Here's an article I wrote and published on EzineArticles.  I think it is appropriate for this blog and so I am reposting it here.  I hope you enjoy this article and I hope it gives you some good ideas for this Christmas season's gift buying.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What Are the Hot Gifts for Christmas This Year?
By Shirley K Williams

This year for Christmas you will need to use care in spending your hard earned money on gifts. It is very important that you choose wisely, ending up with the perfect gift without spending a fortune. Christmas is almost upon us, so now is the time to start thinking about what you want to get for your loved ones. Gift giving is always a challenge, but with the economy the way it is today and so many people out of work, this year proves to be a serious challenge.

One thing you can do this year is start early. Waiting until the last minute will be frustrating and cost you more money. There is always the chance that your gift is not quite on target because of the need to get your shopping done in a hurry. There will be many really great sales between now and Christmas and if you are prepared, start early, and have a plan, then your gifts will be really appreciated because of all the thought you put into them.

I've reviewed quite a few sites online this year all touting the "Hot" gifts for 2011. There are some things that remain constant, such as the allure of the gadgets and our love of technology. Some of the really hot items this year will be the same as last year- iPads, iPods, cell phones, game systems, televisions, etc. You will never go wrong buying these items as gifts, but they usually come with a very large purchase price.

Maybe you need to step back a bit and look at other types of gifts. If your gift receiver loves to read and loves books, maybe a Kindle would be a good gift. If your receiver loves photography and video, maybe a hand-held video camera or a digital SLR camera would do. If the receiver drives an older car and gets lost frequently, maybe a GPS system that can be mounted on the dash.

The easiest way to buy for someone is to learn about what that person enjoys or likes to do in their spare moments. Usually, these activities help to relieve stress and keep them centered. Hobbies have long been an outlet for us as life gets chaotic and stressful. Look to these outlets for clues about what to spend your time and money on. I guarantee you will be glad you did.

Then there are the old stand-by's that have always been good for gift buying. Jewelry and personal care gifts are always appreciated and used. Children have always enjoyed games and toys.



This year, you should look to video games like Call of Duty: Black Ops and Halo Reach. These games will be coming out soon and many young boys will be excited to receive their own games. My Pillow Pets are still very popular with the younger children and may become hard to find if you wait too long. Lego board games are popular with school age children as are the original Lego's. Action figures will always be popular with young boys, so look at those as an option.

Mom and Dad may enjoy a new espresso coffee machine to make their own fancy coffee at home and save them time and money. Today you can spend quite a bit on the fancy coffee and may drive a distance to get to a coffee store. This gift will be seen as a thoughtful and useful gift, saving both time and money for the receiver.

Young adults will always enjoy tickets to must-see movies, sporting events, and concerts of favorite bands. This is a gift that will be appreciated and remembered for some time. You will become the best gift giver of the year. Start checking your area now for possible events that you could purchase tickets for.

Tablet computers are all the rage right now and if you can swing such a purchase, I know you will be rewarded with squeals of delight from the receiver. iPads are expensive, but there are several tablet computers on the market now that are just are good and that cost less. Explore these for ideas.

There are many choices out there this year so you will be on the money if you take your time, start early, and really think about the likes and dislikes of the receiver. With just a little thought and some extra time, this Christmas may turn out to be the best ever. Even with money being tight, you stand a chance of being the best gift-giver this year!

Christmas is always stressful, and this year will prove to be just the same. You can get a head start if you plan now and start your shopping early. Be sure to check online for ratings and availability of items that are beginning to fly off the shelves. If you start now, you may even get your shopping done online and never have to fight the crowds.

For more ideas and information about Christmas, please visit my blog. For gift ideas please visit
Christmas is coming too soon. Here's my wish for you to have a very merry Christmas 2011.

Related articles

• Designer Gifts for Christmas 2011 (boudiuk.wordpress.com)
• Tablet computers: The 'it' gift this Christmas (money.cnn.com)
• Top 10 Best Christmas Gifts (socyberty.com)
• Toys 'R' Us Gets Nostalgic for Christmas (mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com)
• A Christmas gift idea (lookingcloser.org)

The price wars between Kindle and Nook mean savings for you!

If you have a reader to buy for this year, you might want to take a look at a Kindle reader from Amazon.  Right now, there is a price war going on and you can purchase one of these readers for under $200.  Who knows how long this will last, so now is the time to buy.  Christmas will be here before you know it and by then the price may return to almost $300.

The Kindle comes with free wi-fi connection and the ability to access so many different types of reading material that it makes your head spin.  This device will allow you to read books, magazines, newspapers, blogs, etc. with ease.  This is a slim, lightweight device that is much easier to carry around in your bag.  No more wasting time waiting at the doctor's office or in line at the store.  Now you can be connected and be reading no matter where you go.

Here are just a few articles in the news about this topic:



E-reader Price War --Wednesday, June 23, 2010
On the Business Beat, our focus is on the electronic reader and a new layaway plan.
The electronic reader war continues heating up today.
Bottom line, the prices are coming down.
Target is now selling the Amazon Kindle, with the price down to $189. The price drop follows Barnes & Noble cutting the price on its "Nook" to $149, and its 3G model to $199.
Also out there, the Borders version, called the KOBO, selling for $149 [...read more...] 


Amazon Kindle sees price drop -- June 21st, 2010
Amazon just announced that their Kindle e-reader will receive a price drop to $189, falling all the way from $259. It would be interesting to see just how this rather steep price drop will help boost the Kindle’s sales in wake of the iPad’s phenomenal release and sales performance figures thus far. For those who have been living under a rock for the past few years, the Amazon Kindle is the 3G wireless portable reader which allows you to think of a book and be reading in 60 seconds, regardless of where you are – subject to availability of a Wi-Fi or 3G connection, of course. Best of all is, there are no monthly fees or annual contracts to worry about, and you can choose from more than 600,000 books. Woe to those who purchased the Kindle just a day earlier at the full $259 price, eh? Press Release


Bought a Kindle Too Soon? Ask For a Refund -- June 22, 2010, 4:43 PM ET
Some people who were on the fence about buying a dedicated e-reader may be celebrating Monday’s price war between Barnes & Noble’s Nook and Amazon’s Kindle. For the first time, both devices now cost less than $200.

Associated Press

Amazon’s Kindle

But there was one group who wasn’t celebrating: People who recently bought the devices at their former price of $259. Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble were promoting the devices as Father’s Day gifts at the higher price (although Barnes & Noble was including a $50 gift card with purchases).
Now some good news: Both companies say they’re willing to refund customers who bought their e-reading devices recently. You just have to ask for it.
Amazon says it will give the $70 price difference between an old and new Kindle as a credit to customers whose devices were shipped in the last 30 days.
Barnes & Noble says it will give customers a $10 refund and $50 gift card to Nook customers who are still within their 14-day return policy period. You can contact customer service, or just find the store manager at your local Barnes & Noble branch.
Follow Geoffrey Fowler on Twitter.

For information on Kindle visit The Kindle Reader.