Tell me about your Christmas toys!

[tyniknate]

Hits: DS 16 & DS 12 - Kinect for XBOX - that thing is awesome and I'm not even a video game player; Epic Mickey for DS 12; a bloody video game that DS 16 talked his grandma into buying for him; Imaginext DS6 - he even got out all of his brother's old pieces - his bedroom is now full of Imaginext. For mom it was the new sets of Paula Deen cookware - oh yeah! DS 16 also loved the climbing equipment and one man tent he received and DS 12 loved all the Boy Scout gear he got. Santa loves to buy them stuff that gets them up and moving and out of the house!

Misses: Not nearly as many as other years - we cut back on the junk we purchased. I'd say the new Donkey Kong game DS 12; the Kirby's Epic Yarn DS 6; and all the Hot Wheels pieces DS 6.

 

[figment3258]

Our hits are for dd8 she loves bop it and the ag stuff we got her. Also the pillow pets.
No real duds for her

my other dd4 her big hits are the pillow pets the v reader and her ag stuff

the dud was alphie he is not working right so we are sending him back

 

[kato0627]

We did good here.
DD: Loves her Ipod Touch, Northface jacket, clothes, toys....
DS (10) same as DD, but legos, as well
DS (13) Eagles and Flyers jersey, Xbox live games. clothes

This leads me to our duds.

DS (10) can not get into Epic Mickey! Is it hard to do, or is he just not spending enough time to enjoy it? He also got the Bass fishing game for Wii which he is not enjoying at all.
Any advice on these??
Happy New Year to all of you

 

[maddiesmom0116]

maddiesmom-

How is the Flip?
DD12 had it on her Santa List. I was curious to know if its as good compared to other handheld video cameras.
QUOTE]

I really like the flip myself. I have a Sony Video camera and the picture quality is as good as my full size one (it is a a few years old). The issue I have is all the video w/o makeup and hair a mess etc... that I am now in. All day long, I never know when I will turn around and find myself being taped. She is having a blast with it, but she can't really filter what should and should not be taped. She thought it was funny to tape the dog going potty outside for an example.

 

[mom of 3G's]

The big hit was a $20 gift -- Paper Jamz!

No real duds as I had cut back on presents and bought only what I knew they would like/wanted. Of course DS9 was disappointed that Santa didn't bring him a DSi XL, but instead he got the Lego Grand Emporium and he loved it.

 

[DizzyFORDisney]

DS13 - Epic Mickey, Wits and Wagers Family, Bang!
DS11 - BUCKEY BALLS!!, DeMarini baseball bat, UA sweatshirt
DS10 - Buckey Balls, Paper Jamz, Bakugan
DS3 - Playmobil, Imaginext

All - Band Hero with Beatles and Lego Rock Band!!

All are very happy here!!

Santa did GREAT this year! With really no duds....

 

[MomToOne]

DD10: No misses so far, biggest hits were:

- Vanity, with lots of "adult" lipgloss (E.L.F. ) to go with it. Her own hairdryer (purchased on a whim because she gets in my way using mine!) was also a huge hit. It's funny what gets them excited sometimes!
- Ladybug Pillow Pet
- Legos: Winter Toy Shop and Winter Bakery. These are her first sets, she wanted some after playing with my Nephew's last year. Unfortunately they don't make too many geared towards girls. But these should be great for a first time at them. Our big New Year's Eve event is going to be working on the Toy Shop.
- Yellow Converse High Tops. She has worn them every day since Christmas!

 

[C.Ann]

Christmas was nice here.

DD8 -huge hit~Barbie Dream House. She asked for it last year but Santa did not bring it. He brought it this year and she plays with it all day long.
DD12- flute- a much wanted gift. She is constantly playing it. We need to get the proper books for band class.

Boy - they got a huge ping pong table but it has yet to be set up....still making room for it. I am very nervous as reports of this brand/particular one has mixed reviews on quality and putting it together. It was a Target exclusive, and on clearance. Crossing my fingers.

The girls LOVED their pillow pets. I knew they would like them but didn't think they would be getting them.
Most got shoes/boots and are all very happy.

Glad to hear about the ZhuZhu hamsters. No one really was asking for them but they seem to be such a hit. I'm glad no one followed that trend here.

This is our first year without an American Girl....anything

I'm so glad that your family meal didn't end up being the only gift for your family for Christmas!! It sounds like Santa really came through for you..

DGD would love to play the flute, but until her braces come off, she's sticking with the clarinet.. (She's been playing several years now..) I like the clarinet (she's really good at it), but there's something about a flute that is soooo relaxing..

Hope everyone is enjoying their gifts and that next year will be better for you..

 

[Samandmom]

We have not had much time to play with alot, I have been sick and also working and my son has been sick also plus we are on a mini vacation right now. But my kids love the piano keyboard that I got from Target on BF.
DD7 got the Barbie video cam that she loves she also loves her unicorn pillow pet (she brought it with her) she also likes just dance, her "uggs"

DS 10 got a kodak cam/video cam epic Mickey that he loves
His absolutely favorite was his neo cube.

Both kids got a roll of quarters from us that they used today at the arcade in Atlantic City.

 

[DaniB]

DS (10) can not get into Epic Mickey! Is it hard to do, or is he just not spending enough time to enjoy it?

I don't know. My son was thrilled to receive this but was upset quickly at it. At the time I was busy and could not help him. So tomorrow I'm going to sit down and try again. We couldn't get past the first challenge - out/away from the Castle.

Can anyone else chime in on Epic Mickey?

DD10: Legos: Winter Toy Shop and Winter Bakery. These are her first sets, she wanted some after playing with my Nephew's last year. Unfortunately they don't make too many geared towards girls. But these should be great for a first time at them. Our big New Year's Eve event is going to be working on the Toy Shop.

I purchased the Winter Bakery for my DD11! She loves lego, but as you say - not enough for girls. And the one girl theme they have... a little too girly, too pink and too horsey. Although she does have them. Last Christmas she received on of the "houses" that can be built into 3 different styles (has a duck on a pond on the lawn).

 

[jessp1021]

Hits:
DS (9) DSi from us (he got soooo excited he had me crying!!), Pokemon game, Nerf Guns, Razor scooter, and Tony Hawk fleece lined hoodie oh and boot style shoes
DD (3) Ariel talking Vanity, Silly Bandz, Toy Story 3 books, pink mini scooter, Pasqual from Tangled (she loves the chamelon haha) Tinkerbell tea set

Duds:
DS (9) Phineas & Ferb DS game , money in the bank ring (not really played with it all that much nor the wrestlers
DD(3) Tinkerbell talking kitchen (she loved it in the store but hasn't really played with it that much), the horse from tangled (not played with at all), Mrs. Potatohead, puzzles (she loves these and I think got overwhelmed that she got so many)

 

[WeekdayDisneyland]

Hits:

Droid X phone for me. Before the 25th, my phone was just.....a phone. Now I finally get what all the buzz is about!

Misses:

DD6 isn't a fan of squinkies. Good thing they are cheap!

 

[Tigger1221]

For those of you asking about Epic Mickey, I highly suggest finding a free online walk thru as I was very confused and have needed this a few times. Also try putting the nun-chuck in your right had and see it you can move mickey easier. Good luck!!

 

[Iwant2BAprincess]

For DSs 7&8-big hit was a set of real walkie talkies to play army with in the yard, mp3 players and mario kart for their ds's, and art kits from michaels black friday (you know, the 3 dollar specials) they love these

For me I got a cricut Expression( upgrade for me) just haven't had any playtime yet.

 

[acename]

For my 3 year old the biggest hits were:

1. leapster explorer-she has played that thing nonstop since she got it. She loves the Tangled game she got. She already recognizes all of her letters now because of it too.

2. tag reading pen-she loves this too. We need to get some more books though. I've ordered several from leapfrog.com because they're having a sale. She only has one book at the moment but she's read it about a hundred times.

3. Rapunzel doll-It's about the size of an AG doll. She's carried that thing around with her for days. The doll even has to sit with her when she plays her leapster so she can watch.

For the baby it's hard to say. I've actually put up about half of his new things because he seemed overwhelmed by it all. He loves all the littl trucks and things but his favorite has been a Megabloks fire truck I got at a consignment shop for about 5 bucks. He can spend half an hour taking all the blocks out and putting them back in.

Our biggest dud was the Magic Rise Princess Oven. My daughter had been asking for that dumb thing for months. It's the only thing she said she wanted for Christmas. Christmas morning we open it, she plays for about 10 minutes and it hasn't been touched since. I'm glad I got it when Target had the coupon for 50% off princess toys. It ended up only being about $12. Still it was disappointing.

 

[Ephany]

Hmm, we really cut back this year so no real duds.

DD - loves her DSi and Lanie's camper although Jenga was a close third. She also got sticker mosaic kits from her aunt and uncle, these are awesome. It was at least 3 hours of total silence on Christmas, she was so intent on putting every little sticker just so. Lots of board games from the extended family, we've played a few and used it as an opportunity to weed out the 'younger' games to donate so it's all good. She loved the American Girl gift cards, we went today and she picked out the Bitty Twins she's been wanting and saving for, she's pretty much in doll heaven.

Me - love my Kindle 3, although now I have to decide what to do with my Kindle 2. I might pass it along to my brother, but am not sure. Oh, and Amazon gift cards so I can buy books.

DH - blue-ray player that streams Netflix and a new GPS with lifetime updates. He's been looking at these forever, so I'm pretty happy I found what he wanted at a good price.

Misses -

DD - pretty much nothing, we haven't played all of the board games or opened Udraw for the Wii though. I was gone most of last week and she was waiting for me to open it, so I'm sure they'll be enjoyed. She seemed really happy with everything, and even stopped opening presents to read the book her aunt sent. She was disappointed in a book her grandma sent, it's recorded (my MIL reading the story) and for some reason MIL skipped pages. I'm hoping she'll re-record it next time we see her, DD really liked it, it just made her sad that the pages were all wrong.

Me - pretty much every stocking stuffer DH bought. Not sure what he was thinking. Mario figures , slippers you carry in a wristlet (2 sizes too big), fake camisoles that clip to your bra . Weird all around. I love the man, but I seriously think he randomly went to Target on Christmas Eve and just tossed stuff in a basket. I did keep the pepper spray though!

DH - not a miss per se, but he lost the new remote I bought him. He's torn the house apart, and is rather upset. It's not a big deal, it'll either turn up or it fell into the trash and is gone, but it's really irking him. Oh, and the new sheets MIL sent. She asked what we wanted as a together gift and we agreed nice flannel sheets in a neutral color. She sent sheets but they're in this random striped pattern that matches nothing in our house. They'll still get used, and I'm happy for nice sheets, but I'm not sure that big blue, bold stripes are considered neutral.

 

[PrincessParty]

We didn't really have any misses, but did have a surprise hit. Last night we opened Scrabble Flash and had a great time playing it as a family. My teenager even played! I purchased it with a $10.00 coupon so it was even budget board friendly. Happy New Year!

 

[r4blessings]

Scrabble Flash sounds like something my family would like! We got several games but haven't had a chance to open them yet. Blokus, Lego Minotauras, Quirkle and Heroscapes. I feel like the Christmas vacation just flew by! We got snow the day after, so the kids have been playing outside before it melts!

DD6 will be turning 7 in January so I am looking for ideas for her, based on everyones recomendations! LOL!

Those with monster high dolls.....are your girls still plaing them? What about the Rapunzel tower? I have heard that those are big hits.

And yes, this year I was much more mindful of not buying on impulse or just getting them toys for the sake of having a lot. With my two older boys I was sure to get them things they would love but could use, rather than toys that would just sit there. NFL jerseys, college sweatshirts, new sneakers....those all were big hits and are already getting used!

Like I said the only "impulse" buy I had was those Magic collectors cards and those were a BIG hit! The boys did get PSP's and I bought them a few games each, but those are so small.....I'm so happy we are not drowning in new toy clutter!

 

[Ratpack]

Hits:
Skates for everyone in our family- we will be going to the roller rink for new family entertainment / exercise

DD (4): Unicorn Pillow Pet, Life-size Tangled Barbie, Dress Up Kit, Playdough- Making Cakes and Cookies- Kit, DS game

DS (7): Phiten Necklace, Iron Man Mega Block set, Legos, Baseball Hit A Way, and Crazy Catch Net (really for practicing for upcoming season), watch- he is becoming obsessed with time all of a sudden, Bop it with the ball
DS game- American Heroes

DD (12): Remodeling of her room: New bedding, painted her walls, tennis racket, case and tennis ball on a elastic band for practice, Twilight movies, mannequin jewelry stands, makeup, Bop it (twist, pull)

Me (and for DH too): DH surprised me with the Nikon D7000- and upgraded version to our D50. This is be a huge HIT when we really learn the new buttons and ways to take pictures. (Huge investment, but we sold the D50 on Ebay to help out)

Misses:
No real duds this year, because we tried not to buy things that they briefly saw on commercials or in the stores. However, my kids aren't too interested in the board games yet: Operation, Battleship, and Guesstures.

I actually put some things back, because DD(4) and DS (7) have birthdays in the next few weeks, so no need to give it all to them now.

 

[lucyem]

The DSi is a big hit for our 8 yr old who had been begging and begging for one. My 5 yr old has been building little lego sets and racing cars on his BluTrack. DH was hooking up his bluray player before the presents were even finished being opened

And we all LOVE the nerf guns

We did not get any real duds but some things that will take time to play. The Harry Potter Lego game is cool but we need a time without the 5 yr old to play and help the 8 yr old get into it. The 5 yr old got a set of letter puzzles he would tell you is a dud. I bought them specifically to work on his letters with me so they will get use.

I guess our only frustrating game is Epic Mickey. I love the concept but it only took a couple of levels before even I got stuck and frustrated. I will have to see if a walkthrough will help. I am not sure if it is the controls or the game itself. I had been hoping that being Mickey they might try and make it a little easier at least for a few more levels.