10 Best Christmas Gifts For 2009

As the holiday season approaches and you start to consider the best Christmas gifts for 2009, you want to be sure that what you give will be a happy experience for those who receive your gifts. This means looking beyond simple Xmas cards, gift certificates, and a hasty trip to the shopping mall. Nothing beats the look of excitement and joy as others open your gifts and warmly offer their thanks, reminding you it is the thought behind the gift which truly counts!  

Look forward to their smiles again this year, with this list of the top selling gifts of 2009, prepared from research conducted with the largest online retailers.  

1. Wild Planet Hyper Dash by Wild Planet
This product won the 2009 Top Toy of the Year issued by Creative Child Magazine. Not only a fun game, it is exceptional in developing math and athletic skills. It also challenges skill, speed, coordination, teamwork and memory. 7-12 years.

2. Hot Potato by Fundex Games
Also among the best gifts 2009 is an electronic hot potato and potato chips and requires family members to frantically toss the hot potato and not get caught holding the spud when the music stops. Good for 2-6 players.

3. American Girl 300 Wishes - Board Game by Mattel
Included are 300 wish cards, five diaries and five wish keys. The "Wish Cards" dealt to players describe fun experiences, carrers and personal accomplishments they dream of having. The aim is to match the players' wishes with the cards they receive. 8+ years.

4. Scooby-Doo! A Haunted House Game by Pressman Toys
Similar to the TV series on Cartoon Network, this 3D plastic game is packed with action as players move about the haunted house and try to reach the top level whilst avoiding booby traps and ghosts. Suits 2-5 players.

5. Math Whiz by Educational Insights
Provides hundreds of fun math facts and challenges kids on addition, division, subtractiona nd multiplication. It can also function as a calculator. There are eight skill levels and an easy to read display screen, as well as light and sound effects that greet the answers given. 6+ years.

6. Electronic Hyperslide by Hasbro Games
Three different games that allow for individual as  well as team fun and competition on the table top, with sounds, voice commands, and electronic lights. "Guess" a sequence of colors before the buzzer declares your time has run out.

7. Bananagrams by Bananagrams
A word game featuring 144 tile letters that are placed face down while players select their tiles.  Great for family fun while you travel as it is light, portable and easy to set up. No pencil or paper required.

8. Blokus Classic by Educational Insights
A strategy board game which is the most awarded game of the Century, so far (20+ awards). Suitable for up to four players, it employs a 400 piece game board and 84 colored playing pieces. Players try to fit all their pieces on the board, touching at least one corner of their earlier pieces and not adjacent to the pieces of another player. The winner is the first to get rid of their pieces.

9. LeapFrog® Match Up!
A fun game to improve memory and reasoning skills. Pressing a button provides a clue which must be matched with options that include rhyming words, animal sounds, and opposites. Three levels of play allow children to progress at their own pace. Suits individual play or with a friend.

10. Math Mat Challenge Game
Our final selection for best Xmas gifts 2009 is a clever and exciting math game that includes an interactive, talking floor mat. There are four different games and two skill levels that help develop skills in numbers, addition, counting and subtraction. Kids step on the mat when they have the answer. The game gets faster as scores get higher.