What do boys want for Christmas?

Every year, there would be one particular item that every child must have. That would probably be the gift the kid would pester mom or grandma for. If the little boy in question tells you what he wants for Christmas and it is within your budget, then problem solved. That is the ideal gift for him.. that is, if it is not something that is potentially dangerous like firearms or anything inappropriate for a boy his age.

What if the boy does not tell you what he wants, or the gift he asks for is out of the question? What are the gifts that boys like that are appropriate for his age?

Kids basically like whatever they see on TV.

Take a cue from his favourite program. If he has to watch Justice League every week, then he would be thrilled to receive superman toys. By the way, boys are especially enamoured by superhero stuff. Spiderman, Batman, Wolverine are among the hot favourites with boys.

I have 2 boys myself. Whenever they see the ads while watching their favourite program, they come running to me with "Mommy, I want..." whatever they see on TV. If you think what appears on TV shapes their tastes, you should see their reaction after watching a movie. After watching The Incredibles, they wanted toys that feature the Incredibles family.

If you know the child well enough, buying that perfect gift is a cinch. Just pay attention to the child's interest and you are bound to find the appropriate gift in the stores.

What if the child's parent disapproves of your choice of gifts.

What seems perfect to the kid may be too trivial, to distracting or a bad influence in the eyes of the parent.

Ask the parent what you should get that boy for Christmas and the parent would recommend books or clothing. Practical things. The kid would want an xbox or some game. Fun stuff.

So how do you reconcile the two?

Educational games would meet both sets of demands. Fun and educational gifts for kids would be good. Educational DVDs with math, language and science games would be a hit with both kids and parents. So would board games that require thinking or language skills. Chess comes to mind. As does Scrabble.