Shopping for my own kid’s Christmas gifts was easy. I knew what he liked and wanted and only had to figure out how I’d have the money to ensure the items made it under the tree. Even as he got older, I knew what clothes and shoes to buy that would make him happy — and that continues still today.
It’s different with teen grandkids.
I’m struggling hard this year choosing gifts for my granddaughter, Colette. She’s at the funky stage where she’s into weird clothes (from a nana’s viewpoint), is too old for toys, and already has all the tech products she needs. Gift cards and money are boring but practical. I’ve made it through the stocking stuffer gifts — smokey-eye make-up, weird socks, the expensive shampoo I use that she loves, and a beanie with a funky pin.
And then I found a cool item for $20 bucks that I think is awesome and she’ll likely throw in a drawer — a Fahlo animal tracking bracelet. (Fahlo = follow… decent marketing, yes?) Each bracelet tracks (fahlos) the animal you choose via an app on your digital device, and also helps save wildlife when a portion of the purchase is donated to a cause. She’ll probably hate it because I would wear one of these myself.
I miss the days when buying Christmas gifts for my granddaughter was simple. 🩷
As I struggle to put a few things under the tree this year (I sprung for the Disney tickets so it will be only a FEW things), I’m reminded that these are good times too.
Gift choices at Christmastime are fodder for funny stories in the future!
I remember the year my Great Aunt Lois gifted my (at that time) partner with a white angel candle that had been stored for at least 25 years. It was yellowed and flat on one side where it had partially melted from the heat of the attic storage spot. I wonder… 20 years from now will Colette will talk about the time her crazy Nana bought her a bracelet to track a shark? 😉
Now you know: In 2018, a man found $7.5 million in a “Storage Wars” unit he bought for $500. He had to negotiate with the original owners, who paid him $1.2 million to return their money.