<p>My 22 yr old son likes gifts that are “things to do”. Ticketmaster gift cards, gift cards to his favorite restaurants. Tshirts for favorite sports teams or places. </p>
<p>I think H any I will gift airline miles to S and his SO so they can go to France this coming spring.
Oldest D asked for a couple of items in her stocking. A pair of smartwool socks to wear to sleep in, new underwear and an EOS lip balm. Otherwise she hasn’t given us a idea for a more significant gift. She needs a laptop but feels she doesn’t really use one much at home anymore so isn’t sure.
Youngest has a list a mile long that can add up to thousands. All equestrian related. She is my kid that whenever any of us is shopping we always find things she would like. She also loves to cook and bake and at some point would like to start getting some small appliances like food processor and mixer.
I got a new car this weekend. My phone is also on its last legs.
H is impossible to buy for. He doesn’t want or need anything. Plus he has a dec birthday. </p>
<p>^All of the above are good ideas. I found that my S’s list began to consist of various utilitarian items as he got older. To make it more fun, I started getting him a toy each Christmas - remote controlled porsche, helicopter, nerf over the door basketball, table air hockey, etc. He seems to enjoy his toys. </p>
<p>Overt hedge- you just reminded me that I want to order a Lego styled NFL player for S.</p>
<p>Any recommendations for a 13-year-old boy as far as a “write your own video game code” deal? He plays Minecraft and Roblox online a lot. He is not into music or clothes or girls (yet!). He is an athlete, so we’ve got that covered. I don’t want the write-your-own-code thing to be too difficult or require its own computer (he uses our desktop to play on). Thoughts?</p>
<p>We got my son a kit that helps him break into his xbox and other video games. Not sure what he does, but he does hack in and change things. Go check out thinkgeek dot com. </p>
<p>eyemamom, I’m sure someone will report us to the authorities as being derelict parents (haha!), but DS does not have an Xbox. His older brother had one that he bought, but got rid of it because he had stopped playing it. We do have a PS2, but he’s been so much more into the Minecraft PC game, he doesn’t play the PS2 much anymore. Although there are some fun games for it.</p>
<p>I asked my kids to update the memory card in my electronic photo frame, and told them DH needs a new sweater.</p>
<p>I’m getting the dogs a new bed that matches the one I get them last year, since they disagree about whose bed it is.</p>
<p>DH and I are celebrating our 31st wedding anniversary in January, so that’s our present to each other. </p>
<p>Post 35–give a gift certificate to KIVA. They do micro-loans around the world. You choose the person to whom you want to give the loan. Big website to browse through. It is a loan–you have the option to collect at the end and get your money back or re-invest. Fun and eye-opening. There are more organizations than KIVA that do the same work in micro-loans but it is the only one I’m familiar with. Makes a great gift. </p>
<p>Overtheedge, I like the over the door basketball game. Maybe he and his roommates could have some fun with that. Or maybe another nerd kind of thing. Thanks for the suggestion. So far he tells me money can buy whatever he wants, so besides clothes that’s all he wants. ARGH!</p>
<p>@cgpm59 – does he have a Raspberry Pi? I bought the B version two years ago for my son. It was updated this summer to the B+ and there is now the simpler and even less expensive A+ ($20).
<a href=“Help Videos - Raspberry Pi Foundation”>http://www.raspberrypi.org/help/what-is-a-raspberry-pi/</a></p>
<p>This book would be useful to help get him started, unless he has prior coding experience.<br>
Programming the Raspberry Pi: Getting Started With Python</p>
<p>Even though I have purchased these things, I am not really sure what they all do. I <em>think</em> it is a very simple computer and that someone coding can do whatever he wants and then just erase and start over if something goes wrong. An HDMI cable may be needed to attach the Pi to a monitor. Those things always seem to go missing in our house.</p>
<p>There is another store called Spark Fun Electronics that sells electronic hacking kits. I do not know if my son used the hacking kit and the Raspberry Pi together, or it was just coincidence that he wanted them the same year. The electronic hacking kit had a soldering iron, so keep an eye on that one!</p>
<p>If you want advise on coding books, just holler as this son is deep into that field. He never played Minecraft, and has never been interested in coding to create games, but I believe it is all possible using the Raspberry Pi. </p>
<p>Has he used Scratch from the MIT Media Lab? I think that is very basic as my son started with it in third grade and used it to create very basic games. I believe the Media Lab folks have rolled out a product for younger kids since my son started with it seven years ago.</p>
<p>My college freshman still likes to receive a small Lego set from the Architecture line while younger son only wants college textbooks on math or coding. </p>
<p>Ooooo, CT1417, thanks for all the good suggestions! I’ll look into those. Thanks!</p>
<p>My 25 year-old started with Visual Basics for Dummy a million years ago, but there are probably better choices now. Except for one week long summer camp course in middle school he was self taught.My kids never had their own x-box, but they shared one with a friend that they bought with their own money - it spent a week at our house and the next week at the friend’s house. </p>
<p>My oldest wants a kindle paperwhite and a watch. Youngest wants a nice sweater he can wear on casual Fridays (plain v-neck), but will probably have a mile long list of games before too long. He’s the one who wants a projector for his computer too.</p>
<p>One poster mentioned a family member wanting LL Bean boots. Believe it or not, Bean has virtually NO boots in stock, with a backorders not being filled until Feb-March and beyond. Their factory is working 3 shifts, 24/7, but cannot get caught up.</p>
<p>For LL Bean to NOT have any of their signature product available at Christmas is beyond strange. Someone in charge of production needs to become unemployed.</p>
<p>News reports attributed this to increased popularity of their boots on college campuses along with a thing called “woodsman chic”, or something like that. </p>
<p>No requests for Chia pets or clappers? Who buys that stuff? And are they really such wonderful holiday gifts that the ads, which are otherwise never seen, hit the airwaves at this time of year.</p>
<p>LL Bean hired 100 new workers trying to catch up. Great boots—and made in America, too…</p>
<p>No pajamagram requests either?! I think I saw one of heir ads finally on cnbc this year! </p>
<p>Santa came early!!! DS got his target ACT score. Still not sure if that “gift” is more for me or him but I am very happy with receiving it. This one will NOT be returned. </p>
<p>Which administration? Thought the Dec scores weren’t coming out til Dec 29? Congrats!</p>
<p>12/13 scores came out today for some, but only about 10% as I understand it. Good luck to all still waiting. </p>