I live in Colorado, so generally some unusual form of weed for those who enjoy that. A dispensary near me has THC chocolate truffles, those usually go over well.
A friend of mine drives an SUV. I’m getting him a sticker of Jason for the back window, with an “arm” holding a bloody machete that attaches to the back window wiper. When the wiper is on, it looks like Jason is hacking away with his machete.
I think it’s kinda corny, but he loves stuff like that!
Socks, fucking shit loads of socks, I had 42 pairs arrive the other day. I have a weird thing for socks (no not like that) and have bought everyone a pack of my favourite socks that don’t seem to ever die (I have a 12year old pack that are still in great condition despite wearing them regularly).
Everyone gets a 5pack of my favourite, 1 pair of merino wool socks, and a box of sweets or chocolate depending on their taste.
Except for the children, they get toys and games too.
It’s clichéd as fuck, but made my life easier and we all prefer focusing on the kids as it’s their day really.
It’s ueither but specifically ueither with horizontal patterns, any intricate designs don’t last as long.
I bought a pack of 5 while at uni in 2011 and they’re still going strong today, I have 10 others since then which are as good, but the one time I bought picture designs rather than straightforward stripes they lasted maybe 3-4 years, which still isn’t horrible tbf.
There’s nothing particularly special about them, they’re 80% cotton, 17% polyester, 3% elastane. They just seem to last forever and feel great.
Awesome, thank you for the recommendations and the heads up! I’ll definitely have to try some. Lately all my socks have been springing holes, so I’m excited to try some more durable ones
Potentially acquired the company I bought the first socks from at some point then. I found the exact socks I’d bought years later and ordered more pairs, might just be idemtical patterns and still good quality but the first set I had were definitely at university, which I graduated in 2012.
Got my husband a light for his desk that is in the shape of the bon fire spawn/save point in the Dark Souls series. It’s in one of those clear resin blocks and it glows. Then we’re going to a bougie ass resort for a 2 day stay cation where he doesn’t have to worry about anything!
Got one of my besties who enjoys D&D a bottle opener called “Tool of Opening”, a dunce cap for his dice when they disappoint him, and a t-shirt that says: “Lawful in the Streets; Chaotic in the Sheets”. Basically a bunch of little kitschy things based on his interests.
Another bestie is (probably) getting some kinda Critical Role merchandise. Maybe a wooden sign for his room that says “Entering Dave’s Dungeon Roll for Initiative”. Still deciding on him.
When we sold our house, I opened investment accounts for my niece and 2 nephews, and I just throw money in there for every birthday/Christmas. As infants/toddlers they’re going to be too young to appreciate it for a while, but I grew up bouncing between “lower class” and “lower middle class” so I want them to have more opportunities starting out than I did. They’ll appreciate it one day. I hope.
The best gift ever is that my family all agreed not to buy unneeded things for each other. The gift of not stressing, not having to go shopping, and not spending money just keeps on giving.
We have a secret santa where the rule is the gift has to be unneeded. We are all adults with jobs who can buy ourselves things we need. The best gifts are things people want but wouldn’t buy for themselves. If it’s not frivolous, it’s something they probably will get themselves.
My in-laws are in Arizona where there are scorpions. I’m giving them a powerful blacklight flashlight so we can go look for them when it gets dark out.
Be aware that powerful UV flashlights (especially the no-name Chinese ones) can also damage your eyes quickly without you noticing. Better ones will come with protective glasses.
To be clear UV flashlights are NOT the same as blacklight flashlights. However I totally agree if you are getting a UV light source for some reason, eye and possibly skin protection is a fantastic idea
In lieu of sending gifts, sometimes I donate to charities that remind me of the recipient. For instance, for the bird lover, I donated in their name to Audubon. Etc.
Stepdad is a pain in the ass to shop for and last year the wire cheese cutter didn’t do so hot on meat so this year is a guillotine cutter and a big summer sausage box.
Brother is getting a sports team hoodie.
Nephew is starting reading and a huge pokemon fan so hes getting the most recent Ninja Turtles game on Switch (previously hed get Kirby games. Coop means dad can help.) and Pokemon chapter books. Probably a trip to the bookstore as well a bit later.
Niece is teenaged, getting her a book as well since I encourage them to read, along with a nice blanket robe.
Grandpa is a vet and so this year we got a framed print of the ship he served on.
Uncle is a D&D nerd so hes getting a D&D book he wants.
Other folks will prob get candies, alcohol, and the like, as the situation and kinship merits.
Just a heads up, books are a very personal gift to give. I’ve never had it work out. Not saying you don’t know your family, but it’s hard to guess exactly what types of books they like. Especially if the only goal is encouraging her to read, that book will prob end up not being touched or given away.
I’ve had family I know really well gift me many books over the years, since I was a kid who liked to read, and it was always something I would never be interested in.
Now a Barnes and Noble/Books a Million gift card? Those are always awesome! Even though I know it feels lame to give gift cards. That could encourage her to get into a bookstore to shop for exactly something that catches her interest, and maybe shows her a whole series or author she can come back for, even!
Anyways, I hope you and your family have a happy and smooth holiday!
I got a system in place. Been giving niece age appropriate books for years along with other gifts. I also take her to the bookstore after Xmas to let her pick whatever.
Nephew is a new reader and a pokemon fiend so I’m pretty sure if a Pikachu is on the cover he’ll give it a go.
Children under 5 get a giant Christmas card, the kind the whole office is supposed to sign. Little kids never get mail, so you’ll make their Christmas. Give parents cash to get whatever the kid actually needs.
Children 5 to 10 get a GI Joe or a Barbie. Doesn’t matter if the kid likes that toy, what matters is that they can trade it in the school yard. It’s like sending someone in jail a carton of Newports.
Ages 10 to 20 get cash.
Over 20 gets a nice bottle of booze. Even if they don’t drink, they can regift it easily.
I bet that 8 year old would have an easier time trading a nice bottle of booze.
Seriously, though, my parents would have been pissed if I traded away a gift someone gave me. We did trade stuff all the time (mostly matchbox cars and baseball cards) but “I got this for Christmas” meant that it was off limits for trading.
I am thinking about getting dad an Airspy stick and a Raspberry pi, we both love Flightradar24, and he has spoken about setting up a node in the network for them.
That’s a really interesting idea; my kid wants to be a pilot and just discovered flight tracker… I’m going to check out Airspy’s “how to” stuff and see about this as a gift idea too!
I use a strategy for some gifts which I call “luxury consumables”. Get someone something that they will use up (food, cheese, chocolate, olive oil, soap, booze, tea, etc) but that’s a bit nicer than they would get for themselves. If you can afford that!
For instance, flavored oil and vinegar for the chef. Fancy chocolate for… everyone. And in this case, smoked cheese! Sounds tasty AF.
Hell yeah this has been my tactic too. My family had stopped making the habit of gifting because of the unnecessary gifts, and so this is a great way to ensure they’ll actually use the gift.
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