Itunes gift certificates for the 3 oldest.. they think 15 songs is great.

swtxbelle, i too love chinaberry. i bought many gifts from them when my kids and the cousins were little. wonderful books and lots of very imaginative toys that you don't see at toys r us, k-mart or wal-mart.

if you have a costco or sams card, both stores begin carrying christmas toys/items this time of year and many, many items would fit your budget.

everyone has given great ideas. please let us know what you end up doing.

by the way, when i was a single working girl on a lowly bankers budget, i started buying christmas gifts in the summer so that i could afford all the gifts that i needed to buy for family.

I have all the nieces and nephews already taken care of, because I hit clearance sales (including Chinaberry!) throughout the year. Once you have an army to buy for, it's the only way, unless you can convince the family to draw names and everybody buy for only one other. Try the Disney Outlet website for great prices -and even better, if you have a Disney Store near you you can hit their clearance sales.

I still <3 my iPod. :p

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I shop on the Disney Outlet site all the time! I just bought a chrome chandelier, a stained glass lamp, and a door mat from them, all for my new house!! :D (They haven't even started building yet... *lol* But I'll be mid tax season when we are ready to move in, so I need to start early!)

If and when you are in Orlando/Kissimmee, the Character Premier in the Outlet Mall (the one by Dixie Stampede) has FANTASTIC deals, straight from the theme park stuff.
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I also start way, way early. I'm almost done with all of my Christmas shopping, except for the hubby.

Since my brother isn't cooperating, I've been an honorary auntie to several friends' children. I get them each a NICE Christmas ornament every year, and put them in a cutsie container that they can use for something else. Two years ago, the containers were all Christmas ornament holders (their parents loved those!).

Last year was exceptionally fun, as FOUR of them are now Greeks, so I got them an ornament with their letters or mascot - NOT the horrible Radko ones!. :p One of my former roomies commented that their tree is going to look naked without their kids' ornaments!

Anyhow, by setting the tone early, it saved a lot of money over the years!

Thanks guys these are all great ideas. I'm just trying to give ideas to the boyfriend so we can start soon. Christmas will be here before we know it!

I'll throw in one other thought -- get your boyfriend to talk to his brother and find out what these kids like or are interested in.

For example, my daughter would probably love something from the Disney store, while my son would hate it (and would have hated it when he was 5). iTunes gift certificates? Make sure they have iPods first. (Believe it or not, not all kids have them.) Chinaberry has the kinds of things that some kids love, others don't. (My son views the kinds of things they have as stuff that grown-ups think kids ought to want.)

By finding out what they like, you can get something they'll think is cool and still keep the price down. It also helps you get to know the kids better.

We've tried that a couple times now. Were told "we're just trying to get through the wedding." Seriously? They're not having a real wedding, but that's another issue. We even used my going on a cruise with my mom in a couple weeks, but nothing.

Plus I have a feeling these kids are going to have lists like:
-Xbox 360
-Guitar Hero
-Cell Phone
-Skate Ramp

They're great, but last year they got Nintendo DS's and played with them for about 2 seconds.

^^^ Gotcha. Yes, I can see how they're to busy to spare the three minutes it would take to say "Greg likes music or stuff for his car, Marcia loves getting new earings or other jewelry, Peter likes the Rams and anything science related, Jan likes books about history, . . . ."

But the question I was thinking about was not so much what's on their lists (which are always going to be inflated) as what do they enjoy or like to do, what hobbies do they have, etc. Still, if mom and dad are too busy to answer such simple questions . . . . :rolleyes:

If mom and dad cant give you a hint, then ask the kids.

What's a "not real wedding", btw?

Ok before we get way off tangent, this is my boyfriend's brother and since I plan to marry my boyfriend, I continue to work on keeping quiet and being as non-judgemental as possible.

They're getting married on Sunday, Nov. 18. We still do not know what church or what time to be there (and I highly doubt getting an invitation). Apparently the guests (mostly family) should come to the last service so they don't miss the ceremony. That's b/c the pastor is squeezing them in after the last service and before he has to be somewhere at 1pm. Then we all get to go over to their house for warmed up Sam's Club appetizers and sheetcake.

It's his second marriage, her third and last time I checked the ceremony wasn't even going to include the children. I mean they'll be there, but nothing to include them in the blending of families.

Ah maybe I should post this in the "disaster weddings" thread afterwards.

Bah Humbug - it's too early for Christmas! Especially for us grinches...

Does anyone know if any Atlanta stations are going to do 24-hour Christmas music after Thanksgiving since Randy and Spiff have moved?

PLEASE add this to the "worst wedding you ever attended " thread after the blessed event . . .