Great Gifts for Teenagers and People Who Act Like Teenagers
When it comes to buying the best gifts for teens this Christmas, the easiest thing to do is to look no further than your own wallet. Just reach in, pull out a few bills, slip them into an ironic card, and whallah! Your holiday shopping is complete.
However, if you’re concerned that your teen might spend this hard-earned dough on something less than savory (as far as I can tell, teens spend their money on expensive sneakers, fast food and joints), you might go one step further: get them a gift certificate to one of their favorite stores (H & M, Forever 21, Hot Topic or Old Navy, among others). Yet even this method of gift giving leaves something to be desired. It’s so hands-off that it shows you’re fairly out of touch with what your teenager wants.
It’s best to buy presents for teens that they will actually use and remember for years to come. Firstly, this means investing in gadgets or electronic devices.
If your son or daughter doesn’t have an iPhone yet (and you can afford the high monthly service fees), you absolutely cannot go wrong there. iPhones are the coolest gadgets of the decade, and possibly the absolute best device since the invention of the laptop. When other kids see your kid with an iPhone, they will swoon (but hopefully not steal).
Also, the best Apple accessory for an iPhone or an iPod is unquestionably the iPod dock. These cool, miniature speaker sets can get pretty loud and have good sound quality. Apple makes both portable and plug-in versions, so make sure you get the one that suits your teenager’s fancy.
If you’re interested in finding a less expensive gift idea, you might consider buying them some extreme sports accessories. Teenage boys love skateboarding, riding dirt bikes, snowboarding, and anything else where there’s a danger of breaking bones. Get them something that protects them (or at least makes them look cool) while they’re at it. For instance, you could spring for a pair of Grenade Gloves for a snowboarder, a heavy skate sweatshirt for a skater, or a new helmet with a skull on it for a dirt biker.
Also, you can never, ever go wrong with a couple of extreme sports videos. My favorites are ‘Notice to Appear’ by Standard Films and ‘Yeah Right’ by Spike Jonze. As you might guess if you’ve seen any of Jonze’s films, (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich, and more recently, Where the Wild Things Are) ‘Yeah Right’ features some pretty awesome camera work. There’s one segment where he somehow erases the skateboards from underneath the feet of the riders so it looks like they’re hovering.
It’s pretty tough to find good gifts for teenage girls, but you can’t go wrong with a digital camera. Girls are much better at taking lots of photographs than boys, men, grown women, or anyone else on the planet. You might need to include an extra battery pack with it!
If your kid already has everything but is really into movies, then you could get them gift passes for the theater. It might encourage their alienation but it also might turn them into the next Spike Jonze!
For more awesome gift ideas for teens, slide over to Cool Gift Ideas for Teens.
About the Author
I like to make people laugh and give them great gift ideas at www.christmasgifts.im .
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