Here we go! This is my tenth annual list of Christmas present ideas. It used to be that I’d only include things I could wholeheartedly endorse, because I had witnessed my kids using or playing with these gifts. But now they are older, and they don’t spend their whole entire lives in the living room where I can see them! So, this is my best guess about good presents. Caveat emptor, and read the reviews. Everything here is under $100, and most of it is under $50.
Here is last year’s list of 50 gifts or so, and here is the monster master list of the previous eight years, organized by category. That one has presents for kids of all ages, starting with babies.
This year, I’mma start with something I received, that I’ve been enjoying a lot:
I have used this kit to make delicious mozzarella many, many times, and I really enjoy it. You just need to supply the milk (a gallon for about a pound of cheese), and I also recommend getting a pair of kitchen gloves, because hot cheese is hot. I also recently started using silicone molds, like this skull one,
to make cheese in amusing shapes, and that is also fun! There are silicone molds in just about any shape a person could desire.
Not the most deluxe one out there, but it’s sturdy, easy to put together (my ten-year-old did most of it), and a nice generous size for the price, and it’s on sale right now. You can rig it to swing back and forth, or to swivel.
I actually got this as a summer family TV show (for teens and up), and it was much cheaper than I expected for an entire series. If you haven’t watched it in a while, this show really holds up.
The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander
And we have arrived at our first gift that I don’t really know if the kid liked or not! It’s set in ancient Greece and it’s by Lloyd Alexander (author of the Chronicles of Prydain), so it seemed like a safe bet.
For a kid who’s a TMNT Raphael fan. They’re shiny and heavier than I expected for the price.
Slide your ID in this wallet that has a little cut-out, and you become Batman. It has styles for vertical ID’s, too, for people under 21. Goofy but well-received. Who doesn’t wanna be Batman?
Cowboy Bebop complete ser
As I understand it, this is a groundbreaking and seminal series for anime fans, and it has interesting music.
I think this is the last DVD set on the list! I have a long-standing grudge against Spongebob because I could tell when my kids had been watching it, because of how visibly stupid they had gotten. But I have to admit, it’s funny stuff. (Are you happy, Ashley and Stacy? I admit it! It’s funny.)
You might be SURPRISED at how much fun the right kid will get from this thing. It has a million options for fonts and pictures, and I found it a little overwhelming, but my ten-year-old got the hang of it right away, and everything and everyone, including some docile guests, have been labelled ever since.
A book that came highly recommended for ages 9-12, but I haven’t read it myself. A mysterious little free library guarded by a cat appears in town, and leads to adventure.
I actually bought this to go on a charm bracelet, because I apparently don’t know what three inches means. Anyway it’s sturdy, the limbs move, and it has a bright little light and a keychain. If your kids are not as obsessed with Batman as mine are, there are other keychain minifig lights of many, many other characters.
I got this as a starter charm bracelet, and then filled it in with lots of other various charms from Michael’s and Etsy. This is a nice present for making a kid feel like you really know and understand them, because you can find charms of EVERYTHING they like.
A decent starter set for beginning carvers. It comes with a nice little roll case to store the tools in. The tools are quite sharp! It does not include any instructions (or at least the one we got didn’t), so a kid who wants to know exactly what to do might be a little overwhelmed by this.
This was on my wish list, and I love it. The teeth are very sharp and the way the handle is shaped makes it easy to grip and manipulate in tight spaces, and you get a lot more leverage than with a hacksaw. Useful for carving or for carpentry. Japanese tools are super.
Speaking of Japanese tools, here’s another one that I requested and am enjoying having! This one is for the garden, and it’s also super sharp and really handy for smaller hacking and gouging jobs. The handle is light, but it’s a sturdy tool, and very useful.
Might as well mention the hori hori knife I also have, even though I think it was on a previous list.
I can’t find the listing for this exact knife (actually I have two different ones, and I like them both!) but they are all priced around $15-$30, so I don’t know how much it matters which one you get. It’s excellent for bulb planting (it has the soil depth markers right on the blade) and root excavation, as well as any number of other dirt-stabbing jobs you might have. One edge is serrated, and the whole thing is slightly curved, so you can stick the knife into the soil and then twist, and get what you want. An ingenious garden tool with many uses.
I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
I was reading and enjoying this book, but lost it, so I haven’t finished it yet! It’s set in the not-so-distant, horribly believable dystopian future. His first novel, Peace Like a River, was tremendous, and then his second one, So Brave, Young, and Handsome was a huge disappointment; so I figured it was worth a shot. As his writing tends to do, it creeps right up to the edge of being precious and overly self-aware, but it was undeniably fascinating and gripping, and I hope I find it so I can see what happens.
This is a book I only recently became aware of, but apparently it’s beloved. I got it because I was trying to get other people on board with the idea of making a stargazy pie, and that didn’t work, but we sure love the book. It’s a rare children’s book that really appeals to a childlike mind, but doesn’t talk down to kids. A sweet and satisfying story with pleasant pictures. It says ages 2-6, but I think some older kids will find it appealing.
Batman sheet set and Batman comforter and pillow case
Back to Batman! The sheet set is black and white and is a somewhat understated pattern, and is microfiber
and the comforter
is not super heavy, but it is reversible, with a pattern of bat logos on one side and the man himself on the other.
The Unofficial TikTok Cookbook
This SEEMED like a good idea, and maybe it will be a good idea for someone on your list! I think the problem is that the thing that makes you want to try making a viral recipe is seeing it online over and over and over again, so having it in a book kind of takes the edge off. It did get good reviews, and the recipes are supposed to be quick and easy.
I did hedge my bets and bundle it with this book:
The King Arthur Baker’s Companion
and I stand by it. King Arthur recipes are well-written and reliable, and this would make a good present for someone who’s learning to bake or who already knows, and wants a solid collection of recipes.
Part model, part puzzle. Does not need glue or tools. Reasonably easy to put together, but it’s nice looking, and would not be out of place as a present for a teen or adult Batman fan.
Tiny apothecary bookshelf insert kit
This is one of these little models that’s designed to be tucked in between books on a shelf, so it looks like you’re seeing into a little world. Kid said she likes it, and the instructions were reasonably easy to understand, but some of the parts didn’t fit together right. So not suitable for a perfectionist or easily frustratable person. There are several other designs, all pretty cool-looking.
As described! It has different TMNT styles over the years.
Good heavens, more Batman. This is a mirrored bat logo with a light behind it for the wall, and you can change the color with a remote. It’s really more of a light than a mirror, and really more decor than lamp, but it’s cool!
A cute little bookshelf. Comes in several colors. It doesn’t hold a ton of books, as you can see from the picture, but the benefit is that it fits into a narrow space. I vaguely remember putting this together, and I don’t remember crying or running away from home, so it must be reasonably easy to assemble.
I think we forgot to play this? I guess we’ll try it over Thanksgiving vacation. It came highly recommended, and it’s very pretty. It’s a strategy game, for ages 8 and up, for 2-4 players, and takes 30-45 minutes to play.
In case someone on your list has requested a cat sweater! It is a nice, soft cotton knit, not very heavy.
In case you are not really sure what kind of cat the person on your list had in mind. This one is a bit thicker and also pleasantly soft. I’m really glad they’ve stopped making kids’ sweaters so itchy. What was that about?
Another game that came highly recommended, but it was for a kid who has moved out, so I’m not sure if he’s played it or not. It is for 2-4 players, ages 13 and up, and it says it takes 5 minutes to learn, 45 minutes to play.
Manual typewriters
(this photo is an example, taken from this listing on eBay)
We got manual typewriters for two of our kids for Christmas, and they were a big hit. You can find them for sale on eBay and Facebook marketplace and no doubt other places, and you can find the specific ribbons they need on eBay. I used to spend hours and hours of my time typing out the dialogue from Archie comic books all summer long, and I don’t even know why, except that it was fun. Typing is fun! Especially when the typewriter comes in its own compact little suitcase with a handle. One of the ones we got was military, because you know what? You can’t hack into a piece of paper.
This is “Ice Blue” model, but it comes in several colors. Great for smoothies, very useful for soups in the pot. KitchenAid is still a great brand, but if you are thinking of giving someone a standing mixer, which is a wonderful present, I highly recommend buying an old used or refurbished one rather than new. I’ve had mine for almost 30 years, and it was refurbished when I got it! I hear about the new ones breaking after five years or so.
Okay this one is really stumping me. It showed up as something I ordered around Christmas, but I have no memory of it, at all. Looks like it might be fun? It says ages 14 and up, “easy to learn, hard to master.”
Psychedelic Scarab earrings from Ravenstone gifts
Brass earrings with an iridescent finish, nickel-free, gorgeous, HUGE. For someone with very confident ears. (I will also say that if you, for instance, buy these well ahead of time and then somehow lose them but don’t discover this until almost the last week in December and need to reorder them real fast, this store is very accommodating and will get a second set to you very quickly!)
Bender earrings from TheFolksMadeIt
Am I thrilled that my ten-year-old latched onto Bender as a hero and role model? Not especially! Does she adore these earrings? Yes, she does. So there you go. At least it’s just his head, and not his shiny metal ass. (They’re pretty big, but because they’re 3D printed, they’re light.)
Hanging bat earrings from the fine folks at . . sigh. . . Nightly Bloodlust.
Nice li’l sleeping bats.
A very specific present for a very specific person. They have many, many other styles from pop culture, and they come with a little metal chain and clip. My kids have some many charms on their backpacks, they sound like Jacob Marley coming down the hall.
The specific earrings we got (a Russian blue cat gazing at the moon) are sold out, but they do have earrings showing dogs of all different breeds. It’s kind of weird, because the earrings we got were a more abstract design, but it looks like what they’re selling now is more hyper-realistic styles? But maybe you know someone who would be delighted to have earrings that look just like their specific dog. You will probably find them here!
Budgiezilla hoodie from TeePublic
As described. We somehow ended up with two different hoodies, each with a giant parakeet attacking Tokyo (not the same design, though!), but I don’t remember where we got the other one. We ended up giving them both to the kid and she wears both of them, so there you go.
11th Doctor sonic screwdriver from Toynk
They certainly have a wide array of Sonic Screwdrivers!
AND FINALLY . . .
These also come in black with red spikes, and plain black; but the pink and green ones are UV light reactive, so you tell me. I don’t know if Demonia boots are very well-made or if my kid is just really gifted at walking, but she DOES walk around in these, and she loves them. At least they have sensible grippy soles.
And that’s it! That’s the list. Happy shopping, and good luck!
This is a mp3 player that connects to your Spotify account so that if you change your playlist on Spotify you can sync it. It only has 3 stars b/c it is very glitchy, but I realllllly wanted my teenagers off the phone: https://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Spotify-Amazon-Music-Player/dp/B0FHBXJ9GK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=T8R6RWL19FR7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.NBUWOdW-i6zONuu6vemYxrb61_zSJKQIVG_BiMjuwPs.eQX_gLcBnE-1jnTCqYRCw1dOVW48E8rYLIob3BMO9sA&dib_tag=se&keywords=mighty%2B3%2Bused&qid=1763921594&s=electronics&sprefix=mighty%2Celectronics%2C243&sr=1-1&th=1