Memorable Gifts at Christmas

Being a parent, and enjoying the interaction with my kids. Christmas gives me a time of .... um quasi revenge for the grief kids can cause.

You see, and some of my friends call me a 'Mean Dad' for it, but I usually pick one gift and make it a challenge. I get cursed at from Grandma and Grandpa, my kid's face is full of frustration and my wife is shooting me daggers ... but in the end my oldest (giving my youngest his first this year) has always said "It was worth it".

I call them "Memorable Gifts" ... as they'll never forget the struggle it took ... or curve ball that was delivered.

For example 2 years ago (he was 8) I used 1 roll of packing tape to tape up the skateboard (in box), that he'd really wanted, after it had been wrapped. This was after I convinced him he was getting a remote controlled Barbie Car ... which he'd seen in the back of my truck a week before after I'd told him not to look in there.

Then last year he wanted this Ipod that I wasn't using (had won it in a raffle) ... so 6 boxes, inter-layered with shrink wrap and/or bubble wrap, utilizing 3 rolls of packing tape. (This was where Grandma and Grandpa - my mom - were cursing me). Took him almost an hour to get into it.

So this year .... He's getting a 24" Smart T.V. (I might be brain dead when it comes to electronics, but it's the future) ... I'm putting it in his closet in the morning. I wonder what the look on his face will be when he discovers 2 rocks, with a note, in the center of the present under the tree (4 boxes this year, 1 roll of packing tape). The note is on the rocks.
The youngest has just a note in the center of the other gift (2 boxes and a lot less tape) addressed for both, but that he has to open it. It's a new T.V. for the games area. Which will be stashed where the note says.

So I'm curious ... are there any other parents on here, who take this opportunity to play with their kids minds?

Or any kids, who had a parent get them good?

I always love new ideas ... many more Christmas's to go (they're only 5 and 10 yrs old)

And Merry Christmas Everyone.

Knew it would be a gamble using the 2 rocks ... a number of comments about beaning me in the head with them were heard around the Christmas tree. I'd been standing in front of the 55G (for safety) taking pictures.

But in the end ... when he found his gift, he said it was worth it.

Gill Blue said:

my dad gave my sister a box that was supposed to have a custom made stained glass item he made. what it really had was a shelf halfway up with stained glass pieces on it. the shelf was supported by a dowel rod that had a black thread tied to it coming out the back. he gives it to her, says it's delicate, and steps back. she shifts the box, he pulls the string, CRASH!

you should have seen her face.

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Ouch ....

I did a present up for my Mom when I was in my teens (nice set of earrings) 7 boxes later she thought some of the noisemakers were her present and threw everything else out .... Needless to say I was digging through the garbage for her gift.

FMA4ME said:

Lol, my gf and I were just talking about this.
One year on Christmas morning, my dad says,
"is today Christmas?"
Long story short, Osco was open and I ended up with a boom box. I couldn't believe he "forgot" Christmas :/

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LOL ... I can relate to that in a way. When I was 5 yrs old, I found out about Santa ... woke up Christmas morning to an empty tree. My first christmas with my Dad and Grandpa, just the 3 of us, and they'd forgotten to put anything out.