<p>For some reason, the link to the Garmin Nuvi 255W in my previous post isn’t working now.</p>
<p>[Garmin</a> - nüvi 255W GPS - NUVI 255W](<a href=“http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Garmin+-+n%26%23252%3Bvi+255W+GPS/9252872.p?id=1218068797021&skuId=9252872&st=garmin%20255W&cp=1&lp=1]Garmin”>http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Garmin+-+n%26%23252%3Bvi+255W+GPS/9252872.p?id=1218068797021&skuId=9252872&st=garmin%20255W&cp=1&lp=1)
^this link should work.</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Garmin Portable Friction Mount: Electronics](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-10908-00-Portable-Friction-Mount/dp/B002OL2MU4/ref=cm_lmf_tit_5_rsrsrs0]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-10908-00-Portable-Friction-Mount/dp/B002OL2MU4/ref=cm_lmf_tit_5_rsrsrs0)</p>
<p>Nrdsb4, One of our kids prefers this dashboard friction mount rather than the suction cup mount for the wieldshield. My husband likes it better too. It’s not a necessity—it’s just a preference.</p>
<p>^^^I was going to get that for my son to go with his GPS. He nixed that as well. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>^^^^I saw that on Amazon as well, NYSmile. I figured I’d get that too if I decide to get the GPS.</p>
<p>silpat- good question. </p>
<p>We have always tried to have similar price ranges, now that the kids are older we are trying to do stockings plus one nice gift, say $250-300, though in the past we have purchased plane tickets for one kid or the other, but mainly one kids who got invites to go on trips with friend’s families.</p>
<p>The thing is we would have bought the ticket not as a gift, just as life, had it not been Christmas season. But we also did not buy a special gift for that kid. So more was spent on her ticket than the other gifts, but had we bought that ticket in summer it would not have been about gifts.</p>
<p>This year one kid needs a new laptop and it needs to be Apple due to her field. We would love to buy it for her, but certainly cannot afford to spend 3x the laptop price. I am thinking about saying that each of the other two will get a comparable amount, one each the next two Christmases.</p>
<p>We’ve always tried to focus on the big picture, like each kid got tuition, room & board at their school, but we did not compare the actual amounts given, we covered the same expense, not the same amount. But this is such a big purchase and now that they have all finished undergrad, it is more complicated because the others also have good uses for that amount of money.</p>
<p>First, I’m delighted to learn about Sennheiser since dh needs new headphones. Amazon appears to have a good selection, too. </p>
<p>Somemom, airplane tickets have been a topic of discussion here lately. Last year we paid for S & his GF’s airfare, but still spent the same on S & D’s gifts. H wasn’t happy about that (which I didn’t learn until months later.) I told him to consider the airfare a present to me, since otherwise S would not have come home. This year, S prefers to stay at his new apartment and relax after traveling nonstop for work for several months. </p>
<p>Notrichenough, I bet if we followed your father’s example our kids would actually start checking their mailboxes more than once a week or so.</p>
<p>My mom always tries to keep my sister and I monetarily even… My sister usually tends to ask for more expensive things then me, so I usually wind up with more gifts but they all add up to about the same price… I’ve Kind of adopted the same philosophy when I buy gifts. I try to come up with a good limit for family, friends, etc… Now that my best friend and her husband have 2 kids I find myself spending less on them and more on their kids, and I don’t think they would have it any other way.</p>
<p>If you are looking for a GPS, I would highly recommend this one.</p>
<p>[Garmin</a> - nüvi 255WT GPS - NUVI 255WT](<a href=“http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Garmin+-+n%26%23252%3Bvi+255WT+GPS/9252854.p?id=1218068797020&skuId=9252854&st=nuvi%20255&cp=1&lp=1]Garmin”>http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Garmin+-+n%26%23252%3Bvi+255WT+GPS/9252854.p?id=1218068797020&skuId=9252854&st=nuvi%20255&cp=1&lp=1)</p>
<p>It’s a similar model as the one posted above however it has the traffic updates and is 10 dollars less because of its sale price. $99 right now… which is a great price for that one. You might not think you would use the traffic updates but i have found them helpful. example, when driving down a highway towards Philadelphia, a stretch of the road on my gps changed colors and something popped up saying 10 minute delay. I clicked reroute and it took me around the traffic jam. I bought that one to replace my previous Nuvi that got stolen and I love it. It tells you how fast you are driving, what the speed limit is on the road you are on, and speaks the road names to you. It’s nice on roads where the speed limit changes throughout them because it updates right on your screen.</p>
<p>For DD, a mini vacation in Napa wine country for her and BF (who has never been to CA).
Some clothes and cash.</p>
<p>For DS, a Macbook Air, lots of nice winter clothes and some cash. We started giving them cash last year and less presents so they don’t have to carry them cross country and they love it.</p>
<p>Both are coming home for Christmas from NY area where they work.</p>
<p>Nrdsb4, my GPS (Garmin Nuvi) has saved me from being completely and hopelessly lost more than once. If my kids had their own cars, I would buy one for each of them in a heartbeat. Well worth the investment. And I second fendergirl’s post.</p>
<p>I just ordered the Doonesbury Retrospective. Kind of pricey, but I know everyone will enjoy it over the holiday. Especially nice for a student of late 20th century U.S. history.</p>
<p>Want to get S who is heading to college next year a new alarm clock and see that some charge I-pods, cell phones, etc. Think it might be a good gift as I plan to have him get himself up his last semeter in high school to prepare for college. Does anyone know if those docking stations work well? Good one to get?</p>
<p>Odessagirl just asked for a Britta Water Pitcher. She says the drinking water at her college tastes bad and it’s getting too expensive to purchase water bottles.
Next year she will be in an apartment. She likes to cook, so I bought her the red and white checked cookbook - Better Homes and Gardens.</p>
<p>Sort of an off the wall suggestion… I just bought this for myself and now my relatives and friends in college are all yammering for one:</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Stamina 55-1610 InMotion E1000 Elliptical Trainer: Sports & Outdoors](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Stamina-55-1610-InMotion-Elliptical-Trainer/dp/B000VICRO8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291511200&sr=8-1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Stamina-55-1610-InMotion-Elliptical-Trainer/dp/B000VICRO8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291511200&sr=8-1)</p>
<p>It is small enough to fit into a dorm, almost completely silent, and it is EXTREMELY helpful to walk away from a paper, take a two minute run, and sit back down to work without having to completely lose my concentration and give up an hour plus of study time to head to the gym. I waste a lot less time being distracted now.</p>
<p>If I got that for my daughter she would interpret it as me calling her fat.</p>
<p>Well, it’s only if your kids are into that sort of thing. 
My friends and I are all really into working out regularly already and it makes it more convenient to do so. I just suggested it because I have had five different friends message me on facebook to ask where I got it so they could put it on their christmas list, and it is a really nifty contraption for the exercise enthusiast.</p>
<p>College D is getting rain boots, a Drew Brees jersey and theatre tickets
HS S is getting electric shaver, letter jacket and composing software</p>
<p>And some little treats in their stockings.</p>
<p>And I was able to do almost everything online this year (except the letter jacket!) What a relief not to have to venture out to the mall!</p>
<p>My HS senior daughter is getting mostly winter gear. She will be going to college in Boston, from South Florida, so she is in need of cold weather clothing and accessories. My college senior son is geting clothes and a set of barstools for his apartment. I also make him a billfold style Christmas card that holds six giftcards. We give him giftcards to the grocery store, his favorite restaurants, the movie theatre and his favorite clothing store. I also put a $100 bill in the money section, don’t tell my husband!</p>
<p>I also did most of my shopping online. I was able to get my daughter Uggs for $50 cheaper than I found them at the mall and rainboots for $25 less. Also, the selection of winter gear is not very good here, so online was a necessity for a lot of things. Something this Miami born and raised mom would never have thought of, gloves suitable for testing. Who knew such a thing existed!</p>
<p>
It does look pretty nifty. Has good reviews too. But I prefer my head to remain attached to my body ;)</p>
<p>
So, talking about stockings. Do you still all do stockings as they get older? I know we didn’t get them anymore once we grew up. I thought about stopping last year but my daughter was like “no, we have to have stockings”. She and my son have always sat together and opened their stockings even when they were not good friends when they were growing up (they are much closer as adults then they were as kids). This year he is gone for the first time at Christmas (starts a great new job monday 
but 1200 miles away 
and we don’t think the logistics will work out for spending Christmas together). I’m thinking maybe it is time for the stockings to stop. </p>
<p>If you do still do them, do you do them for a significant other. My daughter is engaged so if she is here Christmas day (don’t know her plans yet) then her fiancee will be as well.</p>