What to gift?
December 12, 2005 6:43 AM Subscribe
What to buy a 16-y-o girl for X-mas?
I'm spending the holiday with my friend and her 16-y-o daughter, and I haven't the slightest idea for a gift, and mom was no help! She's a pretty normal teen, already driving (I already got her car-related gifts for her 16th b-day) and I don't want to spend more than $50, and don't want to go the gift certificate route.
I'm spending the holiday with my friend and her 16-y-o daughter, and I haven't the slightest idea for a gift, and mom was no help! She's a pretty normal teen, already driving (I already got her car-related gifts for her 16th b-day) and I don't want to spend more than $50, and don't want to go the gift certificate route.
Comfy PJ's and fuzzy socks. A spa kit. Good books. A fun board game. Magazine subscription. A nice handbag, or a Tiffiany keyring. Super-soft gloves/hat/scarf. Necklace/earings. A cute outfit.
All sorts of things. What is she like? A girl's girl? Tomboy? Counter culture? Traditional? Do you have no idea?
posted by dpx.mfx at 6:54 AM on December 12, 2005
All sorts of things. What is she like? A girl's girl? Tomboy? Counter culture? Traditional? Do you have no idea?
posted by dpx.mfx at 6:54 AM on December 12, 2005
If she's *not* tomboy or counter culture, a gift card to a place like Bath & Body Works or Victoria's Secret (if that weren't too utterly awkward—honestly, that depends on the specifics) would be charming, tucked away inside something more substantial or just something cute. Mix and match and have fun with it. Kids are easy to please, if they're not selfish brats. :-)
posted by disillusioned at 7:07 AM on December 12, 2005
posted by disillusioned at 7:07 AM on December 12, 2005
Tickets to the movies, rentals at your local video store, gift certificates to a local coffee shop... teens like to get away from their parents.
posted by k8t at 7:10 AM on December 12, 2005
posted by k8t at 7:10 AM on December 12, 2005
or Victoria's Secret (if that weren't too utterly awkward)
Oh, it sure would be.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:11 AM on December 12, 2005 [1 favorite]
Oh, it sure would be.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:11 AM on December 12, 2005 [1 favorite]
You could support independent homecrafters (many of them are teenagers themselves) and get her something really cool by shopping at etsy, or you could go to ten thousand villages and support fair trade handcrafters from other countries. Both of these shops have tons of amazing goods.
posted by iconomy at 8:05 AM on December 12, 2005
posted by iconomy at 8:05 AM on December 12, 2005
gift certificates go over well. Music store, iTunes, department store or favorite clothing store, etc. Then she can pick out her own to-die-for gift.
posted by shifafa at 8:05 AM on December 12, 2005
posted by shifafa at 8:05 AM on December 12, 2005
How about a pen camera, chocolate, comfy headphones, or an mp3 player?
posted by Alison at 8:05 AM on December 12, 2005
posted by Alison at 8:05 AM on December 12, 2005
When I was a 16 year old girl, I loved gift certificates! You can get what you want and shop with your friends! Even if it feels a little impersonal, I wouldn't axe them from the list of possibilities!
posted by mrs.pants at 8:11 AM on December 12, 2005
posted by mrs.pants at 8:11 AM on December 12, 2005
I had three teenage sisters in law, once upon a time. All of of them *loved* getting gift cards. Alternatively, you can buy gift-Visa-debit cards and she can literally use the card anywhere that accepts Visa. You know, for birth control, cigarettes, booze....
I keed, I keed....
posted by TeamBilly at 8:15 AM on December 12, 2005
I keed, I keed....
posted by TeamBilly at 8:15 AM on December 12, 2005
I agree about the gift cards, even though you said you didn't want to get any. If she is a mallrat like I was at 16 (there really isn't much else you can do at 16) then a couple of cards to stores at her local mall would be well loved. It's hard to go wrong with Gap, Old Navy, Bath & Body Works, FYE, or Sephora. If she is a girly girl, a Coach wristlet or keyfob would go over well.
Speaking of Sephora, they have a really cool gift now - a box of 9 perfume samples with a voucher for a full sized one for $45. I would have LOVED this when I was 16. All the perfumes in the box are really nice, and the samples are fun to play with.
posted by gatorae at 8:39 AM on December 12, 2005
Speaking of Sephora, they have a really cool gift now - a box of 9 perfume samples with a voucher for a full sized one for $45. I would have LOVED this when I was 16. All the perfumes in the box are really nice, and the samples are fun to play with.
posted by gatorae at 8:39 AM on December 12, 2005
Wow, that gift set is really nice, gatorae!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:41 AM on December 12, 2005 [1 favorite]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:41 AM on December 12, 2005 [1 favorite]
I know you stated explicitly that you don't want to go the gift card route, but I would definitely recommend them.
I was a 16-year-old girl once and--no offense to alms--but if I opened a gift of striped socks, you would have gotten a polite thank you with me thinking to myself, Great, I can wear these socks to bed because I wouldn't want to be seen in public wearing these. Every girl is different though, as suggested by dpx.mfx, so maybe your friend's daughter would LOVE to receive striped socks for Xmas.
For me, the gifts that I got throughout my teenage years from family friends were those gift baskets from The Body Shop. Much as I appreciated receiving the gifts, I was never a Body Shop fan and have a lifetime's supply of those glycerine soaps.
posted by phoenixc at 8:44 AM on December 12, 2005
I was a 16-year-old girl once and--no offense to alms--but if I opened a gift of striped socks, you would have gotten a polite thank you with me thinking to myself, Great, I can wear these socks to bed because I wouldn't want to be seen in public wearing these. Every girl is different though, as suggested by dpx.mfx, so maybe your friend's daughter would LOVE to receive striped socks for Xmas.
For me, the gifts that I got throughout my teenage years from family friends were those gift baskets from The Body Shop. Much as I appreciated receiving the gifts, I was never a Body Shop fan and have a lifetime's supply of those glycerine soaps.
posted by phoenixc at 8:44 AM on December 12, 2005
Alternatively, you can buy gift-Visa-debit cards and she can literally use the card anywhere that accepts Visa.
These things are a great idea in theory, but in practice they are a huge pain in the ass. My girlfriend got one last Christmas, and we had a hell of a time trying to use it up. It was fine at first but when it got close to empty, for some reason nobody could charge the card for "whatever is left on there." Even after we called the 1-800 number to find out exactly how much was left it took us quite a while to find a place that would charge that amount and then let us pay the rest with some other form of payment.
Maybe we just had a really long string of incompetent cashiers, but I think I would go with regular gift cards if you decide to go that route. Come to think of it, most malls offer gift certificates at the help desk that are good for any store in the mall, and we used to love those.
posted by Who_Am_I at 8:54 AM on December 12, 2005
These things are a great idea in theory, but in practice they are a huge pain in the ass. My girlfriend got one last Christmas, and we had a hell of a time trying to use it up. It was fine at first but when it got close to empty, for some reason nobody could charge the card for "whatever is left on there." Even after we called the 1-800 number to find out exactly how much was left it took us quite a while to find a place that would charge that amount and then let us pay the rest with some other form of payment.
Maybe we just had a really long string of incompetent cashiers, but I think I would go with regular gift cards if you decide to go that route. Come to think of it, most malls offer gift certificates at the help desk that are good for any store in the mall, and we used to love those.
posted by Who_Am_I at 8:54 AM on December 12, 2005
Tuck a gift certificate into a nice journal or photo album. It's a bit more personal that way.
posted by jrossi4r at 8:57 AM on December 12, 2005
posted by jrossi4r at 8:57 AM on December 12, 2005
When I was 16, I really liked getting clothes with gift receipts. There's also the option of nice pens and journals (she's in high school, she probably takes a lot of notes) or really good headphones.
Also, I love these super cute bags, and you don't have to be 16 to appreciate them.
posted by hooray at 9:03 AM on December 12, 2005
Also, I love these super cute bags, and you don't have to be 16 to appreciate them.
posted by hooray at 9:03 AM on December 12, 2005
Great headphones, iPod accessories (great case, workout armband, iTrip for the car, iPod speakers), thumb drive, yoga outfit, cute PJs, cool blank CDs for mixes for her friends from 5inch, surf/snowboard sweatshirt if she's into that, cool ricepaper lamp, one of the Lomo color or funky-lens cameras and a gift certificate for some developing at the local store, cool ring or tshirt from Elsewares (less than $50), cool fleece blanket and popcorn tin (Target has cute ones right now) and DVD for a night with her friends, nice laptop case (find out what/if she has one), two or three really great photo frames, Blik wall designs (they're removable!).
I agree that there are good reasons not to go the gift certificate route, especially if you're staying with them and want her to have something fun to open. If you don't know this girl AT ALL, please don't get another bath thing or Sephora thing. Everytime I got one of those from a nice but clueless relative or stranger, it just reinforced that "that's what all girls like" and that "I'm not a proper girl if I don't like it". I really, really hated that stuff. If she does like it, then by all means, go crazy with the beauty accessories - or maybe stick to something slightly more neutral Origins. Ask her mom what her hobbies are (what sport does she play? does she draw? snowboard? act? watch movies? doodle on the computer? program? write? volunteer? organize? read? listen to music? like to travel?) and tailor accordingly. There aren't any "typical" sixteen-year olds.
posted by fionab at 9:09 AM on December 12, 2005
I agree that there are good reasons not to go the gift certificate route, especially if you're staying with them and want her to have something fun to open. If you don't know this girl AT ALL, please don't get another bath thing or Sephora thing. Everytime I got one of those from a nice but clueless relative or stranger, it just reinforced that "that's what all girls like" and that "I'm not a proper girl if I don't like it". I really, really hated that stuff. If she does like it, then by all means, go crazy with the beauty accessories - or maybe stick to something slightly more neutral Origins. Ask her mom what her hobbies are (what sport does she play? does she draw? snowboard? act? watch movies? doodle on the computer? program? write? volunteer? organize? read? listen to music? like to travel?) and tailor accordingly. There aren't any "typical" sixteen-year olds.
posted by fionab at 9:09 AM on December 12, 2005
I'd be very wary of the Sephora, Bath and Bodyworks/Body Shop, and Victoria's Secret recommendations. Unless she is pretty girly, she might not have much interest in any of these. Additionally, as phoenixc says, teenage girls get given a lot of Body Shop-type gift baskets. If they're not into that kind of thing, the kits just pile up. The same caution goes for gift cards to mall shops - unless you have reason to believe she loves to shop or wears Gap clothes or would enjoy getting herself Sephora makeup, the gift cards won't be good gifts either. "Normal" isn't very descriptive [and suggests you don't know much about the girl]; unfortunately, contrary to what gatorae says, it's pretty damn easy to go wrong by assuming the girl is just like all other girls. Clothing choices and music choices [and makeup choices, I suppose] tend to be very personal things for teenagers, and if you're really so clueless about the girl, odds are you'll get it wrong.
I completely understand your reluctance to go with gift cards - they're very impersonal, and they make it obvious you have no real idea of who the recipient is. There's something less satisfying about receiving a card [even if you can use it to get something great] rather than a real gift. However, if you honestly know nothing about the girl, and there's no way to find out, then you're going to be stuck with something impersonal. That could mean very neutral gift cards - tickets good for any movie at a local theater, for example - or it could mean very neutral gifts like simple gloves and a hat, or a nice blank book and some equally nice pens. She won't be excited, but it won't be something useless or objectionable either.
A last thought: is there any reason why you can't directly ask the girl [or ask your friend to ask the girl] what sort of things she might like? As a kid, I was always fine giving a list of things I was interested in, because it upped the chances that I might get given things that I was actually interested in. Your friend may not be any help, but I'm sure her daughter has a pretty firm grasp on the kinds of things she's interested in.
posted by ubersturm at 9:12 AM on December 12, 2005
I completely understand your reluctance to go with gift cards - they're very impersonal, and they make it obvious you have no real idea of who the recipient is. There's something less satisfying about receiving a card [even if you can use it to get something great] rather than a real gift. However, if you honestly know nothing about the girl, and there's no way to find out, then you're going to be stuck with something impersonal. That could mean very neutral gift cards - tickets good for any movie at a local theater, for example - or it could mean very neutral gifts like simple gloves and a hat, or a nice blank book and some equally nice pens. She won't be excited, but it won't be something useless or objectionable either.
A last thought: is there any reason why you can't directly ask the girl [or ask your friend to ask the girl] what sort of things she might like? As a kid, I was always fine giving a list of things I was interested in, because it upped the chances that I might get given things that I was actually interested in. Your friend may not be any help, but I'm sure her daughter has a pretty firm grasp on the kinds of things she's interested in.
posted by ubersturm at 9:12 AM on December 12, 2005
Er, pretty much fionab's second paragraph. Also, "it upped the chances that I might get given things I would actually use." Meant to press 'preview', not 'post.'
posted by ubersturm at 9:15 AM on December 12, 2005
posted by ubersturm at 9:15 AM on December 12, 2005
I think the visa giftcard thing is a good idea, you can use it anywhere and it's more intresting then just giving cash, it'll make her feel more 'grown up' to use her own credit card
posted by delmoi at 9:27 AM on December 12, 2005
posted by delmoi at 9:27 AM on December 12, 2005
Ideas for a 16 year old girl: cashmere blend scarf, blue floral scarf, cool umbrella, silver and glass locket, kate's paperie stationery set, lorraine lunch bag, readymade magazine subscription, amelie, gardens-in-a-bag, 52 projects book, breakfast at tiffany's (hardcover), rushmore.
posted by cior at 9:37 AM on December 12, 2005
posted by cior at 9:37 AM on December 12, 2005
Maybe we just had a really long string of incompetent cashiers
Sounds like it, Who_Am_I; I was a cashier at a mall store, and it's really easy to type in how much you want to charge and then charge that amount.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:39 AM on December 12, 2005 [1 favorite]
Sounds like it, Who_Am_I; I was a cashier at a mall store, and it's really easy to type in how much you want to charge and then charge that amount.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:39 AM on December 12, 2005 [1 favorite]
A webcam.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 9:51 AM on December 12, 2005
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 9:51 AM on December 12, 2005
You have to be wary of anything clothes-wise - I love funky socks, but cannot wear anything with stuff between the toes (like one of the pairs linked to).
It's been a little while since I was 16, but the headphones, mp3 player or camera all look really cool, not as personal as socks and not as impersonal as bath things (besides, you never know when they might be allergic or just really hate smelly stuff). Think like toys, rather than accessories.
Mmm - I think at the time I would have much prefered a small camera to carry around than a webcam, unless she is a big computer geek.
posted by jb at 9:55 AM on December 12, 2005
It's been a little while since I was 16, but the headphones, mp3 player or camera all look really cool, not as personal as socks and not as impersonal as bath things (besides, you never know when they might be allergic or just really hate smelly stuff). Think like toys, rather than accessories.
Mmm - I think at the time I would have much prefered a small camera to carry around than a webcam, unless she is a big computer geek.
posted by jb at 9:55 AM on December 12, 2005
DEFINITELY gift cards. Movie cards are especially appreciated. I know some will hate the suggestion bit, Starbucks cards are often well-received. Or, ask their parents where she and her friends hang-out and see if that place offers gift cards.
It just fits better into the way they live.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:27 AM on December 12, 2005
It just fits better into the way they live.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:27 AM on December 12, 2005
Sex education books and a box of condoms.
Hey, at least they might be useful.
posted by drstein at 12:40 PM on December 12, 2005
Hey, at least they might be useful.
posted by drstein at 12:40 PM on December 12, 2005
Or, failing that, VISA gift cards really are a way to go. When I was a teenager, I would have much preferred something that I could go out and spend on myself rather than deal with something that was chosen for me. Saves on having to return the gift (because I hated it) and then try to ward off questions about it *next* Christmas.
There's nothing wrong with gift cards, and the pre-paid credit cards will let her spend it on whatever she wants. Can't think of a downside, not even the ol' "it's so impersonal" gag. Nothing impersonal at all about empowering someone with choices.
posted by drstein at 12:43 PM on December 12, 2005
There's nothing wrong with gift cards, and the pre-paid credit cards will let her spend it on whatever she wants. Can't think of a downside, not even the ol' "it's so impersonal" gag. Nothing impersonal at all about empowering someone with choices.
posted by drstein at 12:43 PM on December 12, 2005
Hmm... I'm getting my fifteen year old sister a copy of Beyond Good and Evil (read reviews, but I absolutely loved the game), but she also just got a computer, and likes video games. Perhaps your friend's daughter doesn't.
posted by Netzapper at 1:37 PM on December 12, 2005
posted by Netzapper at 1:37 PM on December 12, 2005
I'm going to take a slightly different tack...
I would recommend against 'things' because everyone's taste is different, and getting knick-knacks from people who don't know me gets really tiresome.
I would also recommend against gift cards, because there is something so tossed-off and uncaring about them.
Soooo.... I vote for 'experience' type gift cards for something like those paint-your-own pottery shops, a facial, pedicure or manicure, or movie theater vouchers, etc.
Plus, no wasteful packaging :)
posted by Anders Levant at 8:18 PM on December 12, 2005
I would recommend against 'things' because everyone's taste is different, and getting knick-knacks from people who don't know me gets really tiresome.
I would also recommend against gift cards, because there is something so tossed-off and uncaring about them.
Soooo.... I vote for 'experience' type gift cards for something like those paint-your-own pottery shops, a facial, pedicure or manicure, or movie theater vouchers, etc.
Plus, no wasteful packaging :)
posted by Anders Levant at 8:18 PM on December 12, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:48 AM on December 12, 2005 [1 favorite]