Anyone started Christmas shopping yet? What, Where and for who?

[tzeitel]

I got my mom and stepdad packing cubes They are planning a mediterranean cruise for next year and every time we visit her she asks where I got our cubes. I also got her Game of Thrones tote that has a beer-like logo, it says Imp's Delight and has the Lannister coat of arms.

 

[dalmatian7]

I bought my DD a used gift from eBay. Was originally a little concerned about getting something "used"
Don't worry about it. In the past, I bought my niece a barbie dream house off ebay, and found one in a garbage pile for my other niece. They don't make barbie stuff this good anymore and a little Mr Clean Magic eraser made them look as good as new.

Funny you mention Hollar I just discovered it the other day too!

Thank you for this site, cute stuff!

I have started also. I used to be a religious "not before thanksgiving shopper". However, internet shopping is too good and I had a baby in Dec 2010, so I had to change and I like it better.

So far for DD (almost 6) I got a few more of the Disney Animator dolls in the small sets. These work great in her dollhouse. Disney Store had them on sale in July. I also grabbed a hair chalk set for either her or her cousin and some sticker books on Prime Day.

I keep a tub in the basement going with items in it for her gifts and birthday stuff. I have to be careful because I do tend to forget what is in there.

I am also ordering the Tsum Tsum advent calender from Amazon. I'll end up buying the three gifts she asks Santa for later. Since we are scheduled to be moving into our new house the end of November, I feel it may be the season of gift cards for everyone.

One questions for Southerners, I am looking for Jezabel Sauce. I found it online at HEB, which looks like a Texas pharmacy chain? Can anyone else recommend a good source? My in laws are all into food, so no matter what name we draw we should be good with giving that... or keep it for ourselves.

 

[Deffenm]

I finally bought my first gift. I found a cute stitch bracelet in Hot Topic for DD. She also mentioned a notebook there that she likes so I will have to get back there and buy. Excited I finally got started.

 

[cheap traveler]

I'm pretty far on my shopping. Won't bore you all with the complete list for my kids, but my best gifts for them each so far:
DD10 loves the show Once Upon a Time, so I got her seasons 1-4 on DVD from eBay, as well as an Emma Stone pop figure.
DD12 is still all about space. I happened upon this really cool planetary glass set at the think geek store sorta near us. It was $50, so I passed. Then I got an email from them about a sale and picked it up for $20! So happy, and she will love it. Can't put the glasses in the dishwasher, but I think she'll use them to hold odds and ends around her room.
DS will be a year old right after Christmas, but daddy plans to spoil him this year. I got him a fisher price fire truck (daddy is a firefighter) for free when I bought him a fisher price castle with knights (toys r us months ago).
I'm actually nearly done with all 3 kids and the husband, he and I decided to only do stockings this year because we spent a LOT of money on our wedding and also went to Disney. Let's see if he sticks to that.

 

[pigletto]

My lists are starting to grow. I have a few odd and ends but as I think of things they are being added to the Santa's Bag App (I LOVE that app!!).
There won't be any big surprises this year. My mom and dad are generously taking the extended family on a cruise that leaves the day after Christmas. Dh and I decided we are going to gift the kids their excursions as their big gift. They will get other smaller gifts for sure, but the big ones will be the excursions. They get pricey and we are going on our Universal trip 8 weeks prior to the cruise so the budget is tight.

I think one of them will be a Chichen Itza tour when we dock in Cozumel, and I saw another one that is a cave/river float in Honduras that looked really nice.

 

[tcufrog]

I LOVE the ideas of a selection of BBQ sauces for my dad. Every time we eat there he has a new one he bought that he wants us to try. Other than grocery stores do you have a good idea of places to find unique ones?

What about a bbq sauce of the month club? I don't know of one but I bet they exist.

I'm trying to show self control and stop shopping for the kids. I'm going to find out next month if we're going to get a puppy in December. That would be a huge Christmas gift. The stockings are mostly done and they have a few gifts already.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

My daughter wants a hamster. It's going to be about her only thing on her list. I'm not a pet person. I may have to get the critter on Xmas eve, hide it in my room and then put it under the tree.

 

[DreamIsaWish]

My Toys R Us finally got in the Battle Bots from Hex bugs. I bought my 14 year old son 4 individual bots and one of the remote control sets. No sale price, but I know he will like them and if they go on sale maybe I can get a price adjustment.

I think I need to stop reading this thread. Instead of finishing my shopping I keep seeing great things I've never heard of ;-)

Seriously, though, I'm glad you posted this one because I'm having a hard time with shopping for my son. Now to decide if the remote control version is worth it... If you see a sale later, come back and post

 

[MomToOne]

My daughter wants a hamster. It's going to be about her only thing on her list. I'm not a pet person. I may have to get the critter on Xmas eve, hide it in my room and then put it under the tree.

How about just getting the cage and stuff for under the tree, along with an IOU to go to the pet store and pick out the actual live critter the day after Christmas?

 

[mi*vida*loca]

How about just getting the cage and stuff for under the tree, along with an IOU to go to the pet store and pick out the actual live critter the day after Christmas?

Oh that's a great idea! Didn't even think of that! She would probably want to pick it herself too. She's been begging for a dog but that's not happening so I kinda "have" to get the hamster.

ETA: Since they were little I always told the kids that Santa doesn't bring pets because they would obviously freeze to death in the North Pole and that's a long trip in the cold sleigh. They would never make it.

 

[tcufrog]

Everyone else in the family except the one with the womb (me) wants a baby girl. The puppy is a compromise. I had a traumatic hamster experience as a child so I refuse to go near small rodent like creatures. When my Dh came home several years with a gerbil without clearing it with me I refused to touch it.

 

[froggibabey]

While at Target the other day, they had fabric markers on clearance, along with white t-shirts, so I picked up a pak of markers and a 3 pack of shirts for each of the four big girls (, 10, 11, 12), a few clearance craft kits, a secret decoder set for the 9 year old.. and I got the genius idea for my 11 year old, to find an origami kit, since she's been all about the books from the library.

Added that to my amazonwishlist in the hopes I can find one on sale

 

[Hikergirl]

I am making progress, I have a couple people finished. I got my BFF a set of wine glasses from WDW, and her dd a Lady plush. I got my dd the AIW D&B wristlet and a Mad as A Hatter mug. I just have to order her some prints for her wall from Amazon, and she will be finished since she wants cash.
I got myself a F&W D&B bag. I just couldn't resist, it was so cute in person. I will count that as my big gift from dh. I check that off of my own list because I shop for dh. He's a panic last minute gifter so a long time ago we decided it was best if I handled it LOL.
While there I got all my kids their ornaments and one for dh and I. Its a Christmas Eve tradition or us to open a new ornament, and despite my kids getting older they still get so excited to do it.

Today I was out and I got my ds a basketball lamp and little basketball string lights to put around his bed (he's in a bottom bunk).

My dh has a new hobby that is turning out to be quite expensive and since I have no idea the things he needs/wants I'm getting a gift certificate to a place I know he has purchased alot of stuff from.

I still have no idea what to get my other ds. He's turning 16 soon, maybe a laptop that he can use for the last years in HS and the first few of college. He probably won't use it much since any games he plays on the PC need a gaming type laptop and no way will I spend that kind of money on one.
I am really struggling with him, I hate to just get him clothes and video games like last year but that is probably what I will end up doing.

What I've really been thinking about is giving the kids a surprise trip to Universal over MLK break. The only thing that is keeping me from bringing it up to dh is that him and I just got back from WDW, and the airfare for the 5 of us will be killer to go back so soon. Plus, I really want to go back in the spring for the F&G fest with my BFF for a girls weekend.
I'm just pricing things up now.

 

[niffer5150]

i'm almost done. i have to wait for the rest till we get close to xmas so i can have it shipped directly to them. hubby gets a new jacket. DD17 gets a couple hand painted coupons for wdw stuff(it means more to her if we buy it there), a harry potter prop replica of some kind, and maybe a 3ds terraria game. i'm hoping some fantastic beasts movie lego sets to come out before christmas too. she's not big into "stuff" so she's hard to shop for but harry potter legos are a sure hit.

nieces and nephews get either a frozen recorder and sheet music set, led poi, specialty candy, or nerf guns. dad gets belly flops like he does every year. mom gets slippers.

 

[tcufrog]

hikergirl...

Will he be getting his license when he turns 16? If so, you could get him a gas gift card, gift cards to movie theaters, restaurants, and other places he could go with his friends. A friend of mine put gift cards in a wallet for her son when he turned 16 and got his license along with a new keychain and she said he really liked the gift.

 

[Hikergirl]

hikergirl...

Will he be getting his license when he turns 16? If so, you could get him a gas gift card, gift cards to movie theaters, restaurants, and other places he could go with his friends. A friend of mine put gift cards in a wallet for her son when he turned 16 and got his license along with a new keychain and she said he really liked the gift.

He'll get his permit and be able to get his license in 6 months. I'll probably throw some fast food GCs in his stocking but since he'll be driving my car he won't need the gas ones yet.
He isn't into anything except gaming right now so it makes it hard to come up with anything for him.

 

[tcufrog]

DO you have a Dave & Busters or Main Event around where you live? What about laser tag? A GC that would allow him to take his friends would be cool.

 

[Hikergirl]

No, we have nothing like that here. Its a pretty boring place. There is a paintball place but its over 30 minutes away and closed in the winter.

 

[WImommyof2]

My lists are starting to grow. I have a few odd and ends but as I think of things they are being added to the Santa's Bag App (I LOVE that app!!).
There won't be any big surprises this year. My mom and dad are generously taking the extended family on a cruise that leaves the day after Christmas. Dh and I decided we are going to gift the kids their excursions as their big gift. They will get other smaller gifts for sure, but the big ones will be the excursions. They get pricey and we are going on our Universal trip 8 weeks prior to the cruise so the budget is tight.

I think one of them will be a Chichen Itza tour when we dock in Cozumel, and I saw another one that is a cave/river float in Honduras that looked really nice.

I just want to let you know that the cave/river float in Honduras is good, but if you are looking for excitement, they have awesome ziplining. If you are doing a western carribean and looking for cave tubing, Belize has a really great spot for that! Have fun!

 

[Chelley00]

I finally get to join in. I bought SIL a Harry Potter scarf at Hot Topic. Usually I have more done by now but our youngest DS has been piling up medical bills so I've been paying those instead of Christmas shopping. I do have most of my ideas for people on my Santa'a Bag app so I at least have a starting point!