This year there’s a great mix of characters new and old such as Fireman Sam, Elmo and Star Wars. You’ll also find a mix of technology based toys, soft toys and good old fashioned board games.

Here are the Top 12 Dream Toys for Christmas 2011

Kidizoom Twist
Discover who’s the David Bailey in your family with this camera designed just for kids

Moshling Treehouse
A dolls’ house shaped like a tree for Moshin Monsters to hide and play in

Ninjago Lego Fire Temple
Plastic Lego bricks clash with Japanese dragons and ninja warriors this christmas

Fijit Friends
Imagine a Teletubby crossed with a furby and you have a joke-telling, dancing Fijit

Star Wars Ultimate Force Tech Lightsaber
May the force be with you…

Monster High Lagoona’s Hydration Station
Barbie meets Buffy

Fireman Sam Pontypandy Multi Rescue Set
Be a hero with a welsh accent

Doggie Doo Game
Scoop that poop – and make it fun!

LeapPad Explorer
A kid-friendly computer – tablet style

Milky the Bunny
Your very own electronic pet

Let’s Rock Elmo
Join Elmo’s rock band and make some music

Nerf Vortex Nitron Blaster
Protect your territory with the latest multi-disc blaster. It’s their fastest one to date

The Lego brand continues to take over the Christmas Toy list as it has done for the past few years.

This years Lego offering focuses on their popular Ninja range. The Japanese style Fire Temple comes complete with Lord Garmadon and his ghoulish skeleton army. Boo! Hiss!

Amazing Amazon sell the Lego Ninjajo Fire Temple for £61.99. You may even get free UK delivery.

The action-packed set is recommended for kids from 8 upwards because it has small parts and minifigures.

It includes 7 minifigures:

• Sensei Wu
• Zane
• Kai
• Nya
• Lord Garmadon
• Samukai
• Kruncha

An impressive range of weapons:

• scythe of quakes
• nunchucks of lightning
• shurikens of ice
• Dragon sword of fire
• 3 golden swords
• 2 silver swords
• 3 black swords
• 2 daggers
• spear
• thunderbolt
• bone axe
• staff

And the fire dragon looks totally spectacular!

The temple splits in half so you can transport your play figures inside – I reckon it’s well worth £61.99 for some role-playing, imaginative lego fun.

Buy the Lego Ninjajo Fire Temple from Amazon.co.uk and get free UK delivery.

The Moshi Monsters don’t sound like they live in a treehouse, but apparently they do! It’s essentially a plastic dolls house in the shape of a tree. The collectible Moshi Monsters live in their own little hollow in the tree branches but behind the greenery they have a hidden playroom.

It’s easy enough for an 8 year old to assemble and looks like it’d amuse any child with an imagination.

The cheapest place I’ve found the Moshling Treehouse for sale online is at Amazon for £20.

There’s even a working basket for the critters to travel up and down in and an exclusive Roxy Moshlin included – the perfect companion and place to store all the other little monsters you’ve been collecting.

You can get the Moshin Monsters Moshling Treehouse from Firebox.com for £19.99 with Free Delivery but it’s not in stock and needs to be pre-ordered.

There are 4 Fijit Friends. Sage, Logan, Serafina and Willa. They’re cute, plastic, active toys that’ll more than likely become your childs best friend – and you won’t have to worry about them letting off stink bombs in the house.

These all-singing, all-dancing and all-giggling toys are like mini robots and you can have your very own Fijit from Amazon.co.uk for £41.25.

They respond to voices making them fun interactive toys to play with and look like a Furby crossed with a Teletubby.

My particular favourite is Willa – just because she’s purple and that’s my favourite colour.

Engaging and entertaining they’ll dance when music is played to them, recognise your voice and talk back to you. They also have a repertoire of up to 150 jokes

A fun present for anyone aged 6 or over – just get stocked up on the batteries, they each take 5 x AA’s!

Buy a Fijit Friend for £41.25 from Amazon.co.uk

See what the hype is all about

The staple Lightsaber makes a welcome return on the list this year. This new and improved weapon has super duper light and sound effects and still continues to delight Star Wars fans from all decades!

To activate the lightsaber and become a Jedi simply press a button to light up the handle. Nifty little motion sensors will then trigger the special sound effects when swung around – sorry – used in battle.

If this is on your little boys wish list I can guarantee the whole family will be playing it by lunch time on Christmas Day.

It’ll swish, swoosh and snap to recreate your favourite Star Wars film fight scenes to great effect. You’ll wonder how you ever survived without one.

It comes with the 3 AA batteries it needs to power up – just make sure you’ve got a plentiful supply in over Xmas as this toy is gonna get used a lot!!

Buy your very own Star Wars Lightsaber for £39.99 from the ultimate boys toys website – Firebox.com

It took me a while to figure out what this dream Christmas toy was all about, but after a little research I’ve discovered that Lagoona (full name; Lagoona Blue) is a character from the fictional school Monster High. And Lagoona has got herself on this years Top 12 Wanted list.

It’s a line of fashion dolls that have been created. Imagine Barbie dressed as Morticia Adams and you get the idea.

The complete Monster High: Lagoona Hydration Station is £39.29 from Play.com

Lagoona Blue comes from down under the sea and therefore has an Australian accent. Neptuna is her pet – a pink piranha fish – who she carries around everywhere in a fishbowl purse. Where else!

She loves to be in water and requires her hydration station to avoid drying out. So not only do you get Lagoona and her hydration station, this set also comes with her pet Neptuna, a water bottle and a ‘monsterizer’ bottle.

Monster High is using the popularity of the vampire and fantasy phenomenon of the past few years but they do look great – and are no different to the Barbie and Sindy’s that we’ve grown up with.

Buy the complete Lagoona Hydration Station from Play.com for £39.29

It seems a bit odd to have a plastic multi disaster playset as a 2011 top selling christmas present but this is apparently what the kiddies want, especially when it’s Fireman Sam performing the rescues. And not a kitty cat in sight! Oh – apparently there is.

Open the set and put out the fires with the hose, save Norman when he gets stuck in the railings, and rescue the moggy from the tree! It’s a fun Fireman Sam Rescue set for under £30.

The plastic playset comes complete with the figures and accessories to recreate dramatic rescues if the collapsing roof & floor are triggered. There’s also an assortment of moving disaster features to stir your childs imagination and fulfill their ‘when I grow up I want to be Fireman Sam’ dream.

The set includes:

• Sam figure
• Norman figure
• Cat figure
• tree
• railings
• hose reel
• ladder
• fire bucket
• cones

Get the Fireman Sam Pontypandy Multi Rescue Set & Figures at the reduced price of £28.01 with Free UK Delivery from Amazon.co.uk.

A great gift for all kids over the age of 3.

This has to be one of the most bizarre games I’ve seen! A throw of the dice dictates how often you squeeze your pooches lead after feeding the dog a bone. Each squeeze will push doggie doo (thankfully made from brightly coloured plasticine) from his bottom.

The person holding the lead when the doggie doo plops to the floor has to ‘poop the scoop’ and the first to have 3 piles of poop wins the game.

A fun gift for the family for under £25 – the Doggie Doo game

Watch the Doggie Doo video on YouTube

Designed to teach responsible dog ownership? Who cares – it’s loads of fun and comes complete with hilarious sound effects!

Buy the Doggie Doo game for a reasonable £22.99 from IWOOT aka I Want One Of Those.

Kids can now have their very own tablet to help them improve their computer skills (and play lots of games too!) The LeapPad Explorer is the newest electronic gadget specifically aimed at 4-9 year old kids.

Parents all over the land will be breathing a sigh of relief knowing that their own tablet is safe from the clutches of grubby fingers. It looks cool and yet is practical, sturdy and best of all wipe-clean!

Hours of entertainment are guaranteed with this green and white gadget – and not just for Christmas – but through to 2012 as well. So while the LeapPad Explorer costs £112.99 I reckon it’s a winner.

There’s a built in camera, and a huge entertainment library at their fingertips with over 100 videos, games and books.

It has no 3G or wi-fi capabilities so to go online you’ll need to plug it into a computer – but this means parents can control online use.

So what does it have?

• Multimedia camera
• Built in video camera
• An animation studio
• Access to 100+ games, e-books, videos and apps
• Runs on 4 x AA batteries (not included)

Buy the LeapPad Explorer from Play.com for £112.99 and get free delivery before Christmas.

An electronic pet that’s cute, soft and cuddly but with an element of surprise attached thanks to his random play function that’ll leave you guessing what he’ll get up to next.

He’s totally adorable and you can have him all to yourself for a snip at £44.99. Get Milky The Bunny from Amazon.com.

So what does Milky do?
His eyes, ears and nose can move allowing him to crunch on his carrot, wiggle his ears and have his feet tickled! Watch out though ‘cos after a hard days play he’ll fall asleep and snore!

Milky the snow white Bunny will delight any kid over the age of 2 years. Is it wrong for a 36 year old to want him?

Get your own fluffy white Milky The Bunny from Amazon for £44.99. Delivery is free too making it an even merrier Christmas!

Why not buy batteries with the money you’ll save on free delivery?

Watch the Milky the Bunny advert

Let Elmo rock your world! The coolest muppet of all time is ready to rock your socks off. He comes complete with his own instruments (a tambourine, drum set and microphone) and looks pretty sharp in his rockin’ outfit.

A great Christmas gift for young and old folk as everyone will remember him. What a rock hero!

Even though Elmo can really play why not join in with him and create the ultimate Rock band.

For £69.99 you too could have your very own Let’s Rock Elmo for hours of entertainment.

Buy him from Firebox.com and get Free Delivery.

You just need to fill in a few details and the letters will be sent out from 1st December 2011. Each letter comes with a sprinkling of magic…

Not that you’ll need to get your kids even more excited about Christmas than they already are, but it’s always nice for them to get something in the post. It’s a same day dispatch so you can be sure of a quick delivery!

I’ll be ordering a couple for my nephews and can’t wait to see the look on their faces.

Find Me A Gift also offer a great range of Christmas Gifts online from stocking fillers to novelty christmas presents for men, women and children.

Agony Aunt at Giftchooser recently got a query from a Julia who is stuck for gift ideas for a school friend.

She asks Agony Aunt:

We are doing a secret santa at school, and I don’t know what to get my 13 year old friend. She’s not exactly picky, but I want to get her something unusual. she likes ice-cream, chocolate, cows and pink, she’s a girly girl. She is also quite funny and likes jokes and humour. Please help as I am really stuck.

Julia doesn’t specify a budget but I have trawled the gift sites and found this lovely Ribbon Watch set which I think would make a fabulous girly Christmas gift for a teenage friend.

The Ribbon Watch is 11 watches in 1 as it comes with 11 different ribbons that can be changed easily to match your mood or outfit. The ribbons are comfy to wear and just need to be tied in a bow. The colours vary from a striking red and white polka dot to a pretty pastel stripe.

Unusual, fun and a bit of a bargain at under £13. It comes in a lovely pink gift box but you can even get it giftwrapped for her too!

Buy the Ribbon Watch from Present Finder for £12.99

Hope this helps and have a fabulous Christmas.

Christmas is always a time for buying lots of presents for family and friends, but I find it harder and harder each year to find presents within my budget that are useful, wanted and appreciated.

I have to admit that I am turning to buying virtual gifts more and more. Avoid the busy shops and streets, the cold and wet weather and buy from the comfort of your own cosy living room. One charity gift site that I’ve discovered this year is called Part and Parcel.

Children 1st is a well established childrens charity in Scotland that promotes child welfare and works with disadvantaged and vulnerable children to ensure all kids get a safe and secure childhood – something every child should have. The Part and Parcel scheme is their new virtual gift giving project.

For under £20 your gift could provide children art and crafts materials to express themselves. It could provide storytelling classes which help abandoned, bullied or homeless children to open up. Or you may choose for it to go towards The Breakfast Club – a scheme that gives food and basic childcare items to children whose parents can’t.

Whichever you choose – you know it’s the children who will benefit from your generosity. I find virtual gifts to be a bit more interesting than a pair of socks, and you know you are giving to a worthy cause.

You don’t even have to wrap anything up! Great for people like me who don’t seem to have the necessary giftwrapping skills that most other people are equipped with.

Go to the Children 1st Part and Parcel shop to buy your virtual christmas gifts this year. And don’t forget it doesn’t just have to be for Xmas. These make ideal gift ideas for birthdays too!

Get involved in the Virtual Giving revolution.

Do you know a young football fan who would love to star in their very own footie story?

This personalised story book will give them the chance to play with their favourite players and win the Cup Final for their team.

Read more about the Personalised Football Book Competition and how you can enter today.

Do you know someone who is a major football fan? If so then this competition is the perfect way to have a go at winning a personalised football book – just in time for Christmas!

Normally £14.99, DreamBooks.net have given us 5 of these fantastic football books to give away.

To enter the competition, all you have to do is email the answer to a simple question:

Step 1 – Answer this simple question

One of the football teams starts with the letter W – which one?
(hint – you may be able to find the answer right here!)

This Competition has now ended but you will find more on our GiftChooser Competitions page.
Courtesy of DreamBooks.net we have 5 up for grabs.

What is a DreamBook?

A Dream Book is a superb idea which transforms an ordinary childrens book into a prized possession.

The Recipe for a Dream Book:

• Take one story about a child playing football in the park
• Add their name, names of their friends and favourite football team
• Stir in their birth date and address for extra flavour
• Mix in a spectacular Cup Final
• Enjoy smiles all round

This 32 page storybook is full of colour illustrations and can be customised for your son, daughter, grandchildren or a best friend. There are 7 Football Teams currently available for the books:

• Arsenal
• Chelsea
• Liverpool
• Manchester Utd
• Tottenham Hotspur
• Newcastle Utd
• West Ham

Enter today – it could just make your kids dream come true this Christmas.

Step 2 – Sign up for our FREE newsletter

(Don’t worry, you can unsubscribe at anytime)

Competition Rules

• The closing date is Friday 21st November 2008.
• All entries must reach us by 23:59 (11:59pm) on the closing date.
• Five winners will be chosen at random from the correct entries.
• The winners will receive a voucher code for one free personalised DreamBook.
• The competition applicant may only enter once.
• The competition is open to UK residents only.
• All entrants email addresses will be added to the Gift Chooser and DreamBooks newsletter list. If you do not wish for it to be added, please tell us in your email.
• No employees of Gift Chooser or DreamBooks may enter.
• The judges decision is final.
• Prizes may not be exchanged for cash or other goods.

Me to You Bears are those adorable tatty looking teddy bears that adorn cards and merchandise. I’m sure you’ve seen them – they’re probably the only grey bears you’ll find with a blue nose and patches.

Despite the soppy factor, they do make lovely presents for weddings, christenings and birthdays.

The Me to You Bear gift shop is a great place to browse for gifts The sell the cutesy gifts that mums, grandma’s, sisters and best friends love to receive.

Having several Christenings coming up I have been on the look out for suitable gift ideas for such an occasion.

The ’Congratulations’ Teddy is just £8.50 however this Me to You Bear Christening set has caught my eye.

It comes complete with a collectable Tatty Teddy bear and a bone china mug and bowl set for when the little tyke grows up.

Cute and collectable – what more do you need from a Christening gift?

This Christening Bear, Mug and Bowl collection will set you back £24 from Me to You Online

Read the Me To You Bear story

Free Teddy Bears

Get free teddy bears at http://freebiebag.co.uk to make buying birthday and christmas gifts even cheaper.

Trying to find inventive and original gifts for people can be tricky – in fact many people call it an art. It can get worse when buying for kids.

Should you go for something fun? Something interactive? Something educational? The Science Museum Shop could solve all your problems, as it sells nothing but these items.

For kids big and small the Science Store has some ingenious and inventive presents, ranging from gadgets, books and robots to clocks, models and experiment kits all with the theme of celebrating the wonder of science.

Cosmic Rocket

Have fun creating your own rocket – this fantastic cosmic rocket just needs you to add baking soda and vinegar to allow it to fly through space. Get ready to watch your very own blast off!

Buy for just £14.99

Supetstructs Flight Set

Become and engineer and have a go at building a plane, rocket, spaceship or helicopter! The bits that come with this set can be rearranged to make anyone of these machines of flight.

Buy it now for £39.99

Robo Bank

This best selling money bank in the shape of a robot is a clever contraption that displays the time, date and day on his chest. He will also count your money as you put it in him and speak to you – but watch out, he does get very upset if you try to take the money away from him.

Buy online from the Science Museum Store for £24.99

Not only are these toys fun, they also go some way to encourage children to play, learn, question and get the answers they are looking for on a variety of topics.

Enter a world of discovery at this famous museums online shop. The Science Museum Store has gifts galore.

School holidays are usually great fun for kids, with all that time off they can play away to their hearts content outside in the sunshine, and if the weather is wet, why not get them indoors getting crafty and creative?

Yellow Moon has got this problem sorted. They offer a large range of craft packs, ideas, games and stocking fillers to keep kids amused. There are a whole range of chemistry and science based kits to make discovery and learning fun, as well as card and jewellery making kits, sponge painting kits, designing and stamping. In fact too much to mention, but one benefit of Yellow Moon is that whatever you buy, a % will go to your nominated school, club or charity – meaning you can help raise money for needed causes.

Craft Thing also provide a heap of craft kits, activity packs and children’s educational toys for kids from 3 years up to 12 plus. Get the kids kitted out with painting sets, art kits, weird science and clay packs so they can create their own sculpture or work of art. Being creative can be a joint hobby to be done with family, friends or brothers and sisters. Any of these kits can be bought as gifts, because Craft Thing also provide a wrapping service, so when it is posted it will be ready to be given to one lucky person.

A paint by numbers kit from CraftThing.co.uk

For Easter you could organise an Easter Egg hunt, traditionally held on easter Sunday morning. Buy a heap of various sized Easter Eggs and hide them throughout your home or garden, then after breakfast, set the kids loose with a bag to go find and collect as many as they can. The child with the most eggs could also be offered a winner’s prize. You can get some great little easter eggs from shops like Thorntons or Woolworths.

They all provide great fun ideas to organise children’s parties, where the kids get to make their own hats, party bags or decorations. So there’s no reason for kids to be bored over summer holidays, all they need is a bit of imagination and a few handy bits and pieces to keep their minds and hands active.

Discount Codes for Yellow Moon

At Web Savings World you can find Yellow Moon promotional discount codes

If you are struggling with a present for your little brother, nephew or grandson, I have spied this cute and very collectable money box, which is in the shape of a cartoon style VW Beetle.

It’s a bargain at under a fiver so it won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

This VW Beetle looks very much like the car from the classic Herbie film, except it only comes in blue or green.

I think it’s a brilliant pressie for young lads to decorate their bedroom with. I mean which boy doesn’t like cars! It will even help them save their pocket money up for your birthday present.

But you may know of a Beetle enthusiast or collector, for which this would make a great little gift or stocking filler.

It’s at a price that won’t break the bank and will appeal to all car fanatics and people who like to save their pennies.

Buy it from Purple Puffin for £4.99