It’s the fourth annual Fisher family Christmas gift recommendation list! These are all products our family owns and has enjoyed. You can find my 2014 list here, my 2015 list here, and my 2016 list here.
Many, but not all of these are from Amazon. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
And now for the presents:
1.Turn table with built in speakers
Good little machine for the price, and has held up well.
2. Acoustic Yamaha guitar with case and accessories
3. Squier by Fender “Mini” Strat Beginner Electric Guitar with Rosewood Fingerboard
Great starter electric guitar. It’s . . . so loud.
This, my daughter notes, is the same one Curt Cobain had. Ha cha cha!
Good for clearing brush, gathering kindling, or just choppa-choppa-choppa. Hey, they have ten fingers, plenty to spare.
6. Prismacolor double-ended manga markers
A nice set for sketching, drawing comics, etc. Good, rich colors.
7. Light saber screwdriver set
These are on the small side, so they are not for heavy duty jobs, but they are real screw drivers, and solid.
As advertised. Cute! Runs a tiny bit small, so not for kids with tons of hair or giant heads.
9. OceanPetal Art Studio flower jewelry (Etsy)
So many gorgeous designs. Flora in resin, bracelets, pendants, and more. We have a lovely flat pendant with yellow flowers.
This . . . is a little hard to explain. The stem is a touch-sensitive electronic music-maker, so if you press or slide your finger along it, you can make different tones. Then, with your other hand, you squeeze the flexible sides of the mouth to open or close it, to change the volume, to make the sound staccato or give it vibrato, etc. It. Is. Hilarious. It looks like the little guy is singing. It’s the cheesiest imaginable synthesizer sound.
Warm and snug. And who might you be?
The library editions are compilations of the comic books bound in heavy, oversized hardcover. My son rather heatedly explains: “Hellboy is Catholic. He fights monsters. He helps save babies. He gets help from priests a lot. It’s mythology based. The art is pretty gory, appropriate for age 13 and up.” And that is a direct quote.
13. Jewelry and rosaries from IronLace Design
We don’t have this particular piece ($45), but we have several necklaces, bracelets, and a rosary from Kyra Matsui’s studio, and they are all fantastic. Beautiful, original, strong, and striking. Chainmail and vintage watch parts.
COUPON! Get 30% off storewide with coupon code: NARKNON Good until Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017.
14. Samsung Chromebook 3, 11.6″, 4GB RAM, 16GB eMMC
We have two of these (one for a college kid, one for a reporter). A good option for all-purpose computering, fine for movies and streaming. We used to buy refurbished, but now we get cheaper new machines so we can get the warranty. You have to get used to storing everything on Google Drive or saving it on a disk, rather than on your machine. A solid choice that doesn’t cost a million dollars.
Amazingly sturdy at a great price. Nice and roomy and attractive, and the strap is comfortable. It’s bigger than it looks in the picture, believe it or not.
16. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
A good introduction to Terry Pratchett and Discworld. Sergeant Vimes is the best. This one has a lot of dragons in it.
Good and heavy, smooth and easy to use. Comes with decent case, strap, cloth, and lens caps. Birds! The moon! Neighbors!
Lots of strategy and cooperative play, or you all die. My teenagers play it with the younger kids (age 7 and up). Suspenseful and lots of pressure.
19. 5th Element Panther XT Inline Skates
Son skates around town after school every day. These took some breaking in, but now he loves them, and says they are comfortable and easy to maneuver.
Help a dead murder victim remember details about his grisly demise, using clues from arty and deliberately confusing “vision cards.” Lavish and complex cooperative game. Comes with an app to play spooky music to add to the atmosphere. (Full review here.)
Aw, wookit the widdle blood coming out of her nose. I don’t really understand Funko Pops.
22. Panda surprise mug
Helloooo! (There are also cats, monkeys, ducks, Santas, etc.)
These come in hundreds and hundreds of amazing, unexpected, sometimes inexplicable patterns. The material is clingy but not thin, and has a bit of a sheen and stretch, like a bathing suit. Gathers fall nicely, and flares way out when you spin. On the short side, as you can see.
24. Die Hard: The Authorized Coloring and Activity Book
Sighhh. She loved it.
25. “Fools! I’ll destroy you all” Button
For that one kid.
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Now we’ll move on to some gifts for kids in middle school. These are not hard and fast lines, as you will see.
Every single person in my household loves these pillows. (NOTE: The link above is just the pillowcase! You have to buy the pillow insert separately.) We have a blue-green-purple/black one and a few silver/gold ones, but there are many color combos. Draw with your finger to flip the sequins over, and reveal another color. Endlessly fascinating and soothing to play with, and they have held up remarkably well. Remarkably!
27. Mighty Jack and the Goblin King
The much-anticipated sequel to Hatke’s graphic novel Mighty Jack, which follows a boy who has to spend his summer helping his single mom care for his sister, who has autism, and who doesn’t speak — until she does. Good stuff, with an exciting twist at the end for fans of Hatke’s other work.
28. Minecraft stop motion animation set
This is the set that got my son started on stop-motion animation. It comes with a little stage, backgrounds, many props, a little stand for your camera, and an app to animate the photos and share.
My son has branched off on his own and now uses the free version of the app called Stop Motion Studio by CATEATER, but he says this set gave him the confidence to get going.
29. Godzilla 7″ Vinyl Figure from Destroy All Monsters
One of the many Godzillas my son uses for his stop motion videos. Nicely detailed and sturdy.
It’s possible my son is the only one in the world who wants these, but he sure does like them. I can’t explain it more than that.
31. Bricky Blocks Black Snapback
Bring your Legos with you! Put your Legos on your head! What a time to be alive!
We got this with great reluctance, thinking it would be flimsy for the price, and that the kids would get tired of it soon. Nope! They use it a lot and have a lot of fun. It’s great for parties, and fun for the little kids to play with their big brothers. Kinda loud, but it’s air hockey. They just stand it up on its end to keep it out of the way.
Please tell me my kids aren’t the last ones in the world who like Pokemon. Good fit. Rather charming.
34. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe
Works as a standalone for kids who are not yet familiar with Squirrel Girl.
For the kid who can’t stop doodling. Also great for car rides. Write with the stylus on the black screen, press the button to erase. That’s it. Surprisingly durable for the price. We have a couple of these in different colors.
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And gifts for younger kids and toddlers:
36. Crocodile Toddler RC Car with Music and Lights
Toddlers really can control this simple RC croc. It does play manically cheerful music, flash lights, and chomp its mouth while it runs, but darn it, this thing does not break. It’s been in constant use for a year and is still going strong. Lots of fun to watch the little guys use it and baffle the cat with it. Good battery life, too.
37. Mama Kangaroo and Joey Plush, 13″
Sweet and sturdy. Good for the kid who likes to make sure the baby is always where he belongs. Stands up by itself.
Exciting, frustrating, some teamwork required, but lots of competition. Very entertaining to watch. Kids have to decide if they should push themselves a little further to do more and more challenging, silly tasks.
39. Tempera Paints Set, 16 oz, Pack of 6 .
Great price for this much paint.
40. Rubie’s Wonder Woman Costume
Runs a little small. I like the star pants. Makes a kid feel super without sliding into “sexy tot” territory.
41. Lots of things from Door Number 9. Here’s the wonderful St. Michael prayer Pillow, featuring a prayer very obviously written by a real kid:
So much geeky fun here, some of it Catholic, much of it for adults or older kids. We have several of Elisa’s lovingly handmade products and we adore them.
42. LYRA Ferby Triangular Colored Pencils
Our beloved kindergarten teacher introduced us to these lovely colored pencils. I balked at the price at first, but they are quite good. Vivid colors, nice and smooth, and easy to grip, even for lefties, and the tips don’t snap off.
Cute and goofy, and very warm. Holds up great. My daughter wears this nine months out of the year.
Bright plastic tubes you whack to make different booming tones. You can arrange them in different orders on the mat and hit them with sticks, hit them with each other, or use them to hit other things. Music and hitting things! Sounds like a happy childhood. Longest tube is about two feet. These have been stepped on and mangled without any ill effects.
45. Chicken Soup with Rice Board Book: A Book of Months
Possibly the greatest poem ever written. I’m always happy to read this one. This is a sturdy board book. Here’s to you, Mrs. Ida Perles!
46. Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus by John Hendrix
A fresh and exhilarating style that incorporates the words of the text into the illustrations. Quite powerful.
47. Little Tikes Shopping Cart
We looked at many, many shopping carts, and settled on this one because it has a little seat for your little friend to ride along. Irresistible. This gets constant use. The bigger kids have managed to take it apart, and then put it back together again, with no ill effects.
48. My Little Pony Monopoly Board Game
Uhhm, check the price on this one. The price currently listed is insane, but it seems to fluctuate. The game itself is nice for MLP fans and gets lots of play. Pony game pieces are heavy and well made, not flimsy.
49. Melissa & Doug 20 Animal Magnets in a Box
Bright and pleasant. Magnets have stayed on, animals have not peeled off, despite occasionally getting wet.
50. Dreamy Dress-Up Butterfly Wings
We keep buying these. Found some lovely bright ones this time. The material is strong, but thin enough that you don’t have to take it off to strap your little butterfly into its car seat.
A slightly odd present, but I knew my five-year-old would love it. These are just transparent colored paddles to play with, mix together, and look through. Despite they way they are arranged in the photo, they are not attached together. I strung six of them on a chain and put the rest away so I could replace them as needed. Kids love peering through them and seeing Purpleworld or Everythingisgreenville. It’s just cool! Good for car trips. There are also slightly raised different patterns on each.
51. Tinkerbell’s Learn Ballet Step by Step DVD
I previewed tons of ballet videos, and this one is by far the best. It teaches the girls actual ballet positions, but is simple and easy to follow and has pleasant piano music. The teacher is cheerful and seems to enjoy children. It’s not manic or cutesy and has no unsettling mascots or animated characters (“Tinkerbell” appears to be some generic name; there’s no Disney fairy involved). Kids can use a chair back as a barre.
52. Kitty Cat Riding A Unicorn T-Shirt
For the child who, for reasons of her own, is slowly building a collection of strange, oversized cat shirts. This is actually a men’s size, but that’s just not right, so I’m putting it in the kid present section.
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Whew, that’s all for this year! Hope you find something good.
