Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

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Alf 101
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Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by Alf 101 »

'Tis the season, after all, when people gather together and give each other gifts. There's some debate about this, if at some point adults should just decide not exchange presents, and see the holidays as more about the good company of family and friends. This, however, is not the tradition in our family. We all need to come up with something to wrap up.

That said, in the last several years we've reached a state of equilibrium -- each year, among my brothers, we exchange Amazon gift certificates of nearly always the exact value; Amazon wins, but otherwise a net of zero.

Where it becomes interesting is coming up with something they can unwrap. As an adult, if you really want something, you go out and buy it (unless it's particularly expensive -car, boat, real estate, rare coins -- which you're not getting as a gift). So what's important here is finding something unusual and unexpected. I can rule out getting my siblings anything necessarily useful

As an example, here's something I got a brother last year:

https://www.amazon.com/BigMouth-Inc-Inf ... tiger+head

So I'm looking for something unusual, non-political, inoffensive enough for a family gathering(though a family where everyone has a strange sense of humor), and no more than $20-30. I'm embarrassed to say, other than maybe a doormat with rainbows and unicorns on it, I'm out of ideas. And the clock is ticking.

It's kind of a long shot, maybe, on the Boglehead forum, but maybe others are in a similar situation.
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lthenderson
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by lthenderson »

Our family tradition has always been to play Bingo. Everyone brings an equal number of gifts as is in their core family and we play Bingo for a preset amount of time. When you Bingo you pick a gift out of the pile. When all the gifts in the middle have been taken, you steal a gift when you Bingo. When time runs out, you open the gifts you have in front of you. This allows the adults to get a gift but don't have to buy one for all the other adults or even with a specific person in mind. The kids still get presents from most of the adults and open them up earlier and then play Bingo in hopes of getting another couple gifts.
mak1277
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by mak1277 »

A good bottle of wine or liquor if they would appreciate it is always a winner.
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climber2020
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by climber2020 »

Food & booze.
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Pajamas
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by Pajamas »

I agree that something edible is your best bet rather than wasting $20 on an inflatable tiger head or some other useless thing that is a waste of energy and the material it is made from and will collect dust until it ends up in a landfill. You probably know your siblings well enough to know if they might appreciate some unusual hot sauce or salsa, some high-quality chocolate, a bag of organic lollipops, etc. Just think of something that they would enjoy that they aren't likely to know about or buy for themselves on a regular basis if they do know about it and it will be a treat.

I don't see much point in giving them an Amazon or other generic gift certificate unless they need it because they are broke.
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djpeteski
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by djpeteski »

Various animal jerkey: $18
http://amzn.to/2iZXutm
Totally impractical, but fun.

Soap grenades: $10
http://amzn.to/2j1sMAr
Again, totally impractical but fun.

Stocking cap with built in bluetooth speakers: $18
http://amzn.to/2C0RNTx
Great useful gift for someone in colder climates

Headlamps $10
http://amzn.to/2C1vMnF
A valuable tool, and I can't get enough of these. I use them all the time.

Credit card multi-tool 5 for $25
http://amzn.to/2ASJj1K
I find these kind of things handy.
mak1277
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by mak1277 »

There are all sorts of reasonably-priced pocket knives that are great gifts for brothers too. I'm of the belief that every man should always be carrying a knife.
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JupiterJones
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by JupiterJones »

Pajamas wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2017 9:02 am I agree that something edible is your best bet rather than wasting $20 on an inflatable tiger head or some other useless thing that is a waste of energy and the material it is made from and will collect dust until it ends up in a landfill.
I would expand that definition to something consumable. Maybe edible, but maybe drinkable. Or maybe usable (like movie passes, or a car detailing gift certificate). Experiences are almost always better than things.
I don't see much point in giving them an Amazon or other generic gift certificate unless they need it because they are broke.
As a killjoy Boglehead here, I guess I should point out that it would have the advantage of letting them get something that they actually value commensurate to its cost, thus avoiding the almost certain deadweight loss of a typical gift.
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barnaclebob
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by barnaclebob »

I'm hoping my uncle gets everyone one of the "one chip challenge" spicy chips. He also usually gets us really unusual bottles of liquor which is fun. If I ever get through the bottle of Malort he bought me (by convincing other people to try it) Ill be amazed.

Edit, looks like the one chip challenge chips are fairly sold out and going for stupid high prices.
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flamesabers
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by flamesabers »

How about a personalized gift? It could be something like a wood carving with your sibling's name on it. Or how about ordering a calendar with family pictures on it? Unlike items you can purchase easily online or from a store shelf, personalized gifts usually require a bit of planning and design.
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praxis
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by praxis »

flamesabers wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2017 9:39 am How about a personalized gift? It could be something like a wood carving with your sibling's name on it. Or how about ordering a calendar with family pictures on it? Unlike items you can purchase easily online or from a store shelf, personalized gifts usually require a bit of planning and design.
I try to answer this question every Christmas. I go with edibles also, and I, too, try to be creative. Haley's Royal Cranberry Trail Mix is delicious and affordable. Enstrom Toffee is irresistable. This year we are choosing locally produced edibles. This is pecan country and several premium producers have gift boxes. We send an assortment of roasted, milk chocolate and praline covered. A friend's fruit orchard produces hot pepper jellies in many flavors including blueberry, kumquat and satsuma. We get good reviews on pepper jelly on grilled meats. Turduckens or boned, stuffed chickens are popular for local delivery. Butchers and food markets all over the country offer these during the holidays. Smoked or cured hams or bacon are well received. Depending on your heritage, cheese, herring, smoked salmon, lefse, tamales, finnan haddie, lutefisk, haggis, jamon serrano, mole or sauerkraut. All can be mail ordered.
TheHouse7
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by TheHouse7 »

One of the most fun Christmas I ever had as an adult was watching 3-5 year olds play with us with these:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Marshmallow- ... w/33359015

https://www.amazon.com/Marshmallow-Fun- ... B00077FCT0

(The 3 year old was best at picking up the ammo to eat it all over the unswept floor :D )
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DrGoogle2017
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by DrGoogle2017 »

I would give books, if he doesn’t like it, he can resell it on Amazon or donate to the library. Other crazy idea, is to give him $100 or whatever amount you are willing to pay in bitcoin. I personally wouldn’t buy it but I wouldn’t mind receiving it. If it goes to zero, so what, it’s no more wacky then these toys.
Broken Man 1999
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by Broken Man 1999 »

Probably too late for this year.... but what about their very own "bobblehead" , their likeness created from photos you have provided to the merchant?

Broken Man 1999
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Alexa9
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by Alexa9 »

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flamesabers
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by flamesabers »

DrGoogle2017 wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2017 10:19 am Other crazy idea, is to give him $100 or whatever amount you are willing to pay in bitcoin. I personally wouldn’t buy it but I wouldn’t mind receiving it. If it goes to zero, so what, it’s no more wacky then these toys.
You can't really wrap up bitcoins though. :D

Another consideration is unless he's already into cryptocurrencies, it may be a burden to track something he's not really interested in.

If you're wanting to go down the currency route, I would recommend buying some novel play money (i.e. $1 million dollar bill with the Statue of Liberty on it or something). You might get a good laugh from him and who knows, if he frames the money it might be a interesting conversation starter when he has guests over at his house.
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Flobes
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by Flobes »

Get everyone a professional yoyo.

Endlessly entertaining. Fun. Smile inducing. Stress relieving.

Easy to start; more difficult to master the tricks.

Could even be a sibling rivalry competition at future holiday(s).

It's the most appreciated gift I've ever given to adults.

Amazon, of course, stocks many pro yoyos as well as many yoyo instruction books
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MJS
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by MJS »

Chocolate-Covered Claxton Fruit Cake Nuggets. The stores in Bishop.CA sell them to the people doing Mt Whitney. An after-dinner walk isn't quite as strenuous, perhaps.
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Luke Duke
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by Luke Duke »

Plenty of good ideas here
http://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/
NotWhoYouThink
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by NotWhoYouThink »

mak1277 wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2017 9:25 am There are all sorts of reasonably-priced pocket knives that are great gifts for brothers too. I'm of the belief that every man should always be carrying a knife.
Depends on how often you have to go through metal detectors. If you stay away from airports, court houses, and sports venues this works. Otherwise you're always having to replace your knives.
DrGoogle2017
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by DrGoogle2017 »

flamesabers wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2017 10:40 am
DrGoogle2017 wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2017 10:19 am Other crazy idea, is to give him $100 or whatever amount you are willing to pay in bitcoin. I personally wouldn’t buy it but I wouldn’t mind receiving it. If it goes to zero, so what, it’s no more wacky then these toys.
You can't really wrap up bitcoins though. :D

Another consideration is unless he's already into cryptocurrencies, it may be a burden to track something he's not really interested in.

If you're wanting to go down the currency route, I would recommend buying some novel play money (i.e. $1 million dollar bill with the Statue of Liberty on it or something). You might get a good laugh from him and who knows, if he frames the money it might be a interesting conversation starter when he has guests over at his house.
I’m sure there are ways to do it as far as wrapping is concerned, be creative. But I can see your point about tracking. But the real gift is he has to do something about it, he may learn something that he doesn’t know, even for just conversation sake, he can even feel smug telling friends that he owns bitcoin. Maybe the envy factor. Loads of fun for $20-$50. I wonder if there is a minimum amount for coinbase.
mak1277
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by mak1277 »

NotWhoYouThink wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2017 11:39 am
mak1277 wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2017 9:25 am There are all sorts of reasonably-priced pocket knives that are great gifts for brothers too. I'm of the belief that every man should always be carrying a knife.
Depends on how often you have to go through metal detectors. If you stay away from airports, court houses, and sports venues this works. Otherwise you're always having to replace your knives.
Very good point!
iamlucky13
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by iamlucky13 »

I try to think of useful things a person might not know they'd like having, or a nicer version of something they may have.

For example, I think most people could use a better flashlight than their phone from time-to-time, but not many actually do. I see them as another gift like a decent knife or bottle of wine that most people probably will appreciate, and even if they don't, it's an innocuous gift that is easy to re-gift.

So something like the Nitecore Tip (miniature USB rechargeable) or the similar Nitecore NU20 headlamp they might actually find genuinely useful.

On the nicer version of something useful angle, the Lumintop IYP365 is an elegant little penlight, especially the versions in brass or titanium, and even more especially the versions with the Nichia LED, which produces a warmer, cleaner looking light than most LED flashlights.

Also, a popular running gag a couple people in my extended family often bring to our white elephant gift exchange is to get something cheap, ridiculous, and probably useless for laughs, and pair it with $10-20 worth of lottery scratch tickets. The As Seen on TV store has a good track record for finding this sort of stuff.

If there's movies, etc. they're really into, often you can find related gag gifts - things like Star Trek uniform pajamas or Mario Brothers throw pillows.
motorcyclesarecool
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by motorcyclesarecool »

Man crates dot com. Get the tchotchke in a crate that he’ll open with a custom laser engraved crowbar. They also have a gift card inside a concrete block that the recipient has to smash.
Understand that choosing an HDHP is very much a "red pill" approach. Most would rather pay higher premiums for a $20 copay per visit. They will think you weird for choosing an HSA.
cnblure
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by cnblure »

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Watty
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by Watty »

If you give gift cards putting them in a puzzle box that will make the a bit more interesting.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss ... puzzle+box

A couple of drops of superglue could make them a lot more interesting. :mrgreen:

The Think Geek website has lots of unusual stuff for the family geek.

https://www.thinkgeek.com/

A membership to the local zoo, museum, botanical garden, etc would be an option too. This works especially well for people with kids since they can stop by for an hour or two and not worry about getting their monyies worth from the admission fees.
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black jack
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by black jack »

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ImaBeginner
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Re: Novel Gift Ideas for Adult Siblings

Post by ImaBeginner »

Last year:
My brother liked his throwing knives I got him.
My dad liked a fly tying kit.
Mom liked some odd book.
Wood puzzles were good for my sister.
My sister in law and brother in law didn’t look too happy with their gifts.
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