Holiday gifts for new step nieces?
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Anonymous
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My brother remarried this year bringing 4 wonderful step nieces into our extended family, late elementary school age through college age. I hs e met them only a couple times so don’t know them well, but they are lovely.
Brother also has a young biological daughter. We will nit be together for Christmas this year, but I will mail a nice gift to my biological niece as I always do. My quandary is what (if anything) ti send the new step nieces. Their family is not Christian so they don’t celebrate Christmas, however, I feel weird sending a gift to bio niece and not her new stepsisters. But if I send them something, I have no idea what! Thought of sending them a group gift - maybe gift card for an activity they could all do together? But still want to send my biological niece niece something to open. WWYD? |
Anonymous
| Send them individual gifts, even if just gift cards or whatever. Or ask your brother what they are into. It’s ok to spend more on your bio-niece, since you’re obviously closer to her. But individual gifts for the others is a good investment in family relations. |
Anonymous
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Don't overestimate how much they actually care about what they get from step-extended-family that they very seldom see for a holiday they do not celebrate. I know you're trying to be nice, but teens young adults don't necessarily want more adults in their lives trying to nudge them into a family type relationship.
If you must, I would send the big ones Starbucks cards and the little ones some fancy markers and call it good. |
Anonymous
| Everyone gets a $20 Starbucks card. Even late elementary school-aged kids like that. Easy peasy. |
Anonymous
| I would send a card with either cash or a Starbucks gift card. |
Anonymous
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Starbucks is TERRIBLE. Blah
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Anonymous
| I don't think a college student really cares about a gift from her mom's new husband's sister. If you're not meeting in person, I wouldn't bother. They know if their dad divorces again, poof. |
Anonymous
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I hate to say an Amazon gift card, but that will probably be easiest for all of them to use.
You are a thoughtful person. |
Anonymous
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Send them individual gifts and be thoughtful about it. Find out what they like. Don’t do generic gift cards or a group gift if you are sending an individual gift to one of your nieces.
It is very thoughtful of you to ask this and to want to make them feel part of your family. Personally I am as close to my step nieces and nephews as I am to the bio ones. Family is important no matter how everyone gets there. |
Anonymous
| I would send individual gifts. A gift card is good, they have a range of ages so they’d probably like different things otherwise. Very nice of you. |
Anonymous
This is a really good point. They probably have their very complicated feelings about the changes in their family and a bunch of basically stranger adults trying to push this big happy family narrative doesn't help. |
Anonymous
You sound very thoughtful. These girls are sisters (step or not) to your bio niece. Find out from your brother what they like since they're different ages. |
Anonymous
Kids like it |
Anonymous
| Ask your brother what the holiday tradition is for his new stepchildren. They may have gifts even if they don’t celebrate Christmas in a religious way. |
Anonymous
| If you're not seeing them in person I wouldn't over think this. They probably are not considering their mom's new husbands sister AT ALL. If you were seeing them in person I'd feel differently. But you're just mailing something? A card addressed to the whole family is fine. |