Christmas Gift Ideas

[topspeed]

How many times in the next few weeks are going ask/be asked this question:
"So, what did you get your wife/husband/kids/girlfriend/boyfriend/dog/cat/mom/dad?"

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm Search & Destroy when it comes to Christmas shopping. I like to know what I want and where to get it. I don't "shop."

Ever.

So, in an effort to put the smack down on the time honored tradition of fretting over what to buy, let's pool our feeble brain waves and make a list of the hottest stuff to buy our loved ones this holiday season. Do NOT say cash or Gift Certificates. That's a cop out. Get creative :D.

And on that note...
* Anything from Tiffany & Co. seems to make the wifey happy.
* Games and Hardware: PS3/Wii/X360 - The Wii is cheaper and loads of fun but the 360 and PS3 also serve as Blu-Ray or HD-DVD players. The 360 is VERY loud and breaks a lot. The PS3 has very limited gaming software. Decisions, decisions...
* Tickets to a broadway show (packaged as weekend get-away, this one's a winner fellas)
* Racing School tuition - located all over the country, these are perfect for gearheads or your teenager that needs to learn how to properly control a car.
* Full day spa treatment
* Blu-ray or HD-DVD player
* iPod/iTouch/iPhone
* Shure or other decent headset for above
* Portrait of yourself and kids for significant other's desk
* DVD collection of person's favorite show or documentary

That's all I've got time for. Your turn.

[ForeverAutumn]

I was going to get Hubby a digital camera this year or some piano lessons, but it looks like we may be buying each other a house instead.

The most gifted items in our family are usually CDs, DVDs, books and good wine. Golf lessons go over very well too.

[markw]

I got the ever lovely Mrs. W a 7" digital picture frame for her desk at work. Now she can enjoy a slideshow presentation of her favorite pictures. Anyone sells 'em but around here it seems that our local Circuit City has the best selection.

Maybe next year I'll go for a 10" or larger one for home if this works out as well as I hope.

[GMichael]

I was going to get Hubby a digital camera this year or some piano lessons, but it looks like we may be buying each other a house instead.

The most gifted items in our family are usually CDs, DVDs, books and good wine. Golf lessons go over very well too.

You're buying each other a house? Each? Two houses for Christmas? You guys are the best to each other! I didn't think you cold top the Rush DVD ect from last year, but man-0-man was I wrong. Congrats on both houses. But really, did you find one you both like or are you building? Is the location good?

[ForeverAutumn]

You're buying each other a house? Each? Two houses for Christmas? You guys are the best to each other! I didn't think you cold top the Rush DVD ect from last year, but man-0-man was I wrong. Congrats on both houses. But really, did you find one you both like or are you building? Is the location good?

I have a friend who's been with the same man for 15 years. They tried to live together once and started to hate each other (they are both very independent people), so they sold the house and each bought a condo in buildings beside each other and that solved all their problems. Whatever works for you, I say.

We finally found a house that we both like. It's not the perfect home for us, but as I pointed out to Hubby, we can't afford the house that we both really want. This one is a pretty good stand-in. We're putting an offer in this week, but we're going to low ball. The owners are asking too much for it in the first place. Plus the house has been on the market for over two months, it's empty and needs about ten grand in renos right away. We're hoping that the owners just want to get rid of it at this point.

I'll tell you more about it later. I just got an urgent email from my boss. Gotta run!

[Feanor]

How many times in the next few weeks are going ask/be asked this question:
"So, what did you get your wife/husband/kids/girlfriend/boyfriend/dog/cat/mom/dad?"
...

And on that note...
* Anything from Tiffany & Co. seems to make the wifey happy.
* Games and Hardware: PS3/Wii/X360 - The Wii is cheaper and loads of fun but the 360 and PS3 also serve as Blu-Ray or HD-DVD players. The 360 is VERY loud and breaks a lot. The PS3 has very limited gaming software. Decisions, decisions...
* Tickets to a broadway show (packaged as weekend get-away, this one's a winner fellas)
* Racing School tuition - located all over the country, these are perfect for gearheads or your teenager that needs to learn how to properly control a car.
* Full day spa treatment
* Blu-ray or HD-DVD player
* iPod/iTouch/iPhone
* Shure or other decent headset for above
* Portrait of yourself and kids for significant other's desk
* DVD collection of person's favorite show or documentary

That's all I've got time for. Your turn.

I have eight people to buy presents for, (including myself since I pay for what my wife gives me). That's not so many, but they all need equal presents, more or less. Given a total budget around <$700, people aren't going to get presents like on topspeed's list.

I hate trying to think of things to give people: I'm just not creative. Like ts, I hate "shopping" and the more so if I'm not exatly sure what I want.

[ForeverAutumn]

I have eight people to buy presents for, (including myself since I pay for what my wife gives me). That's not so many, but they all need equal presents, more or less. Given a total budget around <$700, people aren't going to get presents like on topspeed's list.

I hate trying to think of things to give people: I'm just not creative. Like ts, I hate "shopping" and the more so if I'm not exatly sure what I want.

My family has rules around gifts. The budget is approximately $40 per person. You can spend more if you find the perfect gift for someone and you just can't resist buying it. That's happened once or twice but it's rare.

My husband's family has the same rule but they limit the cost to $25 per person.

Hubby and I usually spend more on each other, but it's often gifts that we can both use.

I have finished shopping for one niece, but I have no idea what to get the rest of the clan. My Mom may be getting a HT in a box. Maybe this thread will help with ideas.

Last year 80% of my shopping was done on-line. My goal each year is to not have to step foot in a mall after November 30.

[GMichael]

Wifey and I usually buy one big gift that covers, X-mas, her birthday and our anniversary. It's been something we both want each year. Then we buy each other more smaller gifts that we think the other will like. This year we're getting the PS3. Her for the gaming, me for the BR & SACD. She also got a new cell phone that we are calling her birthday present this year. She's also gonna get some cash that she doesn't know about yet. SHHHHhhhh... don't tell her OK? The smaller gifts will end up being things like, games for the PS3, BR or HD-DVD movies and extra memory for her cell so she can use the MP3 part of it more.

[basite]

a pair of Thiel speakers?

[topspeed]

A house is on my wife's list as well, but I haven't found the right one yet. Once I find one with a game room, my wish list will expand dramatically to include a new drum kit and ground-up 2 channel rig.

Great suggestions so far :thumbsup: I'm not as current as I should be, so what's "hot" out there now? What is the "Must Have" gift that no one has mentioned?

My wife is the hardest to buy things for, so a woman's perspective is really important. As FA is the only woman on the board beside's Westcott's wife, I would love to hear a little more about what she wants. Cosmetics from Sephora? A top from BeBe? A "Serenity Now!!!" card that says I'll take the kids away for the weekend and she can have the house to herself?

[kexodusc]

Webcams. I bought a bundle of these things last year - pretty decent Logitech ones witht he built in mics/monitor stands and all the uncles/aunts and cousins use them regularly now. It's way more fun than talking on the phone. Probably the simplest, most well received gift I've given people.

Mill-style coffee grinder and an assortment of fresh roasted beans (avoid those electric blade grinders unless you really have to) - yeah, I'm a junkie, but I don't know ANYONE who drinks coffee that doesn't appreciate this gift - it's been a staple of mine for a few years - you're doing them a favor getting them off Folgers.

Membership in a wine club - and a few bottles. (this one is clever - you can tap into their membership to satisfy your wine purchasing needs later on).

George Forman style grill - I like the GF models myself but these things are handy - especially for people who live in climates that don't support 365-day BBQing.

Barrel of Monkeys - Best. Game. Ever.

Your turn.

[ForeverAutumn]

A house is on my wife's list as well, but I haven't found the right one yet. Once I find one with a game room, my wish list will expand dramatically to include a new drum kit and ground-up 2 channel rig.

My husband is a drummer. Every time we look at a house, we have to make sure that it has a "drum room".

I may be the wrong woman to give you gift advice TS. I'm usually happy with a few good CDs or books. My husband likes to give theme gifts. My favourite gift from my husband came a few years ago when he bought me this great feather duvet for our bed. I'm always cold at night so being able to cuddle up under the duvet was (and is) heaven. Along with the duvet came a duvet cover, sheets, and satin pajamas. Last year he bought me a solid wood jewelry box from Bombay Company and a Swarovski crystal necklace.

We don't have kids but I'll bet the Serenity Now card would be appreciated. Or, even better, get someone else to take the kids for a weekend and go away together!

[GMichael]

Top,

I doubt if anyone here knows your wife better than you do. Just think about what she likes and doesn't like. What does she do with her spare time? What activities do you see her involved with? You must know something about her.
If she spends a lot of time on her cell, maybe a new model with built in MP3 & GPS is the way to go. Maybe an Iphone. Maybe the webcam. My wife loves hers. She's always using it to talk to her family in the Philippines.
If she has other hobbies, then something to enhance her enjoyment of those.
There is no fit's all gift that can make everyone happy.

[ForeverAutumn]

There is no fit's all gift that can make everyone happy.

Um, yes there is...

Diamonds! Works every time.

[GMichael]

Um, yes there is...

Diamonds! Works every time.

My wife got very mad at me when she thought that I have bought her a diamond instead of the auto car starter that she wanted.
A month before her birthday I took her car into my friend's shop where he installed the auto start without her knowing. I put the remote in an old jewelry box that had a diamond in it the year before. When I gave her the box she was pissed. She wanted me to bring it back. I talked her into opening it. When she saw the remote, she jumped about 3 feet in the air. When she found out that she had been driving around with it for a month without knowing, she hit me.

[topspeed]

My wife has returned just about everything I've bought her that wasn't jewelry.

Truth.

[ForeverAutumn]

My wife got very mad at me when she thought that I have bought her a diamond instead of the auto car starter that she wanted.
A month before her birthday I took her car into my friend's shop where he installed the auto start without her knowing. I put the remote in an old jewelry box that had a diamond in it the year before. When I gave her the box she was pissed. She wanted me to bring it back. I talked her into opening it. When she saw the remote, she jumped about 3 feet in the air. When she found out that she had been driving around with it for a month without knowing, she hit me.

GM, I want to meet your wife. I get the feeling that I would really like her!

[topspeed]

Mike's starter idea gave me some auto-related ideas:

FM modulator/dock for iPod in car
Car detailing kit from Zainostore.com or Griottsgarage.com (I prefer Zaino, but both are high quality)
Jawbone bluetooth headset (At last, one with DSP noise cancelling!) Don't forget, come Jan 1, holding your cell to your ear finally becomes illegal in California...and it's about freakin' time!
Portable Nav system from Garmin or TomTom

[GMichael]

GM, I want to meet your wife. I get the feeling that I would really like her!

I'm sure you would too. Everyone who knows her, loves her. It can't be helped.

[GMichael]

Mike's starter idea gave me some auto-related ideas:

FM modulator/dock for iPod in car
Car detailing kit from Zainostore.com or Griottsgarage.com (I prefer Zaino, but both are high quality)
Jawbone bluetooth headset (At last, one with DSP noise cancelling!) Don't forget, come Jan 1, holding your cell to your ear finally becomes illegal in California...and it's about freakin' time!
Portable Nav system from Garmin or TomTom

Glad I was able to get the gears turning Top.

Oh, holding your cell to your ear while driving has been illegal in NY for a year or two. It doesn't seem to stop many. I still see about 25% of all drivers on their cells.

Wifey loves her Blu-Tooth.

[ForeverAutumn]

Glad I was able to get the gears turning Top.

Oh, holding your cell to your ear has been illegal in NY for a year or two. It doesn't seem to stop many. I still see about 25% of all drivers on their cells.

Wifey loves her Blu-Tooth.

Us liberal Canadians who have legalized marijuana and gay marriage are way behind in regulating cell phone use while driving. :nonod:

The iPod connector for a car is a great idea!

[GMichael]

Us liberal Canadians who have legalized marijuana and gay marriage are way behind in regulating cell phone use while driving. :nonod:



But one of the first to make seatbelts mandatory. Go figure.

[dean_martin]

I used to have this fear of buying my wife clothes - would she be offended if I get the wrong size? what if she doesn't like what I pick out? All that was nonsense. With just a little homework, getting the right size is not a problem (the help you can get in the ladies' dept. is top rate) and because our tastes have merged together over time, she really likes what I choose. Last Christmas, I had this strong urge to get her a leather jacket - casual, but "smart". She loved it!

We've had more fun this past year going clothes and shoes shopping for her together. I never thought I'd say that, but hey, if you like a certain "look", then you have no excuse when your significant other comes home from shopping by herself/himself with the same tired styles. Sometimes we get in a rut with our style (or lack thereof), and a little help from someone who cares can be enlightening. "Baby, you'd look hot in this" doesn't hurt the ego either. Plus, some places don't mind if hubby goes in the dressing room. A little wine beforehand and some flirting in the dressing room can beat the heck out of dinner and a movie. This year I think we're looking at a pair of boots for the Mrs. Give the kids (teenage boys) cash and they'll be fine. Everyone else be damned! (not really, we always come up with something for extended family.)

[RoyY51]

...I only have one person to buy for...my wife. She does all the shopping for everyone else. My side of the family, her side, the kids, co-workers (hers and mine), friends, neighbors, everyone. All I have to do is buy a couple of presents for her. You'd think this would be a slam dunk, wouldn't you? And yet, every Christmas eve, there I am... wandering aimlessly through some mall, waiting for inspiration to strike. It is a sad, sad rut that I just can't seem to get out of. And, as a result of my procrastination, some of my choices have been, shall we say, less than inspired. I'm still hearing about the 10-speed bicycle I bought for her the year she turned 50. She still thinks that I was trying to tell her something, when, in reality, it was just a great deal that I couldn't pass up (I'm a sucker for great deals).

I'm hoping to do better this year. Wish me luck.

[bobsticks]

What a great thread, I just wish Speedy had been more adamant about the "bookending" part. I made a day of it yesterday, completed the task from top to bottom but the frivolity took place at the beginning, all through the middle, and well beyond what should have been the end.

Consequently, this is not the best morning I have ever seen.

The new gf doesn't merit Tiffany's yet, it would be ostentatious after only a few months. I did find a nice Movado Dolca to keep the peace. She has this tendency to rely on her cell phone to keep time which would be fine if she didn't also have the tendency to lose cell phones. A betting man would put odds that she's had and lost more cell phones in the last three months than GM's wife has in a year...

Great call on the mill-grinder Kex. Between that and and a great History Channel DVD Compilation on "The History of Aviation" I felt like I had snagged some very personalized items. I might as well admit it, I bought some Dvorak on vinyl for my Grandfather as well...oh, the shame.

Just a suggestion for the northerners, I have had good luck finding some unique hats and caps at the Bavarian Village in the past. Of course, such a place doesn't exist down here in the flatlands but I always found them to carry a nice selection of outerwear for the winter sportsperson---makes good stocking stuffers.

[bobsticks]

Barrel of Monkeys - Best. Game. Ever.


Evidently Aqua Dots are giving 'em a run for their money...


http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/442037/toy_of_the_year_aquadots_are_recalled.html

[GooseWashington]

I like to gift something eatable. Different sweets for example. A lot of sweets

[HardissonHard]

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