Archive for the ‘gift guide’ Category
With only two weeks left til Christmas, we’re getting down to the wire with gifts. I’m the kind of person who panics if I’m not 90% done with shopping by December 1st. But I know most people aren’t like that, so you’re likely still shopping. Again, these gift guides are for the people in my life and I’m hoping they’re helpful for those in yours as well. Today’s gift guide is based on one of my best friends, JK. Hopefully, she won’t mind that I’m saying this – she’s creative and also likes to relax at home. She loves capturing moments with her dSLR and her phone. These are ideas for the person in your world who resembles her.
- The Calm Coloring Book (B&N, $7.18) – Adult coloring books are all the rage these days, despite the fact that I’ve been coloring for years. Though I still have princess coloring books for myself. The adult books are far too intricate for me.
- Photo Booth Props (Christmas Props, Michaels, $2.87) – JK is a fan of these and they make for fun photos at a party. Michaels has several to choose from and they’re currently on sale!
- Sunrise Whistling Tea Kettle (Amazon, $19.99) – Because tea is amazing. Your slightly homebody friend is probably a fan of tea…or wine…or both. If you go for the kettle, make sure to buy some tea or these adorable Teavana mugs to go along with it. The first thing I wanted to do when I got a new kettle was make tea. Mostly, I wanted to hear it whistle.
- TECHO Universal Professional HD Camera Lens Kit (Amazon, $29.99) – For the creative paparazzi in your life.
- Polaroid ZIP Mobile Printer (Amazon, $129.99) – Why did we stop with the Polaroids?? I miss the instant gratification of seeing your photo in your hands. Luckily, everything old is new again and now we’ve got mobile printers so your friend can distribute those paparazzi shots they took with their new lens and photo booth props.
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Nephews #1 & 2 are solidly in their teenage years. Each year, it gets more difficult to buy gifts for the older one, especially. He doesn’t have specific things that he’s into like #2 does. Assuming that happens with the teenagers in your life, too, here are some suggestions that I hope will help or, at the very least, get your imagination going.
- Gift Cards – The ideas will get better, I promise. But let’s be honest here. Teenagers don’t like gift cards – they LOVE them. While I generally feel that they can be a cop-out, I do get them one or two because they ask for them. I do not, however, believe in VISA/MasterCard-type gift cards that are essentially cash. I do store specific – iTunes, apparel, Best Buy, XBOX.
- Music – This is not my suggestion to buy the Big Sean album. I just like the cover art. Though Nephew #1 does enjoy rap music, and if I did get that album, I would buy the clean/edited version. Since most people are using phones or iPods for music, you can always gift the album via iTunes. There’s an option to buy it for someone.
- Clothes – Nephew #1 likes to look hip and cool with no clue how to do so (Nephew #2 is just starting to get into clothes), so you know what that means? I’ve been in charge of his wardrobe for a few years now. Given that I haven’t been fired yet, I must be doing something right. His clothes tend to come from Aeropostale, Hollister (sweater pictured above is $19.98, reg. $39.95) and Pac Sun (sweatshirt pictured above, Y&R, $24.97, reg. $49.95), among others.
- Cologne – Not only does #1 like to dress well, he’s all about being clean and smelling good these days (Hallelujah!). You can get cologne at all price points. His mom has bought him Nautica and CK fragrances. I’ve purchased Nautica at Walgreens (available online for $19.99).
- Vintage Game System – All the boys are equally into video games, but #2 likes Nintendo systems, as well as older systems that existed before his time. Dollar General has a SEGA Genesis for $40.
- Beats by Dre (from $199.95) – One of the boys has a set of Beats and he adores them, and has surprisingly taken good care of them. As a result, we’ve heard several acapella versions of Hotline Bling.
- Smartphone VR – This generation of teens loves tech gadgets and there are VR sets for your smartphones all over the place. What I like is that they don’t seem to cost too much. You can get a Google Cardboard compatible one here for $29.95.
We’ve got a budget, we might as well go ahead and get started using it. I’m going to share a few gift guides that are more related to the types of people that I have to purchase gifts for. Mom is up first!
I don’t know about your mother, but mine has pretty much everything. She’s at the point where she’s asking for a new dishwasher…again. We’ve already done that and as much as I am a huge proponent of giving people what they ask for, this is a little ridiculous. So for those of you who are like me and want to get a gift for the mom who has everything, here are a few ideas.
- Tickets to a show or concert – I have two words for you: Experience gifts. These gifts are where you should look for those hard-to-shop-for people in your life. My mother loves musicals and enjoys the occasional concert. So far, I’ve gotten her tickets to see Wicked, Grease and Chicago (the traveling shows). She’s loved each show. If you’re a big baller and you’re on the east coast, go ahead and plan a trip to New York to see a Broadway show. For a lower cost option, see what shows your local theaters have coming up for the rest of the season.
- Classes – Again, experiences. Wine tasting, pottery, crocheting – whatever she might be interested in. You could send her to a winery with a tasting and tour, the whole she-bang.
- Jewelry – My mother doesn’t believe a lady should leave the house without earrings. Unfortunately, she is constantly losing them. To avoid a meltdown on my part and heaps of guilt on hers, I avoid the expensive stuff. Instead, I head to places like The Limited (the Glimmer Flower Studs pictured above are currently on sale for $9.95) or Ann Taylor and get several pairs. She has more options and I’m not bothered when she inevitably uses them 3-6 months later.
- Photo Book – Artifact Uprising (from $17) – The selfies you snap with her and put on Instagram that she never sees, the pictures on Facebook of you and your siblings that she doesn’t know exist, the random shots you take of your kids that you forget to send… Parents tend to appreciate gifts like this, especially if you are not geographically close. Order by tomorrow and you’ll have your book in time for Christmas.
In case you’re wondering, I’m going with option #1 for Mommy (yes, I still call her Mommy) this year, along with #3 and a few other items.
Photos of tickets and wine from Pixabay.
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