RedGage

The holiday shopping season has begun.Girls are asking for gift items like Barbie, Squinkies, Sing-A-Ma-Jigs, gift cards, Silly Bandz and Calico Critters.Trying to figure out what to purchase for the children each year at Christmas can be difficult, especially for the busy parent who may not watch TV very much, or shop the local toy store on a regular basis. Companies now target children in advertising through media such as commercials during kids programming. It is only October, but the ads are already in full swing.Gifts For Young Girls Ages 4-7 Rapunzel Barbie : This year Barbie has come out with a new line of Barbie Repunzel dolls and toys to go along with the original 2002 Barbie Repunzel movie. Mattel and Disney have teamed up to give Repunzel her own Fairy Tale Tower, animals that braid Repunzel's hair and special doll that girls can cut and style Repunzel's long gorgeous hair over and over again. Beware though, parents who buy the cut and style doll will have to buy added accessories in the future to keep Repunzel stocked in hair.Sing-A-Ma-Jigs: These are the strange looking dolls with the strange name that seem to be catching on very quickly. Why? Well, there's four of them that can be purchased separately. Each Sing-A-Ma-Jigs sings and chatters. Put two or more together and they harmonize with each other. It is so unique, adults are buying them just for themselves! These cute and ugly animal looking singing dolls are the big must have toy this year and they are flying off the shelves. Start looking for these things now. Each doll runs between $15 and $22. Many stores are sold out. Check for these on Amazon.Squinkies : The Squinkies are a combination similar to Polly Pockets and the Littlest Pet Shop. They're tiny and children can take them just about anywhere. Like the Sing A Ma Jigs, these are hard to find. Squinkies are quickly gaining in popularity but they are just hitting the major toy stores. Look for these online at Amazon, Walmart.com and Toys R Us.com. Squinkie play sets can cost anywhere from $10-$40 each.Calico Critters : Many of the new toys the past couple of years have revolved around pretend animal worlds. Calico Critters is one of those offering animals human like lives and personalities. Little girls can play house with their animal friends and their Calico Critters Townhome. However, be prepared just like the Squinkies, Littlest Pet Shop, etc., children will want to collect more and more animals and sets. The Calico Criiters Townhome by itself is about $70 retail.Silly Bandz: This is jewelry.Silly Bandz are colorful bracelets made of elasticized plastic. They come in a variety of shapes. Girls collect them, wear several at a time and play with them whenever possible.Gifts For Older Girls Ages 8-12 Twilight Barbie : Who would have thought a story about a teen girl and a bunch of vampires and warewolves would cause girls of all ages, young, old and adult to go absolutely bonkers! Well, that's exactly what has happened with the Twilght series books and movies. The younger girls want the Barbies and want to go see all the movies. Their mommies are hooked on the books and many adult women have started Twilight book and movie clubs. It is a cult phenomeon. These Twlight Barbies are easy to find in any large retail chain like Wal-Mart or Target. The books and Barbies can also be bought online through Amazon.American Girl : For those that prefer a traditional gift, consider American Girl dolls and books. Each doll has a story behind her life. Many of them are historical. The dolls each have a series of story books about their lives. Girls read the books and act out the stories through their dolls. The newest doll and book series is about Rebecca, a young Jewish girl living in America 1914 between the Industrial Revolution and World War 1.Gift Cards:Getting a gift card on Christmas Day is like giving a new driver the keys to the family car. The gift card sends the message of love but practicality. Let them go get what they really want.There is a gift card out there for just about everything in the world: shopping, retail stores, movie theaters, iTunes, Xbox games and more. Credit card companies also offer gift cards that can be used wherever that credit card is welcome. Beware though of hidden fees and activation fees. Make sure that the gift card chosen can be accepted nationwide, has no expiration date and no activation fees.Cell phone: Even children as young as 8 years old are asking for a cell phone this year. Believe it or not, cell phone companies are catering to this demand from the teens & tweens. T-Mobile has created a program where kids are free. That means with a two year agreement, when the parent signs up for a family plan, three children in the family can receive a free phone line. Beware though, this free offer is only until 2012. After that, if the family has three children with phones, the parents will pay.For a cheaper way to make them happy, consider an AT&T Go Phone. There are no contracts and no commitments. Customers walk into an AT&T Store or Service location retail like Wal-Mart or Best Buy and pick out the Go Phone that's just right. Customers can also shop online through the AT&T website and enjoy free shipping.Gifts To Consider For Girls Of All AgesChildren are very high-tech these days.Even toddlers are playing computer games now. Other popular gift for girls include: Nintendo DS, hand held games, Wii or Xbox games,an I-pod Nano and anything to do with jewelry, make-up, music and movies.Christmas will soon be here. Avoid the headaches of crowded stores. Start shopping now. Choose gifts that will keep the girls happy all year long.