Advice On What To Buy: Christmas Gifts 2009
posted on 10/22/2009
On Christmas, we give gifts to others because of the gift God gave us in Jesus Christ. Despite the over commercialization, I can understand why we do this. I've done a tiny bit of research and have compiled a list of gifts that people are both looking to give and to receive this year.
Family
If your family doesn't have a game console, Wii, X-Box and Playstation have all dropped the price by $100.00 and WalMart might have it even cheaper. By the way KMart is the only store I could find that will let you still use lay-away. Lay-away is great for paying over time. Kmart has closed several stores recently but if there if one close to you I would recommend using this convenient feature. I hve noticed that family's watch American Idol together. There is an American Idol DVD game to use with your game console that will once again bring the family together.
Kids
LeapFrog TAG Reading System helps kids learn to read. Children as young as 4 and 5 are getting into photography so a digital camera for responsible children is not out of the question and is less in cost than lots of other kids gifts. Little Tikes Ride & Rescue Coupe has always been popular, especially if you can't find the ever popular Big Wheel in your area. Cloud b Twilight Constellation Night Light projects different constellations on the wall or ceiling for your children. A very unique night light.
Older Kids/Teens
Rubik's Cube has always been a winner for any gift-giving occasion. This year Rubik's 360 will offer a new challenge. iPods and the iTouch are very popular as in years past. Not every kid has one so you can still find someone on your list who doesn't. iPods can be used to listen to your favorite tunes by converting CD songs to MP3 files or downloading them from services like iTunes. Memory cards for computers that need a little extra space will always be an useful gift. Teens who may not have a camera on their cell phones might be appreciative of getting a digital camera as well. Girls and boys who love to skate board might be interested in the new Ripstik Caster Board.
Adults
College Students and adults of any age require special thought because you don't want to continuously give the same gift year in and year out. Dads really don't want nor do they need another tie. Moms don't want another kitchen appliance. Even if your college student is of age, I would not recommend giving wine as a gift. It sends the wrong message, but wine is a thoughtful gift for other adults. There are a great many special wines under $30.00 and a nice selection can be found on the Food Network's site. Other gift ideas I came across are: universal remote, specialty coffees, books like You On A Diet or cookbooks, Planet Earth DVDs or the Amazon Kindle for reading books.
If you own a computer and have music files on your hard drive, you can always make a custom CD fro you friends and relatives. Also those pesky Secret Santa's at work are ripe for giving CDs to. All you need is a little time to find out what type of music they like and burn the CD. Sometimes it is enough just to know who their favorite artists and musicians are to make a great compact disc. CDs are a great gift because you can fit between 12-16 songs.
Be creative. People like to receive store bought gifts but they are also happy to see the time and thought involved in home/hand made gifts. Don't forget people with a sweet tooth either. Christmas cookies are always a wonderful gift. People in my family always expect a pumpkin or sweet potato pie from someone, especially my mother. This year I plan on making quite a few. As far as stocking stuffers, UNO always makes a great gift and Scrabble Apple is popular amongst kids and tweens.
Also, when buying toys for kids, even though the toy may be age appropriate, if there is a younger child in the house and the older child is not yet responsible, the choking hazard for that toy still applies to the younger of the two. Be on guard.
A FEW LINKS
Little Tikes Ride & Rescue Coupe - http://www.littletikes.com/toys/ride-rescue-cozy-coupe-30th-anniversary-edition.aspx
Ripstik Caster Board - http://www.amazon.com/RipStik-15055012-Ripstik-Caster-Silver/dp/B000J2CSRC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1256227303&sr=1-1
Big Wheel - http://www0.shopping.com/xPO-Gearbox-Toys-Gearbox-Toys-16-Original-Big-Wheel-96100
Nikon Coolpix L20 10MP Digital Camera - http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Coolpix-L20-Digital-Blue/dp/B001T2CTSY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1256227812&sr=1-5
Merry Christmas and Happy Shopping
Comment on this article
You must be logged in to post comments.
Previous Comments
TurningJapanese says:
(24d 10h 3min ago)
I like the idea of making things. People get fruit cakes all the time and some even like them.