Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone is sort of proving the point that this is a hard group to buy for. My kids wouldn't want a soup mug or a hoodie from their school or an itunes gift card, and the electronics are nice, but how many kids don't already have headsets or phone chargers, etc?

Cash is king.

You can never have too many phone chargers, my kids loose them all the time. Cash comes off as kind of low-effort if you don't combine it with something.

My college kids do NOT think this way at all. They'd totally appreciate cash or gift cards more than socks, a mug, or headphones/chargers that may be incompatible or stop working after a week.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A sweatshirt from the college that they go to?

Yeah, any college logo gear would have been appreciated while I was in school. A hoodie, a tshirt, a hat, a water bottle...anything.

Giving them gear from their own school? Isn't that what mom and dad already got them during orientation? My college kids don't ask for this stuff.

My parents never bought it for my siblings or me. If we wanted it, we asked for it as gifts or bought it ourselves. They paid my tuition, they weren't buy me stuff in addition to that.

+1 on that. I would have loved stuff with the college logo on it, that all the rich kids' parents bought for them at orientation! (This brings me back to a thread a few weeks ago, about whether it's obvious who has $$ once you get to college. Again -- it is!

I would do gift card to a movie theater and something like a Yeti 20 oz cup or Bombas socks or nice pair of gloves

If they live in the DC area, how about passes to Sandy Spring Adventure Park? Great for any age.

CASH. And a mug or candle.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone is sort of proving the point that this is a hard group to buy for. My kids wouldn't want a soup mug or a hoodie from their school or an itunes gift card, and the electronics are nice, but how many kids don't already have headsets or phone chargers, etc?

Cash is king.

You can never have too many phone chargers, my kids loose them all the time. Cash comes off as kind of low-effort if you don't combine it with something.

+1 same with headphones. Gloves are another good one.

I have college kids, OP. Cash is really all they want. I would get a small gift to wrap and add cash or a gift card. You could also do a little care package type gift. I’ve done a small basket with treats and seversl fun gift cards - gas, fast food, Starbucks, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Everyone loves a Target gift card

Especially college kids.

if their colleges are someplace cold, a seriously good pair of socks -- smart wool or similar.

Who doesn't want a wireless phone charger?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A sweatshirt from the college that they go to?

Yeah, any college logo gear would have been appreciated while I was in school. A hoodie, a tshirt, a hat, a water bottle...anything.

Giving them gear from their own school? Isn't that what mom and dad already got them during orientation? My college kids don't ask for this stuff.

In your world but not in many others.

Wow, priveledged much?

Hey OP. Thank you for being so considerate here. My parents divorced and both remarried when I was a young teen. And holidays were so hard. My extended step families were nice, and meant well. But it was never really clear how my sister and I fit in and what our role was. And it was hard to be away from the non-custodial parent.

I am not great at tracing family relationships. But your BILs stepkids would be your step niece and step nephew? I would encourage you to drop the “step,” and treat them like a niece and nephew. Full stop. Don’t make the distinction, unless they waaamt too. Introduce them as your niece and nephew unless it makes them uncomfortable. Assume that relationship in deciding how much to spend on a gift, and what to buy. If you aren’t sure where you fit into a family, being given a secure place and a clear role matters a lot.

And 10 years from now, one of these kids might have a new baby that your BIL views as a full grandchild. And it may mean the world to your BIL and his wife that they get to see their grandchild over Christmas. And that wont happen if these kids never really integrated into your larger family, and we’re always the odd people out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's so hard to purchase for teens and I agree with you - gift cards are impersonal.

I always have to wrack my brain thinking of gifts for my niece and nephew (they are younger at 14 and 11 but it's still an idea). The last couple years, I've gone with a "themed" goody-bag. My SIL is doing the same with my girls (13 and 11). Last year, she gave them gift bags filled with hot chocolate and hot chocolate related items.

This year for her kids (my niece and nephew), I put together a gift bag consisting of a pair of comfy socks from Barnes and Noble, a monogrammed mug and fancy marshmallows in that mug. You could also include a gift card to BN (or their college bookstore) or Redbox or something.

Most college students will probably be using streaming services to watch movies and binge TV shows. I doubt they'd have a DVD or Blu-Ray player at school, so Redbox wouldn't do them much good. An iTunes or Amazon gift card would let them rent/buy movies or seasons of TV shows that aren't on Netflix or Hulu, though.

Np: Redbox has streaming...

Anonymous wrote:Everyone is sort of proving the point that this is a hard group to buy for. My kids wouldn't want a soup mug or a hoodie from their school or an itunes gift card, and the electronics are nice, but how many kids don't already have headsets or phone chargers, etc?

Cash is king.

You can never have too many phone chargers, my kids loose them all the time. Cash comes off as kind of low-effort if you don't combine it with something.

First, can I say thank you. As a stepmom, it blew me and my new DH and DSS away when that first Christmas my extended family each bought a small gift for him. The grandkids all always get gifts at our family Christmas celebration, and it was so incredibly thoughtful because I think he presumed he'd just be sort of an extra guest at the table.

He was a high schooler, so a bit younger than these two. Normally I'd say cash, but something tangible is a slightly more personal touch in this circumstance. The gift card but with a comfy pair of socks or a Yeti tumbler or something like that. If you know they have a hobby, something small but relevant. DSS is a golfer, so one of my aunts bought him a set of nice golf balls and attached a ten or twenty dollar bill. Maybe a Starbucks gift card tucked into a cute new mug for the girl. I think even my sweet old grandmother bought him a sweater. It wasn't really his style, but it was a gesture of welcome and love.

Anyway, good for you for making them feel welcome into your extended family. Merry Christmas!

Everyone is sort of proving the point that this is a hard group to buy for. My kids wouldn't want a soup mug or a hoodie from their school or an itunes gift card, and the electronics are nice, but how many kids don't already have headsets or phone chargers, etc?

Cash is king.