School-Aged Children

parents of teens - help me out with x-mas gifts!!

My 15 yr old is tough at Christmas - mainly because I've got 2 smaller ones too.

This year he's finally getting his MacBook (compliments of cash contributions from pretty much everyone who normally gets him a wrapped gift)

Here's the catch:  He's going to have NOTHING to open this year.  He'll sit there like a bump on a log while his younger brothers devour a mess of wrapped gifts.

So... help me brain storm for stocking stuffers and other VERY CHEAP gifts for him?!?!?!

I swear... once they hit gift card age it's HARD to buy for them! 

Our IF journey: 1 m/c, 1 IVF with only 3 eggs retrieved yielding Dylan and a lost twin, 1 shocker unmedicated BFP resulting in Jace, 3 more unmedicated pregnancies ending in more losses.
Total score: 6 pregnancies, 5 losses, 2 amazing blessings that I'm thankful for every single day.

Re: parents of teens - help me out with x-mas gifts!!

  • ::;Giggle, snort:::

    I first read the title as if you were calling for Parents that ARE Teens to help you figure out gifts

    Tee hee hee

    I have a teen girl, some of the things I do are in stocking stuffers, the trial size stuff in the drug store, Magazines, word puzzle books, A large orange/apple for the foot of the stocking.  Maybe an iTunes gift card

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  • imagesweetie0228:

    ::;Giggle, snort:::

    I first read the title as if you were calling for Parents that ARE Teens to help you figure out gifts


     

    oops!

    Off to fix that.

    Thanks for the ideas. 

    Our IF journey: 1 m/c, 1 IVF with only 3 eggs retrieved yielding Dylan and a lost twin, 1 shocker unmedicated BFP resulting in Jace, 3 more unmedicated pregnancies ending in more losses.
    Total score: 6 pregnancies, 5 losses, 2 amazing blessings that I'm thankful for every single day.
  • Magazine subscriptions? You can often find them cheap on amazon.
    .
  • My daughter is 13 and she wants a giftcard to Heifer International to buy a family some chicks. 

    So, she is getting that plus some soap making supplies and a giftcard to the book store. 

  • Will he really care that much about not having a pile of gifts to open? I know that my almost 15y/o couldn't care less. He has in no uncertain terms asked for cash for Christmas, so that is what he is getting.

    I guess you could wrap all of his stocking stuffers and do stuff like deodorant, body spray, tooth brush, shave gel, razors, etc. That's what my DS will be getting Big Smile 

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  • imageMominator:

    Will he really care that much about not having a pile of gifts to open? I know that my almost 15y/o couldn't care less. He has in no uncertain terms asked for cash for Christmas, so that is what he is getting.

    It may be a step-mom guilt thing.

    He probably won't care but I'll feel uncomfortable with the appearance of inequality.

    And he does still kinda like opening things and having surprises!

    Guess this is one of life's lessons - when you ask for super expensive toys you have to sacrifice on the "wrapped fun surprises" side.

    Thanks everyone! 

    Our IF journey: 1 m/c, 1 IVF with only 3 eggs retrieved yielding Dylan and a lost twin, 1 shocker unmedicated BFP resulting in Jace, 3 more unmedicated pregnancies ending in more losses.
    Total score: 6 pregnancies, 5 losses, 2 amazing blessings that I'm thankful for every single day.
  • We are in the same boat- 15 1/2 year old DS & then we have 3 younger kids ages 7, 4 & 2.  It's so easy to shop for the 3 little ones...I have TONS!  DS1 doesn't want anything "cheap", though!  He is actually getting a flat-screen TV  for his room from us and my parents (just for video game playing, he will not have cable hooked up to it).  Other than that, he is getting pajama/ lounge pants, slippers, some ornaments (a yearly tradition), an M&M dispenser (he collects them) and some candy.  It will be a bummer for him to sit and watch his 3 younger siblings opening tons of gifts, but his gift is costing us more than we spent on any one of the other kids individually.  He gets the "biggest" toy of all!  At this age, though, they can comprehend the fact that they are getting one big thing & the little ones are lots of little things.
    SAHM to 2 boys (3 & 16 yrs) & 2 girls (5 & 8 yrs)

    Our Angel Boy- m/c in 2007 @ 9wks due to Trisomy 17
  • I realize this is an old post but I'm new to the site and I was searching for info on teens and this came up. 

    I am the Mom of  three boys, 18,13 and 10. I remember going through(still am) this when my oldest turned 10 and we had the "Santa talk". I thought it would be easier and less expensive now that he knew but I was so wrong! I found myself still buying all the expensive things on his list and then some. I felt guilty that his pile was so small compared to the other two that I kept picking up more and more stuff. It didn't help that the things on his list were video games, books and GC's. All small stuff! I got smart and started wrapping his little things in big boxes to throw the younger ones off. LOL I now do that for my 13 yr old as well. They understand why I do it and it's kind of become a joke with us. My youngest is now 10 and I have been putting off the "Santa talk". He's my last "baby" and I want to enjoy his innocence a little longer:)

    To all of the new Moms out there.... treasure every minute because it goes so fast. I'm sending my first born off to college in two weeks and I feel like it's his first day of kindergarten all over again! 

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