to be, everyone is so concerned about gifts that they forget what the true meaning of Christmas is.

    Fruitcake?

    You're a fruitcake. :D
    SurfyPants wrote: »
    The best Christmas present I ever brought myself was a ticket to Nepal but even in the Himalayas where I thought no Christmas would ever find me; I encountered a group of trekkers from the US singing Christmas carols :|

    :D The cosmos is apparently telling you that Christmas is all-permeating, lol.
    emmydoodles83 wrote: »
    This is the Snow Yeti I made for my niece one year.
    9s08lbscl7x1.jpg


    That is so stinkin' adorable! You did an excellent job. I might find this pattern and make one for my son. He would love it. :)

    I enjoy handmade gifts, but nearly no one I know is interested in doing them. They really don't appreciate the things I make, either... so I've just given up (for the most part) making things for others. Why spend so much effort on something that takes hours and weeks of your life only to have people treat you (and by proxy your gift) as though you are lazy or "less than" because you didn't spend hundreds of dollars on a gift for them?

    *kitten* it, I'm done.

    To be fair, there are a select few people who appreciate them. I still make things for them from time to time.

    Thank you! I almost didn't want to give it to her haha. Yea I can understand about not making things for unappreciative people, I would like to think it's just teenagers that feel this way but prob not. My fam just happens to love homemade stuff more, so I am lucky there, and making things is def not necessarily cheaper.

    Just type snow yeti or yeti into pinterest and you should find it.
  • KosmosKitten
    KosmosKitten Posts: 10,476 Member
    Options
    emmydoodles83 wrote: »
    CanesGalactica wrote: »
    Motorsheen wrote: »
    Inked_momma_ wrote: »


    Christmas isn't what it used to be, everyone is so concerned about gifts that they forget what the true meaning of Christmas is.

    Fruitcake?

    You're a fruitcake. :D
    SurfyPants wrote: »
    The best Christmas present I ever brought myself was a ticket to Nepal but even in the Himalayas where I thought no Christmas would ever find me; I encountered a group of trekkers from the US singing Christmas carols :|

    :D The cosmos is apparently telling you that Christmas is all-permeating, lol.
    emmydoodles83 wrote: »
    This is the Snow Yeti I made for my niece one year.
    9s08lbscl7x1.jpg


    That is so stinkin' adorable! You did an excellent job. I might find this pattern and make one for my son. He would love it. :)

    I enjoy handmade gifts, but nearly no one I know is interested in doing them. They really don't appreciate the things I make, either... so I've just given up (for the most part) making things for others. Why spend so much effort on something that takes hours and weeks of your life only to have people treat you (and by proxy your gift) as though you are lazy or "less than" because you didn't spend hundreds of dollars on a gift for them?

    *kitten* it, I'm done.

    To be fair, there are a select few people who appreciate them. I still make things for them from time to time.

    Thank you! I almost didn't want to give it to her haha. Yea I can understand about not making things for unappreciative people, I would like to think it's just teenagers that feel this way but prob not. My fam just happens to love homemade stuff more, so I am lucky there, and making things is def not necessarily cheaper.

    Just type snow yeti or yeti into pinterest and you should find it.

    My kid loves handmade stuff, but it's the adults I have more problems with. It just irks me to spend so much time looking for patterns and materials to make something you really think they'll love only to get no appreciation for the effort you took to make something that was personal.. simply because it wasn't the super expensive fancy gadget they wanted.

    Mostly, I get that reaction from friends I used to know (which is why I no longer buy or make them anything) and not from immediate family (anymore.. my mom used to not appreciate anything I made).
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    Options
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    I suck so bad at christmas gifts i have no family only people i have any need/desire to buy/make something for is normally my grampa, Whose 90 and has everything he wants and actually gives me money monthly since i dont. Feels weird to spend his own money i cant afford on stuff for him he doesnt need. I normally try to craft him something but admittedly its always awful and kind of expensive just to get art supplies.

    Besides that im a fkn useless gift giver. Never really been given gifts or been around family christmases or any of that so i guess i never learned. This year i need to find something for my aunt my grampa and my ex so ....hope i can find ideas here LOL

    edit to add: I did make some *kitten* little cubes picture things for my ex once. Just a cheap little glasscube from the dollar store, I tracked down some pictured of his family through calling his mother, Cut them to fit and held in place with a bit of tissue paper inside the cube and a small tea light. Now he has pretty little lit up photo cubes.

    Thats the best i got. lol

    I don't give a lot of gifts to adults. I would probably go for an experience type gift or something that would get used up. Food, wine, membership or passes to a museum or something.
    My dad is 82 years old and is hard to give gifts to. He doesn't really need a lot of material stuff. He does read mystery stories, likes feeding birds, likes to eat at a restaurant with someone. He seems to find his Kindle tablet easier to use than his computer.
  • slessofme
    slessofme Posts: 7,739 Member
    Options
    I like to give my kids experiences rather than stuff. Last year I paid for a winter golf camp for my oldest. He loved it so much he asked to get that again. My youngest is more stuff driven, so I always struggle for him. For my parents/brother/SIL it's always something practical (vacuum one year) or cash. I give my grandma a donation to Heifer Intnl and her local library every year.

    The best gift a person could give me is either something I actually ask for or a donation (for even the smallest amount) to a cause I feel is worthy. Both requires that a person actually listen and get to know me, which is really the best gift of all.
  • FAAB_too
    FAAB_too Posts: 67 Member
    Options
    emmydoodles83 wrote: »
    FAAB_too wrote: »
    My daughter wants a punching bag this year...secretly I want it too. Lol.

    Now that's a win win, I used to have a punching bag, it was great for stress relief. After a rough day I would walk straight in the door right to the punching bag and beat the hell out of it.......so relaxing, haha.

    I agree. Lord knows we could both use one! So its definitely on the list!!!

Categories