Teenagers have much more discerning taste than the little kids who are stoked to see balloons around the tree Christmas morning. My teenage kids wish lists include electronics and socks. I'm not kidding: SOCKS!

So I have to get creative and crafty to find gifts I know my kids will love that they don't realize they will love. I think I've found some winners!

Once again, the Hover King! I am not kidding when I say that this is the toy of the year. I am so excited for my kids to have a hover board they can sit on and race... with me. Hover board PLUS conversion kit makes for the coolest and smallest go kart on the market. We live in the city, so there isn't a ton of room for big go karts in our garage, so this is a triple win for us. Go check out hoverlikeaking now before their prices go up or they are sold out. Right now the entire package is a STEAL!

The LetterFolk message boards are adorable, but what surprised me most is how much my kids like making messages on these boards. My teenager likes to write celebratory messages and funny puns. My son likes to write the menu for dinner. I like it for reminders. The whole family loves to write messages on the LetterFolk boards, which wins over electronics every day!

If you have a teenage daughter or know of a teen or college-aged girl, you know about bath bombs! They are the bomb! (Oy, I just showed my age.) Shine Happy Life has bubble bars, bath bombs, body butters, and they all smell great and look amazing. I love how many look like desserts, because great baths are better than a dessert. (So I've heard!) Plus, just having Shine Happy products around will make your daughter's room smell better.

Speaking of happy girls and bedrooms, Aimee Ferre prints add the perfect touch of art and positive reminders of who they are. Aimee designs the most beautiful artwork that my daughter loves to have in her bedroom. If you think her work looks familiar, she also designed our best-selling shirts for Kids are The Worst! We love Aimee!

My son loves to cook and bake. He wakes up first every weekend and asks if he can make waffles or try a new cake recipe. Watch out, Jamie Oliver! When I saw Ashley's Fresh Fix new levoons and levups (measuring spoons and cups with an automatic level), I knew he would dig them. Perfect for the teenager who wants to cook and bake and even better for the college kid who needs to learn how to cook on their own.

I love having a little treat for my kids in their stockings. Sometimes you want something better than a candy cane. Sweet Tooth Fairy sells their cakebites to deliver nationwide. My daughter loves giving these little packages to her friends and music teachers for the holidays. It is a perfect gift for teens and for teens to give. From now until Monday, November 28, use the code KIDSARETHEWORST at thesweettoothfairy.com to get 20% off your order! Huzzah!

It might seem to soon to think about swimsuits, but there is always winter vacations, hot tubs, and Spring Break just around the corner. Rad Swim has the cutest suits for teens (and women and girls) that my daughter loves. Mix and match or choose from some of RadSwim's adorable one-piece suits. Quality swimwear at a great price, so when your teen daughter is out playing, you aren't worried that it's going to fall apart and cause embarrassment.

Adult coloring books are awesome, but have you ever wanted to learn how to do hand lettering like a professional? I know I have. My kids love to try out new handwriting and letter designs, so they will love this new creative lettering book by HandLetteredDesign. They can learn to letter AND color and spend hours off their mobile devices. Grab a few markers and you've got a great gift for any teenager!

One thing all of my kids love (and my dog, sadly) is the lip balm from It's All Good. These giant chapsticks are so soft and last a long time... unless someone leaves them where my dog can get to it. The flavors are great, they help with our chapped lips in the dry winters, and they come from a rad small company. It's All Good, indeed!

I am sure I can find socks somewhere, too. But now my kids have other things that they never knew they always wanted. What are you getting for your teenage kids?

AnnaM

I am so excited about the kids' Holiday Gift List. I want every one of these items to be under our Christmas tree for me... I mean, for the kids. For the family, whatever.

I didn't get any of my kids a hover board last year, mostly because I didn't want my kids running into walls throughout my house. Then I saw the conversion kit that turns your hover board into a GO-KART! Coolest. Gift. of the year! HoverLikeAKing sells the conversion kit AND the hover board with the kit, if you are like me and didn't get one last year. My kids are going to freak out. Especially when I beat them in races! (By the way, there are similar conversion kits out there, but this is the best deal I have ever seen. Go NOW before they sell out or the price goes up.)

The main reason I bought the home we are in is for the giant tree in the backyard. It even came with a crummy old tire swing, too. This year I am replacing it with the raddest swing I have ever seen: The Swurfer! A swing you can stand on and not have everyone yelling at you to sit on your pockets. Oh, was that just me? The Swurfer can be used by kids and adults, sitting or standing. It is shaped to get speed and height in any direction and has long enough rope for giant trees, if you have one. Swurfs up!

If you have sons, you know how difficult it is to find cool clothes that fit well for them. Rowen Christian offers fashion-forward denim for boys and a portion of every sale goes to charities to help children in need. Fashion with a purpose is always something I love to support--AND my boys can have great-fitting clothes, too! Hallelujah! Check out these awesome denim joggers from Rowen Christian.

We have a couple of rules about using electronic devices in our house, but one that I stick to the most is "turn it down or turn it off" for the device volume. I don't want to hear my kids' music or game soundtrack while we all hang out in the family room. Regular headphones make me uncomfortable because of the damage they can do to my kids' hearing health. Enter: Puro Balanced Response bluetooth headphones. These headphones have the most advanced noise-limiting solution on the market and are the best-sounding kids headphones available. Heavenly Peace.

Speaking of hanging out, I want a mountain full of these Rock Pillows to lounge on with the kids. When we saw the original Rock Pillows at a market a couple of weeks ago, all four of my kids made a beeline for the pillows that look like rocks. They tossed them, sat on them, threw them around, and couldn't stop talking about them the next few days. And they look cool, too! Boulder Fight!

And since we are talking about lounging, I am always looking for cool new pajamas that I wouldn't mind my kids wearing to pajama day at school. Our family elf always brings the kids a new pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve with a note of "good luck" for Santa's upcoming delivery. I would not mind at all if he brought us all LazyOne pajamas. They are cute, fun, and so soft. Plus, we can all match!

You know what I miss the most? My daughter wanting to play with dolls. Isn't that funny how we can miss something that used to feel like a never-ending search for the favorite doll so she can go to sleep? These gorgeous dolls from LatterDayHome are so sweet that my daughter might be getting a new one this year, anyway. Perfect for the little girl or the girl you wish were little. Maybe even the perfect doll for me, too.

What better way to remember when they were little (which might be right now for you) than with a photo book? I have never been a scrap booker, and the old photo books often took me hours to put together. Then I discovered chatbooks! If you haven't heard about them, you are in for a real treat. If you've heard about them, but never ordered a chatbook for yourself, you have to try it. They print and are delivered so fast, you'll be reliving memories with your kids before you know it. My kids can sit and look at these books for hours. They love remembering when they were little(r) as much as you do. Use the code Merry20 for 20% off your order this week!

You know what makes me smile more than almost anything? Seeing someone wearing a funny or clever shirt. It's one of the quickest ways to my funny bone, for whatever reason. StatelyType has some of the most clever and cool shirts I have ever seen. And they are super soft, too, which is a huge bonus. Whenever I wear one of my StatelyType t-shirts or sweatshirt, I get loads of compliments. My kids are all asking for the Mas Tacos shirt and I might see who is best behaved this season to get one. ;)

That's all for the Kids' List this year. There were SO many awesome gifts for kids this year and I love that this list has small businesses and brands who are hustling to be in your home. Check them out and let me know if you have other suggestions for kids!

AnnaM

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