THE BEST WAY To Wrap A Gift Card Plus Holiday Gift Hits & Misses

As I sit here, in the midst of an ice storm, during a week in which we really didn't do much, I'm thinking of the gifts my family gave each other for Christmas.  A mere four days later, some are being used and others are already being ignored.  In the spirit of education, let me share them with you. But first, drumroll, please: 

THE BEST WAY TO WRAP A GIFT CARD

The teen, as expected, wanted cash or at least gift cards so he could buy video games.  But how to wrap them?  Hmmmm?  After scrolling Pinterest, which I do anyway like some men scroll porn, I rejected all of the ideas on that site and came up with this nugget of brilliance. 

Behold - THE YARN BALL!

The challenge was to come up with something unique that wouldn't piss the kid off, but would still confuse him so that when he picked up the package, he wouldn't know what was inside.   I grabbed some old yarn (this happens to be fancy stuff I had lying around), bent the cards so they were small, and wrapped them up.  The ball was big enough that he had no clue why I was giving it to him, yet small enough where in less than a minute, he had the gift cards in his hand.  Yep, mom has at least one creative brain cell left!


On to our other gifts...for me, the best one was this purse, the Saygoer Sling Bag Pack Canvas Cross Body Bag with Adjustable Strap.  I needed something that would not only hold my essentials, but my Kindle as well.  This bag is canvas, and it's not sexy, but it is sturdy, ergonomically great, and has a little compartment on the inside, close to my body for ID.  My plan is to Scotchguard it so it's waterproof.  My daughter says it looks like a manpurse.  I told her, "Then don't carry it."  It's mine anyway. 

Philips Norelco Electric Shaver 2100 - We bought this for the teen who always seemed to have a whisker or two lingering after shaving with a disposable razor.  He didn't ask for this unit, but reluctantly admits that he likes it.  The razor shaves him close without ripping any zits off.  I'm hoping it'll last him through college.

And our last hit:  PopSockets: Expanding Stand and Grip for Smartphones and Tablets.  Now, when my daughter wanted this, I thought it was a waste of money.  It's small and sticks onto the back of her phone, allowing for a better grip and is a stand when she wants to use videos.  Yes, it does that, but it's also fun to just pop up and down.  Maybe it's the texture, because it doesn't make a sound.  The price point was about $10 on Amazon, which was cheaper than my local ripoff stores which sell it for $20.  So far, she's loving it. 

Which brings us to the duds of this year. 

Take a look at this piece of crap that was $60 on Amazon and for which  I paid $20 at my local Toys-R-Us.  It's called Fantastic Gymnastics.  It is definitely NOT fantastic.

You're supposed to manipulate the gymnast by pressing the red and yellow buttons.  Unfortunately, the gymnast (who has no face - REALLY DEVELOPERS?  You couldn't spare the money to put an ACTUAL FACE on the person??), rarely lands feet-up, resulting in a frustrated, ticked off kid.  My daughter is swearing she'll play this with her friends, but I know it'll be shoved into a pile in the basement before Spring. 

Now, the next items is a present I bought myself and in theory, it's great.  It's the XY3 3rd Gen Item Finder - Bluetooth Key Finder, Wallet Tracker, Phone Finder, and Lost Item Tracker.  Mom is ALWAYS losing her phone and the kids call it so I can find it.  But what if they're not around?  I mastered finding my keys with a simple Command hook by the door, but the phone is a problem.  XY3 is supposed to FIND YOUR STUFF and do it three-fold.  1.  You have an app on your phone that will tell you where your keys are.  2.  You can use the computer to find your phone and/or keys.  3.  There's a button on the key thingy which you press to find your phone.  Brilliant, right? 

EXCEPT, that while it may indicate where something is, it only shows your address.  It doesn't say, "Hey, Stupid.  Your key are, for some unknown reason,  between the couch cushions along with the Doritos you snuck last night."  I KNOW they're in the house!  I just don't know WHERE!  Nevertheless, finding my keys is easier with XY3 because you just follow the beep to the keys.

Now, finding the phone is where this device craps out.  To test it, I was standing with my keys in one hand and my phone in the other.  I pushed the handy-dandy button on the keys.  No sound.  I did this twice.  Dead.  I contacted customer service.  No reply.  Then I saw it advertised on Facebook and made a comment.  Comments get attention!  The tech magicians worked hard to find a solution, but could not.  They're in the process of replacing the XY3.  I really hope it works out, because I do lose my phone quite often and the techs, through Facebook, again, not via email, seemed really nice. 


If you disagree with any of my opinions, feel free to post.  And stay tuned for more reviews coming up within the next few days.  By the way, you can follow me on Instagram:  @momscrayon.

Thank you for reading!