Anonymous
Post 09/18/2025 05:20     Subject: Small Christmas gifts I can start purchasing now?
gift cards. Even with my younger kids I am steering them away for anything from Five Below and similar. These little things add up to a lot of junk that no one needs. Gift cards or treats or usable things. Not more plastic junk.
Anonymous
Post 09/18/2025 05:17     Subject: Small Christmas gifts I can start purchasing now?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My mom used to do fun little cards with things like "You get to choose tonight's dinner" or "Ice cream out with mom" choices. Even as a teen, I loved them. Also, $1-2 scratch off tickets.


My kids are crazy about those. Their favorite is "get out of dinner free card." They get to have cereal or a sandwich while the rest of us eat dinner. I only give out like 1 a year of that one.


I think it's crazy to control what a teenager eats. If my kid wants to eat cereal, who cares? They don't do it every night, and they get plenty of veggies/fruits. Controlling when they can eat cereal is bonkers.


What if they did want to do it every night and what if they didn’t get enough healthy foods and produce. I bet you would have a different tone.

It’s hard to come home from work and still get a balanced and tasty meal on the table for the family and I would get frustrated if my kids try to opt out for something like cereal. I don’t demand my kids eat it, but I do expect them to try it. Teens with their freedom and socializing end up going out a lot and eating processed and less healthy foods with their friends, they can and should eat healthy foods at home with their family.
Anonymous
Post 09/18/2025 05:13     Subject: Small Christmas gifts I can start purchasing now?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:New-ish single/divorced mom here, and I need some help after the disaster that was last two Christmases. I have two teen girls, and I allow them 3-4 “big” gifts, spending around $200 on each girl. I work this into my December budget, but it’s things like smaller little gifts/stocking stuffers that inevitably put me over the edge when paired with the December food budget and gifts for others. I vowed that this year I would start shopping in October for smaller things, a few each month. The thing is, I don’t know what they will want then, and I am afraid if I put cash aside, I will be tempted to spend it on other things. I want tangible things, not side cash.

What are some small, under $10 things that teen girls universally enjoy?



Could you please just try to be a little more inclusive and write “holiday gift” instead next time ?


She celebrates Christmas, so she wrote Christmas gifts. It’s fine. It’s not about you or anyone else, it’s about her family.

—a person who doesn’t celebrate Christmas
Anonymous
Post 09/18/2025 03:29     Subject: Small Christmas gifts I can start purchasing now?
Anonymous wrote:New-ish single/divorced mom here, and I need some help after the disaster that was last two Christmases. I have two teen girls, and I allow them 3-4 “big” gifts, spending around $200 on each girl. I work this into my December budget, but it’s things like smaller little gifts/stocking stuffers that inevitably put me over the edge when paired with the December food budget and gifts for others. I vowed that this year I would start shopping in October for smaller things, a few each month. The thing is, I don’t know what they will want then, and I am afraid if I put cash aside, I will be tempted to spend it on other things. I want tangible things, not side cash.

What are some small, under $10 things that teen girls universally enjoy?



Could you please just try to be a little more inclusive and write “holiday gift” instead next time ?
Anonymous
Post 09/17/2025 08:11     Subject: Small Christmas gifts I can start purchasing now?
About foods:

One year I bought my kids a dry goods chocolate wafer melting kit for making chocolate-covered strawberries. There's a similar one for making coated pretzel sticks. They come with drizzle packets.

My older son loves wasabi peas.