Holiday gifts for tweens and teens 2023

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh just saw it’s for a kid who didn’t ask for it specifically - maybe do the elf lip glow oil in that case

I'd do the Lanaige minis gift set instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Regarding the lip balm from Summer Fridays...looks like they are $24/each. Are they really worth it?
Summer Fridays is currently having a 20% off sale now...so that makes them just under $20. Is that probably the best price I'm going to find (won't go on sale any lower on black friday/cyber monday?)

FWIW, I'm the poster that's buying gifts for a teen I selected through an organization. She hasn't specifically asked for this, just "makeup" in general.

I would say yes. My kids have this high up on their list. So if it’s on sale, go for it. Mine wanted the kit of mini sizes, which was sold out when I last looked.

Yes, I saw that mini set and wanted to get it for her-but it's sold out. It was hard choosing which ones to get, but I googled and found people talking about it on Reddit and the most popular ones seemed to be brown sugar and vanilla beige...I might keep one for myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh just saw it’s for a kid who didn’t ask for it specifically - maybe do the elf lip glow oil in that case

I'd do the Lanaige minis gift set instead.

PP buying for the anonymous teen here.
Yes, I looked into that and ordered on Amazon about a week ago. I could have sworn that before I ordered, it told me it would be there the next day-but after I submitted the order, it said it wouldn't be here until mid December. Then I was looking today and it said something about it being unavailable and not knowing when or if it would ever ship...so I just cancelled it and decided to go for the Summer Friday lip balm instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Regarding the lip balm from Summer Fridays...looks like they are $24/each. Are they really worth it?
Summer Fridays is currently having a 20% off sale now...so that makes them just under $20. Is that probably the best price I'm going to find (won't go on sale any lower on black friday/cyber monday?)

FWIW, I'm the poster that's buying gifts for a teen I selected through an organization. She hasn't specifically asked for this, just "makeup" in general.

"Is it worth it". It doesn't matter, its a gift! Do you want scientific evidence that the results are worth the cost?

Not necessarily "scientific evidence," more just general consensus that it's something that most teen girls would like. Like I said, she didn't ask for anything specific (no brand, no type of makeup, no colors...) so I'm just trying to find things that are generally popular/sought after.
$20 is a lot for lip balm (in our house we just use original Chapstick) but I'd absolutely be willing to buy it if she had specifically named it. Since she didn't, I want to make sure that the things I am getting are really good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love the photo collage idea —
How are you doing that?

It will probably end up being Mixtiles. So, not a collage per se but a set of 6-9 Mixtiles that he can arrange however he wants.

A friend of mine has a photo of each of the foster dogs she has fostered on a Mixtile and has them on her wall. Amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh just saw it’s for a kid who didn’t ask for it specifically - maybe do the elf lip glow oil in that case

I'd do the Lanaige minis gift set instead.

PP buying for the anonymous teen here.
Yes, I looked into that and ordered on Amazon about a week ago. I could have sworn that before I ordered, it told me it would be there the next day-but after I submitted the order, it said it wouldn't be here until mid December. Then I was looking today and it said something about it being unavailable and not knowing when or if it would ever ship...so I just cancelled it and decided to go for the Summer Friday lip balm instead.

The summer Fridays is definitely more of a gloss than a balm. It is not a swiping stick like Chapstick, you squeeze the product out and then smooth it onto your lips with the tip of the tube.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread has been....eye opening. I had no idea people spoiled their children so much. My 8 and 10 year olds just asked for a Barbie Dreamhouse and we're not getting it because it's too expensive. I don't belong here, LOL

Well it’s a teen and tween thread, they like more expensive things and not Barbies anymore. You belong on the elementary forum for toy ideas.

Second that I used to be like you but a tween or teen does not want toys. They want electonics, skincare and experiences.

And their stuff just gets more expensive. Gone are the days of $10 Cat and Jack hoodies, kid’s shampoo doesn’t work on their greasy hair. Their giant shoes are expensive!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread has been....eye opening. I had no idea people spoiled their children so much. My 8 and 10 year olds just asked for a Barbie Dreamhouse and we're not getting it because it's too expensive. I don't belong here, LOL

Well it’s a teen and tween thread, they like more expensive things and not Barbies anymore. You belong on the elementary forum for toy ideas.

Second that I used to be like you but a tween or teen does not want toys. They want electonics, skincare and experiences.

And their stuff just gets more expensive. Gone are the days of $10 Cat and Jack hoodies, kid’s shampoo doesn’t work on their greasy hair. Their giant shoes are expensive!

Still think it’s funny she has an *8 year old* and came into this thread for teen gift ideas like “wow you guys spend way too much money, I’m just buying Barbies!” Great plan, why didn’t we all think of that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One idea -- is there anything that your kid will need for summer camp that you can pre-buy? A nice monogrammed bag? Last year I got mine a scuba watch because he was doing scuba in summer camp. I just got him a sleeping bag liner as he's doing backpacking next year. I also got him fancy shaving cream and after-shave since he doesn't usually buy himself stuff like that.

Last year I got my teen daughter a cashmere knit hat on sale and she loved it. It's cozy and fancy.

My tween goes to sleepaway camp, and camp merch is on her list (shirts, sweatshirt, and sweatpants with camp name, etc.). She also wants a lulelemon scuba, an aviator nation sweatshirt, a kendra scott necklace, and a bunch of skincare stuff: drunk elephant and sol de janeiro.

Which Kendra Scott necklace for a 13 year old? Is Elissa a good choice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh just saw it’s for a kid who didn’t ask for it specifically - maybe do the elf lip glow oil in that case

I'd do the Lanaige minis gift set instead.

PP buying for the anonymous teen here.
Yes, I looked into that and ordered on Amazon about a week ago. I could have sworn that before I ordered, it told me it would be there the next day-but after I submitted the order, it said it wouldn't be here until mid December. Then I was looking today and it said something about it being unavailable and not knowing when or if it would ever ship...so I just cancelled it and decided to go for the Summer Friday lip balm instead.

I saw the Laniege set at kohls in Sephora section

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the straws on those Stanleys always up?

Yes. I cannot figure out the appeal. DD is an athlete - what if it falls over? How does she manage on the bus? We convinced her to get another brand where the straw is covered. It’s also TikTok approved…Owala?

There’s a flip straw Stanley that’s pretty popular.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Headphones they can use while swimming laps

Wow, I’m out of touch. Where do you get those?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader wants: Nike Dunks, North Face jacket, Sol De Janeiro gift set, hoodies, jellycat stuffed animal, and a Stanley cup. She also asked for a Van Cleef necklace (lol)

My 7th grader wants: Converse Chuck Taylors, hoodies, a Kendra scott necklace, Glow Recipe Fruit babies, Charlotte Tillbury Glow Kit, face masks, and bath bombs.

I was confused for a minute. I thought maybe they have duplicate Stanley Cups made? But a Las Vegas team won and most of the northeast fans weren’t happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am seriously screwed. My kids need for nothing. I have no idea what to get them.

Same. And my kid isn’t into the Stanley/Lulu/trendy things.

Same same. Our youngest is 12 and just had a birthday. I told everyone that all year long I buy everyone what they need or want so there’s really nothing they currently want. I think we will buy everyone one present each. So there will be five presents under the tree. We will focus on seeing family and spending the week doing fun things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not trying to be snarky but genuinely curious, when did your kids get do into brand names and how did they learn all the brands they're desiring ?My eighth grader and sixth grader are pretty brand ignorant.

Mine are the same way - they don't know brands, but do know the styles they want (like my 6th grader wanted cropped shirts all summer, wanted flared pants this fall, etc.). She knows her 16 year old cousin is obsessed with Lululemon, but hasn't expressed any preference for brands yet. I'm hoping it stays that way for a while.

I think this is also a socioeconomic thing. We're pretty middle of the road as are the people at my kids' schools. There are a lot of wealthy people on this website, so take some of this with a grain of salt.

These are all mall brands, middle of the road prices so don’t worry. Easy to buy when the stores have sales online and at their stores. Even cheaper on eBay or poshmark

It’s not uncommon for 6th graders to like a style but not yet know the brands. Did she want flared Jeans or leggings? What did you end up getting?