I’m the worst gift giver ever. I only buy practical gifts and trust me no teenager wants to get period underwear, sneakers or a set of fine writing utensils (“wow, pens…thanks?”). Since I know this isn’t my thing, I leave the creative ideas to my hubby but in 2020 where literally anything can happen I thought I would try my luck. I pulled on my big girl panties (a previous holiday gift I bought for myself) and started my quest to get my teenage girls some fun, unique, and yes some practical gifts. Now a word from our sponsors…I’m an Amazon Associate and Seint Affiliate so I do earn a small commission if you buy using my links – thanks! Back to the show…Here’s my kick ass list:
Heated Blanket: I’m sick and tired of my entire family complaining how I turn down the heat at night. I’m trying to conserve energy, save a boat load of money and I’m menopausal so I have my own internal heating system and it’s all over the map. My hubby likes it warm so he raises the heat when I’m sleeping and I wake up dripping in sweat like I ran a marathon in my sleep. Everyone in my house is getting their own heated blanket except me of course. Thanks hormones!
Vegan, Zero Waste Non-Toxic Bath Bombs and Scrubs: Sure, I could try to make these myself but I’d rather find another eco-freak who makes them better like the ones I bought from Life Around 2 Angles. I love giving luxurious bath stuff as gifts because no one ever splurges on this for themselves and it’s the perfect gift because no matter how old you are, when you drop one of the those bad boys into the water and it’s starts fuzzing up and turning green you squeal like a kid taking her (or his) first bubble bath.
Books: Before you groan, I’m not buying them War & Peace or The Iliad. My oldest is now into witchcraft, pagan religions and all things Wicca. So instead of rolling my eyes, I’m embracing it and buying her books and tarot cards. Now let’s hope she doesn’t do a bunch of spells on me where I vomit bugs. UGH I hate bugs.
Crystals: Another thing my “Wicked Daughter of the West” loves is crystals. She cleans them, says prayers over them, wears them and even slips them into my purse “to protect me”. Hey in the world of Covid I could use some extra good juju. I just did a bunch of shopping on this site and even found something more to my own tastes. So raise your hand if you just bought yourself “The F*ck Candle” (I’m raising my hand).
Tea Gift Set: After a long afternoon of paganism, who doesn’t love to sit down to a relaxing cup of tea? It seems more authentic for her to use loose tea so I found this heavenly celestial tea strainer that she’s gonna love (she always telling me about constellations and Uranus – insert laugh) and a bunch of different teas to try. And now I don’t’ have to uncomfortably giggle to myself when she asks me to get her a “Tea Bag”.
MakeUp: Both girls have different skin tones from me yet they keep using my stuff. Or we go to the drugstore and all they want is that toxic crap that’s tested on animals and is filled with chemicals I can’t pronounce. Not only do I care about their lovely faces, but I care about mine too. I’ve switched to using Seint which is color matched perfectly to your own skin tone and made from clean ingredients. Made in the USA, cruelty-free, reasonably priced and free shipping…always.
Mascara: What Seint doesn’t sell is mascara. I’ve tried all the clean ones (check out my Top 5) but I’ve found a new one I LOVE. Again, both my girls use my mascara (ewwww) so I got them each their own from Thrive Causemetics.
Shower S
peaker: My girls love music and although I like silence while showering and my hubby likes to shower in the dark (no idea why), my girls want to sing. This wireless shower speaker means I no longer have to worry about their phones getting wet and I can stop keeping uncooked rice in trays to dry them out.
Light Décor: (a teenage version of a night light): No matter how old you get you like to sleep with some sort of night light. But when you’re a teenager it’s called neon décor (it’s still a nightlight).
The Comfy: This is one of those times I rolled my eyes at my daughter who HAD TO HAVE THIS. I got it and then I never gave it to her. OMG this is just about the best sweatshirt/blanket thing I’ve ever worn and perfect for this winter of staying home and never getting out of PJs.
Games: I never played Dungeons & Dragons but I’ve got a kid who is obsessed and gets on Facetime and plays with her friends. If this keeps her connected to her friends and they’re doing something other than talking about Sex, Drugs or (God help us) Country Music, then I’m all for it.
Head Phones: We hate all the wireless stuff. Maybe it gives you cancer, maybe it doesn’t. So we try to be cautious and wire up when we can. I also don’t let my kids wear ear buds. That’s right! “Worst Mom EVER!” alert. OH THE HORROR. Now I’m not an otolaryngologist (I’m not that kind of doctor), but again, I’m gonna be overly cautious. My husband constantly complains about ringing in his ears. I tell him that’s called an alarm and it’s time to get up but he’s convinced it’s from a misspent youth of absurdly loud rock music and concerts (He says Def Leppard, but I’ve seen pictures of his childhood room with Debbie Gibson posters). We didn’t have ear buds back then but I’m guessing it would be much easier to do some serious damage if we had them. Oh what a blessing technology is. Sadly, my kids taste in music tends to be “eclectic” so headphones in my house are still a necessity.
Ring Light: If your kid TikToks like mine this is gonna be the most awesome, most practical, and definitely most used gift of all time!
Pillow: If socks and underwear are the “plain vanilla ice cream” of gifts, then the last gift on my list is “Nicholas Cage eating a bowl of plain vanilla ice cream” meaning it’s the lamest of the lame with extra lame sauce on the side. This one is my favorite and that’s why I saved the best for last. “They” say you should replace your pillow every 1 to 2 years but I think I’m sleeping on a pillow that I’ve had since Knight Rider was on Thursday nights at 8pm. There’s a local cat shelter that scatters pillows everywhere because the cats love to hang out on them so it’s time I donate my favorite smooshy pillow to a good cause and buy us all new pillows. I tried this one out by accident when I hopped into my friend’s bed and leaned back against this cloud of awesomeness and the best part – you can remove and add stuffing to get it exactly the way YOU want it. Pillows for everyone, the gift that will hopefully give you a good night’s sleep. See…Best Gift Ever!
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