Time to change the subject, Christmas Toy Shopping!

Wii sports resort is fantastic. Your four year old will love sword fighting. My little guy is great at it, but the first time he got knocked into the water, he cried and cried like it actually happened.

Santa is bringing everyone in the family a new bike this year. The husband and kiddos are getting hybrids, I'm getting a cyclocross.

Other than that I'm not sure about the kids. Finding something for my 12 year old son won't be hard, it will be shopping for my 9 year old daugther that stumps me. She is not now, nor has she ever been IN to anything. She has never really played with toys, she spends her time playing or practicing for sports. She usually gets clothes, shoes, accessories for Christmas and so far she seems ok with that.

my wife and i are getting an xbox 360 and the "kids" will be getting new kongs and squeaky toys

all of my nieces and nephews though are going to get books, lots of awesome books (yes I am that uncle who does not give toys but instead gives books and things to read/learn)

My daughter loves her Eye Spy book from Aunt Stacey. She got it 2 years ago and she has read it so much the pages are starting to fall out. We just read it 2 nights ago. Books are great gifts!

I had never heard of this before and was checking it out online. My son walked by and was all "WHAT is THAT GAME?"

I have to try and buy for my niece (2 years old) and my nephew (4 years old, but turns 5 in January) and send them to Canada before Xmas - and I have NO idea what to get for them. 

Traditionally I've been the awesome aunt who buys every loud musical/battery operated toy that makes noise just to annoy my brother (that what sisters are for, yes?), but I'm going to try and get away from that, I think. 

Now that sounds like some fun shopping!

I had a niece that was like this. I used to sit with her and think of things for her just so she could make a list.

My son is six and he has his eye on this: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=13066120 but we have several Imaginext toys and they all get played with a lot by any child that comes over.

I'm not sure what your speding amount is but Toys R Us has a deal where if you spend $75 on Fisher Price toys you earn a Little People Zoo (fun for the 2 year old) at no extra charge. Plus free shipping on an order of $49 or more. Then you could just have it shipped to their house and never leave the recliner!

I swear I am not affiliated with Toys R Us .

Play Mobiles get played with a lot around my house too but they have lots of tiny pieces so might not be great in a house with a 2 year old.

Does the 2 year old like or have instruments? That was always a favorite for my kids at that age.

Ha!  I used Toys R Us for their birthdays last year and while I was happy with the speed of delivery, etc. - I was upset that even though both gifts had the option of gift wrapping (and I requested that each get gift wrapped), both purchases showed up just in the box without the pretty paper.  Oh well, they still had the best prices, really good selection, and uber fast shipping. 

I'm also a fan of never leaving the recliner... 

They both love instruments and use the guitar, piano, drums and microphone that I've given them over the years.  

I routinely find great and good quality gifts from this store for my kids around the holidays. 

http://store.discovery.com/toys-and-games/index.php?v=discovery-kids_toys-games

But each year it gets more expensive with the electronics as for this year's list already has another I-pad, lap top, or computer for their room, and stereo systems for the both kids bedrooms, which seem like a bad idea??   

It's a cute game geared towards younger kids.  Simple controls, not difficult, and no blood, just some cartoon violence.  Sort of like the lego video games.  But the novelty of it makes this thing a cash cow.  To play as a character in the game, you have to own the figurine.  The game comes with one or two.  Each additional figure is like $8, and there's got to be about 50 of them.  The new giant ones are $15.  And your kid will beg you for every single one.  If you invest in Skylanders, be prepared to say no a lot.

Wouldn't iPods with a decent set of external speakers be better than stereo systems?

We just mailed out gifts for one of my niece and her two pre-teen brothers.  All books.  (Media mail to Hawaii from Massachusetts, so it had to go about now lol).  The boys are getting books about legos that hopefully they don't have, she's getting some sweet graphic novels.

Our other soon-to-be 16 year old niece is going to get, probably, a Target gift card.  Cause really, what do you buy a 16 year old girl who doesn't read and your not close to???  Her 18 year old brother doesn't get anything - my wife's family has a rule not to get presents to adults, even though we give presents to each other...

But, what are you getting for 2Goggs?

Shes come up with lists in the past, and we've gotten her toys before. She just doesn't play with them. She has Christmas and birthday gifts still brand new in the boxes. I think they're going to Toys For Tots this year.