Christmas presents - opinions please.

Okeydokey. I need some inspiration. I am starting to plan my Christmas shopping for my family. I have a huge list on my side. We get together, in the European tradition, Christmas Eve and open presents then. Except for my parents and my grandmothers, everyone else has a $10 limit. Normally John and I pool our $10 together and get someone a nicer $20 gift. They think this is cheating (bah humbug). I need ideas for $10 dollar gifts. I think for my 2 cousins (20 and 18 year old males) I will amke them each a tie die shirt, but I still need one more gift each. One like to read, but the other doesn't. The one who doesn't like to read is an army cadet. Their mother is very new agey ( I just made up tha word) and she has a new boyfriend we have to buy for this year. My sister will be easy, but my brother in law is a bit of a know it all. Also - I need an idea about what to get my 1 grandmother who has everything and wants nothing and my other grandmother who lives in a nursing home and can't talk. I will probably spend up to $40 each on then. HELP PLEASE!

I have no idea about anyone else except the grandmothers.

Does either grandmother collect anything?

We usually get one of my grandmothers who collects angels, some kind of collectable angel. What about a nice afghan? There are some really pretty ones on ebay!!

I would go with the book for your one cousin. Books are great gifts!!

I hope this helps some. I will try to think of some more!

Thanks Nicki - neither grandmother collect anything and the one in the nursing home has limited space. The other is an afgan making machine. She can complete an afgan in 3 days!

www.orientaltrading.com

You can buy ornaments 12pcs = $12.00

Make everyone an ornaments basket?!?

Perhaps you could find a afghan-pattern magazine for the afghan granny. And, do you think the other would enjoy a small radio for her room?

Well, DVDs are dirt cheap nowadays. Our Wal-Mart has a bunch of decent titles for $9.44 each and many others for arouund $15. I just bought Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones for under $15.

How about a $5.00 Gift Certificate to Block Buster (or whatever movie place is popular where you are), a couple bags of microwavable popcorn and a big box of candy in a basket. The gift of Movie Night! I did this for someone I didn't know very well at work but got for Secret Santa one year (we had a $15 limit so I got a $10 GC for her). She LOVED it and everyone else thought it was a great gift. I've done it many times since then.

Good luck! $10 is not easy!!!

Ah something to take my mind off things. I love coming up with ideas for gifts and most people I know now ask me for help. It's such fun!!!

I came up with an idea last year. What you do is get a shoe box, preferably a big one and glue wrapping paper to cover the box and the lid so that the box is pretty, then line with matching tissue paper. Then with what ever money you want to spend you search for little trinkets, for example I made Peter a box for valentines, I tied huge bows around it and made a tag that said 'A Little Box Of Love' I found things like - A new string for his sunglasses, wrapped it up and put a tag on it saying 'Keep me around your neck' LOL! I found a nice key ring that was a little house (He was working in real estate at the time), a small box of his favourite chocolates etc etc. Each small thing I wrapped up and put into the box, I also put sparkles, glitter and stars inside the paper and sprinkled over the presents in the box and each one had a tag that he had to read. Now this isn't for everyone but it was fun watching him unwrap tiny little presents and get covered in glitter. LOL! You can do the same thing for every occasion.

Okay some ideas -

Originally posted by adymarie
I think for my 2 cousins (20 and 18 year old males) I will amke them each a tie die shirt, but I still need one more gift each. One like to read, but the other doesn't. The one who doesn't like to read is an army cadet.

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For the one that likes to read perhaps a book voucher or a book if you know what he wants or a nice book mark, if he has a sweet tooth a big tin of biscuits or chocolates he can nibble whilst reading.

For the one in the army - food is a good choice as well, after shave, movie tickets like a gift voucher, what about a pop corn maker? and a few bags of popping corn, wrap them up individually and let him open the corn first hehehe!!!

Originally posted by adymarie
Their mother is very new agey ( I just made up tha word) and she has a new boyfriend we have to buy for this year.
That's easy!!!!!!! A joint present for the 2 of them with sensual massage oil, body paint (edible). candles, bubble bath etc maybe a little book about sensual massage or aroma therapy? A his and hers type of thing.

Originally posted by adymarie
My sister will be easy, but my brother in law is a bit of a know it all.
That's easy too. For the know it all the new Guinness Book of records, there is sure to be something in there that he doesn't know.

Originally posted by adymarie
Also - I need an idea about what to get my 1 grandmother who has everything and wants nothing and my other grandmother who lives in a nursing home and can't talk. I will probably spend up to $40 each on then. HELP PLEASE!
The grandmother that has everything, perhaps photos of you and hubby in a nice frame? magazine subscription, a gift voucher for a facial, massage, pedicure, manicure, hair stylist?

For the one that can't talk, some beautiful music if they allow them to listen to it in the nursing home, a miniature window box garden, which is like a window box, with a packet of soil, seeds and tools etc that she can plant or get help with and look after and watch it grow? perhaps a trinket box filled with things from her past, A beautiful embroidered pillow or bed cover, a nice framed picture she can hang in her room to enjoy, stationary to write if she still can.

Anyway, a few ideas. I hope at least one of them helps.

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Originally posted by Bundylee
I made Peter a box for valentines, I tied huge bows around it and made a tag that said 'A Little Box Of Love' I found things like - A new string for his sunglasses, wrapped it up and put a tag on it saying 'Keep me around your neck' LOL! I found a nice key ring that was a little house (He was working in real estate at the time), a small box of his favourite chocolates etc etc. Each small thing I wrapped up and put into the box, I also put sparkles, glitter and stars inside the paper and sprinkled over the presents in the box and each one had a tag that he had to read.

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Awwww...Bundy.....:tounge2: :tounge2: You and Thomas Cat are sooo cute!!! ...snicker.....


:tounge2:

ADY...for the army cadet guy....how about a gift certificate from an army surplus store? My S/O was in the cadets when he was younger and he said you could do the above, or buy an outdoor survival pack for him. There are a pile of army surplus stores all along Yonge street south of Bloor!

Wow!!! Bundy's idea's are great!!!! I don't have any real good ideas myself...I'm so bad at this kind of thing....but for the grandma who can't talk...when my mom was still alive, and in the nursting home, she couldn't talk either, and her mind was pretty much gone....but what she got so much joy from was a talking teddy bear. I know that sounds silly...but she loved it so much....it was that Teddy Rukspin thing they had out back then...maybe try finding a stuffed animal to comfort her, and one that talks is even better!!

As for the men on the list that are hard to buy for...men's cologne, C.D.'s, a meat/cheese platter, etc...that's all I can think of.

Adymarie, my grandma loved hand lotion, and scarves, and little bed jackets when she got up in age and had to spend a lot of time in bed. We would make her up little baskets with those, and some fancy hankies, and colored nets that she could put over her hair. It seemed to make her feel better to be able to still be able to look and feel a little more feminine. It always seemed to lift her spirits to get her hair combed, put something pretty in it, and sit up to visit with us.

Wow - thanks everyone! I have some amazing ideas now. Bundy - hire yourself out girl - you are a genius! You can make lots of money shopping for other people!

For the Grandmothers make a memory book with stories from family members about a favorite time they had with her or what they like best about that person. Maybe add photos and pressed flowers...
I did this in a letter from me to my grandmother with a drawing when I was young and after she passed I found the drawing and letter on her wall.
You have lots of great ideas here. Good Luck!