Adult Christmas gifts

[unleashthebook]

What are you buying your adult dc for Christmas? Especially if those adults are well paid and basically buy anything they need for themselves 🤦‍♀️

They like experience gifts but I bought them restaurant vouchers last year. They like to travel and go to the gym…they already have things like packing cubes/jewellery pouches, plenty of gym gear. Probably wouldn’t want things like cheese hampers as they’ll be on post Christmas health kicks.

I’m stumped.

Perfume/aftershave
chocolate
socks/underwear
handbags
adult card games
booze

I always buy DS designer boxers and good quality gym socks as he doesn’t buy them himself, and his white socks are now thin and grubby looking. I buy him a gym top and shorts set if he needs them or not, and they get worn. I ask which aftershave he wants, as that’s very personal. Then it’s nice coffee and toiletries. I bought a travel set last year that went down well, as he goes away a lot.
For DD, who doesn’t live with us, I’m buying a big basket and putting a Xmas design throw in, Xmas PJ’s, fluffy socks, a Xmas mug, nibbles and toiletries.

I think I also need to get past the idea that they need a selection of stuff - I act like they’re 8 years old and think “oh that doesn’t look much, I’ll buy something else” which is ridiculous for 30 year olds who earn more than me!

When I became a well paid young adult and MIL used to buy me Xmas presents, my favourites were a clarins set with the blue bath stuff and some hand cream - total luxury imo! Also, a cashmere hot water bottle cover and bedsocks. I still use the hot water bottle cover 20yrs later.

I'd also be over the moon with some new sheepskin mittens right now.

MIL also regularly gives us a voucher for our local favourite gastro pub which is a total luxury because it is pretty pricy but absolutely incredible.

DD and her partner have just bought a house so Dd has asked for a voucher to buy a fancy outdoor garden chair, I probably will spend more than I usually do but they have worked their arses off for a deposit.

In the past I have bought DD a nice bottle of gin as she is gin drinker, earrings have always gone down well.

Do you know what, they’ve recently moved house so garden centre vouchers would be a good shout!

DH and I did this course a few years ago and still make sushi often
-https://yosushi.com/sushi-school
-Any cooking lessons/BBQ class/deboning classes near them?
-Cotton socks
-If they have a favourite fragrance, you can often buy complementary toiletries such as soap, body wash, body mist in the same scent
-Leather luggage labels
-Nice toiletry bag for travelling
-Some of the experience things we'd done over the years- gliding lesson, flight lesson (I bought the 4 seater plan one so I could go up too) and Sailing lesson. DH did a race car experience when younger.

Sorry - we’ve agreed no adult presents. They won’t buy us what we don’t want and we won’t give them anything either. Simples. So tired of wasting time and money on gifts no one wants or needs.

I am hoping they will ask for other stuff for the house as that will cover a few more presents in the coming years and that will solve the ongoing present conundrum

Yes this is me!! It's so hard as they get older.

Last year dp’s daughter moved house and I bought her a planter of daffodils. This year an Emma Bridgwater mug with a pattern relating to something she likes.

I’m probably going to buy ds a membership for a famous cultural institution as he works practically next door to it and I thought it might be nice for him to be able just to pop in to it. But I do have a tendency like others to buy him nice socks as he buys really cheap ones and like me has lumpy painful feet.

Why not ditch the idea of presents completely and agree to spend the money saved on something to do together - dinner/night away/sports event/theatre trip/whatever you all enjoy. It cuts out all the nonsense at Christmas, with piles of unwanted stuff, and gives you something to look forward to next year. As you say, they're not children and they don't need more junk.

Metal wall sculpture of your family tree.

I really struggle for DS at Christmas! He's naturally very frugal despite earning a good salary. Over the years I have bought very practical gifts (e.g. new laptop when he started uni, good quality walking boots, rucksack and Gore-Tex waterproofs did us for quite a few years) but I've run out of things he needs/wants! He's always happy with good quality underwear and socks (he hates shopping!) and likes an outing, so theatre tickets so they are on this years list.

At this point I'm just getting vouchers, gift cards or certificates to the stores or SPA or coffee shops, i.e. anything they are frequent at. Combine it with a Christmas slideshow instead of a regular card, and call it a day. We don't usually see each other to exchange gifts anyway, so getting an e-gift seems like a perfect idea as of now.

Another idea are sheepskin ear muffs. Ugg make them but they are pricey. I got a pair from amazon and they lasted over 10yrs before finally snapping. I wear them daily from about Nov till Mar, so they get alot of use and keep my ears toasty.

I try to think of things that they probably wouldn't spend out on for themselves. Although mine are all grown up and out earn me, they've all got mortgages; we've got a couple of weddings and a couple of babies on the horizon too, so they are spending for themselves on 'sensible' things. So I'm looking at perfume, Lego, White Company toiletries and/or candles - things that they might look at and like but just think of as a bit too much to splurge on when they are saving for weddings/baby or paying the mortgage.