"Andrea" wrote in message
...
Since you all gave me such great Christmas present ideas for my girls, I
am
once again calling on your help to give me some ideas for my niece's 12
year-old sister. I don't know her well enough to know what kinds of things
she
likes (she's only been a part of dh's family for a few months). She will
be 13
a couple days after Christmas, so I actually need to get her a Christmas
and a
birthday present. I have asked her mother for ideas but she is no help at
all.


Here are the things I have found that I am considering. They may be way
off-base for what girls this age like..... 1. candle-making kit 2.
lotion
kit (different scents & glitter can be mixed into the lotion & the lotion
can
be put into little bottles) 3. paint your own tea set kit 4. tea pot
(I do
know that she collects tea pots)
Are any of these something that a 12 or 13 year-old girl would like? I am
completely clueless.......13 was about 20 years ago for me and I've
forgotten
what I liked back then (except for boys and clothes).

TIA,
Andrea
twin girls-Madison & Jordan
3 1/2 yrs. old

My girls will be 13 just after Christmas too. Some things we've planned for
this year a
Iron on patches for clothes - this way I can buy less expensive "run of the
mill" jeans and hoodies, then let the girls 'customize' their own things
with the iron ons. There are some really cool things available,
butterflies, hearts,letters, peace signs, etc and they are fairly
inexpensive.
Lighted makeup mirror - even though mine are confined to wearing only lip
gloss out of the house, they have make up kits they play with at home. The
lighted mirror has been requested OFTEN.
Electric shaver - I got this for them this summer for a trip to California.
Most girls their age are already shaving, but I couldn't stand the thought
of nicks and shaving fiascos, so I bought them a little electric shaver. A
big hit!

The candle making kit is great. My girls love candles for their room
(though they have to ask first to light them and leave their door open while
candles are burning, so I can keep an eye on them. They also like plants in
their room and have a little window herb garden. (I have zero green thumb,
so no idea how that happened)
www.englishteastore.com has some very cute, well-priced tea pots and nested
tea-for-one sets. (I'm a collector too)
Magazine subscriptions - They LOVE getting magazines in their name. Right
now they get YM and some other Teen type magazine.
Bandannas - Just regular old bandannas, they come in every color under the
sun now, and my girls use them for everything from head covers to book
covers. (this may be a regional thing and not 'cool' everywhere, or so I'm
told)
I'm a little more hesitant about giving store gift cards. One of my clients
gives my girls gift cards for Christmas every year and they LOVE them, but
it means a LENGTHY shopping trip for me. We only have one major store in my
small town and its packed all the time. Shopping with two 12 year olds can
be a major undertaking, so I'd check with Mom and Dad on that one. My
sister gives them online gift certificates, such as Old Navy. The girls
spend HOURS looking online then show me a list of what they want to spend
their money on. By the time I've seen the list, they've been at it awhile
and don't object if I veto something. (They want to grow up WAY too fast)

Hope some of this helps. Happy Holidays.
Kim
Chelsea and Courtney (12/27/90)