What were the unexpected small hits last Christmas with your kids?

[stopbeeping]

What surprised you and brought them some joy? Brazenly asking for my own kids!
They are 7 months 3 and six

I get a few bits second hand and then new bits but we don't go wild

Just looking for some ideas really thank you

Love this post!! My kids always prefer the little bits that I think they’ll find a bit rubbish, but in fact they’re always the favourite gifts!

can I just ask.. so many people are saying blu tac, my 4yo & 5yo also love blu tac but they just stick it everywhere.. what do your kids do with it?! Play with it or stick it all over the house? 🤣

Those penguins that climb stairs and then slide down a slide. Wanted one in the 80s so bought one for my DD aged 5 and it was on permanently. She loved it. Got another for my next DD for this year.

DS weirdly loves red Lindor balls, at Christmas you can get a huge ball of them wrapped like a massive Lindor ball! He was quietly pleased. All together now:

I was not looking for Lindor, Lindor found me...

Mine loved to get bandaid and bandages and "something" in a bottle to desinfect. They had a (plastic) stethoscoop etc. but you can scoop those up for nothing at all.

a packet of ping pong balls
scissors and tape
a very cheap painting set attached to a disney-type book e.g. frozen
(they adore crap at these ages)

Another wonderful present
I bet she felt a million dollars and soo grown up

Gorgeous

I bought my grandchildren fake snowballs from Home Bargains one year. They were the best fun ever. Snowball fights and simply throwing as many as possible into the air at a time and shouting “It’s snowing!” They were put away with the decorations and had to be brought down the next year so that we could have the same fun.

Blu tac is adored here by both my 10 year old and 3 year old.
Other small hits have been those handheld water ring toss games, torches, highlighters, googly eye stickers.
Our neighbour is a police officer and gave our eldest one of his old hats and (blank) notebook one year - he absolutely LOVED them. I remember getting a dictaphone one christmas and being obsessed with it.

Biggest hit for us last year was one of those cardboard colour in Wendy houses. I think it cost about £8 and was a last minute addition after 11 yr old flippantly asked for his own house. We made a little Minecraft esq sign saying DS's house and put other presents inside. Couldn't get him out of it lol! We'd regularly find one if not both DSs inside it until it gave up in February. Have got the pop up Ikea tent for the little one this year but I don't think it will be so universally loved!

One year my DDs favourite stocking present was a calculator. She still uses it in games where she is working in an office!

Last year my Nan brought us a gingerbread musical house tin from M&S, my DS who was 2 loved the house! It kept him entertained for hours, my Nan was so happy. This year they have one that has a projector! And yes, Nan has brought one for DS.

My little one loves a book of raffle tickets 😊

I got a cheap working stethoscope. You can pick them up for about 5 to £10 off of Amazon.

Same here. Messy play (coloured sand and slime)

Whoopee cushions always a massive hit!

Also, the bath crayons were hit years ago.
Spinning top toy as well.

DS(15) was absolutely estatic over an empty glass with "nothing" written on it the other year, and a giant jar of Helmans mayo last year.

Insane love it

Oh one year DD asked for Pickled onions so I bought her one of those giant jars you see in the Chippy. Best present ever apparently.

My too also love blue tac, we have tons of play doh but it's the blue tac that's the winner.

Also a white board & pens. Dd still plays with it so much

Popping tube stress toys
Novelty Chupa Chupp lip balms (B&M)
Fizzy drinks from American Candy Store

At 6 months it was a little light up wand/ spinner thing with an elf on that I got in card factory on impulse for her stocking. I did feel guilty as its the very definition of plastic tat but its actually still going strong with the same battery too.

18 months (last year) - rubber duck and a set of star shape cookie cutters (they weren't even a gift, just something I unearthed from the back of the cupboard) She also loved when I put dessicated coconut in a tray for snow with a load of toy animals. Of and one of those felt Christmas tress with velcro ornaments - surprisingly cheap from hobbycraft I think, will be used again this year

Don't know what this year's will be - I tried to take her temperature using our digital thermometer the other day, it was useless buy she was fascinated and has swiped the thermometer and been jabbing us all with it ever since, calling it 'my x-ray'. She's getting a toy doctors bag this year but this thread has inspired me to add real plasters and bandages so thank you.