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Gift Guide 2021

December 4, 2021 by Heather Step Leave a Comment

It’s officially December now and it’s time to start thinking about a gift guide for the Christmas season. Over the last while I’ve received some emails in my inbox about gifts and I thought I’d make a post putting them all together.

Christmas gift guide

Gift Guide for Children

This year’s trends include toy unboxing, outdoor play and creative building, with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) skills toys, sensory play and educational toys that support remote learning dominating the shelves.

Hasbro has a rather nifty quiz which lets you figure out your child’s personality and gives some advice on what kind of toy would be suitable for them.

If your child is “The Energiser” then maybe you need some sporting equipment or the furReal Glamalots Interactive Pet Toy.

If they are “The Imagineer” they will probably go for something crafty and a lot of the Play Doh activities are suited to this.

PNA also has a lot of crafty gifts this season. Here’s a Melissa & Doug Decoupage Made Easy Craft Set.

Barbie also has some new looks this season and she’s always a winner to play with. There’s the Extra Doll and Vanity Playset with Exclusive Doll, Pet Puppy, Vanity and 45 Pieces and also the Colour Reveal Foam Doll, Scent Surprise, 25 Surprises , Assortment.

“The Discoverer” who likes to explore and is curious about how things work will go for science kits and futuristic toys like Transformers – Cyberverse Adventures Roll’n’Change Bumble Bee/Optimus Prime 

This is also cool – Transforming Radio Control Truck:

If your kid likes experiments he or she might go for these colour change Hot Wheels Cars. We’ve bought some of these and they are a lot of fun – you dip them in hot and cold water and watch them change colour.

Dinosaurs continue to be popular and this one is really cool and the top toy at ToysRUs – Jurassic World Stomp and Escape T Rex:

If they’re really into dinosaurs, I highly recommend Orboot which we reviewed. This interactive globe and app educates your child about dinosaurs and it’s a lot of fun too.

If your child is a tween and keen on recording all the discoveries, you might also consider this Instax Mini 11 Camera & Film Bundle Assorted:

instax mini 11 camera gift guide

Does your kid like to play pranks? “The Jokester” will go for Nerf guns and Monopoly Crooked Cash.

If your child loves stories and fantasy, “The Enchanter” will go for some books and audio books (the Yoto player would be a good idea) but they’d probably also enjoy magical toys like My Little Pony Sing ‘N Skate Sunny or Baby Alive Grows Up Happy.

yoto player gift guide

Also, how cute is this winged baby from ToysRUs? (Baby Giggle and Crawl Baby Butterfly Doll (30cm), 20 Sounds and Fluttering Wings). Also check out the Rainbocorns Jelly Shake Surprise.

Competitive types fall into “The Champion” category. If your child loves winning games then they would probably like Jenga or the new Monopoly Builder.

If your child is “The Leader” then they could take charge with this Power Rangers Dino Fury Morpher.

If they really are passionate about thrill seeking they are “The Enthusiast” and Nerf guns are also an option for them.

Some daredevil toys also on offer at ToysRUs are the Nexx Stunt Radio Control Superbike and the Batmobile Ride On 12V.

As far as stockists are concerned, all these gifts are available either from the Hasbro site (which links to others like Takealot, ToysRUs or Toy Kingdom) as well as ToyrsRUs (look at their brochure online here). One of the items is from PNA.

For Her

If you’re looking for a gift for yourself or a female family member, there’s always the air fryer. I ordered one online a while ago but it has yet to arrive. I think I could have been scammed. (Tidee) If it does come I will do a review!

Xiaomi’s new Air Fryer, the Mi Smart Air Fryer 3.5L, is now available in South Africa and will initially be sold exclusively on Mobile in Africa’s ecommerce store. The smart product connects over Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi and is supported by the Mi Home App. It also works with Google Assistant and Alexa. The multi-functional Mi Smart Air Fryercooking product includes eight pre-set modes, including one for baking cakes. And the 360-degree hot air circulation allows cooking food with less oil and lower fat. The Mi Smart Air Fryer performs as a food dehydrator, a microwave oven, a food defroster, and a yoghurt maker. More than 100 easy-to-cook recipes can be accessed through the Mi Home App.  

air fryer gift guide

And while we are talking about appliances, let’s think big. I really like this Defy fridge that runs on a good portion of solar power.

The new solar hybrid range connects directly to solar panels and the electrical grid and works off solar during daytime and prioritizes solar energy and runs off-grid when there is no sunshine. No inverters or batteries needed. It’s available in a 254lt Chest Freezer and in a 157lt Top Mounted Freezer Fridge. Fitted with Endura-Chill technology to keep our freezer compartments colder for up to 40 hours in the freezer and 21 hours in the fridge without electricity or sun. For more info go here.

This is also a very nice and tasteful gift. Everyone needs shopping lists. Available from PNA. If you’re artistically inclined or just like stationery, that shop is also the place to go for these markers.

For Him

PNA also has some lovely masculine gifts. Here’s a gentleman’s torch and some coffee cups.

Other lovely gifts are some personal grooming items from Manscaped – you can read about them here and use my link to get 20% off.

manscaped personal grooming men gift guide

That’s a wrap for the gift guide. So now that you’re suitably inspired -off you go! Add to cart!

Wishing everyone a very wonderful Christmas season this year. It’s always nice to look at pretty things while the world seems to be going crazy over new covid variants. So enjoy the distraction.

If you found this post interesting please share it with your friends and remember to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram and join our awesome group called Mommy’s Me Time.

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