Christmas 2010: Start planning now!

 
Want to hear a secret? The 2009 Christmas season is fast approaching and will be gone before you know it. In 2010, Christmas will be on a Saturday, making it especially easy for families to gather and celebrate the holiday. For some, this might mean a larger than average family dinner and gift exchange, so this site is starting early to help you plan for what exotic new dishes to try at Christmas dinner, what hot toys to buy the kids and what party ideas will keep your relatives and friends in the holiday spirit all season long!

Here are our predictions for what will be all the rage come Christmas 2010:

Food: Of course, the traditional favorites will grace many tables; there will be hams, yams and more gingerbread than most of us really need at all the holiday parties. If you want to truly wow your guests or office-mates at the company potluck, though, start searching for recipes on mini-foods (Bite-sized cheese balls and tiny turkey crudités? YUM!) and make sure you buy all organic. 

Kid’s toys: The hottest Christmas toys for the past few years have been animated (Tickle Me Elmo) or have been fun new tech gadgets (Nintendo Wii and Rock Band). Expect 2010 to stick to this same trend. We aren’t too sure on the details yet, but the simple rule is: If it moves and makes noise, little kids will love it (though parents may soon tire of hearing that Elmo laugh over and over…and over…), and if it’s a video game that an army of soccer moms would beat you up to have, older kids will absolutely flip.

Grown-up gifts: For the past few years, we’ve seen gifts start to trend to the more technological side of the spectrum. Twenty years ago, all dads got sweaters and golf bags and moms got sweaters and framed pictures of the kiddoes. For Christmas 2010, look again for more techno-gifts, but look for them to do some pretty cool stuff. More cell phones, mp3 players and even cameras will have touch technology (similar to the iPhone), so that will be a hot seller. Anything that is connected to the internet and designed to make life a little easier should be a great gift in 2010.

Parties: For Christmas 2010, keep it simple. Our lives are hectic enough, so wouldn’t a simple bottle of wines among friends be better than a neighborhood holiday blow-out? Pair simple guest lists with simple food and drinks and you’ll find the 2010 holiday season to be one of the most relaxing of all. After all, it’s the one time of year you get to spend time with your loved ones and appreciate all you have.

Keep an eye on this site as we follow the trends for Christmas 2010. What predictions do you have?

What are the hottest toys for Christmas in 2009?  According to the Associated Press they include:

Kota the Triceratops     $300.  A lifelike dinosaur that your kids can ride.

The Ultimate Wall-E doll     $249.  Go see the movie if you've never heard of Wall-E.

U-Dance     $74.99.  A game that eliminates a dance mat and wires.

Spin Master Ltd.'s Bakugan     $4.99. Includes marbles that morph into figures and magnetic cards.

Techno Source's Clickables Fairy Collections     $5.99 to start. Bracelets and charms that click together and contain information that can be uploaded to a virtual fairyland online.

Wild Planet's Animal Scramble     $19.99 to $29.99. It is a modified game of tag for preschoolers that features a hand-held tagger and says it promotes social and developmental skills.

MGA's Bratz Girls Really Rock     $19.99. It includes four different dolls sold separately with two rock-star outfits and a guitar.

Crayola's Crayola Glow Station     $29.99. It allows children to create glow-in-the-dark art.

Jakks Pacific Inc.'s Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker     $29.99. The kit is to make real cupcakes in the microwave and frost them.

Lego's Mobile Command Center     $89.99. It includes blocks to build a truck that opens into a command center and other pieces including a jet-boat, plane and two cars.

VTech's Sit-to-Stand Alphabet Train     $49.99. The train can be used for floor play, to push along as a walker or a ride-on toy.

WonderPets' "This is Serious!" Ming Ming     $34.99. The plush duck dances and sings songs from Nickelodeon's Wonder Pets! series.

Most asked for Christmas present this year? The redesigned 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid!

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