The inexpensive Christmas presents always the biggest hits?

[ChocolateSantaisthebestkind]

Was just musing really on childhood and Christmas presents. My kids were very kindly given small stocking filler type gifts from a neighbour of my Mum's and they have been the stand out hits this year. Not that they have made other gifts overshadowed if that makes sense, just that they have been played with so much. I have to admit, I wouldn't have picked them myself, as I would have thought them a waste of ££. Readers, I was wrong.

DS got a small remote control mouse from Hamleys and DD got a set of paint your own peg dolls. They have loved them. I was chatting to my mum and she said, 'oh yes it's always like that, you loved a handbag filled with sweets from a friend more than anything else one year' Anyone else had similar this year or as a child themselves?

When our DC were young, we had a bit of a cash windfall and went crazy with Christmas presents. On Christmas Eve we had a new fridge freezer delivered in a massive box. From 7am Christmas day to 29th, that box was a boat, a plane, a camp, a space rocket, a hospital, an army tank, a school............ £1500 worth of fantastic gifts were virtually ignored until we removed the box. Life lesson learnt!

DD refuses to remove her poundland fluffy earmuffs. She even sleeps in them.

She plays with everything else though. So long as she has her ear muffs on.

I love reading these I needed some cute posts today. Also taking notes about what’s been inexpensive and popular for next year!

I remember my dc loving the huge box the dolls house came in. Ignored the present, loved the box! For days!

agree! You never know what they’ll become besotted with

@Felty this sounds fabulous, could you ask your mum where she got it? It sounds just what I need.

My 2 year old son's favourite is a plastic knock off transformers type thing from Grandma. He plays with it every day!
We all know children love plastic tat, party bags etc so I think these sorts of things are always winners.
The 'big' presents may not be played/used immediately, but probably offer a longer term value.

My daughter got given a box of bath bombs, absolutely loves them!

When mine were toddlers they were far more interested in the boxes the toys came in than the toys themselves

I got my DNephew a harmonica as a little extra because I’d gotten them vouchers for an experience and wanted something for him to unwrap. He loved it. It wasn’t out of his gob all of Xmas day .

I’m the same. Out of the lovely perfume and the AirPods and all the very nice stuff I had I adore my cheapy hoodie/dressing gown hybrid thingy. I’ve lived in it and pout when it needs washing.

Bought ds (3) some play doh as a last minute twitch and he loves it and he plus’s with nothing else.
He has ASD and doesn’t like messy play type games but has been having so much fun making the alphabet and putting them in order

My sons were given a Switch for their big present and also received a guitar (!!) between them from my brother. They’ve enjoyed both things but elder one is besotted with a charity shop action figure of Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean, and the younger one is nuts about a secondhand Monster high doll to add to his collection. I love how unpredictable kids are about stuff like this.

DS1 has been using his comic writing kit (under £10) to draw pictures of his coding robot (£200). We also got a beautiful toy kitchen made, and turns out there is 'scented slime' in one of the kitchen items designed to smell like a bread starter. It's the slime they care most about.

DH had a £10 fitbit dupe in his stocking after the dog took a liking to his original. He liked the original but keeps telling me how many steps he's done on this one. He loves it, I regret it. He's not even opened his bang and olufsen headphones.

"Most played with thing here is the stick from the middle of the sprout tree"

Setting the bar high for best line of the week.

Three years ago I bought DH a range of thoughtful presents, and added a cheap primark jumper to bulk the pile up. Neither of us remember the other presents, but the jumper is still loved and worn regularly despite now being horribly misshapen.

A foam pogo stick. I randomly bought it at 3am in the morning from amazon thinking it’d be rubbish. My 6 year old and husband have not stopped playing with it since Christmas- cost me about a tenner

My daughter got so many toys from Father Christmas and her favourite thing was a pack of post it notes !

@Ireallymustgotobed

You can't beat tiny tears! My dd took my old tiny tears to university, she sits on her bed, seems you are never too old for a doll

Cheap gift most-loved by friend's 6yr old was a selection of practical jokes:

• fake chewing gum packet which snaps on unsuspecting victim's finger when they take a piece

• sandwich fridge bag printed with extremely realistic 'mould' picture, to horrify Grandma

• fake mouse on invisible line, to 'scuttle'

Grandpa will be in mighty trouble for buying him those.

Mum loves the calendar I give her, with photos I have taken. Simple and inexpensive and asks for one every year.

Ds 18 glossed over the cool and trendy gifts but was delighted with a Harry Potter 600 trivial pursuits questions add on that was £8.00 He has always been a Potterhead tho' and I had thought he might have grown out of it....not at all....

My sister does us a family photo calendar too ruabon12 and it is much appreciated and used all the time. Our cheap hits for two teens were banagrams and monopoly deal games, which I got as stocking fillers and have been used lots.

DS2s favourite present one birthday was a Tesco bag. The sturdy ones that are £1-2 ish. It was the only thing he actually asked for that year

My sister (in her 30s!) was very taken with the self stirring Harry Potter mug that DS bought for her. It was only a last minute thing to accompany a much more expensive bottle of whisky and guitar tuner because he felt the gift bag looked a bit sparse, but she loves it.

Movingonup20 that is brilliant, hope mine loves hers for that long.