Gift for Niece's Bat Mitzvah

thunderstorm

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 5:44 pm

Do you know what I could give my niece for her Bat Mitzvah?
All my other nieces are Chasidish and didn't have big Bat Mitzvah celebrations.
My sisters daughter is having a big celebration in a hall, gowns, music, entertainment the works.
She is very left wing MO, so I'm not sure how much the girl would appreciate a judaica item. At first I was considering getting her a siddur with her name on it. But that may be too simple for her.
She has everything she wants . She is pretty spoiled in terms of getting what she wants.
When she was born I gave her a real gold bracelet with her name engraved on it, so I don't want to do that again.
I really don't want to spend a lot either. What is an appropriate gift for a 12 yr old girl?
I was thinking of getting something personalized but I have no idea what to get. Please give me some ideas. Thanks

mommyla

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 6:20 pm

My nieces loved the personalized luggage I bought for their bas mitzvahs. Duffel bag, toiletry bag, garment bag... they use it for sleepovers and camp.

seeker

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 7:07 pm

If she has everything she wants then it makes more sense to go with something meaningful rather than material. If you think a personalized siddur is too small, then maybe something else in that vein? I don't think you can assume that a siddur would be a bad gift for her because she's MO.

thunderstorm

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 7:11 pm

seeker wrote:

I don't think she would appreciate it as much as a gashmius item. Even though physically she has lots of things , she has a lot of emotional pain and I wanted to get her something that shows her I love her and something that will always remind her of that.

thunderstorm

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 7:12 pm

mommyla wrote:

My nieces loved the personalized luggage I bought for their bas mitzvahs. Duffel bag, toiletry bag, garment bag... they use it for sleepovers and camp.

She has been to camp a couple of years and her mother already bought her this type of set. Otherwise it would've been a fantastic idea.

animeme

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 7:33 pm

Can you get her an outing for the two of you? If you take her pottery painting or jewelry beading, you end up with a finished product.

If she is creative, you can get her a nice jewelry making kit or art set.

mommyla

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 7:55 pm

thunderstorm wrote:

She has been to camp a couple of years and her mother already bought her this type of set. Otherwise it would've been a fantastic idea.

Yes, one niece already had a duffel so I bought her a cute toiletry bag and a nice personalized jewelry box. She loves it. What does your niece like to do?

thunderstorm

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 8:03 pm

mommyla wrote:

Yes, one niece already had a duffel so I bought her a cute toiletry bag and a nice personalized jewelry box. She loves it. What does your niece like to do?

She loves to write. Is very book smart. But spends her life on her iPhone nowadays.
She doesn't care about fashion. She is a bit geeky. Her parents are divorced so I was thinking of something she could keep in either one of her two homes. I'm just not able to come up with anything. I only have boys and I'm clueless about today's girls.

amother

Cobalt

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 8:03 pm

MO here - the girls in our shul each receive a personalized siddur as a gift from the congregation. My daughter treasures hers, but would not have use for more than one. That was the problem with the multiple sets of Pirkei Avot and other books commonly given as gifts. (This should be the worst thing that we have to complain about).

If you know that she doesn't have a particular Jewish book and might like it, go ahead and give it. Even if she receives multiples, the one from a close relative will be special to her.

Even though you gave her jewelry before, something more "grown up" is a suitable coming-of-age gift. I also really like the idea of an outing, not necessarily to make/get anything, but to nurture your relationship at a sensitive time.

thunderstorm

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 8:06 pm

animeme wrote:

Taking her out would be super special. But we live in different cities, I don't drive and I will be in my ninth month by her Bat Mitzvah, so that won't work well.
She has art kits and jewelry making kits. Sad

thunderstorm

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 8:14 pm

mommyla wrote:

How about a set of leather-bound journals if she likes to write? You can probably get them personalized.

I like that idea but I'm almost 40. Is that something a 12 yr old would like? I know she keeps diaries and stuff.

amother

Maroon

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 8:15 pm

thunderstorm wrote:

I like that idea but I'm almost 40. Is that something a 12 yr old would like? I know she keeps diaries and stuff.

My geeky 12 year old that loves to write would love such a gift!

thunderstorm

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 8:22 pm

Ok!! Thanks! I'm going to get her three journals personalized. One with her Hebrew name, one with her English name and one with her nickname. I think she'd like that. Thank you all!!!

amother

Maroon

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 8:28 pm

thunderstorm wrote:

Ok!! Thanks! I'm going to get her three journals personalized. One with her Hebrew name, one with her English name and one with her nickname. I think she'd like that. Thank you all!!!

Sounds fantastic!

mommyla

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 8:50 pm

thunderstorm wrote:

Ok!! Thanks! I'm going to get her three journals personalized. One with her Hebrew name, one with her English name and one with her nickname. I think she'd like that. Thank you all!!!

Great! I'm sure she'll love that. I was a big writer as a kid and I still like to write, I would have loved that.

erm

Wed, Apr 18 2018, 11:20 pm

We always get my nieces Machzorim with their names on it. Even if it isn't so exciting when they first get it, at the end of the day it gets used and they appreciate it in the long run.

ImaMum

Thu, Apr 19 2018, 6:50 am

I got most of my nieces a professional hairdryer with thin nozzle that they loved and they're still using years later.
Also got some nieces a real jewellery set with earrings and matching necklace that they wear every shabbos.
Another I got a nice watch that she still wears.

Edit: Sorry saw u decided on journals, sounds cute!! Very Happy