Gift ideas for two wee lasses

November 30, 2015 1:39 PM

Help me come up with gift ideas for two lovely Scottish lasses that I can order online. They are 14 and 8, and I've not seen them in years and have no idea what they are interested in (I know...) or what's cool for girls their ages or what's cool in Scotland!

The last two years I've done advent boxes for them, filled with 25+ smallish gifts that I've bought and individually wrapped. I love the idea but I just don't have the time, it was pretty stressful last year. So I want something that I can order online and have sent to them, and that might hopefully be cool enough that this year doesn't feel like a total let down. I'm assuming for that I'm better doing one big gift but I don't have any idea what that would be. For info, they live in Edinburgh, so metropolitan area with access to lots of shops (so gift cards could be good but I have no idea where) and live in a small apartment. Budget about $100 each.

Help!

posted by pennypiper to Shopping (9 answers total)

Honestly I can't tell you *specifically* because it depends on the individuals. What I will say is - the fact they are two Scottish lassies won't really make a difference. :P What's cool in Scotland is what's generally cool in consumer land anywhere else really. In Edinburgh there are all the main high street shops you would get anywhere in the UK. Jenners is the most special shop of the lot if that helps.

Sorry! Hopefully others will be of more help...
posted by Ariel432 at 2:03 PM on November 30, 2015

Ah, yeah, maybe I phrased my question with an emphasis on the cutesy, my bad! Let me try and do a better job :)

- What are the going trends/hot items/cool things for ~14 year old girls?
- What are the going trends/hot items/cool things for ~8 year old girls?
- What are the cool stores or experiences in Edinburgh for ~14 year old girls, for which I can buy a gift card online?
- What are the cool stores or experiences in Edinburgh for ~8 year old girls, for which I can buy a gift card online?

Thanks!
posted by pennypiper at 2:14 PM on November 30, 2015

Have you asked their parents? I would start with them if it's an option.
posted by cairnoflore at 2:35 PM on November 30, 2015

If I were to receive something from Scotland, I would want it to be Scottish. So maybe something quintessentially American? Depending on where you live, maybe sweatshirts from a local university or a city? I work with young teens who love anything foreign, because it's a status symbol. My guess is that your Scottish lasses would rather have something special from the US than a gift card.

When in doubt, buy scarves or Alex and Ani bracelets.
posted by hippychick at 2:54 PM on November 30, 2015

I asked the parents, they didn't know. And they've gotten plenty of generic Americana gifts from me and other extended friends/families in the past, so I'm looking more for something that's just a good gift for girls their ages who happens to live in their city. I thought it was the usual, vague, help me with my christmas shopping post, but I guess it's harder than I thought if the hive is drawing a blank!
posted by pennypiper at 3:59 PM on November 30, 2015

I got this for a dear 7 year old friend. She's grown up around selfies and digital cameras and smart phones so for her a "polaroid" experience is very, very cool.
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 8:26 PM on November 30, 2015

8 year old: $100 puts you about at the price point of an American Girl Doll, which is a hot toy for most of the girls I know. Even if she already has one, you could buy one of the newer "novelty" models. For instance, I just saw on their website that there's a 1960s hippie American Girl Doll. She's kind of awesome! This only qualifies if she likes dolls though, so I'd run it by the parents before purchasing. Other ideas: lego sets, Breyer horses, toy pottery wheel, Star Wars! I saw a remote-controlled R2D2 at a toy store the other day and all the kids and adults wanted to play with it! I think this is the one. I once bought this Paint-Your-Own Russian Nesting Dolls kit and thought it was one of the cutest craft kits I've seen.
14 -year -old: Do you know if she's into fashion? $100 might be enough to buy a brand-name accessory or clothing item. Brands that are popular with the teens in my circles: North Face, Ugg, Fossil, Madewell, J. Crew. Ugg boots with black leggings and an oversize sweater/sweatshirt seems to be a universal cold-weather look. Or how about a nice set of hat/gloves/scarf from REI or Northface? Also: Is she on instagram? Can you get her a certificate to make a book of her instagram pic, something like this? I've also had success buying wireless speakers and iTunes gift cards for teens.
Gifts they could both like: Flannel pjs, monogrammed robes, those turbie twist hair towels (I'm imagining sleep-overs). You could combine that with a chocolate Advent calendar. Godiva makes a nice one. Or you could send the younger girl a Play Mobil Advent Calendar - they're adorable! That would be a nice way to continue the Advent calendar tradition (which was really sweet of you and yeah, I can imagine it's a hard one one to repeat again).
posted by areaperson at 8:53 PM on November 30, 2015

Here's an example of a PlayMobil Advent calendar.
posted by areaperson at 8:59 PM on November 30, 2015

I would say cosmetics/bath stuff you can't get over here is a good shout - Bath and Body Works and the like, as well as nail varnish from China Glaze, OPI and Zoya, which are harder to get here - they do some fun Christmas glitters. Small things you can't get here are always cool. My favourite present when I was eight was, oddly, a German desk organiser which allowed me to change the dates and had secret compartments for things.

Teens here (I'm in the UK) seem to really like Hollister and Abercrombie - their shops only opened in the last few years over here so they're still a bit exotic. If either of them lean Goth then Hot Topic - there's nothing really like that here. Jack Wills and Superdry are big with teens here too. Flannel PJs would be really cool - they always seemed like something from American family movies to me.

I would have loved an American Girl or similar historical doll as a history nerd kid, but some eight year olds may consider themselves too old for dolls.

It might be worth posting on on a UK-based forum like Mumsnet (not to be confused with Netmums, which has headache-inducing design) and asking there - many will have children that age, or live in Edinburgh. From my job I get the impression teens and older girls are really into Zoella and other UK vloggers, for example, but I might be completely off. Ypu could also try looking at somewhere like Asos, Topshop or Boots to see what kind of things they're selling at the moment. Argos and Smyths are popular toy retailers here, so you might get some ideas from those.
posted by mippy at 5:07 AM on December 10, 2015