This Christmas our boys will be 13 and 12, and it’s getting really hard to shop for them. Here are a few ideas I’ve settled on, but I’d love to hear your suggestions, too!

• This laser tag set has amazing reviews!
• This sloth pillow will be a huge hit with our 13-year-old. He loves to be cozy in bed and watch YouTube videos.
• My parents bought me a punching bag when I was filled with angst. Maybe now it’s time to buy one for our kids?
• This DIY comic book is already under our tree
• Kids seem to love these rocking gaming chairs. Make sure to check the dimensions before you purchase — some are for kids and some are for older teens.
• The “biggest and loudest” rubber chicken!
• All our kids would love this alarm clock
• I might get this sleek Carhartt backpack for me!

If your preteen boy likes workout clothes, you might want to check out Lululemon Like New. For stocking stuffers, I highly recommend Archie McPhee’s (the source of the rubber chicken pictured above).

Another fun idea is to give your kid the promise of a memorable and fun experience with you. I’ve found that it’s helpful to gift tickets for a particular thing, on a particular day. If I give someone in my family gift certificates to the local movie theater, for example, the tickets might get pushed to the bottom of a drawer and go unused. But if I buy tickets to a concert and put it on the calendar, we’ll almost certainly attend. This year, I’m giving our girls tickets to a local Taylor Swift dance party and two reserved nights at a campground in Shenandoah. I’ve printed out the tickets and a map of the campground and wrapped each of them in little boxes. I hope they’ll be as excited for these events as I am!

Happy shopping!