These are the toys that I’m thinking of giving to my nephews and nieces.

Christmas is a time for celebration. For adults, it can mean a lot of things: bonuses, Christmas break, Christmas shopping, exchange gifts, etc. For kids or children, it means one thing: Christmas gifts. And what better gifts than new toys?

With a long list of nephews, nieces and godchildren (I think I already have more than 10 godchildren), a list for Christmas gifts isn’t such a bad idea. Of course, I can just as easily say that I will just give some pocket money for them (which usually happen when I don’t have time to go out and buy those gifts). But then again, it’s nice to have a list to keep all things straight. You know, just in case I forgot somebody, which will put me in the bad side of my sisters / cousins / friends who are the parents of the ‘forgotten’ kids for one whole year. Just kidding. But hey, I’m serious about keeping things straight. So let’s have it. What are the children’s toys that are in my list for Christmas gifts?

Toy Number One: Dolls, specifically Barbie Dolls. These are for little girls who want to have beautiful dolls to play with. Personally, I never really had a Barbie Doll. My parents couldn’t afford one. Hopefully, this year, I will be able to afford one or two to give to my nieces.

Toy Number Two: Stuffed Toys. Same as Barbie dolls, never had these when I was a kid. But when I turned 18, one of my aunts heard that I wanted one for my birthday and I got three! Never too late to be a child at heart, huh? Nowadays, I see my nephews and nieces bring along their stuffed toys everywhere, even though these are old and battered from so many years of use. So I know that they will appreciate such a gift, hence its inclusion in my Christmas list.

Toy Number Three: Art or Craft Kits. I wouldn’t exactly call these ‘toys’ but hey, they are great for bringing out the creative side of the kids. I had a goddaughter who was really interested in arts and crafts and I gave her an art kit in one year then a magic beads set in another year. And wouldn’t you know it, she was so glad to receive these things that she even showed them to her friends. So art and craft kits are high in my Christmas list for the kids.

Toy Number Four: Bakugan Toys and Accessories. The past year or so saw the tremendous rise of the popularity of Bakugan. This is an action adventure anime TV series. Bakugans are action figures that are tucked inside spheres, which pop open when they are rolled onto a game card. I’ve seen various spheres, figures and accessories inspired by this TV series and I know they are quite popular for young children. So number four on my list are these bakugan toys and accessories.

Toy Number Five: Pokemon. This one is still very much popular for kids here (in fact, two of my nephews are crazy for pokemon). I love Pikachu myself so I can understand the draw these characters have over young children. So whether it is a plush figure of Pikachu, or Pokemon game cards, or Pokemon play set, I know they will appreciate receiving this kind of toys.

Toy Number Six: Toy Blocks. Ideal for toddlers six months to three years, these blocks help the child to learn skills such as eye – hand coordination, color identification and shape-matching. This is one toy where the kids enjoy themselves while learning at the same time.

Toy Number Seven: Remote-Controlled Cars. Young children, especially boys, have always had a fascination with cars, especially remote-controlled ones. There’s something about being able to control cars (no matter how small they are) that always make kids excited over such a prospect.

Toy Number Eight: Lego. To encourage kids’ imagination, perseverance and even creativity, I’m including Lego in my Christmas list, preferably those sets with their own containers. The Lego bricks and elements are for the kids, the containers are for their parents (LOL) who will go crazy trying to gather all the Lego bricks in one place.

Toy Number Nine: Card Games. For older children who are ready to appreciate such things, card games will be my gifts to them. An UNO card game will be great for them. Or how about Scrabble Slam Cards or Swap Cards? There are just so many choices.

Toy Number Ten: Bicycles. This one is for my sweet niece who’s turning three on, of all dates, December 25, Christmas day! We’re planning to buy her a small bicycle with training wheels. This will really please her because she wants to have her own ‘vroom-vroom’ (as she calls our car). Plus she’ll get the chance to be more mobile outside our house (just hope she won’t run that bike to the canal or to the wall).

That’s it. Those are the toys for my list this Christmas. There’s just one problem: will we be able to afford all of them? :)

Still want more? Why not check out this hub of Sandra Rinck: Christmas Catalog on Hubpages.