Now that the gifts have been distributed and the kids are having fun with toys, gift cards and accessories, here at Role Mommy, we’ve compiled a list of the best gifts this holiday season. If you haven’t yet purchased one of the gifts below for your child or loved one, here’s the good news. It’s probably on sale right now so get out and go shopping!
Our Top 10 Gift Picks of 2012
1. For Any Teenage Girl: Anything from American Eagle, Forever 21, Delia’s, Hollister, Abercrombie or American Apparel. Having navigated my way through all these stores during peak holiday shopping days (two days before Xmas), I can now say that when in doubt, if your child is a fashion plate like mine, you can’t go wrong with any of these stores. Opt for a gift card so they can’t go overboard on their purchases.
2. For the Music Lover: Beats. I have no idea why these headphones are the must have item among tweens and teens, but it just is. Could it be the noise canceling quality or the fact that you can tune out your parents when you’re wearing them, all I know is that if you bought your child Beats this year, you were a really cool mom.
3. The Wii U: This super cool new game station arrived on our doorstep last week and my son can’t stop playing it. The cool thing is you can play your favorite games on your TV and when you want to watch your favorite show, your child can continue playing on a console without disturbing the rest of the family. Plus, you can also use the console to control the volume on the TV and order movies from Netflix too. And best of all, the folks at Nintendo know me so well, they even sent me a karaoke game that comes with a microphone too. Can’t wait to kick the kids out of the living room on New Years so that I can play with all my girlfriends!
4. Microsoft Surface: At $500, the Microsoft Surface actually makes a great gift for the entire family — kids can do their homework assignments, you can craft powerpoint presentations, there are tons of great apps to choose from and you can even play Xbox games too. Plus, there’s a built in camera too.
5. iPad Mini: If you’re a Mac family and own an outdated iPad without a camera, then you might be ready for an upgrade to an iPad mini that has all the bells and whistles of the iPad we’ve all grown to love but smaller, lightweight and less expensive. SOLD!
6. Madden for XBox: : We bought my son the latest Madden NFL game for the Xbox and have to say that he is totally hooked. He and his dad have been playing it every day since we first brought it home and when we visited our friends’ house last night, they had it too, which means it’s a popular game since they always get the best gifts.
7. Gift cards, gift cards and more gift cards. When in doubt, there’s nothing like a gift card that your kid can use to buy whatever his 10 year old heart desires. Sure, you can’t get much for $25 but if you pool your resources, you can cobble together enough cards to make it substantial.
8. Scrabble Anyone? I don’t know about your spouse, but mine is totally hooked on Scrabble. He plays it constantly online and also loves playing the old fashioned board game version with friends. It’s time to invest in a fancy board and learn how to master those pesky two letter words, but either way, if you live with a wordsmith, you can’t go wrong with Scrabble.
9. A Nook, A Vook or A Kindle Fire Truth be told, I haven’t read much in a while but when I do, I gravitate towards an e-reader since it’s so easy to just download a book, kick back and read. Here’s hoping I can dive into several great books in 2013 — including my friend Yvette Manessis Corporon’s (and my Peeing in Peace co-author)…so excited for her and cannot wait to read it.
10. Give the gift of Vacation If you’re like me and you stayed home this holiday season, why not plan for your next getaway? Check out sites like Kayak, SniqueAway and Travelzoo for getaway deals and if you’re looking for cheap airfare, makes sure you make your purchases on a Tuesday when flight deals are typically posted. Some of my favorite getwaways? Jamaica, Florida (with a cruise added on to the trip), Puerto Rico and Europe…can’t wait to one day go back to Italy!!!
Role Mommy 3.0