Ten Christmas Gift Ideas For 2008

Christmas season is underway. Money may be tight due to the ongoing financial crisis but Santa will still be delivering presents. Here are ten Christmas gift ideas for 2008 that will sure to please everyone.

1. Mario Kart Wii and Wii Wheel

   Two years ago I bought the Nintendo Wii and overpaid on it at eBay because I just had to have it. There was very little supply available and it still holds true today. Target.com doesn't have it in stock as of this writing and Walmart.com is trying to sell its customers higher priced game bundled deals at $399 and above. For those that already have a Nintendo Wii you already know how fun it is. Mario Kart for the Wii with the new Wii wheel makes it even more fun. The graphics are outstanding and the use of the wheel for driving is a kick. Highly recommended and makes a fun Christmas time for all.

2. Kindle

   This is still the hottest item this Christmas. Amazon's Kindle wireless book reader sold out last year in less than 6 hours. Word has it, it has sold over 300,000 units to date and continues to be hard to get. Its starting to be popular just like the iPod and everyone wants to get a hold of one. Kindle is a digital book reader in a small form factor weighing in at just over 10 ounces. It offers wireless delivery of financial news like NY Times, Wall Street Journal and Investors Business Daily. More importantly, it offers over 200,000 digital books starting at $9.99 each. Save a tree!

3. Leapfrog Tag Reading System

   
   Having worked for several children edutainment companies, I have a bias towards anything that kids can use to learn with technology. Leapfrog has a wonderful little product that uses a little pen and book approach to reading. As the child runs the pen over various parts of the book voices and sound effects occur helping to reinforce their reading. The book is stored on the pen's memory so you will need a computer to connect the USB cable to the pen to upload the new book. This product is for ages 4-8 and requires AAA batteries.

4. Playstation II

   Who says you cannot have fun this Christmas? For those don't want to shell out $499 bucks for the PS3, Amazon is still selling the PS2 at a really affordable price. The great thing is, there's a lot of PS2 games at reduced prices to stock up on - way less than the $49.99 PS3 games today. Run on over to Toys R Us or your local Electronic Boutique and you'll find plenty of PS2 games available for less than $20. So what if you don't have the newest coolest video game system! Things don't always have to look cool to have a great time.

5. Wall Street Journal

   
   No person who invests should be without the Wall Street Journal. Some of the best and brightest writers in the nation pen out articles every day who have some very good insight into whats happening in the financial markets of the here and now. This newspaper can move markets with its analysis and commentary. If you or someone you know has a 401K portfolio and you don't have a subscription, this is a great Xmas gift. WSJ is the most respected daily financial newspaper in the world covering domestic and overseas markets.

6. Joel Osteen Become A Better You

   
   I have to admit I'm a Buddhist but I've always had a very open mind. One day I was at Borders and saw this book on the shelf in the NY Times bestseller list. Seeing it was religious I ignored it. Later in the day I turned on the television to see the same face on the book preaching. I was mesmerized by how cool and charismatic Joel Osteen is. After listening to what he said I ran down back to Borders and read through this book. Buy it and give it to someone you love. It can change the way you think about life and in a most sincere way of self discovery. A very good read.

7. Canon PowerShot A590 IS

   
   This is the number one selling camera on Amazon and has a high product rating from its reviewers. Looking at the feedback on Amazon alone makes we want one (hint hint). Specs are 8 megapixel CCD, 4x zoom, that includes Canon's optical image stabilization (OIS) that reduces blurry images from hand movement/shaking. There are 19 shooting modes from fully automatic to fully manual operation. It includes an image processor for face detection too. The only thing I wish this had was a 10+ megapixel CCD but for the price you can't have everything. Canon does offer the Powershot A650IS but at a steeper $320 price but this is Xmas time and the economy stinks, remember?

8. Omaha Steaks Whiskey Marinated Top Sirloin

   Got a good friend or relative living abroad that can't join you on Christmas? Well here's an idea - send them quality steak. Premium meat manufacturer Omaha Steaks has some of the best meat on the markets and is a well respected company since 1917. My favorite is the top sirloin that is whiskey marinated. The flavor is wonderful, lean and little fat, and has really nice texture to it. This is a super gift and shows you put a little different thought into it. I'm getting hungry writing it about it.

9. Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS Navigator

   Imagine you are on a road trip and you get lost. Rather than pulling out a map, now days you can use a portable global positioning system (GPS) to guide you in the right direction. I have one in my SUV and its a real life saver when I'm heading on road trips out of town. The best selling and highly rated GPS device is the Garmin 350 portable GPS navigator. Lightweight, small, and with a nice 320x240 display. It comes with 700MB memory so you can store audio, music, pictures and other mapping data. The device will speak to you giving directions to your destination and let you know where high traffic areas are in proximity. You can also use it as a person MP3 music device. Pretty cool.

10. Honeywell Air Purifier

    
    If you or someone you know have allergies or pets, an air purifier can help make their breathing a whole lot easier. Having a cat at home I see all the fur that flies in the air so naturally, I know I breath it. A few years ago I bought a Honeywell air purifier to cut down on the allergens and I breath a lot easier now. For the elderly, this is even more beneficial. If you really want to see what you are breathing, take a look around your computer's fan and you will likely see a lot dust build up. Yuck. Place this in the same room and reduce the dust.

And there you have it. My top 10 Christmas gifts for 2008. While prices vary, I use Amazon as my retailer simply because I can sit on the computer and order everything up, save gas and time, and avoid long lines in the stores. Best to order up at least two weeks prior to Christmas just in case shipping times cause the gift to not arrive in time.

Updated: 12/10/08