Birthday Party Suggestions--teenagers

I am seconding the Barnes and Noble gift card suggestion. Not only can they get books or magazines, but they can also get movies, music, and (in most B&Ns) coffee or chocolates. Nobody doesn't love a B&N gift card, even if they're not bookish types. :)

Another possibility is a membership card to somewhere they all like to frequent--the zoo, or maybe the museum (okay, that one's unlikely for 14-year-olds, but you get the idea). I got a NOMA membership from my dad for Christmas and love it; whenever I go there, I'll think of him, plus it's great that the gift to me also helps support NOMA a little.

Bath and Body stuff is great too, but favorite scents can be rather personal; someone once got me a beautiful (and probably expensive) basket of peach-scented products from there, but sadly artificial peach scent makes me gag a little (not that I ever let on, of course--it's the thought that counts!).

Clothing gift cards are always a hit, but it's best to pick a shop that you/your son knows the girls like. Gift cards are sometimes considered too impersonal, but if they're from a shop that you know is a person's favorite, I think they do show that some thought went into choosing, and that's really the point of gifts, isn't it?