Can I please steal your ideas for original present ideas for grown ups .

[travellingwilbury]

I have got a few presents I have to buy for adults but I really don't want to end up buying yet more candles or smelly bath stuff .

I love buying presents for children but when it comes to adults I really struggle trying to find something people actually want rather than the usual shite .

I am stuck for inspiration , needs to be under £20 .

Please help

In a not quite " bah humbug" spirit - I really enjoy Christmas, but definitely in a " we don't need more stuff" way I organised a Christmas Swap with friends this week. We all brought along the things we have that are either brand new and never used or in fantastic 2nd hand condition ( books, jewellery etc) and we swapped for presents. I am fortunate that some of my family are v. anti buying new things, so they will be delighted with 2nd hand, and others will get presents that are in fact 2nd hand but in perfect condition. It saved us all a lot of money and everyone enjoyed doing it.

katsh , I wish I had your family

ROFL at 'cup of cold sick'
I haven't heard that expression since I lived up North.

Food is always good for presents. A nice tin of biscuits or a big posh Pannetone.
Always goes down well and doesn't clutter up the house!

How about some kind of personalised thingie, a calendar with photos of dcs on, or a mug. That is what I am getting for most of my rellies.
Try www.tescophoto.com

If you have good 2nd hand bookshops near you then trawling for quirky old books can be good for some people (properly old, rather than just 2nd hand, but not expensive first editions IYKWIM).

I've got some lovely wartime vegetable growing books that DH got me one year, its great reading about how people used to do things (and still lots of interesting tips). Definitely a present which is about time and effort rather than money.

Takver I like that idea , in fact I like the idea of your book

Magazine subscriptions (Conde Naste have good offer at the mo where if you take out two or more subscriptions it's only £19 each). Theatre tokens (or even actual tickets if you know what they like and know when they are free - just got my parents tickets for Grimethorpe Colliery Band!!) Tend not to do grown up presents to be honest - just buy for people's kids - otherwise it does just become a pointless exchange of tat (bah humbug type expression!). My parents always give us money (so we can get what want) mil always gets us a surprise - not inexpensive and often wide of the mark - in other words a complete waste of money.

Good pressie ideas for grandparents and aunts and uncles - I go to tshirtcity.com or one of those personalised sites and do pictures/mugs/keyrings with pictures of the kids and a personalised message on - they all fought over them last year so I know there's a need for them this year!

I was blown away by a birthday present I received from SIL last week (won't say brother because I know he didn't do it!). Basically it was a small picnic hamper basket, with straw at the bottom and then filled with a couple of jars of jams/chutney, some funky teabags and oodles of bags of sweets/chocolates (small stuff like refreshers etc). As I am unexpectedly pg with my 3rd, the addition of Durex really made me laugh uncontrollably!!! My sister, whose birthday is a couple of days later, received a similar hamper but filled with lovely cheeses and a small bottle of wine.

We both just loved it because it was really thoughtful and nicely presented.... HTH

my dad is getting a nice cheeseboard with a selection of cheeses, crackers and a bottle of port. oh and a bar of bournville.
my mum is getting a craft thingy, my sister is buying her an embroidery stand type thingy, and i am getting the wotsit which clips onto it to hold her patterns .
my brother is getting transformers 1&2 on dvd and a big black fluffy dressing gown (thats what he asked for)
my sister is getting coraline on dvd, john barrowman dvd and some other bits.
oh, and my nan will get a nice framed pic of the dc's, and a new scarf and gloves set

I am getting all the adults in my family an insect house for their garden - they attract lady birds, bees and lacewings into your garden. You can find them here

Environmentally friendly and it will only clutter up a fencepole (which doesn't count!)

but my thoughts so far for the adults we have to buy for;

I've bought kilner jars and will order a load of sweets we used to eat as kids for the 20-30 somethings

MIL will get some stuff made by dd/ds(xmas decoration etc, she loves that kinda thing) and last year we made her a photo book which she loved so will get her another one of those

My nan, thinking of giving her an 'IOU x hours gardening help' voucher as she really could use the help and really doesn't need stuff. She's not the sort to ask for help but might if presented that way and maybe some nice pots for her garden

in previous years I made my oen hampers with bits and pieces I know each person would like.

I'm stuck on my dad & step mother, what do you get the people who can buy whatever they need/want but you know step mother would be all prissy if I bought nothing even though we have no money?! Dad would just say don't bother but her, well....

I like the magazine subscription idea, we did that for my dad 60th. You can get good deals with Tesco clubcard rewards. Last year I got my neices and nephews one each and they didn't cost me anything but some points!

Infact i'm loving the insect house idea and may well get that for my sis and my dad thanks HGH (love the name BTW!)

Garden ornament, on the grounds that a garden is ususally less cluttered than a house.

What about this for everyone who resents buying pointless gifts. www.practicalpresents.org/?gclid=CI-x37OWmJ4CFZ1h4wodGTDLmA

Ive got my mum a Gift voucher for an organic vegetable garden from Rocket gardens Here There is 20% off until 25th November and then 10% off after that. The window box garden would work out at £20 with 20% off and you dont even need a garden or much experience at growing vegetables.

I might get one for my kids too, although I think the older 2 will think its a stupid present, but I will enjoy it even if they dont.

My BIL loves anything with Chilli. Last year I made him a hamper and filled it with lots of unusual chilli related foods - I'm very lucky in that we live close to a shop that imports lots of foods from America.

He loved it so much that when I asked my sister for ideas for his birthday this year, it was the first thing she suggested!

I got my Dad a voucher to go round a vineyard once. Took him almost the full year to get round to using it, and he commented that everyone there had had the tour as a present from their children!

BIL gave lots of the women in his family vouchers for massages once, and bizarrely none of them liked them - none of them liked massages. Crazy women. Think he gave me books/DVDs :D

Like the idea of chili related foods, my Dad adores chilis. Got him some chili jam one year which went down very well, think he used it to coat chicken before cooking, things like that.

I'm 32, I've asked my parents for a reflexology session for Christmas...

Just found this, it looks fab AND affordable!!!

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