<p>We better get some people in here. Yesterday I thought this thread would be condemned to the no mans land of page 2. Parents, and all the other wonderful ccers that have been amazing enough to visit us, if you would like to keep this alive, please go the the top and on the upper right hand corner there is a “Thread Tools” button. If selected, you may choose to “Reccomend this Thread”.</p>
<p>That would be really cool.</p>
<p>Hi everyone - I just thought of another question - what is a good holiday gift to get for D’s BF? He’s a HS senior and will be spending at least part of Christmas with us, so I would like to get him a little something. I don’t want to ask D, because she will tell me not to buy him anything, but this is something I want to do. </p>
<p>Also, maybe Ninja can help me out here - what would an 11-year old boy like to find in his Christmas stocking? It was easy when he was younger - but now I am at a loss. He has asked for some pretty extravagant gifts this year - XBOX 360, a drumset, and a video camera. He is definitely not getting XBOX as the last thing he needs is another game system. I’m really not sure about either of the other items either. Any suggestions will be appreciated.</p>
<p>Small enough for a stocking? Rubik’s cube. Paperback books. Comic collections (my kids like Dilbert, Calvin and Hobbs, Mutts, Zits, Foxtrot,Sherman’s Lagoon). They like the clever t-shirts from Computergear or ones based on their favorite sci-fi TV shows. Does he like music yet Weird Al CDs (spoofs) or other music CDs.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions mathmom. He has a good sense of humor, so he might appreciate Weird Al - I never would have thought of that. He has a few versions of the Rubik’s cube - traditional and Mets/Yankees. He’s not really into comics either. I think that’s why I’m having a problem. He has unusual interests for an 11-year old - girls and the mafia (I don’t know where that came from - we don’t even have HBO, so he never saw The Sopranos). I have a Computergear catalog, so I’ll look through that. Any other suggestions?</p>
<p>Cologne. If he’s interested in girls… To keep him away from the Axe!!</p>
<p>Another question for the teens:</p>
<p>What is your preferred mode of communication (and if circumstances would cause different choices, please explain). For example, please discuss: phone, texting, email, AIM-- what do you prefer? Which do you check the most/use the most, and why?</p>
<p>Parents: phone while walking places, email </p>
<p>Friends: text, Facebook wall posts for short comments (“Guess who I just saw?”) and questions (“Are you going to the party tonight?”); AIM for the same things but more on weekday evenings when we’re all on our computers and doing work; phone calls for sharing stories, organizing when/where to meet (text works for this too), or for talking when we’re away from school, such as during vacations</p>
<p>Other communication: email</p>
<p>My phone is almost always with me, so I check that a lot, and college students check email obsessively. I keep an email window open and refresh it constantly. College students tend to get lots and lots of emails from student group, professors, etc.</p>
<p>SBmom, I bought the Boy [cologne</a>](<a href=“http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P6986&categoryId=S33333&shouldPaginate=true"]cologne”>http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P6986&categoryId=S33333&shouldPaginate=true) for Hanukkah. :)</p>
<p>As for forms of communication, I prefer the phone for talking to my family, but only because I hate writing in Swedish. :eek: For friends, there really isn’t any satisfying substitute for in-person conversations, but if that isn’t an option I like Blitz (Dartmouth’s email system, sort of like a cross between email and instant messenger…hard to explain to non-Dartmouth students), AIM, and the occasional phone call.</p>
<p>Thanks for the communications answers!</p>
<p>Smart girls select colognes they like for their boyfriends. ;)</p>
<p>Thanks SBmom - LOL - We’ve already experienced the overpowering Axe phase. Cologne is a pretty good idea though - he would like that - if only I could convince him he doesn’t have to douse himself in it! Luckily one of the cute girls at school told him she doesn’t like Axe, so he stopped wearing it.</p>
<p>S is really too much - he just asked me if he could get a tattoo!</p>
<p>You could put a couple of those fake tattoo’s in the stocking. Also I always found that a small nerf football was a good stocking stuffer.
What do you get an 18 yr old boy?</p>
<p>communication—>AIM.
a lot of my friends, text, but I don’t too often.
I’m bad at it, hahaha, and it costs $$$
but I’m on AIM allll the time and thats usually how I communicate with my friends outside of school other than phone conversations/hanging out. It’s easy, free, and you can multitask, haha.</p>
<p>18 yr old guy
i really don’t know, I think guys are hard to buy presents for, haha. most guys are into videogames. Itunes giftcards, Best Buy giftcards, Blockbuster giftcards…I think those work.</p>
<p>Thanks mom60 - The nerf football suggestion is a good one. S solved his tattoo problem by writing “MOMMA” on his arm in RED PERMANENT MARKER! Anyone out there know how to remove permanent marker? He wrote it lengthwise down his forearm! Should I be honored? I’m not!!</p>
<p>I was wondering about 17-year old guys as well. D’s BF? Nobody answered that part of my earlier question - unless Mathmom meant the t-shirt or Weird Al cd for the BF rather than my S. I could have misunderstood? I know the BF downloads everything, so no cds for him. Maybe a cool t-shirt - if only I knew what he thought was cool…lol.</p>
<p>LIMOMOF2: If you’re comfortable attaching obvious monetary value to the gift, maybe a gift certificate would be best. iTunes is always safe (unless he really does download everything elsewhere). Borders is good if it seems like something he’d appreciate. Otherwise, movie vouchers, a restaurant gift certificate, Starbucks/Jamba/Chipotle/etc. (chain food) card…all good!</p>
<p>Also, I know my mom’s gotten some crazy stuff off of my skin (fake tanner gone wrong…) by using bleach diluted with water. I don’t know if that would work with permanent marker, but I definitely know that it’ll come off on its own before TOO long. Good luck (and yes, of course you should be flattered)!</p>
<p>I say leave the tattoo. So cute!! It will wear off soon enough (as will the sentiment!). ;)</p>
<p>Thanks Student615 - I like the suggestion of a gift certificate - I was just thinking that since we will be exchanging gifts with other guests at the same time, he might feel strange getting a gift card. On the other hand, I know all the places he shops at/eats at thanks to D, so that would be easy.</p>
<p>Thanks also for suggesting bleach diluted with water - but it turns out he was kidding when he said it was permanent marker. I caught on pretty quickly, but he did get me for a few seconds…lol. I’ll keep the diluted bleach in mind for next time, because I’m sure there will be one.</p>
<p>SBmom - LOL - we crossposted -sorry. It’s just washable marker on his arm, so it will be off way sooner than expected. I don’t think sentiment had anything to do with him writing “momma” - I think he must have seen it on someone in a movie or something…lol.</p>
<p>LIMOMOF2: Another idea would be baked goods. Cookies, brownies, or homemade fudge (I have the world’s easiest and greatest recipe for microwave fudge…ideal for a low-cost, low-planning gift that still comes across as heartfelt) in a Christmas tin (cheap and easy to find in the holiday aisle at most grocery stores, Target, etc.). You’d be hard pressed to find a 17 year old boy who wouldn’t enjoy baked goods :p</p>
<p>A tin of sweets + a giftcard in an attached envelope might be a good way of adding physical substance + personalization to a giftcard. </p>
<p>Good luck, regardless!</p>
<p>Student615 - you are full of good suggestions. I’ll ask D what she thinks - but I can always make up a tray of Christmas cookies for him to bring home to his family. I certainly bake enough of them…lol. Great idea. Thank you. Now, I’ll just have to decide on an gift card amount that seems nice but not extravagant. Oh, and a place - but that won’t be too difficult.</p>