Hot gifts for Christmas

[dixiechick]

TweetMy mom and SIL were telling me about how this elf dolls were the latest thing. My grandmother had this fabric elf dolls with legs & arms that can bent. G'mom would decorate her house during the holiday with them. Hiding the elves all over the house. We also enjoy looking for where she hid them. She must have done this when my mom was a child because mom had the same elves and also put them around our house too.

Apparently these little elf dolls are so popular right now that they are selling out and people are paying up to $40 for them. These elf come with a story book and are called "Elf on a Self". I'm kicking myself because I had some and when I moved in Jan I took a ton of stuff to goodwill... now I can't find the elves, so I think they go put in the stuff that went to goodwill!

It figures... I also gave away a ceramic Garfield music box that was selling on Ebay for $100!


Hot gifts for Christmas
By Charles Oliver
Dalton Daily Citizen

Santa Claus can’t be everywhere. That’s why he has little helpers who watch over children and report back to him each night on who has been naughty and who has been nice.

Well, that’s what the makers of Elf on a Shelf say, and judging from sales they may be on to something.

Kathy Jenkins, owner of Dalton’s Toys in the Attic, says the $30 elves have been one of this year’s biggest sellers.

“It has been probably the biggest single seller,” she said.

“We also have the activity book for kids who already have the elf. It’s things they can do with it,” she said. “It’s $15.”

As of Saturday, Jenkins said Elf on the Shelf has sold out. But don’t worry. There are plenty of other toys just looking for the right child this holiday season.

“Games and puzzles have been really big this year. I think a lot of people are staying in looking for things they can do together as a family,” she said.

All of the old favorites are still popular: Monopoly, Scrabble, Candyland.

“They do well. But we tend to do better with some of the unique things,” she said.

Banana Grams, for instance, have been very popular this year.

A Scrabble-like game that that comes in a banana-shaped container, Jenkins said the game is good for travel or camping. It sells for $14.99.

One unique item this year is a jigsaw puzzle globe. When it’s finished it looks just like a normal globe of the Earth. It sells for $40.

“It’s not as hard as it looks. The pieces are numbered,” Jenkins said.

Another popular item this year is the Drip Stik. Designed by a mother of five, the plastic sticks hold ice cream cones or other frozen treats and keep them from dripping onto hands, clothes and furniture. They sell for $4.99 each.

“A lot of people think there are no toys made in the USA, but Barrel of Monkeys is made in the USA, and it is still popular,” Jenkins said.

It sells for $5.99 each.

Doll houses, which start around $50, have also been very popular this year, Jenkins said.

“We are also selling a lot of arts and crafts. Again, that’s something that’s more active and that families can often do together,” she said.

If you are looking for gifts for older children or adults, books are often a good buy.

Debra Brooks of Dalton’s The Book Nook says Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight” series of novels have been flying off the shelves this year.

The fantasy/romance series consists of four novels about Isabella “Bella” Swan, a teenager who falls in love with a vampire. A film based on the first novel in the series was released in November and has grossed almost $180 million so far.

“Little girls really love the books,” Brooks said.

Meanwhile at Dalton’s In Heaven’s Name Christian bookstore, Bibles have, not surprisingly, been the biggest seller.

“Really, that’s the best gift you can give at Christmas time,” said Geneva Whitener.

Whitener says the store also sells a lot of Southern Gospel CDs and DVDs.

“The Gaithers always do well. We sell a lot of their CDs and DVDs. The McKameys always do well. There are several groups,” she said.

Whitener said that younger customers also buy a lot of CDs by Casting Crowns, a contemporary Christian group.

[FUZO]

TweetALL THE YEARS PAST THEY ALWAYS COME OUT WITH A DOLL OR SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE HAS TO GET THEN ITS WORTH NOTHING MORE THEN YOU BOUGHT IT LATER.