My stepson is coming for xmas. I have NO CLUE what to get him. He wants a touchscreen ipod. ROFLOL. Not gonna happen. I don't want to spend over $120 total for several presents.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

Does he like to read? My 12 yr old DS has several books on his wishlist along with the new Harry Potter DVD, iTunes GC. I'm not sure what his big gift wish is. Clothes and shoes are always a good idea.

well, his mom is getting him clothes and shoes. My son (same age) asked him several times what he wanted and that's all he would say. Apparently he thinks his last name is Trump.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

I have a 12 year old son and can not be of much help. He got an Xbox360 for his birthday and part of his Christmas gift and he just wants a game for it and somthing to keep it cool. He would also like one of those Flip camcorders. It is on sale at Best Buys for $79 but mine doesn't have any in stock so I don't know what I will give him. He doesn't like to read and never wants clothes or shoes for a gift. Good luck, this age can be very hard to buy for.

Go to the Applestore at Apple and look at the refurbished products. You can get him an iPod, and actually a nice one (but not a touchscreen) from there for that $ amount. I have purchased refurbished products and they are better than new!

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"Well-Behaved Women SELDOM make history."Laurel Thatcher Ulrich


"Yesterday is but a vision, and tomorrow is only a dream. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a dream of hope." Anonymous

"Your candle does not lose it's light by lighting another candle" Generosity

Have the courage to be yourself.

If you find out what to get him that won't set you back a month's worth (or two!) of salary, let me know! My almost 12YO DS has a Christmas wishlist that's unreal!

We did get him some karate items he asked for as well as some video game accessories. Santa's bringing an XBox360 (against my better judgment) so it's going to be slim pickin's otherwise for both of my boys.

I honestly thought about getting him one of those Axe bodywash/deodorant/body spray sets to see if he would be inspired to smell like something other than adolescent boy mixed in with a good dose of wet dog. Then I figured I'd keep my $9.99 and spend it on Febreze instead. Ha.

Good luck, jaded. Hope your holidays are good!

jeanie, he's got an mp3, he just wants the $299 touchscreen one.

3togetready, I thought about one of the flip camcorders (my son is getting one) but my FIL got him a REALLY nice digital camera that takes pictures and video just 2 years ago. It was crazy expensive, and his mom said he doesn't even use it.

mom2randd, FUNNY!!! I had to read your post to my dh. We laughed for a good long while at that one - just imagining you running behind him spraying!

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

Does he by chance like to skateboard? This is my 12 yr. old ds big gift this year.

Amazon.com: The Wave Street Surfing Board (Green): Sports & Outdoors

Wow...glad I'm not the only one that thinks this age is impossible! DS just turned 12 last week, so I not only had to figure out something for Christmas, but birthday presents were a challenge too. He has given absolutely no ideas (except for cash) and I hate getting all video game stuff.

I agree with the previous poster that the Waveboard thing has been very popular, unfortunately just not something my DS is in to.

I have one this age (13), too. Toys are but a distant memory. I find you have to go with their interests at this point and mine has two: video games and football. So, he is getting a couple of newly released Xbox360 games (at $60 a pop, they add up fast!), some "donator packs" for an online game he plays, an NFL player jersey, a new football, binoculars, and some UnderArmour stuff. I don't give either of my boys generic clothing or shoes for gifts; that just wouldn't make them happy. He does like his Old Spice body wash, body spray, and deo though and I gave him some of that last year.....used to be Axe, but I guess he decided he was an Old Spice man.

I was really interested in the wave board, but not sure he'd like it. His grandma doesn't like to give video game stuff, so I'm going to suggest that to her. Looks neat! My parents are getting him a new pair of football gloves and a marshmallow gun (these look like fun and hopefully will be a hit!)
Buy Marshmallow Fun Company Marshmallow Shooter, Camo Series Online at drugstore.com
Last year, I got him an Air Soft gun and a target that they had a lot of fun with for awhile - if you're OK with that kind of thing.
Amazon.com: M16 M4 Airsoft Rifle Electric Gun Fully Loaded: Sports & Outdoors

Good luck!

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

How about a flash drive ?? My DS uses this for his PS2 games. I got him one of these for his stocking.

CD's of his favorite group??

The new Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Is he interested in engine repair or anything??? How about starting out his tool set???

My DS's list was hilarious this year. He actually asked for a new Jeep Wrangler. hahahahhhahahh. We are getting him a paintball gun, but, they run $160 on sale, so I don't think you would want to go that route.

How about a dart board , darts, and a cabinet??

It definitely gets harder once they get older.

I'm going to check out that marshmallow gun for DD, she'll get a kick out of something that shoots marshmallows. She won't be shooting them, I'm sure.....she'll be eating 'em.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I have a "just turned" 15 year old. He always receives a board game for Christmas... (Imagin' If, Apples to Apples, Cranium are great ones!); Axe pack (including body wash); a "case" of soda (I rarely let my kids drink soda at home, so this has been a big hit for years) in which they can drink it in one sitting if they like, or make it last; I also buy a few Energy Drinks from Big Lots and put that near his stocking. One year, Big lots had single bottles of pop titled "YELLOW SNOW"! I always put in a huge package of gum purchased from Sam's Club for his stocking; Movie passes also find their way into his stocking.

This year, he is getting a "Fathead" adhesive for his wall of a football player from his favorite team; DVD's (for some reason he likes to watch Talledega Nights and other movies geared towards his age group over and over again); PS2 games and PSP games (I found on sale during Black Friday); UnderArmour items (he plays football); a new hat from LIDS; a new South Pole hoodie; Boxer shorts, boxer shorts and more boxer shorts (I ordered a pair from 'Hooters', his favorite NFL website, etc...); I also traded some MYCOKEREWARD points for a $20 gift certificate last week for a different 'football' website that offers $4.99 shipping and I got him a few "goodies" featuring his favorite team. Oh yeah, I also ordered a pillow (like a chair) that he can use when playing video games in his room (ordered from QVC). These are items off the top of my head.

HTH,
Holly

Geez, I agree - 12 is the worst age to buy for. I have no idea what to get my DS either!! He has video games on his list, but that's about it. He definitely doesn't want clothing or books!!

I finally went to the Build-A-Bear Store, and bought him Rudolph. I didn't have it stuffed - figured we could go back after Christmas and he could stuff it, and maybe buy some cheap clothes for it. LOL!

Otherwise, we did Pokemon & Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards, Magnetix, Remote Control Car, a few Video Games, and that's about it. He just came to me yesterday and said he wanted the Rock Band Game for XBOX360 (right - that is a mere $170.00). If he had told me that sooner, that could have been his big present. Now I am about done, and can't afford that anymore! :O)

Good-Luck!

Well, I don't have a 12 year old son but I think the best gifts are activity oriented. I have no idea where you live (town or country) or what part of the US, but . . .

2 tickets to a nearby theme park
GC to a Frisbee Golf course OR Paintball center OR skate park OR Ski or Snowboard park OR ropes course OR indoor rock climbing OR something similar
GC to a local Rec Center (where he can play sports or swim in the pool, etc.)
tickets to a concert that he would love to see (chaperoned by Dad, of course)
a "mini" trip to a nearby town or city that he would like to see and stay overnight in a Motel


Does he have any other interests Hockey, snowboarding, skateboarding, swimming, anything

He lives in Texas. We live in VA. I have no clue what's around him. He won't be here long enough for a concert. He wouldn't like a mini trip. don't know what else he likes, b/c he won't say anything other than that damn touch ipod.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

I know many will disagree with me and that's OK, I'll give my opinion anyway, LOL...

Could you just give him the amount of cash you would spend on an item and though it wouldn't be enough for his touch ipod, he can either save up and get his own touch ipod(thus teaching the lesson of how expensive things are)or he can buy whatever else he may want. And then maybe you could just do a stocking with a few inexpensive items like candy, gum, etc.

Good luck.....I have 2 girls much younger so I still have it easy!

What about Guitar Hero III? I think it is around $80 - 100 dollars depending on the format. We have GH2 and everyone loved it last Christmas. GHIII is highly rated too. You'd still have enough money for a couple of smaller presents with that idea.

I have a 13 year old boy too. His big present this year is a WII and a couple of games. His birthday was in November. He took his birthday money and bought a used Ninetendo DS and a game.

Another idea -- does he have a cell phone? You could get the Tracphone or Virgin Mobile without a contract. I think they run $20 to $50 dollars. Then buy a phone card to go with it.

A wallet with a few dollars in it makes a nice small or large gift depending on the dollar amount.

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Donna

Hey CJ,
Thanks for telling us about the marshmallow gun. I just bought 3 of them. Drugstore.com (that you pointed us to) had a much better price than Amazon. I got free shipping and it should be here before Christmas.

You rock!! I'd give you rep power but I guess I've given you some recently and Mycoupons won't let me until I spread it around. Anyway, thank you!! A cute idea.

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Donna

For those looking for the marshmallow gun, I noticed on upromise yesterday that they have a link where you can buy them 2/$30 or 3/$40.....in case that helps anyone! Oh, and pays 5% to your upromise account.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

you guys give great suggestions. tag, I think we may have to do just money. Dh thinks that his mom told him to ask us for the touch b/c she thinks we have lots of money. We don't AT ALL - we're on a VERY strict xmas budget.

He had a cell that his mom took away b/c he ran up such a HUGE phone & text bill and b/c he was getting into so much trouble @ school.

Supposedly she doesn't like video games but he told my son that he has an xbox 360 (of course, he's been known to lie about stuff like that, so who knows).

I thought about an air gun or even marshmallow one, but the neighborhood he lives in is not the best and I'd hate for there to be confusion about the realness of the gun...

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

I just bought the marshmallow gun for my 11 year old dd! She will love that - what a great idea! I also bought a touchscreen sudoku for my mom who just retired Friday. She will need to do something to keep her mind active. I've never been to drugstore.com. I plan to go back, that's a great site!

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

What about a folk guitar or a cheap electric guitar? Most teenage boys love music. You might find a good used deal at a music store, or a package combo with the electric guitar.

My son plays piano, different kinds of guitars, drums and trombone. We have a very noisy house!!

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Donna

Well my son just turned 11 and I thought he was hard to buy for. The only things he has mentioned is Guitar Hero 111(which I did buy), a pair of shoes that are $120(not happening) and a membership to a strength and fitness place geared toward kids 10 and up(he really wants this one for basketball). Last year I made him a no sew fleece blanket(actually just a new one because he has already had a ton of them) in the Phx Suns colors with basketballs all over it. I got him a jersey and Suns tickets(it was his favorite gift). This year I got the video game, I did by him AXE(but he actually uses it because he is interested in girls so he likes to mask that boy smell), and I just made him a new blanket with electric guitars all over it and ordered a guitar hero shirt(hoping it makes it here because the 1st order I received was NOT my shirt). Boys are so hard. My son does appreciate giftcards(especially to fast food and movies or a local fun zone liek bowling or lasar tag). I also did the book thing. GOOD LUCK!!!!

Think I'd rather smell the wet dog than Axe I got my son right after gym one day and Lordie i had to roll down the windows he was so strong. though i refuse to go into any store in the mall where they plant the perfume counter in the middle of the doorway too it should be off to the side somewhere

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Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
http://bookcrossing.com

My other favorites
www.paperbackswap.com
www.wheresgeorge.com
www.geocaching.com

DS finally told me something he wanted....so of course I had to run out and get it! It is Nerf Dart Tag..got it at TRU for $40. It is similar to paint ball but with suction cup darts rather than paint balls. I had my doubts when he was telling me about it, but it got pretty good reviews so I decided to go for it.

My DS just turned 13 a few months ago he is getting: a fathead, stereo, baseball training equipment, a chocolate phone, a rip stick, a light up gel ant farm (my personal favorite!) itunes gift cards, a magnetic dart board (so I don't have holes in my walls) a few video games, motorola walkie talkie things. I have no idea what to put in his stocking! I think that's the hardest part. It's the cheap stuff I don't know what to buy!

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Kristie
mom to Tyler (11/94) & Joycie (3/99)
www.thegrandskofour.shutterfly.com

Wow, Kristie - that's a lucky teenager you have there! What a nice assortment of gifts.

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

Luckily my dd doesn't have a list so full of expensive things so I was able to get only 1 or 2 pricier things for her, and the rest of her stuff didn't cost too much so it works out!! She's only 8 so I'll take advantage of that while I can! At this point I don't spend equal money, I give an equal number of gifts, as long as people are getting what they want!

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Kristie
mom to Tyler (11/94) & Joycie (3/99)
www.thegrandskofour.shutterfly.com

I went out today to try to find a few things that weren't video games....I bought this neat-looking, new game that might be good for boys in this range - HyperSlide....seems a little bit like air hockey.
Reviews, while few, look pretty good. I paid $20 at Target.

Hyperslide - Hasbro - Toys "R" Us

Amazon.com: Hasbro Electronic Hyper Slide: Toys & Games

HTH....got a rip-stick too. So much for keepign my spending limit.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

I agree with Guitar Hero. If he really has a game system.

I have purchased 4 different versions of that game since Nov. First, DD told me to get it for the PS3 for DGS for his b-day, then I bought it for Andy for the Wii and for Jack for the PC. DD called me the day it arrived and told me it was the worst gift I have ever given any of her kids. It was driving her crazy. LOL She called a few days later and told me to get it for the PS2 for Xmas. So, I guess it wasn't driving her too crazy.

Oh, the reason I had to buy it for the PS2? GH3 for the PS3 doesn't have Journey on it. My grandchild is weird.

Yeah this ahem 30+ year old Mom has been found in the video game isle playing Guitar Hero while son stood by hopeing his friends didnt come by lol I liked the umm I can Play guitar too.

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Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
http://bookcrossing.com

My other favorites
www.paperbackswap.com
www.wheresgeorge.com
www.geocaching.com

What did you ending up giving him and did he like it?

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips