Ages 8 and up
 NFL
CD Cardz (Serious) Ages 8 and up, $3.99 and up
This
is the new world of card collecting and trading. These CD-Rom cards are
Windows and Mac compatible, and cover the NBA, NHL, NFL, EURO 2004 and this
month, Serious have also released Manchester United DVD Cardz. Each card contains trivia, games, video highlights, photos,
player stats and figures. The most important feature according to our
reviewer is the Player Power Book which is a digital collectors album. Our
reviewer thought they were "really cool."
 Star
Wars Collectible Figures (Hasbro)
Star Wars is back and it's hotter than ever. Hasbro has reintroduced the
collectible figures from the 1980's and they are flying off the shelves.
With the new Star Wars movie Episode III Revenge of the Sith set to open
in May 2005 these figures will be long gone before then.
  Key
Chain Conversation Pieces (BasicFun):
Key Chains and Back Pack Clips are all the rage. These miniatures are
perfect replicas of the real thing. The Clip Craft is great for car rides,
restaurants and grandma's house. It has a tiny scroll of paper with
pictures, pencils and a sharpener. The Monopoly set has breath mints in
cool shapes to keep you feeling fresh all day long! They average under $5.00 and come in tons
of styles from The Incredibles and Astro Boy to Winnie the Pooh and Lord of the
Rings. as well as mini versions of games like Disney's Winnie the Pooh Checkers. This website
ultimatekeychains.com/
has a lot of them.
  Glitter
Roller Ball (Dirty Girl) This is for the
girls! Our 14-year-old tester thought her dad was just the coolest when he
brought this home for her to review. She's not allowed to wear makeup but
this is just a subtle bit of glitter. She's in the marching band so now
she uses it before every game. At $10.00 it's a winner. After the game, she
cleans off with Dirty Girl Soap - it's a nice treat at $8.00. Available at
Ulta stores everywhere.
 Duel
Masters (Wizards of the
Coast) Ages 8 and up, $3.49 Japan's hottest game has landed in the
US. The Duel Masters trading card game is following Yu-Gi-Oh's and
Pokemon's footsteps and is a must have for boy collections. These cards
are small, easy to mail and would make a great stocking stuffers or gift for
Chanukah.
 Burt's Bees Lip Balm
(Burt's Bees) At just $1.99
you can't go wrong with this. This is probably the best lip balm to soothe
chapped lips. They are an Earth Friendly company and their product is all
natural. Plus it won't break the bank!
Slammin'
Eggs (Basic Fun) $5.95 Okay,
mom's may look the other way, but a bunch of kids tested these by throwing them
against my wall and had a blast! When it hit the wall it splatters like a
real egg and then it re-forms to its original shape. After a while the
"yolk" will break and inside is a collectible character. A lot
of fun at a little price! Note: Check surfaces before you toss it because it may
leave a stain.
Crayola
Spider Writers (Binney & Smith) These cool pens are available in
metallic colors and are a blast. They have a special ink that allows
you to write with a weblike design. They look great on black paper and are
a fun alternative to crayons and gel pens! Ages 7+, $4.99
GelGems
(Design Ideas®) These funky, fun, clingy stain-glass-type, decorations were
created by a chemist who specializes in adhesives. This was his
unintentional “discovery" and they are quickly becoming a hit! They
can be used to decorate refrigerators, windows, sliding glass doors, mirrors and
more. Their alphabet set is a fun gift to send to college kids and younger
kids like the holiday inspired themes. They range in price from $1.99 to
$34.99.
 MLB
Showdown 2004 Sports Card Game (Wizards of the
Coast) $9.99 for the starter pack.
This strategy card game, from the maker of Magic and other popular trading card games, has an advantage over Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh that parents and grandparents can appreciate: It’s based on real sports stars playing a familiar game. That meant our testers didn’t have any trouble persuading their dad (a lifelong baseball fan) to play a few rounds. The game has three levels: basic, advanced, and expert. The basic game level, which offers a standard set of outcomes for hits, runs, and outs, was just right for our 8-year-old tester, who was eager to play again right away. His 11-year-old brother was soon bored with the basic game, but found the advanced level “awesome” because it allowed for such realistic options as base-stealing and double plays. Expert-level play adds strategy cards for even more complex scenarios. The game comes with starter decks for two players, which work fine for the basic level but don’t have quite enough cards for effective play at the advanced and expert levels — for instance, to select relief pitchers or make player substitutions. For that, you’ll want to add booster packs — another familiar sight for grown-ups who remember collecting baseball cards.
 Calendars
- (Mead) - Calendars make wonderful gifts that you can give your grandchildren
either at Christmastime or at the beginning of the new school year. This
one is perfect for those Fairly Odd Parents fans, however Mead also makes calendars
that cover everything from Mother Nature to Disney Princesses. Most retail
for under $10.00
Holiday Advent Calendars
- Most Advent calendars are under $10. Here's a link to hundreds.
There are also calendars that count down the eight nights of Chanukah. We found a great "Chanukah Countdown" calendar by WJ
Fantasy for $12.95; you can purchase it by clicking here.
Gift Certificates: Don't forget a $10.00 gift certificate to Abercrombie
& Fitch, Limited
Too!, or GAP makes a
wonderful stocking stuffer too!
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