The Mom in Me . . . gift ideas for 18-year-olds

Most of my posts here have to do with my books and writing career. But I'm also a mom, and have decided to occasionally post a thought or two about that part of my life under the heading The Mom in Me. 

A friend of mine’s son turned eighteen recently, and we were discussing how much harder it is to buy for teenage boys than girls. It made me remember some of the fun gifts we gave our daughter when she turned eighteen. Being me, I had to come up with something that fit the “theme.” :-)

So, with that in mind, I set out to find items that somehow related to her and/or the number eighteen. Thought I’d share a few of them, just in case anyone out there is looking for some inspiration.

First off, in doing a little research, we discovered that Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th president of the United States, and that his image just happens to grace the cover of a fifty-dollar bill. That was a no-brainer!

After cash, jewelry almost always works for a girl. She got 18k gold earrings and an 18-inch strand of pearls.

From there we had to get the creative juices going. I think we came up with 18 different shades of blue, and gave her a blue shirt or socks or something like that. We found 18 kinds of candy that she liked, and wrapped 18 individual little gifts. That was a fun box to open (and watch her open).

In Kansas City, 18th & Vine is a famous historical jazz district. She likes jazz music, so we gave her a jazz CD featuring some local artists.

I can’t remember everything, and that’s probably about the extent of it, but you get the idea. We did some online searches and spent time brainstorming. It took some effort and thought, but it made for a fun and memorable birthday.

Feel free to share additional ideas! What creative gifts have you given?

When gift-giving is like math . . .

I’ve finally started wrapping the Christmas presents. It’s something I enjoy, but the math part is kind of stressful this year. Math, you say? Yep. I have two children. And I want to be fair. That means, they need to have approximately the same number of gifts, and the gifts need to equal roughly the same amount of money. So I spread everything out, and I’m adding, I’m combining. If I put this with that, then it’s only one present to unwrap. When the kids open their gifts on Christmas morning, I don’t want one to be opening a whole stack of bags and boxes while the other is done in seconds.

One kid wants cash. How many bills, in what denominations and number of boxes will it take to equal the gifts for the other kid? I don’t know . . . it sounds too much like a college algebra problem to me. I’m a writer. I don’t do numbers. I do words!

But I also do gifts. I really like to give presents, and to watch people open them. On Christmas, I don’t want to rip through all the presents in one big, chaotic frenzy. I want to savor the unwrapping. I like to delight the recipient. I want to see their face, and know that I’ve chosen well. At parties with a round-robin gift exchange, I’m always disappointed if my gift isn’t one that’s coveted, and “stolen” by others.

I think I did a pretty good job this year! So if I’m a little off on my math, hopefully everyone will be too busy enjoying their awesome gifts to notice!

Bookstore Shopping is Fun Shopping!

Well, darn. I couldn’t get all of my Christmas shopping done at bookstores. But it was close! Had to break down and buy a couple today at your basic shops like Macy’s and Eddie Bauer. Unfortunately, that required a trek to the Mall. Happily, though, while I was there, I also bought two gifts from Barnes & Noble. 

So I have now purchased multiple items from three local bookstores, and I got really good stuff. I love these bookstores that carry cool office supplies, cute kids’ crafts and games, note cards, picture frames, calendars, stocking stuffers, puzzles, etc. It’s amazing how many gifts you can knock out in one awesome bookstore! 

If you haven’t finished your shopping (and, really, who has?), don’t forget that books make great gifts, but most bookstores these days offer a whole lot more as well! Shop local, and let’s keep our wonderful bookstores in business! And just think, while you're there, you get to browse shelf after shelf of books! What's not to like about that?!