We did a post on this topic already to distract us from the election, but I’ve had more ideas / wanted to tell you which ideas I’d used, and also I’m getting a little panicky about shopping ARE YOU GETTING A LITTLE PANICKY ABOUT SHOPPING? It’s just…you know. Pandemic. Schools going remote or hovering on the edge of it. The uncertain gap between the election and the inauguration. Potential impending snow. The USPS still under poor management. Stores promising shortages and shipping delays. IT’S A BIT MUCH.
I talked last time about my idea to get Rob his own pizza pan, pizza cutter, and potholders, hopefully a pleasingly practical gift (he makes pizza A LOT) but also to give him a feeling of hope that one day he might not have to live with his parents; I’d expect him to keep using our stuff in the meantime, but to tuck this aside for his days of freedom. I did go with this idea: I couldn’t find the same pizza pan we have (which is completely unmarked) but I chose him this well-reviewed Doughmakers pan that is about the same size; I got him the same OXO pizza cutter we have; and I got him this set of potholders.
I also talked last time about how the one thing Rob misses about his phone (his broke and he is trying to go without) is its ability to have timers/alarms. He is currently using a kitchen timer that maxes out at 99 minutes, and he just keeps resetting it, and it is driving me crazy, I mean I wanted to solve that problem for him. I first tried to find a watch, but I got bogged down in options, and nothing seemed right anyway: even the ones that DID have alarms only had, like, three. I asked Rob how many daily reminders he needed, and he said about TEN. So anyway I chose this, and who knows if this is even the right kind of thing but anyway I bought it:
Robin Clock with Custom Alarms and Calendar Reminders. It’s designed for older people who need memory help, but it seemed perfect for what Rob needs it for, and it allows for limitless reminders—as well as annual recurring things such as birthday reminders.
And I got him a kalimba, which was Elizabeth’s idea: she remembered that my brother asked for and got one last Christmas and that it was fun to play with.
Rob also has a melodica (this Hohner 32), which has been tremendously successful, if you’re looking for a fun and interesting musical instrument for a musical kid, especially a kid who already has some keyboard/piano skills and would like to try them out in a new and odd way (it’s like a…piano-flute):
Based on your collective game reviews and also a reply to an email I sent to my friend whose family loves board games, I’ve bought these games so far to give to various children:
Carcassonne Big Box. I was hesitant to spend so much money (it’s been going up and down in price; I bought it at $60) for a game plus ELEVEN expansion packs when I don’t even know if the kids will like the game or not—but my friend said it was one of her family’s favorite games, and the price of the Big Box was going for only a few dollars more than the price of the basic game plus only ONE expansion set, so I risked it.
Duple. I thought this looked like something the kids would like, but to be honest the real reason I bought it is that it was in my cart going “Only 10 left!,” “Only 4 left!,” etc., and I panicked.
Ticket to Ride. A lot of you mentioned this and then my friend mentioned it too, so I bought it. I am a little crabby that I bought it on sale for $44, and this week Target has it on sale for $25. But BYGONES. I already considered the option that I could email Target and ask for the difference, but I am not going to do that (for one thing, I’d ordered it more than a week before the price change) (for another thing, all Contact Us links lead to phone calls or live chats) [edited to add: OKAY FINE I contacted them via live chat and they refunded the difference and I DO feel so much better about it].
Plus, I DID get Settlers of Catan on the $25 sale, after ALMOST buying it on the $44 sale, so I feel that averages out nicely. This is another game a number of you recommended and then my friend also strongly recommended. I have been warned that I need an extension set if I want it to work for 5-6 players, so I have one of those in my cart and will hope for a sale. (Does anyone know if the EXPANSION packs ALSO make the game work for 5-6 players? I got overwhelmed trying to figure it out and gave up.)
ALSO: on the recent Tipsy Swistle post, commenter Erin in CA mentioned to another commenter that she buys Deadbolt Mystery Society packs for her family and I went “!!!!!!!” followed by IMMEDIATELY ordering one to give as a gift to all five kids. I had no idea which to choose so I went with their 2020 Holiday box. (Make sure you pay attention to their instructions for how to order a single box that DOESN’T automatically renew. I ordered it as a gift to myself, which seemed to be one of their suggestions? I hope that works.)
If you’ve had any further ideas for the high-school/college-age/early-twenties set, this is a good time to mention them!























