Christmas Ideas 2022

[QueenIsabella]

If you haven’t settled on an air fryer yet, check out the Ninja Foodi - it “stands upright “ when not in use if they don’t have much counter space. Got myself & DDIL one for Christmas last year. Works good and being upright is a nice option.

I'll mention that to DD. She said they were thinking of one that was also a toaster oven, to replace their current toaster oven. She mentioned that they have little counter space, but plenty of cabinet space. I want them to pick the air fryer, they know what they need. I might also get her a hand mixer for her occasional baking--that could fit easily in a cupboard. I can upgrade to a stand mizer when they have more space (could be never--they live outside Boston, I don't think they'll have a large living space for a LONG time).

love our pasta attachment and meat grinder (i buy pork when it's on sale and we grind it up to season for italian and other varsities of bulk sausage-much less expensive).

I wouldn't use the pasta maker, because I have a hand-crank one, and don't use it often enough to upgrade. I do have the spiralizer attachments, which include a peeler/corer/slicer--perfect for making pies or apple crisp, this time of year. I was eyeing the fancier bowls, but they run ~$100 a pop--not worth it, when I already have both a stainless and a glass bowl. I really don't need a third bowl, no matter how pretty (and I'm cheap!).

I have a white mixer--it's ~25 years old, my MIL (now departed) gave it to me for Christmas ages ago. Sometimes I drool over the beautiful color choices they have these days, but really--there's nothing wrong with the one I have.

 

[midwestdee]

I'll mention that to DD. She said they were thinking of one that was also a toaster oven, to replace their current toaster oven. She mentioned that they have little counter space, but plenty of cabinet space. I want them to pick the air fryer, they know what they need. I might also get her a hand mixer for her occasional baking--that could fit easily in a cupboard. I can upgrade to a stand mizer when they have more space (could be never--they live outside Boston, I don't think they'll have a large living space for a LONG time).


I wouldn't use the pasta maker, because I have a hand-crank one, and don't use it often enough to upgrade. I do have the spiralizer attachments, which include a peeler/corer/slicer--perfect for making pies or apple crisp, this time of year. I was eyeing the fancier bowls, but they run ~$100 a pop--not worth it, when I already have both a stainless and a glass bowl. I really don't need a third bowl, no matter how pretty (and I'm cheap!).

I have a white mixer--it's ~25 years old, my MIL (now departed) gave it to me for Christmas ages ago. Sometimes I drool over the beautiful color choices they have these days, but really--there's nothing wrong with the one I have.

The Ninja Foodi also serves as a toaster oven . There’s lots of choices , so there’s bound to be one that fits them best.

 

[100AcreWood]

This year will be a much smaller Christmas than prior years. My boys are 18 and 23 and don’t need much. we just returned from my ds18 birthday trip to North Carolina to gokart. I picked him up a few tshirts and stickers from the race tracks. He also wants some snap-on tools. He is a student at a tech school and he gets a decent discount, so I’ll give him cash to purchase what he wants.

Last year I had pjs (Xmas Eve tradition) with their respective pet on the pants and shirt. They were a huge hit!
this year I think I’m making a scrapbook for the past year for each kid.

Tell me more about the PJs! They sound adorable!!!

 

[smilie]

The Ninja Foodi also serves as a toaster oven . There’s lots of choices , so there’s bound to be one that fits them best.

I second the Ninja Foodi. It has so many uses and is extremely convenient. I use it a lot!!

 

[happily single]

Tell me more about the PJs! They sound adorable!!!

I just realized I only have one pic of the complete outfit. You can also see a pillow that I had made the year prior of our other pup, who isn't depicted in these pics.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Along the theme of the pajamas... if your family likes Hawaiian shirts, you can order ones online with either a specific dog/cat breed, or send in your own photos for a personalized look. I know they sell them on Etsy and other places--I don't remember where I got them from (and DS's shirt doesn't have a brand on the label). I will say, DS25 wore his Ragdoll Hawaiian shirt in Hawaii, and got tons of compliments. Of course, DD19 HAD to buy matching Hawaiian shirts for her and her dog! You could probably order those online, too.

I tend to do snarky t-shirts for my crew.

 

[midwestdee]

Along the theme of the pajamas... if your family likes Hawaiian shirts, you can order ones online with either a specific dog/cat breed, or send in your own photos for a personalized look. I know they sell them on Etsy and other places--I don't remember where I got them from (and DS's shirt doesn't have a brand on the label). I will say, DS25 wore his Ragdoll Hawaiian shirt in Hawaii, and got tons of compliments. Of course, DD19 HAD to buy matching Hawaiian shirts for her and her dog! You could probably order those online, too.

I tend to do snarky t-shirts for my crew.

I tend towards snarky too. One year I got adults DD & DS each the same Mom Likes Me Best t-shirt - made for a great picture!

 

[Jen_in_NH]

The one big thing we are looking for is a Yeti cooler, not sure there will be any deals, but in previous years, looks like Yeti offered free extras (ice packs or mugs) with a cooler purchase.

We got our 3 year old grandson a TonieBox and some additional characters.

We got our 1 year old grandson a balance bike, will probably pick him up a helmet too.

If you're not dead set on Yeti, check out Rtic. We were looking for a Yeti, read great reviews on Rtic, and talked to some friends of ours that have those. It's the same idea, but was a lot cheaper. We've had ours for 4 years now, and still going strong!

 

[barkley]

AIR FRYER SALE ALERT-

TARGET, TODAY ONLY-55% off 5 quart digital powerxl. regular price-99.99, today only-$44.99 (ordered one for my oldest).

I have a white mixer--it's ~25 years old, my MIL (now departed) gave it to me for Christmas ages ago. Sometimes I drool over the beautiful color choices they have these days, but really--there's nothing wrong with the one I have.

mine may have been white originally-it is now sort of an eggshell color, it's older as well. a friend's mother was an AMAZING cook and when she passed he gifted us with her mixer so it's at least as old as yours-what a testament to craftsmanship.

 

[dez1978]

I have no idea what to get my boys. They are 8 and 11 so have grown out of toys for the most part. They have ipads and an xbox already, so they have enough electronics. We live in the middle of nowhere so experince gifts are hard to do unless we make a whole weekend of it.

 

[midwestdee]

I have no idea what to get my boys. They are 8 and 11 so have grown out of toys for the most part. They have ipads and an xbox already, so they have enough electronics. We live in the middle of nowhere so experince gifts are hard to do unless we make a whole weekend of it.

My DGSs are 9 & 12 - we have pretty good luck with Legos , fossil kits, science experiment kits, favorite character hoodies, those Amazon “snack kits” of favorites ( you could do it yourself). DGS12 loves PlayStation gift cards , ITunes, & even gift cards to his fav fast food places. Last year I did one gift box of his fav “grooming” brands. Middle schoolers are entering those teen concerns.

 

[midwestdee]

I'm just mostly buying stocking stuffers this year. The big gift for DD22 and her boyfriend this year is a cruise around Spain/Italy next May with my sister, her husband and I - my sister covered their airfare and pre/post cruise hotels with points, I paid for their cabin on the cruise. That's a crazy BIG gift, so even the stocking stuffers will be pretty basic. Most of them I've already bought.

DDs stocking stuffers consist of things like decent sewing scissors, reusable produce bags, a couple of silicone baking mats, some face masks, a mini first aid kit for the cruise (good Bandaids, mole skin, sea sickness meds), and travel size toiletries. I'll add some sort of gift card in the $75-100 range that I will get free with credit card points.

Her boyfriend's stocking stuffers are a graphic Tshirt, a polo shirt, Spiderman socks (his favorite Marvel character) that are subtle and can be worn to work, a mini flashlight, corkscrew, magnetic wristband (for nails and stuff when doing repairs) and an airtag.

Most of the stuff I picked up on various sales over the year. I'm a big fan of using Kohl's cash that I have no other immediate use for on stocking stuffers. I also grabbed a few small things during the Amazon Prime sales, and I bought several things on Aliexpress - that stuff you have to buy REALLY early to make sure you get it in time and can see the quality is what you are looking for (it's always a risk - so I rarely buy anything over $5 there); all has come in though and is same quality as I would get buying off eBay or Amazon. So yay!

The one non-stocking stuffer I got for DD is a custom pillow with our cat's image on it. I got that on Aliexpress too - it was over my $5 rule LOL but it was still cheap and it came out GREAT. She and her boyfriend moved cross country this summer, and she really misses our cat. She's going to love it

For my nephews, I always give a token gift plus a check. This is this years gift: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076VXX5R9?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details. It's ugly and seems weird but I have a slightly smaller one that I use in my briefcase while travelling on business and it rocks. They are big outdoorsy types that are always hiking and such and I figured it would be useful in their backpacks.

Those Grid it Accessory organizers looked so intriguing, I ordered the small ones for DH and DGS12 for Christmas. Thanks!

 

[clh2]

If you're not dead set on Yeti, check out Rtic. We were looking for a Yeti, read great reviews on Rtic, and talked to some friends of ours that have those. It's the same idea, but was a lot cheaper. We've had ours for 4 years now, and still going strong!

We trust that our daughter and son-in-law have done their research. i know that RTI are less expensive, but that is not what they indicated they wanted.

 

[100AcreWood]

I just realized I only have one pic of the complete outfit. You can also see a pillow that I had made the year prior of our other pup, who isn't depicted in these pics.

Those are so cool! My dd20 would love to have some with our dog on them. Where did you find them?

 

[barkley]

We trust that our daughter and son-in-law have done their research. i know that RTI are less expensive, but that is not what they indicated they wanted.

are you (or do you know anyone who could order for you who is) active or retired military, first responder, government (local, state or federal) or a nurse? yeti offers a discount that you can get through their website, i believe it's about 20% off many of their products.

 

[afan]

Those are so cool! My dd20 would love to have some with our dog on them. Where did you find them?

Not for a present, but I'm also looking for a place that does pet pillows. I did the cut out pillows in 2018 but got a new dog this year and so need a new one. Place I got them is gone, there's a few when I search cut out pillow so I'll have to check them out. But if anyone has any recs on one I'd appreciate it.

Also the cut out pillows aren't just for pets, some do people's heads. Could be fun to give someone their toddler head or a silly face etc.

 

[SueInBoston]

I just realized I only have one pic of the complete outfit. You can also see a pillow that I had made the year prior of our other pup, who isn't depicted in these pics.

Thank you for this great idea!

 

[mommy2twingles]

The one big thing we are looking for is a Yeti cooler, not sure there will be any deals, but in previous years, looks like Yeti offered free extras (ice packs or mugs) with a cooler purchase.

We got our 3 year old grandson a TonieBox and some additional characters.

We got our 1 year old grandson a balance bike, will probably pick him up a helmet too.

One thing to note on Yeti coolers is they are very heavy. I got one earlier this summer and when it's full there is no way I can lift it myself.
That being said if you are not picky on the color check out Backcountry.com. they are currently offering 20% off one regular price item for members of their free expedition club program. Yeti is not excluded and actually how I got mine earlier this year

 

[happily single]

Those are so cool! My dd20 would love to have some with our dog on them. Where did you find them?I found them on Esty, I don't remember exactly which company I used. I may be able to search my Esty history?

 

[Tinkerbell58]

One thing to note on Yeti coolers is they are very heavy. I got one earlier this summer and when it's full there is no way I can lift it myself.
That being said if you are not picky on the color check out Backcountry.com. they are currently offering 20% off one regular price item for members of their free expedition club program. Yeti is not excluded and actually how I got mine earlier this year

Yeti also sells coolers with wheels.