Mimou, so glad the "chill" worked out for you. My niece was also thrilled-- she got with the chill and a selection of buxom lip gloss (as well as a northface vest).. and one of my sisters got her an Ulta gift card.

Christmas was successful all around but there were some big wins with some of the smallest presents. Funny how the smallest things -- selected with the recipient in mind-- can bring such delight.

I forget who recommended the Champagne Gummy Bears from Sugarfina (terriks?) but my sister texted me yesterday, "OMG.. the champagne gummy bears are awesome!!"

The pinot noir recommendations were a big help in navigating the state store! I ended up getting the meiomi which was not only my brother's gf's favorite-- but she bought me the same bottle!

All of the books were much appreciated-- but the big win was a last minute gift for my sister: Jodi Picoult's new book Small Great Things. She actually squealed with delight lol. Genius of Birds was also a big win (thank you, SueB!).

I spoke to another of my nieces yesterday and she said her bf was in the next room having a full conversation with Alexa.. so the echo dot was clearly a hit too!

And though I had purchased a number of gifts for my sister-- she was especially thrilled with the gift crate of 8 qts of homemade soup-- packaged with special crackers, soup mugs and a promise to teach her to make some of her favorite soups.

The google cardboard was a big hit with DS 14. Several of his friends got the pricy virtual reality goggles that weren't on his radar at all. He is pleased with this version! The cologne Mtnrd recommended In another thread was a big hit as well. And it does smell good:)

Thanks for the tips!

Goodle Cardboard was a lot of fun. My niece and her sons enjoyed it the most. The Holiday Glasses were a riot and we had so much fun with them. I even ordered more to give out. The ratcheting bungee cords were appreciated but not raved about. Maybe that will come later.

Google cardboard and the Christmas glasses were a hit at my house too. I also purchased Christmas Balls from Esty. The entertainment value was fun since both my DD's and SIL did not know what to expect. But, the little gifts that were put in were things you could buy at Oriental Trading Post, so a bit disappointing.

Thanks to those who shared these gift ideas!

So happy that your sister liked the champagne gummy bears from Sugarfina, FunkyArt. Thanks for posting about the successes. It's great to hear what worked so I can add items to my list for next year.

Garden whirly gigs are so cool ! That's a great gift . I make a lot of garden art pieces but not those . I want one .

Another thing -- the anti-fatigue mats from Costco. I asked my son for one because the price was right. Others I had seen were double or triple Costco's price. I love that thing! I have a hard tile floor in the kitchen (HATE it) and my legs are screaming after a cooking session. The new mat is like heaven, like walking on a cloud. I feel like covering the entire floor with them. I read about them here, but probably not on a gift list.

Glad the cologne and the credit card tool worked out! As for cologne, I tell my kids, no one should smell like anything, good or bad, unless you are close enough to hug. The French have a wonderful word, "ciage", for that cloud of perfume some women trail, but I think it is bad form to foist it on others. ( correction, it is spelled "sillage", pronounced see-Azh)

I did buy a few things from the thread with the link to the catalog of unusual gifts? DH liked the adjustable bungee cord and DS like the thank you cards that say "T.HANKS" and have a photo of his favorite actor. DS also got tickets to the US opening of the play Groundhog Day, his favorite movie. We got him a ski racing suit that would make a ballet dancer blush, but uhh, i guess it does make one more aerodynamic!

The Snapchat Spectacles elicited a squeal of delight from DD2, DD1 did not know what they were. They both loved their Fenty slippers, which were really hard to find. DD1 also loved her oversized black Tory Burch tote. I thought it was for weekends home from BS but she carried it as a purse when we went out ... with black heels, velvet leggings, a turtleneck and trench coat. Now I want one, too!

My fave gift was a watercolor done by my SIL. I had admired it on her website. I cannot wait to frame it.

As a family, we went to see the play "Dear Evan Hansen". It was excellent. I highly recommend it. Some reviewer said it was a great play for families, and I can see why he said that, but the language is pretty rough so I'd say only for teens.

Glad to know you were able to snag the spectacles MtnRd! They are still on my radar lol.

mtn, do you mean 'sillage'? It is pronounced the way you spelled it.

Yes, cyn! I didn't look it up and I remembered the pronunciation not the spelling. They should spell it "ciage" though, imho, lol.

Ha. It would be hard to look up when you go by the pronunciation in French! It comes from a word meaning to furrow or create a trail. :)

I must have missed the cologne suggestion. What is its name?

This is the cologne. I got mine at Nordstrom since so many Amazon reviews said they had received fake merchandise. I could have looked harder on Amazon, but I was in Nordstrom the next day and they had the cologne and the deodorant there.

And yes, DS had to get close for me to smell! He has one friend who definitely went through the "create a trail" stage a few years ago so I think he's aware of too much of a good thing! He is in 8th grade and has just started to enjoy wearing real clothes, so this makes him feel very grown up:) He had a list of requests, so this gift was actually one of his favorites - a surprise that he liked! Hard to do for teenage boys:)

I know… A few years ago my sister got it for my son… And I thought she was crazy. I thought there was no way in the world he would be interested in wearing cologne. I was completely wrong. And it really is such a pleasant scent in my opinion.

Ah yes, Fun2be. The gummy bears were your suggestion. Thank you! I ended up getting them for my mom, my sister and a niece. They all loved them!

Mtn, those Fendy slides are adorable! I'd wear them-- and I also want a Tory Burch tote! Unfortunately, I really don't *need* another tote!

Funny, I hugged my 14 yo nephew at Christmas and complimented him on his cologne-- it was the acqua di gio. I think he thought I was crazy when I said it was mentioned on one of my forums as a great scent for young men! It's definitely nice and soft for a men's scent.

Even funnier was when my niece/his sister said, "oh yes.. and aunt funky's forum was right about the llbean boots too!" (I had told her that all the girls were wearing them based on everyone's suggestions for a graduation gift-- she said, no, she liked her "tims" (timberlands). Sure enough, she came back in the fall wanting the llbean boots!)

Funky - that is so funny about your nephew and niece! It's nice to have good connections:)

Love it that you are the cool aunt, Funkyart!

Mtn--My husband was very pleased with the One Day University gift certificate. He is now trying to decide which courses/location interests him most. I look forward to accompanying him once he decides.

With respect to the Tory Burch tote your daughter received, would you mind sharing the specific design? My daughter's 25th birthday is coming up and she is a TB fan, so I was thinking that may be a nice gift, but it is nice to have a recommendation for a specific model. She, too, likes to use these big totes as everyday handbags as she is in graduate school and always has a lot to carry.

Fun2B.. so sweet of you to say but I feel like I am quickly losing my "cool" touch! I am so out of touch with what is cool and "in" these days.

Thankfully I have a great network of people to help-- this forum has been such a help! Closer to home, my youngest sister and two of my nieces are super little elves! They too see and value each person's individual styles and interests and come up with great suggestions for birthdays and Christmas. It also helps that ALL of the kids are so appreciative and joyful. It makes the whole process fun!

Lots of hits at my house. Some stand outs - DH likes the adjustable bungee. He is a bungee cord king. Tween granddaughters like the Vera Bradley small backpacks. GD was excited about her beach wave curling iron. I decided to go with samples of men's cologne fro my teen GS which he appreciated. It is so fun that the adult kids and the little kids are excited and thankful. One of the younger grandsons squealed - "just what I wanted" when he opened the art set of markers, art paper and construction paper (such a simple gift). He also received a PS4 which he really wanted but the art set measured up too.

BF - I am so glad to hear that! My Dh liked his too.

It is the Ella tote i got for DD1, in black (there are different sizes). It is on the TB site but I actually got it for about $50 less on Ebay (new with tags). There are a lot of them on ebay. I think this is a L and hers is maybe an XL?

What an awesome look-- I bet she felt great! I could never wear those shoes though-- not at 14, not at 28, definitely not at 53!

Thanks, Mtn. I believe my daughter would like that. I agree about the size being the big attraction. Did you worry about getting a fake from Ebay even though it had tags?

BF, The seller had a lot of positive feedback so I went ahead. They have sold 7 of them, so IDK what their deal is. But it was in mint condition, down to the protective wrap on the patent handles.

I had to source a lot of things on CL or Ebay this year .. the Fenty slippers, the Spectacles, and at one time was also bidding on a used ski racing suit (the best ones start at $600 for adults). So I was just sort of in that mode!

But TBH, its not that much to save and TB has really really cute boxes!

eta, here is a box from a pair of TB sandals, as an example of how cute their boxes are

Again, thank, Mtn. The one I saw had sold 12 and got great reviews, but I also wondered "what their deal is". As you say, the TB boxes are cute. Sorry to have taken the thread off course.