Holidays
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Gifts for in-laws
HELP!
No idea what to get for my in-laws! His parents like to go antiquing and do light traveling around the US. BIL is an engineer, likes gaming and TN Titans. SIL is a SPED teacher. Nephews are 5 yo and 8 mos. This is our first Christmas married and I feel like we'll be expected to give gifts. Neither my husband or I gave gifts to the other family members the four Christmases we were dating.
Yikes!
Re: Gifts for in-laws
My MIL loves to go antiquing also.
Does your H usually get gifts for his parents? If so, just add your name to his where it says who it's from. If not, ask your H what she likes.
If he is totally unable to give you any ideas, or if you want to do something different, then do something simple like a gift card to her favorite store, or any place she likes to go, or do something more personal.
One idea would be to buy a nice frame and put your wedding photos in it. There are some nice ones for around $20, and the photos would only cost you a couple dollars. Here's an idea for one below:
http://www.amazon.com/Burnes-Boston-542540-Opening-Collage/dp/B005O2260G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351033891&sr=8-1&keywords=family+frame
A easy gift for the parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents on both sides are wedding photos in a nice frame. If there are good photos of the siblings or little ones you can give those pictures as gifts. I'm sure hey would like to have a photo to remember the day by too. At least our family did.
If you don't go this route do gift cards or add your husbands gifts.
H's family = H's responsibility
That's not to say you aren't allowed to suggest something or help him out if he wants/needs it. But it's his family. He's been handling Christmas gifts without you so far. Why do you need to come in and change it? The more effort you put into this, the more hurt/disappointed you'll be if they don't appreciate your time and thoughtfulness.
That said, I like food. Home baked goods - cookies, breads. Specialty foods they don't get often. I once ordered a case of somebody's favorite brand of hard to find snack. Booze if they drink. If you live far away, send a local specialty they don't have access to.
I give food whenever possible. It goes away - either it's eaten or thrown out. I don't know anybody who needs more STUFF.
Agreed. I make sure that we get them something but DH is in charge of determining what is given.
I agree with the other posts about letting your husband worry about gifts for his family. Then just add your name to it. For your family, you should be in charge of gifts, and then add your husbands name. Easy peasy.
How ever, maybe there are circumstances that we don't know about in which the above is easier said than done. If his families gifts truly are your problem, I would go with gift cards + wine. OR make up a little basket of wine, nice cheese, crackers, spread and/or candy that you know they like. It shows you put thought into it, and you really can't go wrong. Also, do you bake? You could bake every one a tin of cookies or candies.
Just my opinion, but I'm not so sure about the advice of giving framed wedding photo's as Christmas gifts. Everyone stresses about trying to find gifts for people that they'd enjoy. If I had put the time and effort into finding a gift I thought someone would enjoy, and then their gift to me was a framed picture of the 2 of them, I'd be put off. Maybe for the parents, in addition to what ever gift might be ok. But, If someone wants to frame their wedding photo for close family members, I think that would be best done sometime after the wedding but not as a holiday gift.
We are giving both my parents and his parents photobooks from the wedding.
Other then that we are not buying any presents additional to what we would have bought before, just now its from both of us instead of from one of us! We usually decide on a price amount we want to spend on each person and go from there. We do buy gifts for my nephews, but not expensive ones (they don't need more toys anyways! But its nice to have something they can open and be excited about, so just a $5 dump truck and a $10 tub of mega blocks and done).
My Blog:Through My Eyes
I disagree with just letting your husband do it because most men could care less and everyone will end up with like bowling balls or something ridiculous. It obv. depends on the man but I *personally* feel like it's the role of the wife to do this just like send out thank you cards, birthday cards, etc but it's just my opinion I know so don't hate me all for it everyone lol.
I personally would only get the inlaws and the kids stuff, not the siblings.
BUT that being said maybe get the in laws a book on antiques, a gift card to a restaurant they like, or I got my MIL a wine journal where you record all the wines you've tasted from your travels, rate them and say who you were with etc. I think she'll love it because they're millionaires and travel all the time etc.
BIL - Gift card to Game Stop ( I like giftcards, can you tell? lol)
SIL - Bath & Body products or a candle because being a previous teacher myself, you get a litttttllee tired of all the teachery ornaments, pillows, etc.
Nephews- 5yo - Bakugon (they're SO popular with kids these days) 8mo-I'd get a money bond because he doesn't know or care what you get him but he'll appreciate it when he's trying to save for a car. BUT if you have to go the toy route some stacking blocks, a wood puzzle, something that they push around like a toy food shopping cart, etc.
Hope this helps!
I think thoughtful will always trump expensive. Some ideas:
How about something from Snapfish or Shutterfly, like mugs with a family photo, some nice coffee or fancy tea, a book that they'd enjoy?
Since this is your first official Christmas as a family, perhaps there is a way for you to "give" a tradition from your family to his. For example, my dad always makes these incredible waffles after we open presents, so I could make a homemade mix, put it in a mason jar, decorate it, and attach a pretty recipe card (along with an explanation). Also, my mom and I wear matching pjs on Christmas Eve (we're total dorks), so I could give my MIL or SIL her own set.
Finally, one of THE BEST Christmas gifts I've ever gotten was from my little brother's best friend when she was in college. It was a long, handwritten letter about how much I meant to her growing up and how she thinks of me as a sister. A beautiful, heartfelt letter and some baked goods sound like the perfect, meaningful gift to me.