Meemaw's 2023 Holiday Gift Guide

by Meemaw

Wow! December again already! I always get to this point in the year when I wonder what gifts to get for my family at Christmas. While they are my family and I would love to shower them with gifts, I know that just buying "stuff" is not a good idea, and most of them have pretty much everything they need. So, what do I get for them? I always try to find out something that they do need and get that, but it isn't always easy. I also have some "littles" - great grandchildren, the oldest of which is 12, that I need to consider. I'm a different grandma, though, because instead of buying toys they won't play with after a while, I try to buy books I think they will enjoy reading more than once (some people read them more than once, you know).

Bits & Pieces

After all these years, you know I always go to Bits & Pieces to see if there's anything new. They started out as a jigsaw puzzle seller, but now they have lots more things. I used to want a 3D jigsaw puzzle, but never got one. Now they are found at Puzzle Warehouse under the brand Wrebbit.

Sudoku Table Game Board       $39.99       Game refill sheets (200) $19.99

If you know someone who's totally addicted to Sudoku, this might be a fun thing for them. It includes 100 game sheets that slide into the board. Each tile has the number on it in red on one side (when you aren't sure) and black on the other (when you are sure it's right).

Kinetic Wind Spinner       $79.99

I love these things! It's an ornament for your yard that moves in the wind and reflects the sunlight. Bits & Pieces has several.

Amazon

Another place I go for shopping is Amazon (I'm sure many of us do!)

LEGO Greenhouse Building Set       $79.95

At supper the other night, I asked everyone what they wanted for Christmas. To my surprise, my 19 year old granddaughter said she wanted LEGOs! I remember my grandson (who is 21 now) as a child who always had LEGOs in his jeans pockets. I couldn't believe that my granddaughter wants them now, but in browsing all the different sets, I find that they have come out with "Adult" sets now. Actually, I have found that whatever you like, there's probably a LEGO set for it, from cars to animals, from Marvel to Star Wars to Minecraft to Harry Potter. The flowers and bouquets are very interesting! Depending on how many pieces the set has, different sets run from $10 - $500).

Tabletop S'mores Set       $29.59

I was browsing in the Kitchen section, and came across this! Usually we make S'mores outside over a fire pit, campfire or bonfire. (I hope everyone knows, but S'mores are a dessert item that is basically a sandwich made from a graham cracker, chocolate bar and a roasted marshmallow.) This little item allows you to make them in the kitchen any time you want one.

Novelty T-shirts       $13 - $25

We've gotten to the point that we love t-shirts with witty (or nasty) sayings on them. Amazon has a big selection.

Newegg

Radio Control Helicopter       $39.36

Kids really like radio controlled vehicles! They have a blast seeing how well they can control them. The site says "The new Odyssey Quark 7500 is a 3 channel indoor co-axial helicopter. The Quark comes equipped with a high grade metal body frame and a built in Gyroscope which is used to stabilize the helicopter's heading. The Quark is the smallest helicopter in the world. The Quark is a great model for any beginner, from kids to adults."

3-in-1 Indoor Weather Station       $53.55

Some friends of mine have one of these and they love it. The site says;

• Compact Structure the simple design can be integrated into a variety of decoration styles, and multiple functions serve various purposes.
• Optimized Display Interface Layout adopts a large LCD color screen with backlight to display rich information, including indoor/outdoor temperature and humidity, comfort level, moon phase, weather forecast, time, alarm clock, week, barometric, etc.
• Upgraded Remote Sensor adopted more advanced and sensitive RF sensor technology and with 433.92MHz RF transmitting frequency and 60-meter transmission range in an open area, it collects data precisely and transmit fast to the indoor receiver.

It's designed to either hang on a wall or set on a table.

Popcorner

I found this site last year. It's a small business outside of Wichita, Kansas that does custom popcorn flavors. I ordered a couple of these sampler boxes last year, and the popcorn was really good. They sell big cans of popcorn, too, as well as fudge.

Popcorn Sampler Box       $39.99

They have many flavors, in case you are looking for something besides plain popcorn.

LL Bean

I always look at LL Bean to see what's new. They have awesome clothing and camping supplies, but they also have some different gifts, like Christmas wreaths and stockings, and also some outdoor items.

Snowball Maker       $7.95

We always used our hands to make snowballs, but this would speed things up if you were having a massive battle!

Take A Hike Jigsaw Puzzle       $29.95

The site says, "Explore and celebrate the most popular hiking trails in the United States with this colorful 500-piece jigsaw puzzle — no hiking boots needed."

I mentioned books too. Everyone in my family has a library card, but there are also sites where you can get good used books. Amazon has an extensive book section, where you can get ebooks for a Kindle reader, or printed books, or even audio books. They advertise used books as well. I bought books from Alibris last year, purchasing four children's poetry books by Shel Silverstein (my girls loved his poetry when they were young).

I hope you find everything you want to give this year, and I wish you a very happy holiday season!