Teenagers! What can I say about teens that you don’t already know?! They drive us to distraction, use the floor as a wardrobe, and only hear what they want to hear. But we love them! And mine are edging towards the end of teenagehood, being 19 and 17. But Christmas is still very much a magical time for them, so we’ll do our best to keep the spirit alive for as long as we can. And although Santa concentrates on the younger children now, they still look forward to a stocking full of goodies. So what’s on their lists this year? I don’t know yet, as they are slow to write them, but the items in this guide will feature I’m certain! I hope it will give you some inspiration too? Remember, all of our previous gift guides can be found here 😊
#AD Disclaimer: Some of these products were gifted to us for consideration
OSPREY DIRT SCOOTER FROM SKATES.CO.UK
‘From The UK’s Specialist Wheeled Sports Shop’
So, obviously, we’ve been thinking a lot about gifts for teenagers. We’re not fans of electric scooters, but both our kids had push scooters of varying types throughout their childhoods – and I think they are great. We used to take them with us on long walks, knowing they’ll moan about being tired 5 minutes down the track!
This Osprey Dirt Scooter (£169.95) caught my eye for a variety of reasons, not least that it’s particularly cool 😎 Being a dirt scooter, it’s wheels are designed for off-roading, making it the perfect accessory for long family walks. The brand is Osprey – I was drawn to it because that is the rugby club that PackThePJs follows! And I love the colour combo – copper being a pretty major industry in the past here in Swansea, where it was known as Copperopolis!
THROW THROW BURRITO
‘A Dodgeball Card Game’
We have a 17 yr old in the family who has wanted this game for years (well the best things come to those that wait!) We are huge fans of Exploding Kittens – we love a game that is fun, multi-generational, a bit loud and quite short (for those with limited attention spans!), and as Exploding Kittens make Throw Throw Burrito (£24.99) we know that it ticks all the boxes. Can’t wait for a Christmas Eve contest!
LET’S WANDER WORLD EXPLORER BOTTLES
‘Inspires Adventure and Making Memories’
This is an absolute gem of a Christmas gift for teenagers, adults – literally anyone that is fuelled by wanderlust! The World Explorer bottle isn’t just a well-made, good-sized water bottle, it is a constant reminder of all the places you’ve visited … and the ones you’ve yet to explore.
These World Explorer bottles from Let’s Wander (£90.00) are engraved with 50 destinations that have matching stickers – as you tick off each place, you can add your sticker! The 32oz bottle is made from double-wall vacuum insulated stainless steel that will keep hot drinks hot for 12 hours and cold drinks cold for 24. It’s also 100% leakproof. The stickers are made from eco-friendly, durable, weather-proof, laminate material.
The Let’s Wander range extends beyond the World Explorer bottles. Maybe you’d rather a United Kingdom destination bottle? Or 50 States of the USA? Or perhaps National Parks of the USA? Whichever best suits you or your gift recipient this Christmas, it will be the start of lots of exciting adventures!
BOTANY GAME
‘A Game Full of Adventure Intrigue and Flowers’
We all love a good board game at Christmas. For some, a quick fire short game suffices, but for the hard-core board gamer a more involved strategic game is required. Botany (£47.00) IS that game. You, and up to 4 others, are rival plant hunters seeking to find the best specimens to win the Queen’s prize in botany. If you like plants, you’ll love this! A good social game for non-gamers too.
OLIGHT MINI TORCHES
‘Rethink Light. Reimagine Style.’
How handy is a torch? It is usually an unloved gadget festering at the back of a cupboard or drawer waiting for its moment to, literally, shine. But when we need a torch, there really is no substitute. No light in the darkness can lead to a whole heap of issues. So something small and portable, like these Olight torches (which are very dinky indeed) are perfect. Pop on your car keys, clip to a bag or clothing and you’ll be able to light up your life!
The i3E EOS keychain LED flashlight (£12.99) measures just 58mm long, with a ring to connect to your keys – it packs quite a punch (90 lumens) when you turn the torch on. Great to carry in case of an emergency. The Oclip (£29.99) measures just 47mm x 20mm, and has a durable magnetic clip that can clamp objects up to 14mm thick. It has various settings: white light (max 300 lumen) for daily use and red light (max 4 lumen) for night vision. The beacon mode in white light and the red strobe mode ensure that users stay visible at critical moments.
FUPPYS CROCHET KITS
‘Kits Designed for Complete Beginners’
I have never been able to sew, knit, or crochet. I bought a sewing machine once. Never used it – wouldn’t know how. Over the years, generations of family and friends have tried to bring out my ‘cloth and wool creativity’ … all failed. And then I discovered Fuppys. Cute little amigurumi crochet kits that are designed for complete beginners. If you read the reviews, total crochet novices are creating characters that are near-identical to the original image – can this be true?
The kits are pre-started and there is step-by-step video guidance along the way to creating Nala the Whale (£29.80), Kayle the Koala (£29.80), Maple the Fox (£29.80), and Smoki the Dragon (£29.80) – my favourite characters.
So let’s see if miracles can happen and we can create these companions when we sit down as a family over Christmas! These kits are EVERYWHERE this year – would make excellent stocking fillers for family and friends …
SPOT THE INTRO GAME
‘The Original Music Recognition Game’
Christmas is all about family gatherings, hopefully lots of fun, and music. Getting the teenagers off tech to converse and integrate can be quite testing. Even if they want to play a game, their smart phone is never far away. Here’s a game that merges the two. You need a smart phone, and the wifi, to play this board game. The concept of the game is to climb the charts to reach the top. You achieve this by guessing songs from a short 10-second intro from 960 hits from the 1960s through to the 2010s. Using the streaming service of your choice (Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music etc) you scan a QR code to access and play the tracks.
Spot The Intro, by Cheatwell Games (£19.99), is for ages 14+ and for 2 or more players.
EUGY 3D CARDBOARD KITS
‘EUGY Friends Have Been Welcomed in Homes all Around the World’
We have a Christmas Eve tradition in the PackThePJs home … inside our Christmas Eve boxes (yes, we all still have them!) is a pair of PJs, a bath bomb from Lush, some choccy, and a EUGY kit. EUGY are 3D cardboard kits, and they can be made while watching a movie as they are fun rather than being overly technical/difficult.
What we like about the kits is that there’s so much choice. Over the years we’ve made sheep, foxes, squirrels, turtles and dinosaurs. This year we’ll be adding a Pufferfish (£8.57) and Robin (£8.57) to our EUGY family! Another great stocking filler idea for Christmas. Suitable for age 6+ … everything you need to make your kit is inside the box.
POPCORN SHED’S FESTIVE GOURMET POPCORN SHEDS
‘Bite Into The Christmas Magic’
What’s even better than a popcorn advent calendar? More popcorn in bigger bags! And that is what Popcorn Shed have on offer for Christmas. Their Festive Sheds each contain 80g of gourmet popcorn. The 4 Shed Christmas Popcorn Bundle (£18.00) consists of Candy Cane, Christmas Pudding, Chocolate Orange and Gingerbread gourmet popcorn – and the packaging is so Christmassy too!
These are great stocking fillers, Christmas Eve box gifts, as well as being the perfect ‘picky bits’ for a night in front of the TV over the festivities.
[COAT]S SKINSENTIALS 3-STEP ROUTINE
‘Clinically Proven Breakout Prevention’
Teenage skincare is a minefield. There are so many products on the market that strip oils in the skin in the quest to prevent acne. This often leads to dry flaky sore skin unless a moisturiser reintroduces the moisture, and this step is often forgotten about. But having a skincare routine in your teenage years paves the way for a lifetime habit of looking after your skin. As a teenager, the greatest worry is acne. This Skinsentials 3-Step Routine from [coat]s (£57.00) is clinically proven to prevent breakouts. Step 1 is to cleanse with the Gentle Hydrating Cleanser. Step 2 is to exfoliate and tone, using the Gently Hydrating Toning Milk. And Step 3 is to moisturise using the Triple Moisture Water Cream. This routine is dermatologically approved to hydrate all day, protect the skin barrier and help prevent breakouts for clear, bright, healthy skin.
STM GOODS KIN LAPTOP SLEEVE
‘The Laptop Sleeve for your Inseparable Tech’
I know a few lucky teenagers getting laptops this Christmas. They are not cheap items of tech, but designed to be carried around … in a really strong and reliable case! This Kin laptop sleeve (£36.36) from STM Goods is slim and lightweight – so not cumbersome to carry around. It has a fleece-lined laptop section, and a retractable carry handle. On the front is a zipped storage pocket. This particular laptop sleeve will fit most 16″ laptops, but STM Goods also offer one for laptops up to 14. It’s an attractive, easy to carry, protective sleeve for your laptop.
VONHAUS TOWER EXTENSION LEAD
‘A Smarter Way to Power Your Devices’
The last time I walked into my teenage son’s room (I try not to unless important!) I couldn’t believe the number of cables he has all over the room, charging so much tech. It looked chaotic, and potentially dangerous. So this tower extension lead (£27.99) from Von Haus – in black to match his room ‘vibe’ – solved the problem as he has it set up on his gaming desk and all the cables are organised. There is a 2m cable too – so it doesn’t need to be located right next to a wall socket. The tower has 8 UK plug sockets, 2 USB A slots and 2 USB C slots. It has overload protection, is short circuit proof, has grounded protection, and is fire proof. Peace of mind – and the room looks so much tidier and more organised!
LONELY PLANET: TOILETS OF THE WORLD
‘Restrooms to Remember’
I thought this was such a fun book for teenagers, knowing how they love their toilet humour! As it turns out Lonely Planet’s Toilets of the World (£11.99) book is fascinating! It includes 100 strange and spectacular thrones, commodes, loos and latrines from all over the world. From the ‘bog in a box’ in Tanzania, to the futuristic Dutch dunnies in The Netherlands, to the ultra-chic trendy toilets in Tokyo, Japan … there sure are some interesting loos around the globe!
TENSION: THE TOP 10 NAMING GAME
‘You have 60 seconds to name 10 Ed Sheeran Songs’
This is a fun game – we can vouch for it as we often play the travel edition. It’s a bit like Family Fortunes, where you need to guess the answers to some broad questions, like “10 things that come in pairs”, “10 ice cream flavours. Unlike the TV quiz show, the answers aren’t necessarily the most popular ones, so you need to keep answering until the 10 answers are found. You have the time it takes for the hourglass sand to fall to keep trying for a full house.
Tension – The Top 10 Naming Game, by Cheatwell Games (£19.99), is for age 8+ and for teams of two.
L’OCCITANE FESTIVE CRACKER COLLECTION
‘Guaranteed to Put a Smile on Anyone’s Face this Christmas’
It used to be really easy to buy ‘smellies’ for teens for Christmas. These last few years though has seen our children look a lot closer at what toiletries they are using. No longer do they want bubble bath in a TV character container, but they want products that will nourish their skin, that are natural and free of nasty chemicals. L’Occitane products are free of parabens and phthalates and their focus is on ingredients of natural origin such as floral waters, plant extracts and essential oils.
These Festive Crackers (£30.00) from L’Occitane are a set of 4 – so great stocking fillers or extras to add to your Christmas tree or dining table. Each one is filled with a pair of L’Occitane en Provence body and hand care products, including Fleurs de Cerisier Shower Gel and Fleurs de Cerisier Hand Cream, Shea Butter Shower Cream and Shea Butter Hand Cream, Almond Shower Oil and Almond Delicious Hands, and Verbena Shower Gel and Verbena Cooling Hand Cream Gel.
