Christmas gift circle ideas?
October 13, 2020 7:10 PM Subscribe
Last year, everyone had to buy each family member a mug. We ended up with about 24 great mugs in the house, restocking our depleted ranks. We've got five adults and one kid for this year's Christmas and we'd like to do another circle of buy the same gift type for everyone else. Socks have already been veto'd, and I'm not sure what would make a good ubiquitous item - we haven't broken enough mugs yet for another mug go-around. I prefer to shop early so ideas?
Umbrellas
posted by MelissaSimon at 7:19 PM on October 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by MelissaSimon at 7:19 PM on October 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
Logo or merch tee shirts for favorite bands, brands, tv shows, memes etc etc
posted by jello at 7:21 PM on October 13, 2020
posted by jello at 7:21 PM on October 13, 2020
Pillowcases
posted by songs about trains at 7:22 PM on October 13, 2020
posted by songs about trains at 7:22 PM on October 13, 2020
Bath towels!
posted by kellyblah at 7:26 PM on October 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by kellyblah at 7:26 PM on October 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
Board game or card game? Puzzles? (They were hard to find early in the pandemic, but seem to be back in stock now.) Throw blanket?
posted by lisa g at 7:34 PM on October 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by lisa g at 7:34 PM on October 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Make a dinner plate with the recipient’s portrait on it, hand drawn by the giver with permanent marker. Bake it in the oven and it becomes dishwasher safe. Everyone gets an inexpensive yet personalised handmade gift. And before people say ‘I can’t draw’ that’s the point, it’s not supposed to be professional.
posted by Jubey at 7:35 PM on October 13, 2020
posted by Jubey at 7:35 PM on October 13, 2020
yeah, cloth masks, washcloths, or squoogy/scrubby balls would all be good.
also, rubbermaid/leftovers/food prep containers?
thematically, you could build a disaster prep kit in one go by having each one "gift" everyone one component like flashlights, batteries, first aid items, etc.
posted by ApathyGirl at 7:37 PM on October 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
also, rubbermaid/leftovers/food prep containers?
thematically, you could build a disaster prep kit in one go by having each one "gift" everyone one component like flashlights, batteries, first aid items, etc.
posted by ApathyGirl at 7:37 PM on October 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
There aren't that many things I would want to get 5 of all once or that I would want 24 more of suddenly to appear in my house. Books was the first thing that came to mind. Well, that and socks. Food, games, t-shirts and gloves all seem like good ideas too. Finding masks that work well has been frustrating so I wouldn't mind getting 5 new ones to try but the idea that we're going to have to keep wearing masks for a while doesn't put me in a happy holiday mood. How about little tech gadgets and accessories - charging cables, flash drives, earbuds, etc?
posted by Redstart at 7:47 PM on October 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Redstart at 7:47 PM on October 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
Puppies! Just kidding. The answer is hats. You can never have enough winter hats.
posted by HotToddy at 7:47 PM on October 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by HotToddy at 7:47 PM on October 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
shot glasses?
I'd love 5 more charging cables.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:50 PM on October 13, 2020
I'd love 5 more charging cables.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:50 PM on October 13, 2020
oh, sharpies! they disappear like crazy. and you can get them in awesome colors.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:51 PM on October 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:51 PM on October 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Ooh, yeah, pens! Not just sharpies but all kinds. I'd be quite happy to get 5 boxes of different kinds of cheapish ballpoint pens. (And they'd probably all be lost by next Christmas.)
posted by Redstart at 8:00 PM on October 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Redstart at 8:00 PM on October 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Candles
Greeting card stash
Beverage - Shelf stable, either new to try or a solid known favorite. Could include hot chocolate, tea (loose or in bags), juices, sodas, non dairy milks.
Coloring books
Favorite underwear - I did this for myself this summer and it has been amazing.
Outdoor fun - could be a ball or a frisbee or sand castle buckets/shovel, bug spray, hammock. Some of these it’s nice to have more than one, like hammocks, but sometimes hard to justify. This also gives a range of budgets of that’s a concern.
Houseplants - warning you be prepared to repot almost immediately because many potted plants are sold up to and beyond the max size for the pot they’re in. Repotting 24 plants sounds like a lot of fun to me, ymmv. Helps if you have an idea how often you will want to/be able to water, and what kinds of indoor light you can provide. This prevents plant drownings.
posted by bilabial at 8:09 PM on October 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Greeting card stash
Beverage - Shelf stable, either new to try or a solid known favorite. Could include hot chocolate, tea (loose or in bags), juices, sodas, non dairy milks.
Coloring books
Favorite underwear - I did this for myself this summer and it has been amazing.
Outdoor fun - could be a ball or a frisbee or sand castle buckets/shovel, bug spray, hammock. Some of these it’s nice to have more than one, like hammocks, but sometimes hard to justify. This also gives a range of budgets of that’s a concern.
Houseplants - warning you be prepared to repot almost immediately because many potted plants are sold up to and beyond the max size for the pot they’re in. Repotting 24 plants sounds like a lot of fun to me, ymmv. Helps if you have an idea how often you will want to/be able to water, and what kinds of indoor light you can provide. This prevents plant drownings.
posted by bilabial at 8:09 PM on October 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Christmas ornaments
posted by Juniper Toast at 8:28 PM on October 13, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by Juniper Toast at 8:28 PM on October 13, 2020 [4 favorites]
Oh, you get 24 of the same thing? Yeah I’m not sure I’d want 24 plates with my face on it but having said that if everyone did their own face and gave it to you, you’d have a complete dinner set featuring portraits of every member of your family which would be super cool.
posted by Jubey at 8:43 PM on October 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Jubey at 8:43 PM on October 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
24 is two dozen which suggest baked goods to me. Spices would be nice especially if people bought the more exotic ones. Postcards. Bookmarks. Gift bags. Fake tattoos. Coloring books. Strings of mini lights. Seed packets. Keychains.
posted by emjaybee at 9:14 PM on October 13, 2020
posted by emjaybee at 9:14 PM on October 13, 2020
Books!
Christmas ornaments or other holiday decorations.
If climate allows, bulbs or other plants (I’d be totally in to getting 24 mystery bulbs)
posted by purenitrous at 9:40 PM on October 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Christmas ornaments or other holiday decorations.
If climate allows, bulbs or other plants (I’d be totally in to getting 24 mystery bulbs)
posted by purenitrous at 9:40 PM on October 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Favorite, great kitchen tools.
I would give everyone a fish spatula.
posted by SLC Mom at 11:32 PM on October 13, 2020
I would give everyone a fish spatula.
posted by SLC Mom at 11:32 PM on October 13, 2020
Notebooks and pens!
posted by athirstforsalt at 1:30 AM on October 14, 2020
posted by athirstforsalt at 1:30 AM on October 14, 2020
Cheese!
posted by hellopanda at 1:43 AM on October 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by hellopanda at 1:43 AM on October 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
Nice pans for cooking or cooking tools, like instant read thermometers and other useful devices.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 2:06 AM on October 14, 2020
posted by kitten kaboodle at 2:06 AM on October 14, 2020
I like the idea of Christmas ornaments, especially because they're the sort of thing that can also be home-made. Plus they're small and get packed away.
I would also enjoy "art supplies" or "DIY kits" because I love that kind of thing. You know, planters for painting, fancy soap kits, candle making kits... You can pick a thing you'd like to do with the recipient.
Ooh, experiences would be a good one too.
posted by stillnocturnal at 2:10 AM on October 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
I would also enjoy "art supplies" or "DIY kits" because I love that kind of thing. You know, planters for painting, fancy soap kits, candle making kits... You can pick a thing you'd like to do with the recipient.
Ooh, experiences would be a good one too.
posted by stillnocturnal at 2:10 AM on October 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
Masks really is the perfect option this year - life is so much easier if you have about 5-10 masks each at minimum, kinda like underwear, but unlike underwear they're items other people will see as you're out and about so it's really worth it having a bunch of different designs to coordinate with your clothing.
posted by Acheman at 2:22 AM on October 14, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by Acheman at 2:22 AM on October 14, 2020 [5 favorites]
Tea towels.
posted by sarajane at 4:40 AM on October 14, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by sarajane at 4:40 AM on October 14, 2020 [4 favorites]
Good lord there are only two humans in our house and I can NEVER find a flashlight. 24 of them would be heaven.
Assign each member of the family a specific travel sized toiletry. You'd be amassing a new travel kit for when we're allowed out in the world again. Bonus if you sit around and talk about your next trip.
Since you already have the mugs, everyone take a fancy cocoa or cocoa adjacent item (marshmallows, etc). Have a tasting. Or just sit around and drink really good cocoa.
posted by librarianamy at 1:31 PM on October 14, 2020
Assign each member of the family a specific travel sized toiletry. You'd be amassing a new travel kit for when we're allowed out in the world again. Bonus if you sit around and talk about your next trip.
Since you already have the mugs, everyone take a fancy cocoa or cocoa adjacent item (marshmallows, etc). Have a tasting. Or just sit around and drink really good cocoa.
posted by librarianamy at 1:31 PM on October 14, 2020
The only thing I'd want 24 of is some kind of food treat. So pick a different treat category each year -
- pretzels
- chocolate
- non-your country of origin sweet
- chips/crisps
- condiment
etc etc
posted by Zaire at 10:54 PM on October 18, 2020
- pretzels
- chocolate
- non-your country of origin sweet
- chips/crisps
- condiment
etc etc
posted by Zaire at 10:54 PM on October 18, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
Pajamas.
Knit hat.
Gloves.
posted by NotLost at 7:14 PM on October 13, 2020