Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids and Teens
Record player | Pixies | Weezer | Radiohead | Gaming Headset | Dungeons & Dragons | Animal Crossing | Mario Kart Wheel | Harry Potter Special Edition Book | Tarot Cards | Spiderwick Field Guide | Faery Book | Halloween Blanket | Michael Myers Pillow | Movie Poster | Wall Sign | Led Lighting | Paint Set | Robotic Hand | Lego Harry Potter | Calligraphy Set | Susan B. Anthony Barbie |
I decided to do the kids holiday gift guide for kids and teens different this year. This year I have taken the exact things off my girls’ wishlists, and the exact items that I have already bought/am intending to buy.
If you don’t know I have a 9-year-old and 15-year-old. They both have birthdays within the next month so they will be 10 and 16 before Christmas.
It is an expensive time of year.
I had them gathering ideas for what kinds of stuff that they might like for Christmas way back in June.
I like to try to get a jump on the season if I can.
Every other year I didn’t really have much trouble coming up with ideas, but this year I was stumped.
I don’t know why.
Their lists helped.
What to buy a teenager for Christmas according to a teenager.
Music: She wanted to start collecting vinyl this year which means that she also needs a record player (I bought her this one in blue). She really likes the vintage kitchen blue and this was a close as I could find.
Her tastes in music are excellent if I do say so myself. She credits it to the music that her father and I have listened to her entire life.
Her vinyl list is pretty extensive and particular.
Some are really hard to find or REALLY expensive (ahem Blur 13 Vinyl).
She wants the Weezer Blue album, but Pinkerton is her favourite. Not just any Pinkerton though, it has to be the Deluxe Edition which is sold out everywhere.
I did manage to get her Radiohead Kid A, the Pixies, The Smiths, and Sonic Youth Washing Machine. Tom found her some Cure, and Kate Bush. He has feelers out for the others since he knows someone that sells vinyl.
I think that is a good start to her collection.
Painting: She’s taken to painting over the last 8 months and she wants a large set of acrylic in the tube.
Back in 1998 I bought this book. I really enjoyed drawing back then and since I am the kind of drawer who copies vs creatively comes up with my own ideas, I found this book inspirational.
I used to draw the characters in the book up until life got in the way and drawing stopped happening.
Fast forward to modern times and Roo took my book and used it for the same thing without me even telling her that is what I used it for.
She paints them instead of draws them, but if your child loves things like fairies (some scary ones), folklore, and whimsy they may enjoy this book.
It is by the guy who was the conceptual designer for The Labyrinth and the Dark Crystal. That should give you some ideas as to what the art is like.
Since she enjoyed that first book so much I bought her this one for Christmas.
Clothes: SHe is pretty picky as teens usually are, and her style ranges from old Granny to vampire chic so she is extremely hard to shop for.
She did, make a point to let me know that she would be open to a pair of Doc Marten Mary Jane style shoes.
It brings me right back because I had a brown pair that I wore all through highschool.
She wanted black though.
Home Decor: Her room is currently a shit pit but she is working on it. We have plans for a new desk that can set up her gaming station, record player, and other collectables (like the rotary phone we just thriftted for her because she thinks it is cool).
She is also a huge horror fan so I bought her this blanket, and pillow, and wall sign.
And she wants replica old scary movie posters to collage on the wall, like The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. Creepy.
Her Christmas lights that she had hung croaked on her a long while back and she indicated that she would like some LED strip lights that change colours.
Even better? I found these that also blink to the beat of the music.
Gaming: This is really the highlight of both my girls’ lives. And it may surprise you but I haven’t bought them the new Animal Crossing yet, as much as they wanted it they had to earn it. I
It’s been out for what now? seven months? They still haven’t earned it.
I may cave and get it for them for Christmas. Maybe not. It depends on behaviour until then.
She also needs quality gaming headphones since she has been using some $7 earbuds that I bought her last year and they aren’t cutting it anymore.
And what is a little gaming without some Dungeons and Dragons?
Do Tarot cards count as gaming?
What to buy a kid for Christmas, according to an actual kid.
My youngest is a bit different in some of her tastes.
Vintage: While her list looks smaller, she has some very specific collections that other kids probably won’t have much interest in so I omitted those gifts I bought from the collection.
Like this super sketchy looking vintage Alvin an the Chipmunks doll.
She is going to lose it when she sees it.
Lose it in a good way.
Books: We are currently read The Spiderwick Chronicles and she mentioned how it would be super cool to have a Field Guide like the kids in the book do.
They made a field guide that is supposed to be quite impressive.
Next, The Harry Potter Series is the first series that she has embarked on to reading solo. I read it to her years ago so she decided she would reread it.
Minalima Designs just released and special edition Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone book that includes all kinds of extras and drawings.
I received my copy a couple of weeks ago and it is BEAUTIFUL. It is an amazing book for and HP lovers/collectors that you may know.
Not just kids. I actually thing that older people will appreciate it more.
Lego and Stem Toys: Merle is a very left-brained thinker. She has always been very serious, analytical, and used vocabulary that was advanced for her age.
She really likes to sit down and work on someting for a very long time.
She also really loves to build things. A few years ago is was Snap Circuits, this year she wants to build robots.
And Lego. Always Lego.
Lego made Harry Potter sets years ago when Roo was into Lego. We bought a lot of the sets that she still has in her room.
The recently started to rerelease older set and new sets, and they are waaaay better than they were.
I bought her The Burrow set, but she also had her eye on Privet Drive.
Art: She has decided that she would like to learn calligraphy so I bought her a calligraphy set. I’m not sure how well it is going to pan out since her handwriting is pretty bad (although she has crazy good typing skills).
I figured it would be a fun way to improve her cursive without knowing she was actually working on those skills 😉
Home Decor: I mentioned it 900 million times, but we managed to get her the Beetlejuice wall sign. I also got my little weird cat lover this blanket.
I bought one for Roo last year in a different print, the blanket is huge (60×80) and the quality is incredible.
Gaming: Aside from the Animal Crossing game above, I also found an Animal Crossing Sticker Book that she will love, and a Mario Kart 8 Wheel for the Switch.
Mario Kart is literally the only video game that I kick ass at, and play with her regularly, so she will be excited to see some new accessories for it.
That’s All Folks.
Stay Safe.
You might also like:
Holiday Gift Guide for Her
Holiday Gift Ideas for Under $25
Holiday Gift Ideas Under $50
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