realistic kids xmas presents

[jhelgesen]

Looking at the list I put together for my kids for xmas, nothing too fancy, small mp3 for son, small digital camera for daughter, legos for both, maybe a board game or two, and some clothes.

What would you get for your kids, without going over the top?

[89911]

I bought my kids a Nintendo Wii, along with numerous other smaller items. The nice thing is my son didn't even ask for it.

[Tim Hancock]

Well my wife and teen daughters all agreed that this year, they want a tanning bed. The story goes, that if I do this, that will be everyones gift for the year.....I am not sure that it will play out quite that way however.

[Nostril Cheese]

military surplus jet turbine for me. Limitless applications

[Joeaksa]

How about a Schrade pocket knife or BB gun for a boy, or Barbie for a girl?

It worked real well for our family and I am tired of all this one upmanship crap on "gotta have the newest gift" every Christmas.

[Nostril Cheese]

I'm thinking a Dremel kit might be good for a teenager

[IROC]

My son's getting a 19" LCD monitor for his computer and my daughter is getting a doll house + some small miscellaneous stuff. I grew up pretty poor and a "big" Christmas is something pretty foreign to me.

Mike

[azasadny]

My 15-year old son is getting a "real" guitar and my 11 year-old daughter will be getting an inch or two of "real" pearls added to a necklace that we gave her last Christmas. We told the kids that as they get older, they will get fewer gifts, but that the gifts are "bigger" in terms of cost. They understand and they use their own $ to buy gifts for others so they understand the value of a dollar.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally posted by Joeaksa
How about a Schrade pocket knife or BB gun for a boy, or Barbie for a girl?

It worked real well for our family and I am tired of all this one upmanship crap on "gotta have the newest gift" every Christmas.

My mother is out of control in regards to X-mas. She is retired and lives to bargain shop year-round. My wife is to the point that other than me buying each daughter a couple of cool gifts (camera, skiis etc), she just gets them some new socks or something. X-mas day at my parents takes all day to open gifts My kids actually get tired of it half way thru

Here is a pic from a past x-mas at my parents.


This year will be worse as my brother got married and my sister and her husband have a baby boy. Two more "towers" of gifts to go thru

[jrdavid68]

The 16 year old stepdaughter will be getting a stereo for her room - nothing fancy. The 20 year old stepson is moving to an apartment, so will be getting useful stuff for his new crib. My wife's two oldest boys will be getting gift certificates to Best Buy.

[Joeaksa]

Tim,

Unless you have 63 children or family during the holidays, that is WAY too many presents. Someone needs to have a talk with Mom about this and cool her jets.

It gets the kids used to this type of holiday and sorry, but its not natural.

This is Christmas, and we are remembering Christ, not saving the American economy by buying everything in sight...

My ideas only but this holiday has gotten way out of hand IMHO... Unless it includes a lot of Porsche or airplane parts!

[Jeff]

We try to keep it simple. Remind the kids of the true meaning of Christmas and that to give (not just in a monetary sense) is what it is all about.

One thing we do every Christmas in the way of gifts for the kids is get them something active. A bike, Rollerblades, etc. Living in a city, with quarters as close as Phoenix, doesn't offer many places to explore safely, so we try not to get them gifts that will let them plant themselves infront of the TV/ computer for hours on end.

This year as a family we are getting a Vizsla...

[masraum]

Originally posted by Tim Hancock
Well my wife and teen daughters all agreed that this year, they want a tanning bed. The story goes, that if I do this, that will be everyones gift for the year.....I am not sure that it will play out quite that way however.

Nothing like a little skin cancer to bring a family closer.

[rammstein]

I suggest buying gifts that you yourself want. Then you can teach the lesson of 'sharing'

[pwd72s]

I like the "active" suggestion. No TV when I was a grade school kid, so even the non jocks like me were out there swinging a bat, running after fly balls, riding a bike, etc. Of course, to us, a bike wasn't really sport, it was transportation...to and from the ball field, the pool, other places we played.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally posted by Joeaksa
Tim,

Unless you have 63 children or family during the holidays, that is WAY too many presents. Someone needs to have a talk with Mom about this and cool her jets.

It gets the kids used to this type of holiday and sorry, but its not natural.

This is Christmas, and we are remembering Christ, not saving the American economy by buying everything in sight...

My ideas only but this holiday has gotten way out of hand IMHO... Unless it includes a lot of Porsche or airplane parts!

Like I said she is out of hand!
The funny/odd part is that my kids cannot stand going there and spending literally their whole day watching each person "one at a time" opening each gift. My mom is the ultimate bargain finder and fine tuned her techniques whilst my younger sister was a teen. the two of them can find unbelievable deals on expensive designer clothing for pennies on the dollar. It is like they can smell it or something .

Like I said, my daughters only typically get a few gifts from us and always seem appreciative. My wife came from a large family and she was lucky to get a coloring book when she was little so she is just blown away by my mom when she unwraps a $250 blouse (that mom got for $15.00 somewhere).

On a positive note, I did get a Momo Prototipo two years ago from dear old mom (that was probably the only gift she paid anywhere near full price for).

I feel sorry for my dad, we tell mom to step it down each year, but she just lives for this.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally posted by masraum
Nothing like a little skin cancer to bring a family closer.

[Racerbvd]

Here are a few ideas.

[Racerbvd]

[Burnin' oil]

Another year of room and board