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Christmas with teenagers

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My children are 12, 14,16 and 18 and while I know it's only August, I am a bit worried about Christmas this year as they are beyond toys and so much more cynical now. Because there are 4 of them they have grown up with walking into a huge pile of presents, whereas 4 iPods don't exactly have the wow factor. We don't tend to visit family on the day itself because of work shifts, so it's looking pretty dull. Does anyone have any tips/ advice for making a good family Christmas for us and the children ?
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  • Quackers1
    Quackers1 Posts: 107 Forumite
    When we've had teenagers in the house we do them stockings full of useful things like shower gel, slippers, post its, stationery etc easy enough to buy when on offer and looks more, as well as a larger gift. Particularly if it is things that they need anyway throughout the year.

    The tree also gives the family a new board game each year which is then traditionally played either on Christmas Day or Boxing Day so much so that it's a given now.
  • LalaGomay
    LalaGomay Posts: 517 Forumite
    I was a pretty cynical teen, but I always carried on being a kid at Christmas. Be careful of moving on entirely from the things you've always done when they were younger, as some of them may not want to yet!
    :rudolf: :rudolf: :rudolf: :rudolf: :rudolf:
  • Hi

    I look online for different items, My older boys 21 and 25 (even) lol love walking dead and zombies and found Zombie energy drinks in blood bags, and brain flavoured zombie mints, what about an engraved glass with there nicknames on? or bits of memorabilia from favourite tv shows or games? they dont have be expensive.

    Sweets from childhood. beano comics? one year we had a yorkie spin game which you spinned the spinner and had to do a dare a dance or eat a chillie chocolate, but havent been able to find it recently....

    sometime those silly little games we had as kids are a good laugh, hawkins bazaar is good for that, but my boys age form 6 16 21 and 25 and the best fun they had last year was from a couple of Nerf guns!!
  • murie
    murie Posts: 1,251 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I second the nerf guns-my 22 year old and 49 yr old hubby love nerf guns- our DD (16) and me arent too enthusiastic though cus we are often the tagrets!! lol!
    lovin' this site!
    :j
  • newgirly
    newgirly Posts: 9,348 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Mortgage-free Glee! Name Dropper
    Hi, when my lot have small "main" presents I wrap them up the put them in a big cardboard box stuffed with tissue / brown paper and wrap that all up as well.
    MFW 67 - Finally mortgage free! 💙😁
  • vikki_louise
    vikki_louise Posts: 2,358 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker I've been Money Tipped!
    Seeing the spinning challenge, why not bean buzzled (or however you spell it), you can google the challenge or see people playing it on you tube.
    Best wins in 2013 £200 and Mini iPad. 2014 no wins. 2015 2 nights 5* hotel with £300 vouchers plus £1150 Harrods gift card
    Rehome an unwanted prize or gift with a seriously ill child through Postpals.co.uk
  • My two (14 & 17) love the silly gifts much more than the 'main' ones sometimes!

    Last year they both got the obligatory selection box, new pj's (fluffy cute ones for dd and muppet pj bottoms for ds!) Guiness world records for ds - a tradition started when he was 8! Stockings filled with favourite snacks just for them - no sharing (always a hit!!) Socks for ds - 'as you're grown up now so that's what you get now!' :rotfl:
    Their favourite was giant slippers - a huge fluffy animal slipper that you could put both feet in...meant to be for while you are sitting chilling but they had fun hopping round the house chasing each other!
    I agree with Quakers1 'Santa' :santa2: always leaves a family gift under the tree be it a board game or family game for the wii or kinect that we all then spend the afternoon laughing at each other. Last year was a wasgij...the jigsaws where the solution is what someone in the picture on the box can see - that description may not make much sense but, I was amazed at how much fun we all had solving it. We are not really a jigsaw kind of family if I'm honest but the kids enjoyed sitting round as a family chatting and working together.:T
    Valuable life advice: never play chicken with a lion...the lion will ALWAYS win!:eek:
  • I_try
    I_try Posts: 126 Forumite
    Try a stomp rocket. I got one for BIL one year as he loves flying toys and there were 4 fully grown men in the garden for most of the day playing with it! Never underestimate silly toys on Christmas day :-)
  • I completely Agree about the silly toys! I'm 21 and now get small main presents although I also get a stocking filled with sweets body wash etc and always get perfume and a book and film my mum and stepdad also always gets us silly gifts that we would have had as kids or stuff they have found! Last year I got a kids scaeletric or how ever you spell it cause I loved them when I was younger and me and my stepdad spent most of the day on that laughing when the others. At came off the track my mum sister and baby brother also joined in!! The silly gifts are deffinetly the best on Xmas day!! The sillier the better
    :santa2: :rudolf:
    :D
  • wendall
    wendall Posts: 288 Forumite
    What about small movie night hampers for each of them, one dvd of their choice, favourite drink, crisps, sweets, popcorn wrapped in cellophane, i do them for my kids each year this year they are 23 and 19 they still like them. i bought my son last yeara one of those radio controlled helicoptors it was £15 on play.com deal of the day and we had family over and everyone was playing with it, it was quite funny as my bil nearly flew it into the open coal fire he swerved it at the last minute. Noticed there is some small card games in tesco toy sale some sort of monopoly and pictionary they were £1.25 i got a couple of those too.
    Jan lunch to work days 0/20
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