Christmas present ideas

[IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece]

Just a place to list any good ideas, homemade gifts or anything you're planning on giving! (There was a thread like this last year which was crazy useful!)

For some of the kids I babysit so just want a small but nice gift, I'm doing a "movie hamper"

one of these per child
Bag or 2 of popcorn (Butterkist cinema is about £1)
and a cheap kids DVD (£3ish)

and I'm outrageously loving these but they may push the price up :o

Disney Store have Woody, Jessie and buzz dolls reduced from £25 to £15, I have bought DD one of those.

I've also bought a few busy books, they are £5 in Asda and I think they make a nice gift for friend's young DC, they have lots of choices, disney, thomas etc.

Marking my place - sounds like a great idea for a thread!

Can we please have a warning in the thread title when linking to Dotcomgiftshop, as with Daily Mail links. Now you've got me rummaging for my payment card...

:o

So how much did you eventually spend Fox?

Am stealing that movie hamper idea I love it!!

Movie hamper is what I am dong for my cousins kids.

I picked up some Yankee candles in the sale so those will go to friends along with some chocolate.

Other than that I have some secret santas, dh who gets a token gift and ds.

Ds is 4 and I have no idea what to get him at all.

last year I made a load of flavoured vodkas and bottled them in these. worked out at about £6 per bottle, as I used fruit picked from hedgerows or friend/family gardens.

best ones were raspberry vodka, christmas pudding vodka, and sloe/damson gin (not sure which the fruit were, picked from local park). good recipes here

I plan to make some marmalade this year (using mamade - never tried it before) and am taking the kids to a pick your own place this weekend to collect some other ingredients!

I got some tin toys from jesters too, which were great stocking fillers and presents for middle aged boys...

oh, and DS will be 3, no idea what he's getting either! DD will be 6 months, so got her some stacking box toys from ELC.

I always get books from The Book People or Redhouse (same company) in big boxes and then share them out. Plus pencil cases, pens, notebooks etc. bugger. They are not at all homemade!!!!
So, I get loads of things from Yellow Moon here like key rings, coasters, white mugs to decorate etc and everyone in the family gets one or t'other from DDs. Does that count as homemade!

Marking my place

Although im sorry I don't have any ideas to share.....but I do have a question... DD will be 8 months old this Christmas, do we as parents need to get her anything?? I feel cruel not to but at the same time our families want to get her lots of toys etc...what did you ladies do for your DC's first Christmas?

Have totally stolen the movie hamper idea

Hi Flosie, PFB here too! He will be 18mo this Christmas and we've decided not to go nuts this year. We (and everyone else) bought loads last year and it was just bonkers. This year I'm making him a scrapbook of our first family summer holiday and he can have that to look at when he is big, plus a few little toys.

Thanks Apollo I might just get her a couple of special bits like more for memories. MIL is already asking what she'll want for Xmas! So I think she'll be very spoilt!

Place marking I think I will be doing the cake in a jar gift for my mindees parents, and DD will be decorating a pot with a flower in for elderly relatives!

Love the movie hamper!

I'm stealing that movie hamper idea for my DN!

DD1 wants a scooter. I've found one for £20 but hoping to find one cheaper as we're on a really tight budget. DD2 will only just have turned 2 so no idea what she will get yet.

Friends will get homemade body scrub, body butter and tinted mint lipbalm with homemade brand stickers and some cupcakes. I'm lucky I don't have too many friends :o.

I did Movie Hampers last year, did popcorn, Maltesers and DVD in with "instructions" for a Family Movie night. (like Step 1. Put your pj's on, Step 2. gather your family on the sofa and turn out ALL the lights, etc etc. Folks seemed to like it. (Thought of it by myself then realised so had everyone else!!!)
Am on the look out for

1. Another family friendly pressie idea similar to the above. Did "make your own cookies" set the year before (the one with all ingredients in a jar)
2. Want to do a teapot and cups for GP's decorated with kids hand prints. Want it to not look naff as they are (currently) 5, 2 and 7 weeks old and will need some serious forward planning/organisation... Any ideas?

Marking my place sure this will be a great thread and very useful!

OP dotcomgiftshop also sell popcorn tubs that match those cups. I got them last year and put them in the Christmas eve hampers for the dcs.

I officially go into Christmas mode as soon as the DCs are back in school, but I couldn't help having a sneaky peak on a Christmas thread :o

I am doing some movie hampers too but for the whole family

I give
this
Some pop corn (microwave box)
sweets
Doretos
and some of that 'adult' sparkling stuff )is it shluree?? (sp)

you can do Gardening hampers (seeds, pots, compost, mini watering can, mini fork etc

or pamper night in hamper: book, small one glass bottle of wine, face mask sachet, intense hair conditioner sachet , some slipper socks, cup and some hot chocolate sachets, chocolate (could go on and on)