Christmas Presents for a 15 Year Old Boy???

Hey K.!

We have 4 kids, and in order to keep Christmas manageable and fair we get the kids something from each line of this rhyme:

Something you want, something you need;
Something you wear, something you read.

We spoil the kids a little more on their birthdays, because their birthday is "all about them". Christmas is about others and giving.. so we just trying to keep it simple.

Hope this might be helpful (even though it didn't really give you any specific ideas for a 14 year old boy!!LOL)

Peace,
B.

Shirts with a favorite team name, something he needs/wants for a sport he's involved in, something you can do together like tickets to go someplace he'd really like. It's tough! Good luck!

here is an idea that I used on my teenager kids last year.
I bought them each $25 gift certificates from kiva.org. This is a micro lending site that l lends provides small loans to individuals around the world. IT IS NOT a charity, so after about a year, they get their money back. The kids can then choose to take it out and spend for themselves, or they can re-invest in someone else.

It is neat way to show how we as humanity are all connected, and that small numbers of people can make a difference. My family was a little "not sure' at first, but really became attached to seeing how their borrower was doing. The progress can be tracked, and its a great way to share the Christmas spirit without all the 'gimmee-gimmes.

K.,

I have a 13 year old son and hes very outdoorsy. He is hunting for the second time this year. I have gotten him a pair of mud boots, a really nice pair of gloves, and a very warm hat. I also got him some type of rain hat (he picked it out and I went back later and bought it).

One thing I do with my kids shortly before thanksgiving is take them shopping, we go to the toy dept, the hunting/camping section, and the video/electronics dept. I ask them "tell me what you like" I make a list and write lots of stuff down (mainly just to confuse them!) then when I go back I am reasonably sure its stuff they want.

Hope this is helpful.

My son is 16 and it can be tough to find things in a price range that is reasonable and isn't xbox or media related. Some things I have gotten my son: Magazine gift subscriptions to Car and Driver, Popular Science and of course the Xbox Magazine. If you go on Barnes and Noble web site you can click on the magazine link and see all sorts of options available. I have also bought him a tool chest and started buying him tools that he will be able to use as he gets older and has a place to store them. Once they are old enough to have a car they will appreciate having tools on hand to do minor maintenance. There are always things they can use for school, like a new calculator, flash drives, etc.. If he has a computer - what about an external hard drive for back ups, or dvd burner, etc.. Accessories for the computer. The other thing I buy him are gift cards - to the movies and places he and his friends hang out to eat. It is a challenge - but keep an ear open when he mentions his other interests and you will come up with all sorts of ideas.

Hi K.,
My son is also 15 and a video/runescape/facebook kid. He tried sports when he was younger but easily became frustrated. He now really enjoys archery. Something he can do on his own. We just bought a used bow on Craigslist really inexpensively. I am trying to talk my husband into getting a trampoline for Christmas. My son enjoys it at our friends homes. Once again, getting him outside and away from the computer. You can enroll him at your local Hunting and Fishing club for archery lessons. Good luck.

Just have him make a list to pick from.

hmm. tickets to the pistons, or red wings. Clothes. CD's. Books. Maybe start a savings account for him to help hime save up for a car for when he is 16. just a few ideas. I am not sure what teenage boys like these days.

How about an MP3 player. There are some that you can get fairly cheap. If you check www.woot.com they have daily deals and they have MP3 players on there quite often that are under $20.00.

I'd say another video controller or books on how to make your own video games. perhaps a gift card to a clothing store, then again count your blessings you know where your son is at all times. you could take a mini-scenic trip to a historic place. take a lot of pictures and make a photo album he can use for a school project.

First a 15 year old will understand that you can get 4 Barbies for the price of a video game. I would look at I tunes cards, gift cards to stores or a certificate for a shopping trip. Events are also an idea. I am taking my son to a Pistons game and my daughter is going to a camp. It doesn't have to be in a package from Wal Mart. Good Luck.

Dear K. K.,

It was expensive at $80 plus tax on sale at Walgreens, but we paid for two Sylvania MP-3/4 players with 4GB of hard drive storage and a viewing screen so they can download videos. It has a charger with it and rechargeable batteries. Our granddaughters don't like to visit their greatgrandmothers with us (we are the grandparents raising them) so I thought if they could listen to their music they could still go with us to see them and allow the greatgrandparents to see how they look at this age as well.

I don't plan to purchase anything else for them. I plan to make the 14-year old girl a new pair of hand knitted slippers because she has asked for them, but they will not be a Christmas present. I have always told them that it is more important that we have a roof over our heads and money to pay utility bills and money to buy groceries. They have always been O.K. with that because it is all they have ever known. We buy them what they need as soon as they need it and they have so many things to play with that they neglect most of it.

Hope this is helpful in some way.

L. C.

My 12 yr. old is modeling after his 15 yr old brother and has started asking for weight lifting things. Like a pull up bar is his current concern...for his birthday he asked for a weighted vest and leg weights. He also loves video games so I'm more then happy he has started asking for something else :)

Check out the most recent issue of Wondertime magazine. There is a really interesting article in there about what one family (with two pre-teen boys- I know, not the same at all, but still very interesting) does for Christmas, and there are a lot of other ideas after the article.
GOOD LUCK.
I know when I was a teen, all I ever wanted was cash and a ride to the mall. But girls are a different species in the teen years.

What about gift cards to a local movie theater or movie rental place like Netflix or Blockbuster?

Why don't you just ask him? Tell him that you will not purchase video games, he'll have to do that on his own with money he earns via allowance, etc. So with the video games 'off the table', ask him if he'd like clothes/shoes, gift cards, cd's or a stereo, an instrument or guitar lessons, a membership to a gym or a martial arts class, etc. Some malls have a basic gift card which allows the recipient to spend it at most any store in the mall. Most boys do like to shop, but they won't admit it. I'm in the same boat as you and thankfully have an 8 year old to keep Santa coming for a little longer. Good luck and Happy Holidays!

It's hard at this age, when he gets just a little bit older he will be happy with cash so he can get whatever he wants but I know you want to have something under the tree for him. Try feeling him out for a hobby or interest that may be developing so you could encourage the interest with the right gift (other than video games). Sometimes kids just need someone to spark their imagination.

S.

I have a 14 year old son myslef. He's also really into video games but one thing he asked for is a magazine subscription which I will probably be getting for him. I also got him a TracFone cell phone to where I can control the minutes he has and there are no suprises with phone bills. Some TracFones also come with cameras in them. It depends on what you want to spend. I'm also going to be getting him some clothes and new shoes that he really wants. Hope this helps - S.

HI
My suggestion would be some ski lessons or snow boarding stuff. I personally feel that kids spend too much time doing video games and not enough time outdoors or communicating with real people. Can your family take a trip or go to a lodge for a special treat for everyone? Your kids will remember an event, where sometimes a present is forgotten in a few months.
Merry Christmas!
M.

It is Christmas and if video games are what he really wants, why not? If you are concerned about too much video game time then set limits. What if there was something you had a great passion for and that is all you ever asked for and say your husband(if you are married)decided that wasn't a good idea for you for Christmas and bought you something else? Wouldn't it kinda ruin that day for you? I understand that the prices are high but he is also 15 and he understands his sis may end up with more because of cost. My son(15) knows what limit I will spend on him and gives me a list accordingly. One year he only ended up with 2 things while his sister had 5 but he understood why. the cash would be the next best idea(which will be probably be spent on video games). You could put it in a box so he still has something to unwrap.

Most teenagers I know want cash and/or gift cards to their favorite stores. I don't know what your driving rules are, but if he hasn't done drivers training, why not get him a gift certificate for drivers training. I did that two years ago with my son. But of course drivers training is not cheap...I don't know what your limits are.