I’ve had some readers ask what I’m getting my kids for Christmas this year, so I thought I’d write it up and share with you, in case you need some ideas. I know I always love to hear about what other families are doing, especially as I start getting more teenagers. They can be surprisingly difficult to shop for.
We don’t really play the “fair game” in our family. So that means that some years, some kids get more than others. It hasn’t been an issue yet, and I hope it won’t be. We’ll see.
Some years we do a big family trip as a gift to all of us, but it’s not happening this year. With our oldest going off the (expensive) college, and the rest of the kids’ crazy schedules, we just couldn’t afford it or squeeze it in. Have I told you how much I miss the days they were younger and our schedules were more flexible?!
So we focused on their needs and wants this year. They know it’s a lighter year for a lot of reasons, and they’re good with it. Their needs are more than met, and they know it. We are just trying to enjoy this last year of having our oldest living at home and do all the festive things we can squeeze in without spending a lot of money.
So here’s what we’re gifting everyone for Christmas…
17 Year Old Girl
Abbi is by far my most difficult child to shop for. She is very frugal and practical and never asks for anything. She also has her own job and basically buys what she needs with her own money. But here’s what we ended up getting for her:
- Converse sneakers: She basically only gets new shoes once a year and this year she wanted Converse. I love that these are making a comeback. Such a classic
- Converse socks: I had to get her some Converse socks to go along with the Converse high tops.
- Duolingo Owl Plushie: Abbi has like a 1,000 day streak on Duolingo. I got her this Duolingo Own plushie so it can stare at her and remind her not to miss a day!
- Crochet Book & Yarn: She’s really wanted to learn to crochet, so we got her a beginners crochet book and some nice yarn.
15 Year Old Boy
Jackson is pretty easy to please. He really loves Star Wars and Dungeons and Dragons, so those were his requests.
- Star Wars Legions Expansion: I’ll be honest, I don’t know anything about this…it seems like D&D meets Star Wars to me. It’s something that he plays with his little brother, so it’s a win for me!
- Improv Book: He’s gotten really into acting and improv this year, so we picked out this book about improv.
- Gametendo: Both my boys got one of these. They love video games, but we don’t have a console and are very limited on what they’re allowed to do on the computer. I love that these are just fun old games that I played as a kid, but there is no internet to stress about! I think for the price of these, they’re a safe bet for video game lovers.
- Air Pod Dupes: He really needed some ear buds, but I wasn’t about to pay $250 on something he might lose, so these Air Pod dupes seemed like a good choice. They have 1600 good reviews, so I’m hopeful! But for $18, I’m willing to give them a shot!
13 Year Old Girl
Amelie is easily my easiest kid to shop for. She is interested in almost everything, loves art and animals and makeup. She’s at that age where she’s still happy with a stuffed animal, but also happy with electronics. I’m going to enjoy this stage while I can!
- Gabb Phone3 Pro: Amelie has had her Gabb Phone for 2 years now. She started with the watch. So this year we are upgrading her. The Gabb Phone3 Pro has a lot more features than the original Gabb phone, including a better camera and some limited apps that she can use like music, Duolingo, Kindle, Schoology, ASL, Garmin, Google Translate, Libby, Bible, and more. All the apps must be enabled by parents and there are more than 100 to choose from. But still NO social media. We are pretty strict about no social media until 16. I’m excited to give her the opportunity for a little more responsibility with her phone. If you’re interested in getting a Gabb phone, you can use code WANDERLUSTCREW for a discount.
- Bedroomoom Reading Swing: She has been begging for a reading swing in her room for years. We told her if she could get her room clean and decluttered (a major feat for her) then she could maybe get one. Well, she came through and cleaned it, so we got her this cute swing that we’ll hang in the corner of her room.
- Cat Carrying Hoodie: We have 2 cats and Amelie is my crazy cat lady. She’s going to flip when she opens this! Our poor cats!
- Air Dry Clay: Amelie is my artist and she’s been wanting some clay. This will probably go in her stocking.
- Milk Frother: Amelie is obsessed with hot chocolate so this will be great for her.
10 Year Old Boy
Ethan is also at an age where he’s pretty easy and basically wants to play with whatever his brother has.
- Gametendo: He’s getting one of these too.
- Star Wars Legion: He’ll get another expansion that he can play together with his brother.
- Wooden Brain Games: My friend Preethi from Local Passport Family recommended this and it will be perfect for Ethan who loves ancient Egypt and ancient Rome, etc. and loves puzzles and brain games like these.
- Crunch Labs: We got Ethan a year of Crunch Labs subscription engineering boxes last year and he’s loved them so much, that we are gifting him another year of them. He’s learned so much and loves Mark Rober.
What I’m Getting my Husband
Paul is my most difficult child to shop for haha. He’s easy to please, but doesn’t have a lot of wants. So I have to do a lot of guesswork. Here’s what I got him.
- Mixtiles: I got a picture from each year of our marriage to display the progression of our family. They turned out really cute and I didn’t have to do any framing! Now to hang them! They’re having a crazy good sale right now!
- Meatstick: I got Paul a wireless meat thermometer. We are officially middle aged. He loves to smoke things in our Traeger, but it’s a pain to go check the thermometers outside, especially when he’s smoking something that takes 24+ hours. So this will be great for him.
- Shoes: He needs new shoes badly. I might just take him shopping. He’s tough to shop for.
Family Gifts
I got a few things for the whole family to use. Mostly just things I wanted.
- LEGO Diagon Alley Set: By far my biggest spend this year. We do a “big build” every Christmas break and display it in our house. It’s always a highlight for our family and something that we all enjoy doing together, so it feels worth it. I bought the light kit for this as well, which is going to be so cute!
- Adventure Challenge – Family Edition: I’m really excited about this. I got it on sale and I’m hoping it’s something we can do together that will be low cost and still involve everyone. I’ll report back soon.
- Smart Phone Photo Printer: To go along with the Adventure Challenge Family book, I got this smart phone photo printer. I also think it will be fun for printing out a few other photos. As much as I love using my phone for pictures, we just don’t PRINT things anymore, which is a shame!
- Articulate Game: I saw this in a British movie I watched the other day and it looks fun! I’ll keep you posted.
- Wavelength Game: Saw this on TikTok and was influenced to buy it. I’ll let you know.
- Santa, Cookie, Elf, Candy, Snowman Game: This is just a Christmas version of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza that we love.
Phew…so that’s what I got my family for Christmas. I hope that someone finds this helpful! I’d love to know what you’re giving for Christmas. I’m always happy to get new ideas.
