(ARA) - Sure they love the cookies and candy, visits to Santa, and drop-ins from family and friends, but let's face it - for kids, gifts are the real highlight of the holiday season. But if you, like many parents, hope to keep the holidays affordable this year, you may be worried about finding gifts that will thrill your child, but not break your budget.
Some creative and expert advice can help ensure the holidays stay bright for your children - and affordable for you. The gift experts at Montgomery Ward offer some guidance on choosing gifts for kids:
Sensible stocking stuffing
It's easy to get carried away when it comes to stuffing stockings. Many great items fit easily into a stocking, but small gifts don't always come with a small price tag. Establish a budget for stocking stuffers, such as $20. Then look for simple, reasonably priced items. Younger children might love sparkly toothbrushes (you can even buy battery-operated ones for less than $10) featuring favorite cartoon characters. Toy cars, stickers or an inexpensive digital watch are great for boys, while girls might enjoy flavored lip balm or a small bottle of glittery nail polish. Older, tech-savvy children could use a USB flash drive to store music and photos.
Main-event gifts
Watching the joy in a child's eyes as she unwraps a gift that she really wanted - or discovers the advantages of a toy she didn't know she wanted - is the reward of creative parents. Certain types of gifts are sure to elicit just that type of response from a child.
* Remote-controlled items have been popular for decades and thanks to advances in electronics and technology, it's now possible to find an affordable remote-control toy to tickle the fancy of almost any child. Younger children who are dinosaur aficionados may enjoy a Remote Control Dino Buddy - a stylized T-Rex that stomps around and swings his tail. Nature lovers might adore a remote-controlled skunk that pretends to "spray" without the stink. And of course, who doesn't love remote-controlled classics like robots, cars and airplanes?
* Personalized gifts are fun for children of all ages, not to mention adults. Tots 3 to 8 are particularly fond of receiving a gift with their name on it as many of them are learning to recognize their own names. You can have a child's name printed or embroidered on numerous items, from piggy banks and sleeping bags to rocking chairs and even wallpaper murals.
* If your youngster loves kids' spy movies, he may jump at the opportunity to play with some fun spy gear. Items like the Wild Planet Spy Gear Lie Detector, toy night vision goggles, a Stealth Voice Changer and even a Lazer Tripwire, will encourage kids to act out their secret agent dreams.
* If you have a budding artist on your holiday list, art supplies like a big pad of blank paper and a case of colored pencils or markers can be an inexpensive way to foster creativity.
* Emerging thespians may enjoy playing dress up. Instead of pricey store-bought costumes, consider taking a trip to the secondhand store to stock up on hats, dresses, coats and accessories. Visit Wards.com for more gift ideas and to shop online.
No comments:
Post a Comment