<p>What are you buying your college kids for holiday? What stuff are they asking for??</p>
<p>D1 - is studying abroad for the year is planning to go to the south of France over winter break with a “boy from my art history class” whatever that means??? She is having the time of her life -working hard- playing hard- just wants and needs cash for travel. </p>
<p>D2- College freshman attending school on the other side of the country - will be home for winter break for 18 days - I am resenting she has to go back to school a week early to train for indoor track -SNORE She also just wants $$$ to travel.</p>
<p>I am feeling a long way from the Fisher Price and Barbie playhouse Christmas mornings.</p>
<p>I could use some ideas. Not only is it Christmas, but S’s 21st birthday next week. We’ve been cutting back overall, but his sis did get a laptop for her 21st, and we feel we should do something special for him. But he doesn’t need a laptop, and his request, Giants playoff tickets, is probably not going to be a viable option, judging by last Sunday. :(. So, what’s a cool laptop equivalent?</p>
<p>Garland: D2 has a 21’st Birthday on the 16’th. She has spent her life with combined BD/Xmas/Hanukkah gifts -yep we celebrate both thanks to a very reform rabbi and a open minded priest. She expects the unexpected. I’m clueless.</p>
<p>My D is getting 3 micro-gifts (a couple of packages of hand warmers, a small paperback travel diary, and a tiny stuffed moose - her crew mascot), and I will also reimburse her 50% of the cost for her upcoming trip to the Republic of Georgia. She has always paid her own expenses for travel, and personal things. I know that will come as a nice (and welcomed) surprise for Chanukkah. We’ve never done extravagant gifts for Chanukkah, it’s always been 8 simple gifts. I’ve let the grandparents do the spoiling, they could better afford it. (god bless grandparents)</p>
<p>I’m still mourning the lack of Santa-believers in my house!
Anyway, some skiing paraphenalia for ds and dd, not shopped for as of yet, and a couple of days’ lift tickets. That’ll be plenty.</p>
<p>Another Xmas/Chanukkah/bday family here. (DS’ birthday is within one day of Xmas).</p>
<p>We have assiduously avoided combined holiday/bday gifts so as to avoid the “It’s not fair, my birthday is so close to Xmas/Chanukkah so I always get shorted” phenomenon. It has worked very well. But sometimes does make it harder to come up with interesting stuff. The Chanukkah one we always did only one night for a gift and something fairly small - a book, a CD, one small toy etc.</p>
<p>This year, turning age 20, he wants the Wii. I’m planning to go for it. I’m grateful he’s not asking for the PS3 and I’ve told him I won’t be sleeping in any tents to get the Wii, which is easier to get but still currently out of stock everywhere. I especially like that reviews say it is really family fun, for all ages, if you get some of the more physical games (golf/tennis/bowling). DS only asked for one game (Zelda) but I’m going for one of the others as a family thing. Hope I can score one in the next few weeks.</p>
<p>He’s getting a golf club for Xmas, the Wii for birthday if it works out. Maybe your DS would like the Wii, garland; but it’s not up there at the cost of a laptop. Although it could be if you bundle in enough games and extras.</p>
<p>S would like a PS/3 (not gonna happen) or Wii, except we’re holding to no video games or TVs at school policy, so he’d have to leave it home. Not that he can’t play games on his computer, but ya gotta hold the line somewhere, no?</p>
<p>That’s a good point, garland, although we haven’t drawn that line. He has PS2 stuff with him and I find that the Engineering types use those kinds of things as their relaxation/socialization. Plus, he has a month with us in Mexico with lots of his and our friends visiting and, like I said, I’m planning on “family fun.”</p>
<p>My 15-year old daughter wanted Designer Jeans.</p>
<p>I bought some for $128. :eek:</p>
<p>I told the sales clerk it was good we’d gone to Neiman-Marcus first, where all the jeans were at least $250. He said we should have checked out Barney’s $1000 jeans, then we really would have felt we’d found a bargain…</p>
<p>No one has asked for the Wii as we don’t usually go in for that sort of thing. No Playstations here–just games on the computer and DDR also through the computer (I have clever sons.) But they do like the Playstations at cousin’s house when on vacation. ;)</p>
<p>Can’t say I would be against the Wii, as it is pretty physical, apparently. That’s why I like DDR. They’re doing aerobics and they wouldn’t be caught dead in an aerobics class!</p>
<p>Jmmom, one of my S’s engineering friends is now running the photo counter at CVS after flunking out playing video games nonstop. So we are a little gunshy here!</p>
<p>jmmom (or anyone)- do you know if the wiis are expected to be available for Christmas? S2 wants one and I do enjoy eavesdropping when S1 is home and they are playing. My one idea, which I think I will also use for grad gifts, is a gift certificate from allposters.com. They have over 300K available, everything from sports to Escher.</p>
<p>Mine wants a bluetooth thing for his phone. (whine, “my ear hurts when I talk to you, I’ll talk longer if I have a bluetooth”), a bigger memory card for his camera, an external hard drive (to store said pictures from camera, do I really want to see the pictures :D.</p>
<p>He’s also getting clothes to XC ski in as well as money to buy XC skis.</p>
<p>He’s also getting clothes to XC ski in as well as money to buy XC skis.
where does he xcountry ski?</p>
<p>We are going up to the Okanagan for xmas ( we have been for 18 years) but it is so dry there- that I often don’t even wear long underwear just tights, with maybe a shell over.
the trip however- is our big family present- so I mostly just get them clothes to do so- ( now that the girls are older)and books-( every year we get more socks and gloves and hats- I don’t know what happens to them!)
[wonderful snow](<a href=“http://www.mvsta.com/”>http://www.mvsta.com/</a>)
Its nice our 24 year old is still making the trip with us :D</p>
<p>I bought youngerD the new book by the author of Wicked ( she saw the musical in NYC and also recently in Seattle)- and I usually get her sister a book of science essays. </p>
<p>( my phone has bluetooth- but it doesn’t work well for trading files from the laptop & the PDA- however- we are eligible for new ones in Jan & they have improved them quite a bit -)</p>
<p>As the kids got older and we all got so busy with life, we stopped giving things for Chanukkah and started giving “events.” </p>
<p>We get tickets to theater/musicals; annual passes to Disneyland (we live close enough to go when it is not crowded), go to movies togther, etc. We still give little gifts that are usually something practical/needed… pajamas or other clothing; gas gift card, new hair dryer…</p>
<p>Helps us to spend time together, which is a good thing.</p>
<p>Oh dear, reading through this thread is making me feel like the Grinch! Tuition, room and board at my D’s school adds up to a cool $46,000 a year, and as a result I am afraid that I am not feeling overly generous. I thought that we would just buy her a few low denomination gift cards to the coffee shop and stores near her school so that she could treat herself to something from time to time during the semester.</p>
She also just wants $$$ to travel.</p>
My one idea, which I think I will also use for grad gifts, is a gift certificate from