<p>I can find plenty to put in a stocking that isn’t cheap plastic stuff. Underwear, socks, cool soap, earrings, writing implements, small food items, post-its, decorative binder clips… </p>
<p>Last year our college son asked for headphones and not much else. This year our younger son wants hats. Top hats, fedoras, Indiana Jones hats - you name it!</p>
<p>In our immediate family, the parents (we) are giving only books, music, and movies this year, as a way to help me limit my usual extravagance. I told my kids the categories, and my college freshman daughter said that movies especially interested her because they don’t have many DVD’s in the dorm. I think she and her neighbors do spend some time watching movies together in their common room. So it’s been fun to think about good dorm movies. I have a list ready to take to our local Rasputin, which has used and new CD’s and DVD’s.</p>
<p>Geek gifts - We have a ‘thinkgeek.com’ catalog that shows up every now and then and it has some funny stuff in it that my math/engineering/science Ds find are funny. I think the doormat that states “There’s no place like 127.0.0.1” is pretty funny (you have to be a bit of a geek to get this). The NaCl slat shaker is kind of cool also.</p>
<p>Gift cards - These are good and we usually get them some to some restaurants and they like them but it is a bit anti-climactic.</p>
<p>Money - I don’t like to give money as much as gifts and both Ds have had jobs for quite a while and don’t really need cash as a gift. </p>
<p>Ecternal drives - This is a good idea for those with laptops vilnerable to breakage and theft and loaded up with digital photos. It’s such a good idea that I got one for each of them last year.</p>
<p>violadad - Yes, I’ve already gotten the older one some basic tools but some more would be a good idea.</p>
<p>There are some good ideas her - keep them coming.</p>
<p>My s wants Netflix. My d is still a major question mark.</p>
<p>years ago I had a wonderful idea (well, I hoped it would be wonderful at the time). I started an ornament collection for each of my kids. Each Christmas they would get a personalized ornament… it depended on what activities they’d been involved in, what hobbies they had, was it a graduation year, etc. Now that D1 is getting ready to move into her first apartment, she wants all her ornaments for her own tree this year, and is so happy that she has some to put on. This is the place I’ve ordered from:</p>
<p>[Christmas</a> Ornaments - 2000+ Personalized Christmas Ornaments](<a href=“http://www.ornamentshop.com/]Christmas”>http://www.ornamentshop.com/)</p>
<p>They have many, many categories to pick from.</p>
<p>My kids love getting tickets to concerts and sporting events.</p>
<p>I love the idea of buying DS things to do. Last year it was an introductory glider lesson. It was a fun day for both of us. I got to “walk the wing” - meaning as the glider was being towed out, I held the wing so it wouldn’t drag on the ground. Then DS was off to glide above the hills of California. He had a choice of either just a ride (an hour in the air) or the lesson - a half hour on the ground and a half hour piloting the glider. The lesson included about a half hour of flight school on the ground. I don’t remember exactly how much it was, but less than $100 and I think it was closer to $50. I haven’t come up with anything as exciting for this year.</p>
<p>oaklandmom–</p>
<p>I got then HS S hang-gliding certification lessons.</p>
<p>This will be our third “only home made gifts” holiday season. Having a DS, as I do, this cannot usually mean craft-y type things. I’m still in the brainstorming mode but - as he is a senior - I am thinking along the lines of a Certificate for my time to set him up in first apartment - x days of my doing anything/everything from moving him in, setting up the kitchen, being his personal shopper for the odds and ends one always needs to set up a first apartment, cooking and freezing a slew of meals.</p>
<p>A “bought” item that I am giving for a birthday which comes very close to the holidays: GPS (Garmin Nuvi that I found really really cheap on line thanks to another cc-er). I know he wants this and I think a lot of college kids who drive would also. Especially useful as they find themselves in different areas and cities on job interviews.</p>
<p>^^ jmmom, can you share where online you found the Garmin Nuvi? Is it still on sale cheap? I’m shopping for one for Christmas. Thanks!</p>
<p>I mentioned this on another thread. Son’s freshman year we gave him a computer monitor he could use on his desk with his laptop. Big Hit. He still mentions it 2 years later.</p>
<p>patsmom - It was costco.com’s “Hot Buy” (Garmin Nuvi 250). I bought it a few weeks ago. It stayed available for awhile, as I helped a friend buy one. It was $129 and included a really great “bean bag” type mounting system (ca. $25 value). It was listed as “pink” (!), but turned out to be a not-at-all-bad metallic mauve-y gray. I would have been willing to suffer Barbie pink to get that price.</p>
<p>But when I went to find it this week because my brother wanted one, I don’t find it. Must have sold out. Currently, I see a different Garmin model as their “hot buy” for around $149 - still not a bad price and may be a superior model (what do I know?). And it’s not any kind of pink ;).</p>
<p>A membership to a museum or gallery close to their schools.</p>
<p>Movie passes.</p>
<p>Gift certificate for massage during finals ;)</p>
<p>I’ve given the massage gift to S. It seemed to be very appreciated.</p>
<p>Wii alert - if anyone is looking for one, right this moment Costco online has a Wii with sports game for $245:</p>
<p>[Costco</a> - Nintendo Wii? Bundle with Wii? Sports Game](<a href=“http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11324876&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US&s=1]Costco”>http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11324876&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US&s=1)</p>
<p>
Oaklandmom: Was this at a glider port in Fremont? I took a few intro lessons there 25 years ago or so. It was pretty cool. I don’t know if that glider port is still there.</p>
<p>When I was in HS a hundred years ago or so my parents gave me a ‘trip to Breckenridge’ to go skiing. Basically they drove me there, paid for the hotel, and paid for the skiing for me (they didn’t ski). I lived in Colorado Springs at the time so it wasn’t a huge trip but I liked it and considered it a great gift at the time. </p>
<p>I imagine the GPS devices for vehicles will be hot sellers this year now that they’re relatively reasonable.</p>
<p>Movie Passes - This is a good idea and we usually do this. Gift cards in general are so easy now that they sell them in the grocery store, drug store, and lots of other places.</p>
<p>The glider lesson was in Hollister. It was so cool. </p>
<p>I’m hoping some one will get me the GPS device - I’ve been getting lost so much now that I’ve moved out of Oakland (though I was reading an iphone/blackberry thread and it sounds like the iphone might work to help me find my way (?)…)</p>
<p>ucsd-- one note about gift cards bought in the grocery store. Sons gave one of those to DH who was unable to use it online; he had to go to that store to redeem it.</p>
<p>jmmom, that was a great price for that model (pink or not). The one we bought DS has turned out to be the best gift possible for someone whose first job has taken him to parts unknown. DH and I sleep better knowing that he can watch the road and not be on the lookout for street signs, wondering if his turn is coming up.</p>
<p>Sounds like GPS systems might be the holiday gift hit of this season?</p>
<p>jmmom, I see the Nuvi 250 on costco.com now for $129.99. Can you confirm that this model announces the street names when you’re approaching a turn instead of just saying “Turn left in 300 feet”? My Garmin says “Turn left at Main Street”, which I think is much more helpful that merely announcing the distance to the turn. I don’t think I can pass up this price either way, though. Thanks for the heads up! :)</p>