December 11th, 2009 | 
Author: I’m the youngest of four, a junior in college, a part-time waitress and I’ve saved only $200 to buy Christmas presents for my whole family.
I know my parents will be happy to get a poem or a pie or a promise to plant the last of their daffodil bulbs before 2010 and my three sibs will welcome gift certificates, each good for six hours of babysitting, night or day, during the holidays.
But what about my two nieces, 3 and 5; my brother’s sons, 8 and 12, and my sister’s 14-year-old stepson, who is Jewish, and therefore needs a present for Hanukkah as well as Christmas? And what can I get for her adorable — and fussy — baby girl who was born on Thanksgiving night and will be christened when I’m home? Since I’m the godmother, I want to get a special present for her baptism, as well as a Christmas present, but can I really do all that for $200?
Sure you can, and you’ll make good choices, too, if you remember that each child is different.
Your nieces and nephews may ask for this year’s hot toys, but the ones they’ll like best will be the ones that suit their talents, their abilities, their temperaments and their way of thinking. Some children like to pretend and some are concrete thinkers; some are creative and some are literal; some are adventurous and some color within the lines. If you know the child, you’ll choose the right gift.
Remember, too, that a simple, time-tested toy invites imaginative play better than a licensed toy, since the latter usually have a rigid story line and they’re also made of plastic so they often break more easily.
Most 3-year-olds would love a tutu (Beastly Beauties, $18), especially if it’s pink, because pink is every young child’s favorite color, but she’ll still be happy if you fluff up some pink tulle and sew it to a band of satin ribbon. And if you know the shoe size of the 5-year-old, a pair of ruby slippers (Puppet Workshop, $13) would be quite wonderful or even a pack of Grippies (grippiesonline.com, $6) to stick on the soles of her socks or tights, so she won’t slip when she dances on the yellow brick road. A copy of “White Noise,” a splendid pop-up book by David A. Carter (Simon and Schuster, $23), should also appeal to this child, but only if she’s the careful, tidy sort; this book is easily wrecked.
If your niece is a born builder, however, give her “Superstructs” (Waba, $20), which are like TinkerToys, but the pieces are made of plastic instead of wood, so they don’t swell in damp weather.
If your 8-year-old nephew likes to invent his own games, buy “Frog Juice” (Gamewright, $11), because it will teach him how to cast spells and melt witches, which everyone needs to do, sooner or later. If he’s deeply curious, however, consider “Creature Peeper” (Insect Lore, $8), which has microscope lenses, so he can study bugs from top to bottom. Or give these boys a game to share, such as “Rat-a-tat” (Gamewright, $11); “Legretto” (Playroom, $12); Bananagrams (Bananagrams, $15) or “Apples to Apples” (Mattel, $17). Every one of these games is a winner.
The 14-year-old will appreciate an Aerobie disc (Aerobie, $10) for Hanukkah because it flies better than a Frisbee. And he’ll appreciate it even more if you tie a $1.75 packet of gold-foiled chocolate gelt to the package. For Christmas, you might give him “The Onion’s Finest News Reporting” (Three Rivers, $17), which is full of witty, fictional articles plucked from that wacky newspaper, the Onion. It should delight him as much as James Thurber and Dorothy Parker delighted your parents when they were his age. If its occasional vulgarity bothers you, however, give him “Really, Really Big Questions” by Stephen Law (Kingfisher, $17) instead.
This should leave you with about $40 — enough to splurge on some bootees for the baby for Christmas and the Sleep Sound Lamb (or the dolphin, which isn’t nearly as cute) for the christening. This battery-run stuffed animal hangs in a crib and can be set to play one of four soothing sounds to put a baby to sleep.
Kelly is a freelance writer. Questions? Send them to advice@margueritekelly.com or to Box 15310, Washington, D.C. 20003.
Marguerite Kelly's Family Almanac
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