Ideas for not-so-serious 21st birthday gift for out of town son??

Parent Cafe
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<p>DS #1 turns 21 in a few weeks. He is out of town on an internship. We have offered him his “real” gift (trip to Vegas, as he is the only one in the family who has never been, and S#2 has been twice!). He already knows about this gift, and we already gave him his card when he was in town a few weeks ago. But, I just cannot let the day go by without doing something. I want to send him something, but aside from sending him a cake (which I can get delivered to his house) I am really drawing a blank as to what to send that would be fun, funny, clever, etc. I can’t send it to his place of employment, as it is a large corporation and I don’t think I could get anything through their security, and it would also probably seriously embarass him. (I also don’t know the full address to do so). So, it is best that it be delivered to his house. Any ideas???</p>

<p>(Forgot to mention-- he is a serious tecchie- so any electronics thing I could think of he could get better/faster/cheaper, etc. Even though he’d appreciate the thought, I leave the electronics purchases up to him so Idon’t get something he doesn’t like, want or need).</p>

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<p>jym626: I saw this in person and didn’t stop laughing for days…I saw it at Rite Aid for about $10.</p>

<p>Seems just right for a “techie” or an “over the hill” birthday gag.</p>

<p><a href=“http://hobbies-leisure.drleonards.com/Hobbies-Leisure/Home-Entertainment/Jumbo-Remote-Control/40513.cfm[/url]”>http://hobbies-leisure.drleonards.com/Hobbies-Leisure/Home-Entertainment/Jumbo-Remote-Control/40513.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“Carol Wright”>Carol Wright;

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<p>justamom-
I saw that in the Sunday ads of 2 of our local drugstores. I’ll have to check it out. He will be back in the dorm next yr-- I guess they can make it work for the tv, DVD, etc… and they won’t lose it!</p>

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<p>^^We had one of those that we got at Walgreens for $9.99. And yes, it was easy to find! ;)</p>

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<p>Why don’t you get the family and friends together (or at least together on tape)and make a really stupid video of everybody saying Happy BD and a memory of him and post it on youtube. Then you can give him the link and he can enjoj it over and over.</p>

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<p>Sax-
That’s a great idea! But, I think the people who would be embarassed would be US, not him! And there is zero chance younger s would participate in this, so it might just be us and maybe a few of our friends. I’ll run it by DH- see if he will at least consider it before he tells me I am out of my mind!!</p>

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<p>Thinking of this <a href=“http://www.frontyardproductions.com/detail.asp?Product_ID=1003[/url]”>http://www.frontyardproductions.com/detail.asp?Product_ID=1003&lt;/a&gt; or this <a href=“http://www.cookiegiftbaskets.com/welcome.php?refer=FG&term=21stHappyBirthdayBeersCookie&page=happy_birthday_beers_cookie_arrangement[/url]”>http://www.cookiegiftbaskets.com/welcome.php?refer=FG&term=21stHappyBirthdayBeersCookie&page=happy_birthday_beers_cookie_arrangement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>or this <a href=“http://www.1-800-bakery.com/Cakes_of_Distinction/Bittersweet_Pastries/Vanilla_Birthday_Cake__Complete_Party_Kit_.html[/url]”>http://www.1-800-bakery.com/Cakes_of_Distinction/Bittersweet_Pastries/Vanilla_Birthday_Cake__Complete_Party_Kit_.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>How about a dancing hamster? <a href=“http://www.brandsonsale.com/dancing-hamsters.html[/url]”>http://www.brandsonsale.com/dancing-hamsters.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www.brandsonsale.com/dancing-hamster-big-man-on-campus.html[/url]”>http://www.brandsonsale.com/dancing-hamster-big-man-on-campus.html&lt;/a&gt;
This one sings, “School’s out for summer.”</p>

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<p>Please keep the ideas coming. My son will turn 21 in September while he is away at college, so I would like some ideas, too. He will be living in a house with two roommates, after two years in the dorm, so house-related ideas are welcome, too. (The big things are already covered…) But nothing too expensive–his college costs take most of our money already! :)</p>

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<p>Whoa, sjmom. Some of those dancing hamsters cost $200!!! For that they’d better cook your dinner and make your bed!</p>

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<p>my suggestions are not necessarily jokey gifts…but they are also attempts at gifts he will keep for years…</p>

<p>A really nice wallet? for all his adult money…</p>

<p>a navy blazer…for interviews etc…</p>

<p>a great pair of slippers…</p>

<p>gift certificate for a sunglass hut type of store…because you know his future will be so bright he will have to have shades??</p>

<p>shoe trees for good shoes…and good shoes? </p>

<p>engraved stationary and a special pen…</p>

<p>cashmere sweater…</p>

<p>beach bag, with swim suit, lotion, flip flops and crazy silly shades, towel…</p>

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<p>Any kind of celebratory cake, candy, cookie, thing would be a good idea, so he can have a celebration of his own without that slightly pathetic, lonely, feeling you can get when buying stuff like that for yourself.</p>

<p>If he has people around to celebrate with then those party-in-a-box things are quite cool. A friend of mine had one last year, and yeah, it seemed kinda goofy at first, but he blamed his mom for that, and it was actually pretty fun and something we wouldn’t have shelled out the money for. It had a bunch of stuff in it: a banner, those annoying blower things, balloons, streamers, party favors, some other stuff. Can’t say we used much of it in the way the makers envisaged, but that is the way when you give tech people new toys. I think you can buy them ready packed, but it would probably be easier and cheaper to make your own.</p>

<p>I’m not big on gag gifts, I find them a waste of money. Unless it’s something really apropriate or amusing, I would prefer to have the money or something else usable.</p>

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<p>Jym, I’ve gotten two each for my kids, but none cost more than $20!!! That’s my limit on goofy gifts.</p>

<p>Here’s another link for some reasonably priced hamsters.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.wonderfullywacky.com/gemmy-dancinghamsters.htm[/url]”>http://www.wonderfullywacky.com/gemmy-dancinghamsters.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>For one of my kids’ birthdays, I contacted everyone I knew that knew him, including HS friends, college friends, relatives, etc, and asked them to send him an e-card. Didn’t cost me a thing, and he got a bunch of wishes, all day long.</p>

<p>There are a lot of e-card sites. Even Bill Nye the Science Guy has a few e-cards on his site.</p>

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<p>I like the site <a href=“http://www.thinkgeek.com%5B/url%5D”>www.thinkgeek.com</a>. Maybe you can find something there (cool t-shirt, perhaps).</p>

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<p>We do 21 individually wrapped gifts on the 21st birthday. I got this idea from another poster last year. Most of them are small, inexpensive, stocking stuffer-like items, ranging from a pack of their favorite gum to a 3-pack of golfballs to a pair of novelty boxers. S1 had a lot of fun opening 21 presents.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://store.theonion.com/product_info.php?products_id=219[/url]”>http://store.theonion.com/product_info.php?products_id=219&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I’m going for that…</p>

<p>I mean who doesn’t need one</p>

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<p>Thats great, chipmoney! But I don’t think I have time to order the box to come here, and then put something real inside it and ship it off to him… :(</p>

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<p>I bought a gift recently from <a href=“http://www.ourwishingwell.com%5B/url%5D”>http://www.ourwishingwell.com</a>
It really reduced my stress & hassles (especially on the day of the event)</p>

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<p>My-3-sons - That was my idea! My family has done the 21 gifts on the 21st birthday for quite awhile. </p>

<p>For my daughters 21st birthday we gave her things like coffee, toothpaste, toothbrush to open in the morning, a package to open mid day that I labeled, “know your roots” and had all kinds of Pennsylvania snacks, for bedtime a pair of snuggly socks (Feb. b-day), cocoa, and 10 or so other things. We also gave her a regular gift but she had great fun opening up all the little presents by herself and with friends all day long and I had fun thinking up things to suprise her.</p>