Christmas hits and misses

[AudTheDeepAndCrispAndEven]

What have been the winners and losers in the present stakes in your house this Christmas? My DS1 (10) LOVES a relatively inexpensive toy that shoots a wheel up into the sir or along the floor and has spent hours playing with it ignoring the pricier pressies!
In other news my DM bought me a 'cake belt' to make sure the tops of my cakes are flat in future, wtaf? A lovely thought but flat cake tops are the very least of the things I worry about at night when I am trying to sleep and I can't see myself adding extra faff to baking.
What about your household, what's been a huge success this year?

air NOT sir obvs!

Biggest hit- echo dot £18.99 on prime day.
Not a miss but a lot of Lego to do!

In other news my DM bought me a 'cake belt' to make sure the tops of my cakes are flat in future, wtaf? A lovely thought but flat cake tops are the very least of the things I worry about
Also, you can just turn your cake upside down before icing and have a perfectly flat ‘top’.

Hit: a game I wasn’t sure anyone would actually like to play.
Miss: clothes (but I’m not surprised as it’s hard to get style and size exactly right for someone else)

DS was a £3 toy basket ball hoop and little ball from tiger in his stocking. A last minute purchase!

A miss was a set of monster trucks he actually asked for, opened them, smiled and hadn't touched them since! I think sometimes surprises are better than what we were expecting.

@SatsumasOrClementines I know, that's what I usually do. Good thought though. DH bought me a DryRobe, think this means I'm being volunteered to do the sea swims with the DC this year!

Wealthy FIL & his wife bought DS(15) a hat & gloves from B&M. DS spent more on his presents to them.

MIL queued over 2 hours to get us the much sought after light up bottle of gin from M&S. and tried to give us back the money we gave her because she thought it was too much.

Hit: £3.99 secondhand beyblade arena DTS9 have been on it since they opened it.
Miss: xbox they're dad tried to buy them with, it's still sat in the bag he gave it to them in and they want to sell it to buy more beyblades

Hit - A relatively inexpensive free standing microphone for ds who wants to make YouTube clips.

Miss - none really, yet.

Hit - nerf guns, a spinning target and about a million bullets have been played with endlessly.

Miss - maybe not a miss but not as excited as I expected was the Lego robotics set. He loves Lego, loves coding so I thought this would be a great choice and he seems pleased but I thought he would be thrilled.

Hit - Driving lessons for DS, clothes for DD, tablet for DH and KitchenAid for me (been longing for one for years so it was a lovely surprise).

Misses - someone bought DD a game for age 3 - 6 years. She's 14.

Hit - DD baseball and bat

Miss - screwball scramble #2

Hit: projector for IPhone - set up to view on bedroom wall and DD15 spent the evening watching films in her room. Integrated eye mask with headphones for DH - he sleeps with an eye mask, and often wakes in the middle of the night and fumbles for his headphones to listen to an audio book which sends him back to sleep. No fumbling now! He tried last night and said it worked perfectly, exactly as he'd hoped. Apple Wqtch for DS13 - he couldn't believe we'd actually got him one.

Misses: none really I don't think. There were a lot of socks exchanged, but we all need socks! DH bought me a pair of Levi's in exactly the right size (other pairs I have are same size) and style, but when I tried them on they were a bit tight - am hoping just the excesses of the day, and once the Xmas bloat has subsided, they'll be fine. Otherwise I'll exchange for next size up...

Ice cream role play set from elc. My kids love playing icecream sellers and it's something they can both do together despite 3 year age gap!

Also for the first year ever I didn't get any handcream to add to my handcream mountain so I consider that a plus! (I do use it, just find I'm always washing my hands, so only infrequently!)

Hit - the M&S Black Forest gateau

Miss - The M&S fresh Yule log

For me, DNA test for the dog and white company cashmere socks.
Total miss was a huge tin of soap n glory from MIL.

Hits - socks for me, DH bass guitar, DD Lego.

Misses - DD has played with everything so far tbh. For dh and me we do not drink and never have so a bottle of prosecco and champagne chocolates from granny had me sighing. DM will have told her what to buy us even though we said not to bother and they all know we don't drink. Just seems like can't be bothered really. It's nothing to do with money just I feel it was a bit of a "fuck them" situation. They don't drink either

Hits - dd got a sushi making kit (kitchen now looks like a rice bomb went off). Also a Kodak Smile Bluetooth printer and the Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget. Dh got some DMs and CDs and DVDs he was very happy with.

Misses - I got dd an phone / iPad / Apple Watch docking station containing a USB hub with the idea all the cables stay in one place. She seemed underwhelmed.

Oodies. We are now a house of oodies. I’m wearing mine now. HUGE hit.

Hits for DS include the jigsaws which he has already done and a toy aeroplane, hits for me include some fluffy slippers, hits for DP a switch game I got him

Miss for DS the digger he asked for that he doesn't like

Massive hit for me from DH was Dyson Correlle straighteners, I have read mixed reviews, but they are amazing on my very thick coarse hair.

Hit for DC was a foamy pogo jumper thing from Santa (Amazon), they are hilarious and were really cheap.

No misses!!!

Hits... DD1 hasn't taken her watch off. DD2 is excitedly decorating her clock. They camped out last night to try out new equipment.

Misses... They seem bemused by the chopsticks. I got a DVD I have no desire to watch. (Military Wives... I used to sing in the choir, and miss it. And I don't like reminders of DH being away.)

Oh chopsticks were a surprise hit in our house!

Misses - in theory DS loves Lego, in reality he does the sets in about 20 mins then loses all interest & they end up in the massive pit of Lego never to be seen again .

Miss.. the book DH wrapped for DS age 11 which was actually one of mine that I had just finished reading which happened to be in the bedroom where he was wrapping presents and the pair of socks that were in the wrong stocking... oops.

Hits: popcorn maker and UGears wooden construction kits.

Biggest hit - Yoto player for DD1

Biggest miss - very pungent soap given to me 🤢

@ikltownofboothlehem

Wealthy FIL & his wife bought DS(15) a hat & gloves from B&M. DS spent more on his presents to them.

MIL queued over 2 hours to get us the much sought after light up bottle of gin from M&S. and tried to give us back the money we gave her because she thought it was too much.

Aww my mum got one of those light up bottles from m&s I was very impressed. I hadn't seen them!