Top 10 Christmas Gifts for Children

article by Cindy G. Foust

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas as I write this month’s column from the window of my Breckenridge cabin while the snow falls softly to the ground and I get ready to “stop by the woods on a snowy evening.” Just kidding, I don’t have a cabin in Breckenridge, I just have a house. In West Monroe. But if any of you have a cabin in Breckenridge and want to share it with this writer, I’d be happy to sip hot cocoa and dream about the days that I USED to snow ski. For now, however, I have been very busy and important this past week working on the column you have been waiting for to start your Christmas shopping extravaganza. So, get ready shoppers, I mean readers, help is on the way. Well, I hope so anyway, and while it’s true that I have been doing some extensive research so I can bring you the Top 10 Christmas Wish List for children (you know, since I write a column for kids, I need to stick with what I know), but gosh how times have changed. This exercise was actually a little harder than I thought it would be because like I said, things have really changed since I used to make my Christmas list. I actually found myself laughing out loud as I combed through website after website. Sadly, gone are the days when you and your siblings would race to the mailbox in anticipation of receiving the Sears or Penny’s Wish Book. Oh how our hearts would pound as we raced back to the house with that catalog clutched to our chest and our brow furrowed with beads of perspiration (that, my readers, is how you do it if you want to sound like Robert Frost and his snowy evening self). Hours would then be spent combing the pages of the Wish Books, making our list and checking it twice, hoping above all hope for the Barbie Dream House, the Light Brite or the Operation game. Anybody in their feels with me, yet? This list is definitely a departure from the days of old, but readers, I promised help would be on the way, so for better or for worse, the Christmas Calvary is here! Here. We. Go!

10) The Porpora Kids Indoor/Outdoor Princess Castle ($30) Wait, this is a castle? This is actually a huge pink tent with twinkle lights running through it. Shoot, when I was growing up, if we had wanted a tent with twinkle lights for Christmas, our parents would have told us to put a blanket over two bar stools and share the flashlight. Merry Christmas.

9) Educational Insights Artie 3000 The Coding Robot (62.99) I wish you could see my face right now. You know that emoji that stares blankly into space? Yeah, that‘s me. Are you telling me that we are making toys that teach our children at age 6 to write computer can code using drag & drop, remote control, point & Click, Blockly, snap!, Python and JavaScript? I mean, why would I buy my child a toy that makes them smarter than me at age 6? For all you IT people out there, don’t judge, but the only coding we did when I was 6 was begging our parents to buy the Chex cereal so we could fight over the decoder ring!

8) Cardboard Tool Kit ($12.50) Okay, these people are the genius ones if you ask me. The pictures on their ad show some children cutting a cardboard box with a “safe-saw” and using “scrus” and a “scru driver” to piece their cardboard together. I’m telling you right now, you buy this one and I’ve got some land I would like to sell you in Idaho. My parents might have entertained this one back in the day, except they would have just recycled the gift boxes and handed us a pair of scissors. Feliz Navidad.

7) Little Patients ($55) Okay, for all you doctors out there, if you have a child at age 8 who already know they want to be a doctor (insert eye roll here… most 8 year olds want to be Spiderman or Wonder Woman) this one might warrant a second look. This is actually a doll, male or female, with a big hole in their stomach and includes plush organs for them to shove back in the doll’s belly. “Hey, what did you get your kid for Christmas?” “Oh, you know, plush kidneys and a spleen. Can’t they just wait until they get to medical school to figure out where the intestines go? Asking for a friend.
6) DIY Bubblegum Kit ($16) Yes, parents, this one is very hot this Christmas and I can see why. Dentists are putting their weight behind it so our kids will have cavities and there probably won’t be one piece stuck in anyone’s hair. When I was a little girl, I went to sleep with a piece of gum in my mouth one night. I woke up with it strung from one ear to an other. After they “cut” it out, I looked like Edward Scissorhands had gotten a hold of my hair. Good times.

5) Walkie Chalk ($14) Wait. Are you telling me we have a toy so kids can stand up and use sidewalk chalk? The advertisement says it keeps them from getting dirty and they don’t have to bend down. Readers! That’s what’s wrong with our kids! They need to get dirty! They need to be outside! Jesus take the wheel and drive very fast…We are making sidewalk chalk a modern day convenience.

4) BESWORLDS 3D Dinosaur Night Light ($20) Now, hold the phones, we may have something here. This is a really cool night light that changes colors and has a remote control. In my day, if we had ask for a nightlight, our parents would have told us to leave the light on in the closet. But hey, if your child needs a light to help them go to sleep, this writer has you covered.

3) It’s So Me! Paint Your Own Unicorn! ($11.69) Well, at least we are getting a little creative the further we get into the list. In my day, we thought we were Miss Godrocks if we got a black velvet paint by number kit, but hey, unicorns have feelings, too, so this one should be given consideration.

2) CuteTitos ($9.97) Readers, you are going to have to help me out with this one. These “animals” are advertised as “adorable, stuffed animals wrapped and hidden in a burrito ready to be unrolled and discovered!” Wait. I’m buying my kid a doll wrapped in burrito? What.in.the.cat.hair? I’ve got to get on top of this and next year launch a doll wrapped in Cheeto Puffs. I’m going to make millions.

1) WowWee Buttheads Interactive Farting Figurines ($8.59) First, I’m not sure Cassie will let me use the word “farting” in this column, but on the outside chance she does, that’s the least of our problems. Are you telling me this is the best we can do for one of the hottest toys of 2019? These are predicted to “sell out” quick so get them while they are hot. You will be relieved to know each figure has their own “signature farting sounds.” I am relieved to know this is my last toy to feature. Praise the Lamb.

So, there you have it readers…10 of the hottest toys for your 2019 Christmas list to make your shopping easy and painless. The only pain I experienced was researching this column, but hey, it’s over for another year. I can hardly wait to see what treasures we discover the next go around. In the meantime, I wish for you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you for tagging along for 7 years with me (next month is my 7-year anniversary and I can hardly wait to see what great trip I am gifted) and for sharing my passion for children and all things families.

Cindy G. Foust is a wife, mom, author and blogger. You can find her blog at the alphabetmom.com for weekly columns about home life, parenting, small business stories and insight with a smidgen of literacy. Give her a like or follow on Facebook and Instagram.