Do you have 'wow' factor Christmas gift?

[KrisM]

Good idea. I should do that! Now, if I could just come up with something I think he'll love!

[KrystalS]

I think this is so much harder when you have older DC and much younger DC. DD is 7 and DS is 1. DS is getting a powered ride on car of some kind and DD has no clue what she wants. I think its a lot easier to get the big wow factor for younger DCs. The older kids get the smaller (and more expensive!) the gifts seem to get.

[TwinFoxes]

Well, last year was the first one that the girls really "got" that the stuff under the tree is theirs. We did a wow gift, two trikes. They walked right past them to the tabletop Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! We should have known they'd like that best. Eventually though they realized what the trikes were.

This year, I don't know what the "wow" gift will be. I'm thinking some sort of large block set or something like that, or maybe a doll house. I have a doll house from Garnet Hill that was on super sale (like $19) after Christmas last year that they weren't old enough for until now.

[Melaine]

I was tempted this year to put his biggest (one I think he'll like best) gift in a giant box first so it looks more impressive.

Beth

I like that idea! My brother and his best friend started a tradition when they were maybe 7 or 8 of elaborately wrapping their gifts to each other. The top layer would be a huge box and beneath would be a slightly smaller one and so on. They used lots of recycled packing supplies from other packages and made it impossible to guess the gift (often small!). It was really fun watching them open those gifts, it sometimes took 10 minutes! I think it started when one of them was trying to hide what the gift was by making it a completely different size and shape.


I do want a WOW gift this year. Their birthday was last week and was VERY modest (more so than any year in the past). I don't think they missed a thing, but we only gave them one smallish gift because their BIG gift will be a trip in a couple weeks to see a play. They are thrilled about the play but I do want a big gift for Christmas. The only thing I really have planned are the Garnet Hill doll houses. Not sure if that will really get the big thrill I am hoping for though. I also keep thinking that this is their last Christmas as "only children" (I know, it makes no sense). Next year we will have three and things will be even tighter, money wise.

[Seitvonzu]

my daughter turns 4 two days before christmas.... my inlaws always come at the end of november and bring their birthday/christmas presents at that time. MIL insists on a "big" present (size and monetary...i guess i'd equate it to your "wow" idea) and then brings tons of other stuff too . *sigh*

past "wow" gifts from the inlaws-- christmas #2-- nothing really stands out (there was TONS of stuff...lot's of momento business, even though it was her second christmas/1st birthday)-- maybe the stroller/baby doll?, christmas #3 (when mommy started suggesting )-- WOODEN elves and angels KITCHEN , 2 pieces, christmas #4 calico critters manor doll house and TONS of accessories.

as you can imagine-- this makes it hard for US to find something our child will be impressed by however, i'm sorta immature and don't like to be left out of the fun. so i always try.... here's Santa's (our) list of "wows" so far---
christmas ONE (that's when was 2 days old folks)-- Pier One Hobby Horse (i had DH go out on christmas eve for this one , then played a reciept game after the holidays and got it for approx 38 dollars!!!!lucy still LOVES "macaroni")
christmas TWO: Rody
christmas THREE: hard to remember/weird christmas-- we traveled to my parents and i had to have birthday/christmas SENT their instead. i bought a mini kitchen set (Ag bitty twins) to set up as a "wow" but then, lucy got a little people fairy set from santa (really my brother/his wife) that ended up being more of a WOW -- she LOVED that
Christmas FOUR: large mountainous train set, similar to plan all set up on the coffee table (maybe also the twig blocks/ fairies i set up with glitter trees....turned out "bigger" than i thought)

i tend to go over board... and i like to have a bigger thing for her birthday too...but sometimes that just isn't possible so i focus on "quality" things (like a really nice puzzle, a more pricey boutiquey game, one of those books that never seems to go on sale... retail price clothes i couldn't resist, etc). last year her special birthday gift was a bamboletta doll....she has JUST started even paying attention to it (and that required taking the doll outside and letting her play with her on the playground)

a few months ago i bought this on sale (from the same place, go figure.... it's now 120 dollars more )--
http://www.landofnod.com/all-toys/to...drum-kit/f4925

despite the "six and up" i thought that would be this year's "wow" from santa. after seeing it as one of the "wow's" on the tv show Real Housewive's of New Jersey i'm doubting myself i think we'll wait until AT LEAST next year on that. it's nicely in the box right now. yesterday i hit a great gymbo sale on halloween costumes-- i bought 3 and a bunch of accessories. my thought was 'these work great with the circus theme i already have working"-- then i stopped at IKEA and they had lion hat/masks, a magician's hat, etc. and some great circus puppets (my kid is TOTALLY into puppet/shows right now). i also bought a blow up cushion thingy with an elephant cover and was hoping to get the circus tent (can't find any of this on IKEA's website right now????). anyhow-- that's wow enough for me (i'm going to look for a "chest" for the dress-ups), even without the tent (which is cute but we certainly don't need it)

so at four, even with our house FULL of toys, i still find it easy enough to go "big" and "wow." i suggested barclay blocks or a puppet theater (and a couple puppets) to my MIL. or maybe a sleeping bag. we'll see

[mousemom]

Good idea. I should do that! Now, if I could just come up with something I think he'll love!

As we got older, my parents would often wrap up something that represented an "experience" type gift. So a playbill for tickets to a play I wanted to see or fake tickets to a concert or sporting event or something like that. Is there some type of special experience that he might be really excited about?

[baileygirl]

I think this is so much harder when you have older DC and much younger DC. DD is 7 and DS is 1. DS is getting a powered ride on car of some kind and DD has no clue what she wants. I think its a lot easier to get the big wow factor for younger DCs. The older kids get the smaller (and more expensive!) the gifts seem to get.

I saw a powered ride on car that has a remote for the parents to control the car. I thought that was pretty cool if you were going for a walk.

[KrisM]

Right now, I'm thinking I'm get a variety of sizes of boxes and put 1 gift in each (board game or something) and stack 3-4 in a tower for a larger lookin gift.

This is hard. We went to TRU to look around today and he found 4 or 5 board games he would like, a couple DS games, and some Spy Gear items. Nothing overly exciting, really, but he'd like them all and play with them quite a bit, I am sure.

[Aishe]

I was tempted this year to put his biggest (one I think he'll like best) gift in a giant box first so it looks more impressive.

Beth

We're giving dd a camera as her Santa gift this year and I'm thinking of doing a box within a box within a box (and so on). I think Costco usually has a set at Christmas time.

[swissair81]

No Christmas shopping here, but my DD1 is usually very specific about what she wants for presents. It keeps the guesswork to a minimum. Last year she wanted human body books and activities for Chanukah. For her birthday, DH & I took her to a concert that none of our other kids got to go to. I think the gift of alone time was her favorite present yet. This year she tells me she wants a microscope and an air hockey table, but she's not sure which she wants for Chanukah and which she wants for her birthday. My other kids are easy. My son will be thrilled with any lego set/building toy/anything to do with trucks, ditto for DD2 and princesses or basically anything that is pink.