Christmas Gifts that Teens and Tweens will Love

Parents with teens and tweens can often find themselves stumped as to what to buy their children for a Christmas gift; it can be difficult as the kids are in the phase where they probably do not want clothing picked out by mom and dad. And, on top of that, their sometimes fickle taste in anything (clothing, music, books, movies, etc.) can change quite frequently. Here are some tips on the hot gifts for teens and tweens to help make your shopping easy.

Twilight/Stephenie Meyer Series - This is a series of books (in order of release: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn) written by Stephenie Meyer. Chances are that you've probably already heard about this series because it has quickly become a worldwide phenomenon. But from an adult perspective, they are great books for anyone over the age of twelve (adults, included.)

The books are about a girl (Bella) who moves to a very small town (Forks), and meets this hypnotic boy (Edward) at her new high school. She quickly finds him attractive, but his cold nature confuses her and she begins to realize something is a bit off with him. She soon figures out that he is a vampire, but her undying love for him only grows. The four books follow their story of love with a mix of danger, other magical creatures (werewolves), and adventure.

This is a cool Christmas gift for a boy or girl; I know many teenage boys who have enjoyed these books, too. As I said above though, I would not recommend this series to anyone 12 and under, and even for your teen, you may want to read the fourth book to judge whether it is appropriate for your child. The first three do not include much adult material, but the fourth one does include sexual references. You will have to judge for yourself whether your child is mature enough to read it or not.

These books can be rather pricey since they are on the larger side, but Wal-Mart online has each book for $10.00 and less (depending on whether you buy paper back or hard back covers.) Just check out the Wal-Mart website and search for Stephenie Meyer. There are a couple other follow-ups to these books, if you do decide to go with this gift. There is an "official guide" book, and a soundtrack to the movie. (Yes, the first book - Twilight - has already been made in to a movie that topped the charts its opening weekend. Rumor is that the film studio has signed on to make the next book in to a movie, too.) This series is sure to be a cool Christmas gift and a big hit with your teen or tween; plus, what parent wouldn't love to give their child a reason to read?

Gift Cards - This is always an easy way to go; but, be careful where you buy those gift cards for your teen or tween this year. In the past, it would be easy to buy gift cards to stores like Abercrombie, Hollister, Old Navy, etc. as these stores are always a big hit. But, before you buy those gift cards to specific stores, you may want to do some research on the company. With the economy as it is right now, many major stores are closing their doors. If you do want to buy your teen or tween a gift card to a specific store, make sure that he or she uses it quickly after Christmas. You do not want to risk the gift card not being spent and the store shutting down; there is no way to get your money back.

The easiest thing to do is to buy a gift card to a major retailer like Target or Wal-Mart; any teen or tween can find something there whether it be clothing, music, snacks, or DVDs. Plus, if you go within a day or two after the Christmas holiday, they normally have some great sale prices so the gift card could go further.

If you are worried about gift cards, you can always promise a certain amount of money and take your child out for a day of shopping.

Outing/Get-Together with Friends - Teens and tweens always want to get together with their friends, so what could top a Christmas gift than for you to set something up for them? You can wrap up a new DVD you know your child has been wanting, but include the makings of a great sleep over (popcorn, soda, candy, etc.) Then, tell your child that they can host a party (size, food, etc. depends upon what you decide) with their friends at your house before everyone goes back to school.

Or, you can promise to pay for your child and some friends to go out and do something - dinner and a movie, putt-putt, etc. Wrap up pictures of the activity that you'll pay for; if you pick a movie, print out pictures of a film reel, popcorn buckets, etc. and wrap them up. With many people cutting back spending on activities like going to the movies, this is a great Christmas gift that will allow your teen or tween to go out and enjoy him or herself after the holidays are over.

This gift can be inexpensive or it can add up quickly, depending on how many of your children's friends you decide to pay for and what you want them to be able to go and do. If you host a party at your house, just be reasonable with the snacks, drinks, and food; you could get away with this for around $100.00. Or, if you send your teen or tween out for a night, just make sure not to let them invite more than 2 or 3 friends or your price is going to quickly skyrocket. (Movies are expensive and typically run around $10.00 per person, unless your child has a student I.D. - some theaters offer a discount.)

Theme Park Season Pass - If you live near a theme park (any Six Flags, a Disney park, etc.) this is a great idea that your tween or teen can use for an entire year.

We bought a season pass for our local Six Flags recently to be used during 2009, and they ran around $60.00 each, but each pass gets a discount on food and purchases made at the park. Plus, we each got a coupon book that included free tickets for friends to be used throughout the year.

This is especially a great gift if you have an older teen; it's a cool way to show them that you trust them and just let them go with their friends. Plus, many theme parks sell passes in a group of four at discounted prices; you can use those extra passes for your family, or give them to your teen or tween to distribute to their friends.

Room Make-Over - As I mentioned before, many teens and tweens are fickle about their tastes and like different things at different times in their lives, so a room make-over can be a cool Christmas gift.

Take your child to somewhere like Bed, Bath, and Beyond and let him/her pick out a new bedroom set. (This store frequently sends out 20% off coupons, and their bedding sets can be very inexpensive as it is - around $60.00 and up.) Then, make that new set your whole color palette. Go to Home Depot, Wal-Mart, or

Loews and pick out some paint; make a day out of painting their room and getting everything set-up. You can pick up some inexpensive accessories - wall art, pillows, etc. at Wal-Mart too. They normally have everything in any shape, size, or color at very reasonable prices.

Most teens and tweens enjoy doing something like changing their room, so this is a fun way to let them do that and to spend some time with them by helping. You can figure out a way to wrap up this surprise - include paint brushes, paint samples, a new pillow, etc. in a box and write out what you plan on doing for the rest of the gift.

Teens and tweens like cool and creative Christmas gifts; so no matter what you do, just have fun with your shopping and be imaginative!