Christmas present for dil

i bought two sons and their wives similar joint presents.

One was a wooden bowl with a very rustic finish including a hole in the side. On the bottom is carved who made it, the date, and where the wood came from. Example ..... This bowl was made from an elm tree that came down on the xxx xxx Road following a storm in March 2016.
The second joint gift has the wood shaped into a beautiful lighthouse. It stands about 15" tall and the base has the polished root of part of the tree. Also stating the history of the tree.
The country roads where the trees were sourced are local.

Although expensive they worked out cheaper as a joint gift.

Another son got a leather coin / keys dish. It is made out of very thick hide leather and the corners are held together with rivets. Only cost £12 but would be impossible to guess a price. For his wife i got a hat and scarf made of finest llama wool, it feels as light as a cobweb and was crafted. It cost £45, a bit more than I'd wanted to spend but it is so lightweight.

We usually spend around £70 on each person close family but it was getting out of hand for 4 offspring, their wives and 6 dgc.

This year we've tried to make it around £35-ish and overall doing quite well.

As I understood from your message, she has everything materially but you can just choose an other type of gifts for her. I really recommend you to look through various experience gifts, it's such an unreal type because they're very interesting and give such nice memories! For example, my daughter got them for me not for once, I really liked that certificates for spa-salon, massage and art masterclass for quilling, I found a new hobby for myself after visiting it
Also what about her hobbies? Does she like anything except cool clothes and jewerly? You can get her for example an interesting book, tickets for concert/art exhibition, cooking gadgets, music CDs, cool pencils or wooden models www.kickstarter.com/projects/1469570445/wood-trick-0 if she's a creative person and likes art, good coffee or tea, also various handmade gifts like postcards, they're very beautiful and many people adore them too
And of course the last idea can be just money, in this case she can buy later what she wants, however is she has everything materially, I'm not sure if she really appreciates such gift...

I saw a post here that suggested a weekend break at centerparcs what great idea! Then I went to get it....as they have a 3 and six year old school holidays have to be accounted for. Researched half terms at her primary got the dates and prices had shot from £600 to about £1600. So no.
Perhaps I will buy her slippers.

This thread has popped up in the Daily Mail.

I did suggest this very thing to my son a couple of years ago, to his horror. I was just fed up with the whole thing of constantly worrying about what they would both like (son and dil) that was within budget. I said I would rather spend more on my grandson than get everyone presents, and quite honestly we've had 4 years of hampers from them which is a lot of packaging and a few small items in there somewhere.
We don't have an easy relationship with them anyway which makes it all the more difficult.

mrsmopp

l think its important that you buy your daughter in law a present it does not have to be something expensive but its important you do not exclude her , l am sure she senses tension with you and to be honest if you are calling her spoilt behind her back l think she is justified in feeling that any previous gifts given were from obligation and not from the heart , your son obviouslly loves her and you and not to be mean suck it up and try to get along with her find some common ground something in common .

All good advice and from past experience she loves the whole present thing. "This is what Christmas is all about - presents" she said last year and when we are out, she sees something she likes and runs to ask my son to buy it for her.
"ooh, buy me this," she says, and he says "you have ten of those already."
But the advice to open a discussion is a good one and I shall do that.

mrsmopp - ask your dil what she would like - at the same time ask her whether she has liked previous presents you have given her and that will bring the whole business of Christmas gifts to the fore as an item for discussion - if she has everything then maybe she will say she would rather you adopt an elephant or tiger for her, or buy a goat for a family in a developing country. When I had my 60th I made it plain that I had everything I wanted/needed but that I would be delighted if people wanted to buy some 'plumpy nut' via Save the Children for malnourished children in Africa mainly but also in other parts of the world. A pouch of this was less than £10 and people readily jumped at the opportunity to please me and do some good in the world. Sponsor the training of a guide dog for her or if she is the kind who really wants something for herself buy her a baking/bread-making/chocolate-making course or similar. If you have a discussion about presents she might become a better person and pass some of her wealth on to those less fortunate.
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Vouchers.

The way I am feeling at present towards my D in L and her fancy man, a one way ticket to China would suit. ☹️

I think anyone buying clothes for a DIL is on a hiding to nowhere. If she and your DS buy something for you jointly, why not buy something for the two of them such as something for the garden?

I send flowers either from Fentagollen
www.flowerfarm.co.uk/ or from
Cornish Blooms
[email protected]

DiL likes scented fresia and my brothers wives like scented narcissi. if you want to you can add biscuits or smoked meats etc. I have a list of addresses and do more or less the same order each year.

We banned Christmas presents for adults years ago. Just get them for kids, big relief all round - people have everything already these days.

Grandma 70 - did not copy yrs, honest, just saw it!

Never know what to get for my sons partner. Have never seen her use or wear a single, solitary thing we've given to either her or our grandson over the years, whether birthday or Christmas. So gift vouchers it shall be! Sorted

I don't stress about Christmas gifts. I pay for a family break away as my gift my 2 grandchildren are both under 5. This year gift is a wonderland at centre parcs break. But on xmas day the gifts I give will be small token gifts (socks for DD and for SIL) small token gifts for the GC. They don't have lot's of spare cash at the moment so a family break away is very much appreciated, or so I'm told. As a bonus I get to see 2 very excited little people.

My daughters in law have specifically said "please no more toiletries!".

Manicure, pedicure or spa day.

I like to buy a foodie/kitchen sort of gift as joint present to my brother and sister-in-law, and sister and brother-in-law - last year it was yoghurt maker and powders, was struggling this year but as Anne53 said I found Spice subscriptions from the Spicery - very reasonable and the one I got was 3 months, but they do longer ones and a variety of ones as well. Very quick delivery too - ordered Wednesday evening arrived this morning - first box has voucher inside for rest of subscription. Both sets love their curries so I look forward to tasting them as well

We did 'Secret Santa' for a few years and then gave it up completely, just buying for the GC. It makes life so much easier. I do of course buy little things i.e. scratchcards, calendars etc. for the adults which are always welcome.
We do give quite generously on birthdays but am thinking that perhaps even that is superfluous.

A few years ago I suggested amongst our little group of six friends we buy a charity gift-absolutely brilliant.
A couple of years ago our DD2 and 2 nephews all moved house so we pushed the boat out and bought them all a toilet overseas. This year back to buying nephews (who have all they could ever want) a lottery ticket for the hospice where their dear Dad was.
And this year I took the plunge and suggested to DDs we must bu for children-brilliant. As OPs have said sometimes it just takes one person to suggest it.
And, not wishing to be smug, but have all but finished present buying cos DD2 is expecting 2nd baby in a couple of weeks so there will be no time then to do anything will there? It has concentrated my mind I'll tell you!

Adults only of course - I'm already looking for presents for the GC!

100% with Grannynise! Love the challenge of the small Secret Santa and the charity of your choice benefits - win win! I am definitely going to suggest this to my immediate family this year, my wider family have had charity gifts for years.

Jo Malone candle they are expensive but a truly lovely gift and well known as being a great gift to receive.

If I'm stuck with what to get someone for a present my usual 'go-to' idea would be toiletries. We all need to wash, don't we?
If anyone says they have too much stuff I suggest that we just exchange cards. I've found that this often goes down well as it means that they can cross off a name on their list to make life easier.

Of course you can say it - on here! But maybe not elsewhere! Ask your son for suggestions or if there is a grandchild(re) would he allow you to take them shopping for their mum. Therefore they choose, you pay - and what they choose ..... Well there could be some funny choices knowing children's logic - laughs - what better?