Hi there! It’s time for Tuesday Topics, which I host with Jenn from Runs With Pugs. This week’s topic is “Holiday Gift Guide for Runners.”. I don’t have a lot of running-related items on my wish list, so I decided to talk about my Christmas gift ideas so far.
My son is easy- he usually has some specific things in mind, which we’ll talk about over Thanksgiving. The only thing that stumps me is how to fill his stocking- it’s HARD for a 22 year old who doesn’t like candy! If you have any suggestions, send them my way.
My husband also isn’t too hard to shop for- he usually has some clothing items on his wish list, and the last couple Christmas’s I’ve gotten him books, which he loves to read right away (he isn’t a big reader for the rest of the year, but it has turned into his Christmas Day activity). A couple years ago we read Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend for Engie’s book club. The book wan’t a big hit with the book club, but my husband LOVED it, and he went on to read the rest of the quartet. Last year I got him a couple other books by Ferrante, which he also liked. What should I get him this year?
MY DAUGHTER. She’s the tricky one. She often won’t give me enough ideas for what she wants, but will be VERY displeased if I pick out things she doesn’t like. For this reason, I’ve been keeping a list all year, and I think (???) I have some pretty good ideas.
Last year around this time. I overheard a conversation between Angie and her friends, and one of them was texting back and forth with a boy she liked. He was asking her what she wanted for Christmas, and the girls were saying “tell him to listen to the Mariah Carey song!” (giggle) “No, I can’t say that” (giggle giggle) She finally texted the cryptic “You know that one Christmas song…?” Amidst all the giggling, Angie said, in her usual deadpan, monotone voice, “What if he gets you a hippopotamus?”
Hee hee! Then one of her complaints on Christmas Day was that she didn’t get any plushies. Guess what went right on my list for this year??? There are actually lots of choices!
Other than that, I’m thinking of getting her a sticker printer. SHU has talked about hers, and it sounds like something Angie would have fun with. And I also already got her this Archer and Olive fox notebook
The crazy thing is, her birthday is December 30th (arrrrg!) so I need even more ideas. A birthday idea is a pebble ice maker- for reasons which are too stupid to get into, she has a real problem with ice, and would love this option.
So what’s on my own wishlist??? I need a new Garmin. Last year, my Garmin died a couple miles before the end of my 50 mile race. Now, there were some mitigating circumstances that made that race very slow- 5 miles of very deep sand, lots of hills on pavement (which felt terrible in my trail shoes) and a very hot day, which caused me to rest for 30 minutes at one of the aid stations. This year I’m planning to run 60 miles on my birthday, and am hoping it might actually be quicker than that 50 miler- but you never know. I don’t want my Garmin to die again!
And- books. I want a stack of books for Christmas, and I want to lie on the couch and read on Christmas Day. I haven’t decided which books I want yet, but I’ll ask my husband to order them from AbeBooks this year instead of Amazon (way cheaper!)
Link Up With Tuesday Topics
Welcome back to Tuesday Topics, as Jenny, from Runners Fly joins Jenn at Runs With Pugs to co-host this link-up! Please join us every week for a new topic! Write on our weekly prompt or choose your own topic! Make sure to add your post to the link up, link back to your hosts, and comment on the other shared posts!
Next week’s topic: Free Topic
What’s on your holiday wishlist? Do you have ideas for your family yet?
Top photo by Patrick Pahlke on Unsplash
32 Responses
I am amazed that your husband like that book.
I am slowly getting few things for the girls when they come to mind. The big shopping will likely to be this weekend when we all go to the mall. husband is the most difficult one to get.
For myself, I want a running retreat, but honestly I could do without anything other than spending time with the family.
Aw- I hope you get time with your family AND a running retreat. And yes, my husband absolutely LOVED the book- go figure.
I love how you keep a running list for Angie throughout the year – these really make for the best gifts.
For your son – how about “neutral” clothes, like socks, underwear, pyjamas or slippers (Birkenstocks if he likes them).
As for your own list, a reliable Garmin is non-negotiable. What model are you looking at? I really love my Garmin Forerunner 265. It has everything you need as a runner and no unnecessary fancy stuff. In GPS mode, the battery will last you 20 hours – more than enough for your 60 mile ultra.
Okay, I’ll look at that one- I’m definitely looking for something not too fancy. And I certainly hope that battery would be sufficient- if I take longer than 20 hours to run 60 miles, then I deserve my Garmin battery to die.
And- you just reminded me that my son now lives in a cold climate for the first time in his life- so slippers and warm socks would be great presents!
these are great ideas, Jenny! I wonder if your husband would like the secret history by Donna Tartt? I have very few ideas of what to get people but a sticker printer is definitely on my list for my kiddo. Definitely sounds like a fun “toy” for kids who are a little too old for actual toys. By the way, we have a pebble icemaker and it is wonderful!
Yes, I have a feeling the whole family would enjoy the ice maker. I have to check in with SHU to see what sticker printer she has- they really range in price from super cheap to super expensive!
I agree with Coco. New watch for Christmas.
I don’t need a thing.
And I’m done with my shopping. Only gas to buy for Heather and a grab bag.
Shopping for Heather should be fun!!!
Oooh a new Garmin, I hope you get one! I would be lost without mine, to be honest. I love it so much!
That hippo is adorable!
My stand mixer died, Jenny! This is a catastrophe! But my MIL gives me money for a Christmas gift and I decided I would buy one when they go on sale next week (or this week, who even knows when Black Friday starts) with that money. I cannot actually wait until Christmas, because HOW WILL I DO MY CHRISTMAS BAKING WITHOUT A STAND MIXER? First the coffee maker, now this!
Ha ha… you trying to wait till Christmas to get a stand mixer would be like me waiting till Black Friday to fix the oven- HOW WOULD WE DO OUR BAKING??? You are definitely having some appliance challenges lately.
I still have to shop for everyone on my list, but luckily that’s only a handful of people (and two dogs who are very easy to shop for — one loves toys and the other loves treats and clothes!)
For the watch, have you considered switching to Coros? That’s what I have and they’re known for having very long battery life! Or I’ve heard the solar models of Garmin can last longer because they charge up in the sun while you’re using them. I know for my 125 miler in May I will need to charge my watch on the run since it will definitely not last multiple days but for your 60 miler, you should definitely be able to find a more reliable option that will last the whole race!
I’ll look into Coros- are they more expensive? I’ll definitely be looking at Black Friday deals.
You just reminded me, I have to get presents for the cats! Believe it or not, I kept a running list over the year for them too : )
The price is pretty comparable I think! I have the Apex 2 which is $299 now since they just came out with the new version that’s $429, and the Apex is their midrange model, but the new Pace 4 is even cheaper at $249.
Okay thanks!
I would get Paul some nice Smartwool socks. Now that he’s in the cold Midwest, warm socks are a MUST!! Does he like coffee or tea? Some cozy or tea would be a good addition to the stocking! And maybe a gift card to one of the book stores you went to in Chicago?
Gah, these December babies. We haven’t bought anything for Taco’s bday which is 12/3. And everyone wants bday and Christmas ideas. Sigh. This small kid stage of life is not my favorite! I think we will end up getting him some lego sets and maybe some plus pluses. But those are ideas we gave to his grandparents, too. We also plan to get him some experience type of gifts, but he needs things to open. He’s too young to get excited about a gift card to a museum…
I am glad I do not need to come up with a wish list. The only person that shops for me is my MIL and I’ll tell her to get me SBUX giftcards. My parents get us cash + wool socks. Phil and I do not exchange gifts thank goodness. We are not gift people AT ALL. If I never received another gift in my life, I would be fine with that! I’m sure fun, huh? 😉
Well… let’s just say you and Phil are made for each other! : ) And… warm socks are a great idea for my son.
My wishlist is very girly. I want a new hair dryer and possibly a hair straightener. I’m going to give my husband exact models. Do I NEED these things? Absolutely not. But I would be very excited to get them.
Christmas is the time to get things you don’t really need! If you truly needed them, you would just buy them for yourself.
I know that Hippo for Christmas song – that’s hilarious. Love that you kept a list all year. Smart. I forgot that your daughter and I have the same crapola birthday. ‘for reasons that are too stupid to get into’ – bah ha ha. Stocking stuffers: socks with musical notes on them? Gift cards to get food out? Other music themed tiny things like Christmas ornaments or a funny t-shirt (squeezed into a stocking) that references music or his instrument? Or winter gloves since he’s in school in Chicago? A winter hat?
I’m writing a post about Christmas gift shopping. I don’t want to do it this year, but might decide that and then panic shop which would be bad. We have a guy coming to talk about garage doors tomorrow at noon and a guy coming to talk about a new roof at 4 pm tomorrow – merry Christmas to us?
Ha, those are some big Christmas presents! And… I like all these ideas! And I’m looking forward to your gift shopping post.
I want a fancy blender and the giant Coach coin purse Carrie carried in the finale of And Just Like That.
I think teens are so hard to shop for because they don’t usually want fun stuff. Love the sticker printer idea! I think I will also get Dorothy and Minnie hippos because they both love that song!
Hee hee… you can get hippos that actually play the song, but I think I’ll skip that part and just get regular old hippos.
I want an Instant Pot for Christmas (and shall get one; I was mentioning to my husband last night about the different sizes and I texted Lisa what size she has…and then he told me he had already bought the Instant Pot for me. Ha! I research things to death and he…does not).
I feel like I have SO many ideas for my daughter and most of the things she wants are like a million dollars (not really, but SO MANY expensive pairs of shoes and Lulu pants and…well, she will not be getting most of what she asked for…)
LEGO for my son. He wants some mods for Minecraft (I write that like I know what it means…I do not).
Well… MAYBE you’ll get lucky with your thrift store shopping and Belle will get some of the things she’s asking for! And.. I’m glad you don’t have to be in suspense over the Instant Pot, lol.
We have one kid who constantly tells us what’s on his mind, which makes gift shopping a dream, and one kid who is on your daughter’s plan. He won’t say what he wants, but will let us know if we weren’t able to read his mind. Our secret weapon in years past has been getting chatty kid to figure out what silent kid wants. And we have two Christmas adjacent birthdays in the house…sigh. I have no ideas yet but we’ll figure something out in time, as we always do.
I predict that the hippo plushie and the ice maker will be hits!
That’s a good idea- maybe I’ll put Paul on the case and he can figure out more gift ideas. To be honest, the ice maker was his idea.
I hope your daughter loves her Christmas and birthday gifts this year. I always put Starbucks gift cards in my sons’ stockings. Does your son like Starbucks or something similar? I, too, keep a Christmas list for the fam going through the year. I also ask for wishlists (including links) from everyone as we lead up to Black Friday. The three grandchildren are easy and fun to shop!
Yes, my son will definitely be getting a Starbucks gift card! And… I can’t wait till I have grandkids to shop for.
Uh. I would love a pebble ice maker.
Both the boys are awful to buy for (and Mr PugRunner’s birthday is January 1 so I feel your pain).
This year, we are all getting new phones and I’m wrapping up the boxes under the tree because we are getting them next week. A asked for a few cookbooks he can use for college. He loves Lego and I’ll find him some other cute things. His girlfriend loves makeup and crafts, and so that’s easy.
Mr PugRunner is loving golf lately, so I’ll get him a few accessories and maybe a round at a course he would like.
You have some great ideas! And- my husbands birthday is in January too, SIGH.
You’re on it. I chuckled that your son and husband are EASY to shop for and your daughter is the tricky person. Haha. I always thought it’s way easier to shop for girls than for boys. Not in your house 🙂
I also would love a new Garmin. I still love my Forerunner but the battery is going. Do you have a model in mind?
On my wish list this year is a new reading chair, one of those “how many books I read this year” signs, a new pair of TOMs, and a new Kindle!
In my family, we still do wish lists (we use an app called Giftster and you can mark what you’ve bought so other people know what’s already been purchased by the gift receiver doesn’t). So I’m basically done with my mom, my brother, and my nephews. I still need to buy gifts to my mom “from” the dogs and the cats because we’re THAT KIND OF FAMILY.