need suggestions for fun gifts for my mom to play with Christmas morning
December 10, 2013 1:04 PM   Subscribe

I'm looking for a fun gift for my mom, specifically one that she'd be excited to play with on Christmas morning. You know how when you were a kid there was always that one present you couldn't WAIT to play with? That's what I'm looking for. My mom is 52, likes puzzles and games (we were a big board game family growing up), is not tech-savvy at all but does have a Nintendo DS. I'll probably get a game or two for her but I'm wondering if anyone has any other neat suggestions.

Right now the gifts I'm giving her are mostly practical -- clothes, books, etc. They are things she'll enjoy but I just want that one fun gift! She still manages to get fun gifts for my two siblings and me, even though I'm all the way grown (32) and they mostly are (16). Last year I bought her a Garmin for her car, so although it wasn't a 'toy' it was still something we could plug in and set up and fuss with. She's a widow and is always busy driving my siblings around (I live on the other side of the country), so I'd like to let her have some fun. I don't have a huge budget and am ideally looking for something less than $50.
posted by librarianjess to Grab Bag (17 answers total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
A Kindle is a great adult gadget, and the regular e-ink (non-paperwhite) one is $69. You can get a used one, or an older generation for less than $50.
posted by specialagentwebb at 1:15 PM on December 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Maybe a Perplexus, unless she's the sort of person that might get overly frustrated with it.
posted by bondcliff at 1:17 PM on December 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


I was just going to say Perplexus. It is nearly impossible to put down.
posted by Rock Steady at 1:18 PM on December 10, 2013


What about the Professor Layton games for her DS?
posted by jbickers at 1:19 PM on December 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


I was in the middle of recommending Professor Layton, then jbickers's comment showed up. So ditto.
posted by xenization at 1:20 PM on December 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


I absolutely ADORED the Professor Layton games for the Nintendo DS. Start with Professor Layton and the Curious Village and see if it's for her! Loads of puzzles in all types of formats and a wonderful story too.

I couldn't put that game down for hours.
posted by JenThePro at 1:21 PM on December 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Damn it! I was too late! Well done jbickers and xenization for beating me to it!
posted by JenThePro at 1:22 PM on December 10, 2013


I'm getting Brookstone Sand (SAAAHND) for my sister just because I want us all to sit around and play with it on Christmas morning.
posted by pretentious illiterate at 1:26 PM on December 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: Huh, I've never seen the Perplexus! That may be a possibility; we spent WAY too much time playing a marble tabletop basketball game a few years back.

I should have mentioned: she has both the Kindle (she's not really a fan) and ALL the Professor Layton games! She loved the Layton games but the latest one is for 3DS only.

Thanks for the suggestions so far, everybody!
posted by librarianjess at 1:28 PM on December 10, 2013


upgrade her to a 3ds and get her the latest layton game. heh.
posted by koroshiya at 1:35 PM on December 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Hmm ... okay, how about Hotel Dusk?
posted by jbickers at 1:43 PM on December 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Came in to suggest the 20 Q ball if she doesn't already have one. They used to be everywhere but Target online is the only place I could find it when I went looking today. If you haven't already got one it will keep everyone busy Christmas morning.
posted by BoscosMom at 3:43 PM on December 10, 2013


Has she played Scribblenauts? I'm a very casual gamer and that one is just so addictive that I played it all the way through.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 3:47 PM on December 10, 2013


If she has an iOS device or a computer, you could get her puzzles from Conceptis. I play them all the time on my laptop. They also have iOS apps with free samples and then pay as you go add-ons. I'm totally addicted to the color Pic-a-Pix's.
posted by elmay at 3:58 PM on December 10, 2013


Geomag

Super fun magnetic building toy.
posted by leahwrenn at 8:10 PM on December 10, 2013


Phoenix Wright - Ace Attorney for the DS. Brilliant game too.
posted by JenThePro at 10:47 AM on December 11, 2013


I was going to suggest buckyballs... but apparently you can't get those in the US any more, because sometimes children eat them. So how about ferrofluid?
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 4:51 PM on December 11, 2013


« Older Is this unethical doctor behavior?   |   Should I apologize to my girlfriends parents for... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.