10 Best Christmas Gifts For 2008

By Ivan Kelly

Looking for the best Christmas gifts for 2008 is a common experience as the year advances and we start to approach the holiday season. There are some easy buys that readily spring to mind, such as Christmas decorations, gift baskets, and Christmas cards. However, to really stir your imagination, here is a list of best selling gifts that has been researched with some of the largest retail stores.

1. Bakugan Battle Pack

A strategic game that is based on the TV series "Bakugan Battle Brawlers". For kids 4 and above, they pit a variety of warriors against each other and score points. The plastic spheres used burst open to disclose warrior apparatus that is truly fearsome.

2. Fisher-Price Elmo Live

A cuddly version of the Sesame Street character, Elmo. He's been designed to entertain kiddies from the age of 18 mths with his antics. These include singing, talking, telling jokes, moving his mouth as he talks, sitting, and more. Easy to activate, such as squeezing a toe or tickling his tummy. The little ones love it!

3. Wild Planet Hyperdash

Combines simple maths with physical exercise and uses a race-course game that moves along quickly. It's an exciting and fun way of helping kids to improve their listening and math skills, as well as their coordination. It's easy to set up and suits children aged six and above.

4. Lego City Advent Calendar

There are 196 pieces, including accessories and figures (such as a fireman), for building fun as your child creatively develops structures. See how the fire fighter manages to rescue the cat from a tree! For ages five upwards.

5. Vtech - Kidizoom Digital Camera

Designed for children 3 years old or more, this camera takes real pictures and is easy for little hands to use. There is also child level software included for simple photo-editing. It is rugged, has special grips and allows two-eye viewing. Encourages creative play.

6. Blokus Classic

Although designed for kids aged five or more, this strategy board game (using special tiles) will also appeal to older children and adults as it calls upon spatial thinking and invites you to block your opponent's moves. On the other hand, the bright colors and simple rules will easily attract the little ones.

7. Melissa and Doug Deluxe Standing Easel

Encourages the Picasso within and offers freedom of expression with a large chalkboard, a paper roller that is easy to load, and a dry-erase board. Invites endless hours of doodling, sketching, and drawing as well as painting. has an adjustable height and suits ages 4-10 years.

8. Bakugan Battle Arena

This is an accessory for the strategic game listed above that is based on the "Bakugan Battle Brawlers" TV series. Children aged four and above earn points in a black "Battle Arena" as they roll their plastic Bakugan onto magnetic cards. This addition helps to make the game feel more "professional" and offers extra fun to those who love to play this game.

9. Leapfrog Leapster

A hand held gaming system that uses a video game format as a teaching tool. There are different game templates which are not only entertaining - they also have a learning component. The toy offers recognizable movie and TV characters who engage users in a game as they learn language skills as well as math and reading.

10. Playskool Tonka

This is both an r/c vehicle and a racing car which is "driven" by youngsters handling a wireless controller. The vehicle goes over obstacles, flips, and rushes forwards and backwards. With a soft body and over-sized tires, floors, walls and feet are safe! The remote control is friendly to toddlers (up to the size of dads!).

This list is based on actual sales and demonstrated demand for products in stock during the period leading up to Christmas.

Children are probably the driving force behind the demand for much of the shopping which is done at Christmas. Our desire to please, entertain and educate the young is a key reason we empty our wallets and purses so readily at this time. The list above of possibly the 10 best Christmas gifts for 2008 will help considerably to make your shopping expedition less of a task and more joyful.

Six Unique Christmas Gifts For Mom That She Will Cherish Forever

By Terry Stanfield

It's just around Christmas and you're considering a number of options for Christmas gifts for mom. Out of the many gifts you are considering, make sure that your gifts are something that your mom can use. There is really no point to getting her something that she doesn't like or want to use.

This article will provide you with great ideas for six unique Christmas gifts for your mom. These gifts will be something that your mom will cherish forever. Not only will these ideas please your mom, they will also make the busy Christmas shopping season a bit easier for you to manage.

Gift no.1: Get your mother a cameos, a cameos is something that nobody would probably even think of getting your mother. And the great thing about a cameo is the fact that it can be personalized for the specific occasion.

Gift no.2: If you are looking to get a special gift for mom, then it would be a good idea to get her birthstone jewelry. Birthstone jewelry is something she will wear and remember for ever.

Gift no.3: Getting mother's jewelry for Christmas is a good idea as jewelry is something moms always tend to wear, especially jewelry that has specially been made from them.

Gift no.4: When buying jewelry as Christmas gifts for mom, she will love it if you bought her mother's earrings. Earrings such as the "ethereal bond post earrings" make for excellent Christmas gifts for moms.

Gift no.5: Get your mom a mother's locket. A mother's locket is an excellent Christmas present for moms. These lockets are available in various colors, and makes, which would make your mom very happy. These lockets have been specially designed with moms in mind, so there is no risk really as you know your mom would love them.

Gift no.6: Get your mom a bead and block birth stone bracelet for Christmas. These are excellent Christmas gifts, with a personal touch. It is guaranteed to make your mom feel special, and wanted. It does a good job of warming hearts up during Christmas.

As you can see there are many unique Christmas gifts for mom. There are unique presents as nobody would really think of giving your mom these gifts. These gifts, along with a warm hug, are enough to say "I love you" and "Merry Christmas"to your mom. The next time you go shopping be sure to take this list along with you.

Homemade Christmas Gifts For Mom

By Jeffrey Meier

What does love mom the most? Her children, you may answer. What does she love to get from her children? She loves getting homemade gifts, even homemade Christmas gifts. You may think just because you are an adult you can't or shouldn't make her Christmas gifts? Why in the world would you ever think that?

Don't you realize that mom loves everything homemade? Mom also loves everything and anything her children make. Don't worry about not having any creativity skills. There are plenty of homemade gift ideas that take little to no creativity skills to make, besides once you get started you may be surprised to find out just how much talent you actually have.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started on making mom a homemade gift or two:

Write mom a poem. You could write a fun poem, a sentimental poem or even a poem about winter and past Christmas seasons. Then place the poem in a nice photo frame or make a greeting type card from it using your computer and printer.

Make mom a special beaded ornament:

You will need some pipe cleaners and beads in Christmas colors

Bend the pipe cleaner to form a shape such as a star, run the pip cleaner through each bead one at a time, twist together at the end.

You can even add bells or holly berries to the ornament.

Does your mom have style, especially holiday style? In you answered yes, you may want to make her some festive napkins.

You will need:

Pieces of felt
Scissors
Glue
Fabric
Plain napkins (hopefully in Christmas colors such as red or green)
Mini pom poms

Cut out decorative shapes such as a Christmas tree or wreath out of the felt.
Glue a shape onto the corner of a napkin. You can use the pom poms to make the napkin a bit more festive and the fabric to help decorate it some.

If those ideas aren't your style here are a few more suggestions:

Christmas cookies or cakes
A Christmas meal
A gift basket containing some of her favorite things
A photo album
Using your computer you could take special old photographs, copy them and even edit them some
Like taking old family pictures and putting them together in a collage
Starting with Grandma and working your way down to the youngest.

What would mom love more than Homemade Christmas Gifts? Can you really think of anything?

Jeffrey Meier at Jam727 Enterprises at http://www.thearticlehome.com blog offers even more detailed information on a wide variety of topics.