Top Five Gifts Under $20.00 For Eleven- to Thirteen-Year-Old Girls

Your worries are over. I've done the research for you. With feedback from my own teen consultants, this article presents five teen-tested Christmas presents sure to please that picky teen in your life. All you need to do is purchase and wrap them.

Jewelry, Especially Earrings
If you purchase earrings, make them long and dangly. That's right. Those cute little studs are out of style with today's hip teenager. Plain gold hoops are yesterday's news. Look for chandelier earrings with texture, like seedbeads and shells. You're in luck the cutest earrings can be found, usually under $10.00, at The Icing by Claires (www.icingbyclaires.com) and at that retail nemesis of parental figures, Hot Topic (www.hottopic.com).

CDs and More CDs
Nearly every teen has their own CD player so it's hard to go wrong with this gift choice, unless you buy the wrong music (alas, so easy to do).

So what's "in" with today's younger teens? Suprisingly, perhaps partially because of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood's success on American Idol, Country is back. Teens love Kelly's Breakaway album or Carrie's Some Hearts. Also, consider anything by Rascal Flatts (think Cars soundtrack ).

Disney is still popular with this age group, so your special teen may enjoy CDs from Disney stars like Ali & AJ and Hilary Duff. Soundtracks from the latest Cheetah Girls movie and High School Musical are also popular.

For the best prices try www.yourmusic.com (where all CDs are $5.99 with free shipping), www.amazon.com, or www.walmart.com.

DVDs
Kids love to watch movies and they want their favorites at home. What were the favorites this year? Buy anything from this list for a gift (all of which are due out before Christmas) and you should be fine. Top 2006 movies: Chronicles of Narnia, Click (due on DVD October 10, 2006), Cars (due on DVD November 7, 2006), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (due on DVD December 5, 2006).

You could also buy your favorite teen a season of their favorite Disney show such as Hannah Montana Living the Rock Star Life! and Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Taking Over the Tipton. Cheetah Girls 2: Cheetah-licious Edition and High School Musical are also on most teen's wish lists.

For the best values look for these movies at www.familyvideo.com, www.amazon.com, www.overstock.com, and www.walmart.com.

Camo (Short for Camoflage)
No, the teens aren't in basic training, they're not in boot camp. They've just fallen in love with one of the hottest military-inpired trends around - camoflage clothing. You don't need to spend a fortune to get this look. A handbag, baseball cap, or even scarf with a camo pattern is enough to let your teen participate in this trend. We found the following under $20.00: a cool camo baseball cap at American Eagle Outfitters (www.ae.com), a knit camo cadet hat on sale at www.kohls.com, a canvas camo hobo bag on sale at Old Navy (www.oldnavy.com), cute camo purses ranging from $8.39 to $16.99 at www.target.com.

Gift Cards
According to my teen experts, gift cards are always welcome. Gift cards are available for everything and anything. All your teen's favorite stores have them. Some favorites: Barnes and Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com), Blockbuser (www.blockbuster.com) Gap® (www.gap.com), Old Navy (www.oldnavy.com), Target (www.target.com), Walmart (www.walmart.com).

The Gift of Yourself
I know that there are already five gifts listed. I wanted to throw in this extra one in, free of charge. Whether you're Mom, Dad, Stepmom, Stepdad, aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, sister, brother, cousin, friend - what the teen in your life wants most is your time (even if they don't act like it). $20.00 can take the two of you to dinner at a casual dining restaurant, to the movies, or to the bowling alley. Consider giving the teen in your life the gift of yourself.

Happy shopping!