It's coming up to a busy time of year for us with birthdays; between the months of March and September we have a total of sixteen family birthdays! That might not seem that many to others, but we only have four for the remaining six months of the year, it does mean that when it comes to Christmas time I haven't been completely zapped of all inspiration.

And this is the problem; after a while it gets very difficult to find meaningful and worthwhile presents for certain family members, especially when they are the more senior members of the family. They've reached the point where they have most things and also are able to purchase anything they'd like in between special occasions, whereas the younger family members are still trying to find their feet with their finances and so it's easier to buy them things that they need.

Added to this though is that the children are all growing up and the youngest child (aside from The Boy) is seven years old while the eldest is celebrating her seventeenth birthday in a few months. I'm a little out of touch with what teenage boys and girls like, it's quite some time since I was one and therefore it's making me quit discombobulated. I think probably the easiest thing is to buy an iTunes voucher as all the teenagers have either iPhones or iPods and they can download which ever apps they'd like to use. I'm pretty sure that Angry Birds or Cut The Rope are staple dowloads for everyone including my husband's nephew, and my teenage niece probably spends most of her time on Facebook.

When it comes to  buying presents for the older generation, I find that you can't really go wrong with a photo mug! Practical and easy to create, especially with a photo mugs iPhone app which actually allows the user to snap a photo and instantly upload and edit it, adding any text and then paying straight away. Perfect for finding a present on the go!

That's three presents to go, just need another thirteen! Any ideas?

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