Christmas Gift Ideas to bring back?

[Avacrand]

Hey folks,

My son and I will be going down to the World in Dec. We are not huge shoppers ourselves- mainly because we are too busy touring to shop- but this time I'm looking for some nice ideas for gifts for the holidays. How about some items that are not too high end but nice enough for people who have never been to Disney? Appreciate all ideas!

TAC

[adriennek]

Christmas Tree Ornaments?

They're small so they pack easily and they come in a variety of price points.

This wasn't something I got at WDW but I brought home a bunch of the reusable grocery sacks from Kennedy Space Center. They say Kennedy Space Center on them so that makes them unique but they're something practical that people can use.

One of my very good friends brought me a tote bag from WDW once and I thought that was fun, useful and sweet. They sell totebags plus you can do that deal where if you spend $30 you can buy a tote bag for $15. The prices of the bags and the actual bags themselves seem to be different from location to location so you might want to scout it out to see what bags you like the best. I don't know how many you can buy - if it's just one or if you can buy a bunch.

Adrienne

[Drince88]

Be careful with the STYLE of ornament, though.
One year we got ones that were round balls, with the plastic 'sleeve' of decoration around them. Sold in a box with open sides.
They packed around the box with tissue - but somewhere along the way the tissue was too tightly packed so it still crushed the glass.

Now we look for the flat disk-style ornaments.

[mkraemer]

Originally Posted by Drince88

Now we look for the flat disk-style ornaments.

Those ornaments are my standard gift from the parks. I always get the dated ones, so it's nice to add to people's collections over the years.

[mkraemer]

Originally Posted by adriennek

C
One of my very good friends brought me a tote bag from WDW once and I thought that was fun, useful and sweet. They sell totebags plus you can do that deal where if you spend $30 you can buy a tote bag for $15. The prices of the bags and the actual bags themselves seem to be different from location to location so you might want to scout it out to see what bags you like the best. I don't know how many you can buy - if it's just one or if you can buy a bunch.

Adrienne

Usually, it's one of the promo item for every $XX required (so, if the requirement is that you have to spend $30 to buy the promo item, and you spend $90, you can buy three promo items).

It's interesting to see how similar some of the promo items can be. I have rolling duffels (also a promo item) from Disney Cruise Line, WDW, and the World of Disney in NYC. Last time I was in New York, I sort of loaded up on the NYC Disney items because of the rumor that the store would close in January.

[tdelaney_98]

There's a new ornament that I saw this year that I really wish I'd purchased. It was a Mickey silhouette made out of metal with concentric smaller Mickey's inside. It spun and was so pretty. I think it would be nice as a sun catcher as well as an ornament. They were around $12, I think and can pack flat and won't break.

The Mickey coconut candies are REALLY good too.

If you want something from Disney but not theme-park, there are inexpensive and very pretty chop sticks in both Japan and China (Epcot).

[mechurchlady]

For mom it is books, plushies, newspapers and brochures. New York City trip was at the same time as a Fashion Week so I brought her half a suitcase full of fashion magazines, newspapers and other stuff to read. San Antonio trip was the same thing plus a book. Midwest tour was the same pile of books, brochures, magazines, free roadside guides, and newspapers. Her birthday this year was DLR with a DLH stay which ended up with more books and newspapers, lol.

Try to find things that a person likes like for boys something to do with Test Track, for example. I person who loves gardening might love something from the Land and a some people like to collect menus. I once traded pins with a person from Japan and for a long time I read the brochures he gave me and treasured them, that was the best gift he gave me.

[mom22gls]

The world showcase has lots of good shopping. I love the department store in Japan for gifts, which also pack well. Kimonos, for example. There are also lots of candies available from different countries, which could be a fun gift. Some of the gift shops at hotels also have unique gifts, not available at other stores on-site. If you plan a dinner at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, stop at the gift shop, which has a lot of interesting items. I once bought a great scrapbook at the Wilderness Lodge gift shop, that I did not see anywhere else.

[stan4d_steph]

Mickey Mouse cookie cutter

[mkraemer]

Originally Posted by stan4d_steph

Mickey Mouse cookie cutter

I've gotten other Mickey-themed kitchen gadgets as gifts, such as the Mickey head-shaped wine stopper, the Mickey pancake 'mold,' Mickey oven mitts, a Mickey apron...

(and of course, I bought an extra of each of these things for me...)