Christmas Gift Guide 2012: Gifts For Girls

My gorgeous nieces!

I thought I’d kick off this year’s Christmas gift guides with one that’s close to my heart. As a proud aunty of the most beautiful girls on the planet, I often find myself struggling to come up with great gift ideas that they’ll really love.  I want to knock their socks off and I want to help anyone who’s in the same boat! Here are my top five gift ideas for girls.

ONE The 90s revival is still going strong and now it extends to your favourite interactive neon gremlin, too! That’s right, Furby’s back – just bigger, brighter and louder than ever, and with expressive LED eyes! They're pricey – Littlewoods Ireland have them for €77 here – but the kids will love them. And possibly, so will their parents – if they couldn’t get their hands on one the first time round. Either that, or they’ll stab you in the eye. Suitable from age 3 upwards.

 

TWO Stackable friendship bracelets are perennially popular with girls of all ages and this gorgeous kit comes with everything they’ll need to make their own – find it on Amazon here. Again, it’s suitable from the age of 3 on.

THREE Sound too much like hard work? Or maybe they’re in that tweeny stage when they’re far too cool for crafts? Gift them the finished item and present them with a handful of stackable arm candy – mix friendship bracelets like this one with something a little more glam, like this crystal adorned shamballa bracelet (there are loads of styles all between five and ten quid here).

FOUR When I’m buying for children I always try and include an age appropriate book and these ones, from age 7 up, are ideal for boys or girls. They’re the first four books in Annie Graves' Nightmare Club series, from award-winning Irish publisher Little Island, and they’re full of spooky delights with gorgeous illustrations.  If you’re in Ireland, you can snap them up with this Pigs Back deal – if you’re not, you can find them on the Little Island website or on Amazon here.

FIVE Now I’m really giving away my secrets, but another brilliant gift idea for girls of all ages is a pair of customised Converse. Of course you could try to stud and embellish them with crystals on your own, or you could call in the services of a professional like the lovely Rosaleen from Cocktail Strass. Prices depend on the design but as a guide, customised children’s sizes will be in the region of €60 (to include the shoes themselves!).

If you any great gift ideas for girls, please leave them in the comments below! Are you all set for Christmas?