Novelty Gifts for the Whole Family

Gift giving for the family is something that Happy Family has covered in the past. In that particular article, the author covered some of the basic concerns connected to giving gifts to a person they don’t know that well (such as a colleague) and then contrasted that with giving more meaningful gifts to family members.

In this post, we are going to look more closely at the dynamics of giving novelty gifts in a family setting. One of the truly great aspects of gift giving within the family is that everyone is well acquainted with everyone else. Family members understand each other’s tastes, preferences and senses of humour – and that makes it much easier (not to mention a lot more fun) to pick out silly gifts that will give everyone a laugh.

That’s important news, considering the fact that so many people have experience receiving gifts that they really don’t care for. For example, a survey of Australians found that one in five Aussies receive at least one gift that they don’t care for in a given year. Most of them confessed to throwing the gift away or – in about 20 percent of the cases – actually re-gifting the disappointing gift to someone else. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving!

So whether you are looking for birthday gifts, Christmas gifts or something special for a particular occasion, there are plenty of novelty items to consider. In the following sections, we’ll have a look at the most promising gifts for family members.

Gifts Intended for Children

As most are probably aware, novelty gifts often hedge into slightly naughty territory, which means they are better suited for adults than children. However, there are plenty of family friendly novelty items out there that you give to children without any qualms. Here are a few examples:

·         Novelty Gifts for Creative Children

There are plenty of excellent novelty gifts on the market for kids with vivid imaginations. Those who read plenty of fantasy novels might get a kick out of a magic wand that doubles as a universal TV remote (which really exists!). There’s also a Dr Who-style screwdriver that serves as a remote. These are great toys for imaginative kids, and they’ll be put to real use in the house.

·         Novelty Gifts for Industrious Children

For tinkerers, builders and otherwise industrious children, there are countless gift ideas. Pendulums, robots, and gravity-defying magnetic levitators are all fun toys that double as mind-stimulating learning tools. You could even consider purchasing a Bluetooth enabled helicopter that can be flown with an iPhone. 

·         Novelty Gifts for Athletic Children

If your children are particularly active or have sports on the mind, then there are just as many options. Desktop basketball or bowling kits provide a cure for bad-weather boredom. And for real balls of energy, nothing beats a hop-a-long bouncer when it comes to wearing down the little ones before naptime.

Gifts Intended for Adults

As mentioned above, the options are broader still when an adult is the recipient. Whether you’re looking for something a bit naughty or racy, or are simply interested in picking out a gift that is more suitable to adult interests, you’ll find plenty of options online. Bear in mind that some novelty gifts are downright crass (the teabagging tea bag, comes to mind). But there are also many conservative gifts that can actually serve a bona fide purpose. Classic examples include vacuum powered wine stoppers, Bluetooth wireless shower speakers and solar-powered sun jars (i.e. outdoor lamps).

The important thing to remember is that giving gifts to (not to mention receiving from) family members should be fun. As such, it’s worth giving some thought in order to come up with the perfect gift idea.