Main presents for young teen/pre teen boys?

[soontobeslendergirl]

Bit stuck for my 13 and 12 year olds - was the same last year and finally ended up with a PSvita for the younger one and a drawing board/art stuff/graphic tablet for the older one.

They already have a load of techie stuff (I know they are spoiled) so there is very little along that line that they need. No2 son could probably do with a new PC or laptop but that would be a bit over budget plus he doesn't really use it much, usually plays on PS3. We have large family that generally gives them cash - hence they have saved and bought most of the bigger stuff but it also means that as they get cash from everyone else, we can't really do the same yet as they are still young enough to want to wake up to Christmas presents.

Not into sport or music, have bikes and scooters and have already done a lot of the gift experience type things that are near enough for us to get to.

No idea but I'm lurking.
I've got a 13.6 DS who has X-Box and iPod so I don't want to get him anything else.

Successful presents for my DS -
A "Young Driver" lesson (every 6 months or so. He's not seriously learning to drive, it's fun for him)

DD birthday , we went indoor skydiving (they loved it, me not so much )

A lovely new £50 note >

This year I'm thinking about getting him one of those portable X-Box screen things (in Costco). I know it's ££ but my DS birthday is in December , so it might be a combined present.

No2 son is a Sony man (though he does have an ipod) he's 12 and decided that he will never have an xbox - he is coveting a PS4 but that isn't happening. He also has a wii and 3 different DSs as well as the phone, ipod and psvita he is completely gadgeted out.

No1 son is a PC gamer and bought his own PC last year and doesn't need anything else for it, he also has a phone that he likes, an ipod, 2 DSs that he doesn't use so really doesn't need anything like that either.

The skydiving and driving lessons sound good, but we live in the sticks in Scotland so there are not too many of those experience type things available.

No1 son will just bank any money and not spend it and No2 son will fritter it away on the PS store on outfits for his ninjas

The thing you are thinking off sounds like a good idea for your son - maybe we should take a look about Costco next time we head to civilisation and see if they have anything :)

Thanks

Kindle? I'm also stuck. DS (13) wants a tablet (he already has an ipod touch) so I'm thinking of buying him a kindle fire, as it's currently on offer for £99. He does have a keyboard kindle for reading though...

ds2 (10) I haven't the foggest!

We had a normal kindle that No1 son desperately wanted....then never used so I sold it and got a kindle fire. That gets used for long trips but not too much otherwise.

I find it okay but I guess it's probably not as flash as the ipad type ones.

DS's are 14 and 11 they are after the Xbox One this year so we are getting off lightly in trying to come up with ideas. Last year was a nightmare trying to come up with ideas. Ds1 goes to army cadets so I made up a hamper full of survival and camping equipment. This killed two birds with one stone as by putting them together as a hamper gave him a big box to open but then he spent ages fiddling with all the things inside.

Getting my 11.5 ds a nexus 7 as his main present me thinks. Possibly an iPad mini but the new nexus is supposed to better and £70 cheaper :)

Other presents include an ice watch (£37 down from £70) and loads of little gaming gadgets bits and pieces, books, board games, dvds and video games.

Sounds a lot but christmas is a bigger occasion in my house than birthdays and I only have the one :)

Thanks for your ideas, seems I'm not the only one struggling for ideas.

The hamper sounds good - we did get eldest a few survival type things at birthday time - don't think there is much left that he would still want/need. youngest wants a fire steel but that is only a few quid so will be a stocking filler.

mumtoone - don't feel you have to apologise, I have two but Christmas is definitely the biggest thing in our house. However, I don't get into debt, I enjoy it and the boys are very very well behaved and hard working so am happy to indulge them. They don't ask for much tbh.

I have a nexus 7 as does Ds and its fine. Way cheaper than an iPad mini
Ds is after the new Xbox but he has no chance.
He got a gaming chair last year which he has used a lot!

Sounds like the nexus is a good deal then. We have gaming chairs that have been used.........to pile their dirty clothes on :(

Can I ask where you got your deal on the ice watch from mumtoone1? Would be good for our eldest.

I think I'm going to make mine favourite food hampers this year. Things like favorite cereal, snacks like koka noodles, cans of coke, selection boxes, nutella, crisp, chocolate reindeer and some over expensive American candy. It won't cost much and a lot of it I get for over Christmas anyway, but they will like having their own stash and will bulk up the present piles

They are also at the age where they appreciate things like a nice branded hoodie or posh boxers so that's also on my list of ideas.

No2 son is slightly interested in brands now. No1 son is not interested in the slightest - can't see the point in paying more to advertise someone - I guess he has a point :o

hamper a good idea but I can see me throwing much of it out - I usually throw the Christmas stash at Easter, the Easter stash at Halloween and the Halloween stash at Christmas - they get all excited about having it, but actually don't really eat much of it.

Like the hamper idea - I could keep these till Christmas afternoon for them to forage in. A pamper one for dd1, a cinema one for dd2 and a gaming one for Ds....

Minecraft lego?

God, I started a thread about this last Christmas (feels about 10 minutes ago!)

My DS' will be 14 and 12. DS1's birthday is in November - he has muttered about getting a PS4 combined for birthday and Christmas. I am scared to look and see how much it will be.

Gaming chairs is a good idea, I think mine might actually use them. Or decent headphones. After much agonising (by us not them) DS2 got a tablet last year and DS1 a netbook. Both have been quite well used thankfully.

Last year we went for gadgets.

DH has been complaining since . This year we will be going for something physical (skateboard/rollerblades/bike or similar)

I feel very privileged that I don't feel my DC need anything for Christmas.

(DS2 has asked for a new bed, bless him! He says he and DH could build it on Christmas afternoon. Again, DH looked like this > )

Yomella.. I got lucky on Amazon. Just keep tracking your favourite colour on camelcamel. The prices really fluxuate :)

there will be no more lego!!! - I have a thread somewhere about what to do with the vast tons of it we already have :o

Lynette - that's what No1 son had for his birthday - he got his room decorated and a double bed - he was chuffed with that as he couldn't think of anything else. He enjoyed helping to paint and building up the furniture and choosing his bedding and window decoration....bless :)

and I agree it is privileged that they don't need anything....bit concerning that they don't really want anything either!

No, I didn't till last week. Dd still doesn't and I'm hoping she doesn't see any before Xmas. She'll be blown away.

We got DS surround sound for his X-Box last year.
He's got our old 32" flat screen TV for his X-Box and computer.

And a double bed already,

Could new bedding be a present? or as my DS views clothes- essential but not very exciting

I've found a lampshade with tigers on for ds2 (big fan of tigers) and a throw for his bed, with a tiger on

I've also found some cute fabric with hedgehogs on that I'm hoping my Mum will make into a cushion for ds1 (hedgehog fan)