14 Yr Old Boys

How about a Nike hoodie, or a beanie hat. All the boys love those. You can get most anything the boys like at Kohls for a reasonable price.

My son is almost 14, and we live near you. :) He doesn't care about clothes at all. His only requirements are that they don't have any designs or writing on them at all, and they need to fit well. We buy his clothes at Target. He likes the fitted t-shirts and under-armour shirts that are solid colors. As for gifts, it really depends on the person. Our son is really into drawing and technology. He's getting a Bamboo Tablet for Christmas so that he can draw cartoons on the computer. He also recently saved money and bought a mountainboard. It's a large, off-road sort of skateboard. He was fascinated with a $24 fancy LED flashlight in the Land's End catalogue. I don't know what made it so special, but he really liked it. He'll probably be getting that in his stocking. ;)

If he has an Ipod, Itunes gift cards are great then he can pick his own music. Instead of buying his clothes, get a gift card so he can pick it out. With this age, if you get the wrong thing they don't do or say anything but it hangs in the closet FOREVER! Might as well let them pick it out themselves. If he likes baseball caps, LIDS is a great place. I am sure they have them in your area. Usually in a mall. Get him a card there. My boys are 21 and 19 and that is still their favorite place to buy caps.
Good luck and GOD BLESS!
D.

It depends on his style, is more a little more on the trendy/preppy side, skater trendy side, athletic style...? The suggestions below are all great, but a kid who wears skinny jeans, flannel shirts and chucks aren't going to be into wearing Nike hoodies or American Eagle shirts... or high school mascot clothes. And vice versa. So, I would take his style into consideration, go to the mall and get something from a store that looks like his style. Include the receipt so he can exchange if needed.

I don't even go the clothes route. Makes me too nervous. It's such a sensitive issue. I remember getting awful clothes from well meaning relatives.

For several years now, I've gotten my 13 year old nephew a Cinemac movie gift card. For both birthdays and Christmas. He LOVES it and pretty much spends it withing a few days.

Man it varies!!
My son will only wear Levis and Adidas shirts and shoes. His socks have to be Adidas! I would get a gift card from kohls or jc Penney and let him choose.

The Shawn White collection at Target is nice and so is the Tony Hawk collection at Kohl's. My son is 7 (I know, not close to 14) but he loves those two clothes collections. He goes to a K-8 school and the middle schoolers wear them and he wants to be like them.

Tillys is where we buy cool clothes for teens...might be online too.

Holister seems to go over pretty well in our neck of the woods, but I definitely agree that your best bet is going to be a gift card & not to pick out the clothes yourself if you're unsure.

If you get a card from Target, he can go with a variety of options: clothes, CDs, trading cards, books, sports equipment. Also most malls sell a mall gift card, which is good in any store at that mall. That will give him the choice if he is more of a Hollister, or Footlocker or PacSun kind of dresser. I know gift cards seem a little impersonal, but they really are the way to go with teenagers---unless you have a very specific (brand, style, color) suggestion directly from the kid. One other option: I sometimes have my kids create an online wishlist from some of their favorite stores (just make sure there's a way for them to send it to you or for you to access it) That way they've given you direction but they still don't know exactly what you picked.

Is his a big kid or not? You can get great deals at the Abercrombie Outlet in Grapevine Mills like $6-$20 and they are cool clothes they like. I always shop there for Christmas gifts for my sons who are still in kid sizes. Best wishes and God bless!

How about the local High school Hoodie. Call their front office and find out who sells them.

My son is 13 and likes American Eagle shirts. Lots of his friends have them and they are reasonably priced. Or how about some nice gloves and a scarf to use to have fun in the snow!

Not sure if it still is, but I know that Guy Harvey shirts were quite in favor recently.

Ask his mom where he likes to get clothes from, then get him a gift card to that store - then he can pick out what he wants for himself.

My MIL always insists on getting clothes for my stepsons for their b-days and Christmas - they are now 17 and 18. And they aren't at all what they would want - they are what she thinks are "cool" and are also really cheap. She would be better off giving them the money instead.