Holiday Gift Guide 2014 for a Tween and Little Kid

I have the luckiest kids in the world (and I am the luckiest mom) since we are a multi-religious household. Yep, that means my big girl and almost-big guy get to celebrate Christmas AND Hanukkah. Even though my daughter is three years older than my son, they love to play together so we mostly buy shared gifts to avoid breaking the bank. We also sprinkle in smaller gifts (stocking stuffers and random nights of Hanukkah) and one show-stopper for each kiddo.

I may regret getting these adorable toys for both kids (one gets an Elf, the other a Pig), but I just know these little popper toys will be a huge hit . . . and hit. . . and hit. Maybe I should also ask Santa to get us all goggles in our stockings.

To buy: Hog Wild, $10.95

My girl is learning how to skateboard and I just love these stylish socks. They also seem to be unisex enough to pass down to the next skateboarder in our family, who is currently biding his time on his scooter.

To buy: Kitson, $12

I don’t know how my oldest child has made it to 8 years old without having a Lite-Brite. This oversight will be remedied this holiday season as she and her brother will experience the joy that is making art with brightly colored light bulbs. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be as great as I remember.

To buy: Amazon, $34.99

My daughter is almost old enough to read “The Hunger Games” series, but is already finding out all she can about Katniss and her amazing bow and arrow. This one may not be used to overthrow a tyrannical government or feed our family, but it also won’t put anyone’s eye out.

To buy: Amazon, $29.99

My husband and I have always shared our love of music with the kids, which means we have loads of dance parties in our house. Getting my son his own turntable will help keep the music going, and the Crosley Cruiser (the mini version of our adult-sized Crosley) will have the added benefit of keeping his grubby little paws off of mom and dad’s turntable, thus lengthening the life of the record needle.

To buy: Target, $89.99

I know, I know. This is highly inappropriate. My 5-year-old, however, is going to LOVE IT. Because 1) he’s already a prankster deluxe; and 2) it makes fart noises. I’m going to be the most popular mom on Christmas morning.

To buy: Amazon, $9.99

Both kids are a little bit obsessed with Grumpy Cat (okay, I am too) so I might have to get two Grumpys if they can’t agree to share this adorable plush. So festive!

To buy: Kitson, $25.95

The ultimate mom time happens when you can enjoy a cappuccino without interruption. And the Nescafe Dolce Gusto is the world’s easiest (and tastiest) way to get that coffee right into your gullet when you’re home alone. Ahhhhh, silence and coffee. Perfect.

To buy: Dolce-Gusto, $129.99

I love my house, and if my history tells me anything it is that I will probably move somewhere else in the next 5-8 years. So how great would it be to have my own house portrait? SO GREAT. Nashville artist Kelly Williams will create your own home masterpiece based on your photo in two different sizes. I would go for the 8 X 8 version because it's so darn cute.

To buy: Kelly S. Williams, $250

I think it's totally normal to fantasize about receiving kitchen gadgets for Christmas. And these brightly colored, high design tools from Crisp would ALL fit perfectly into my stocking. I’m especially in love with the avocado slicer because I need to eat avocados almost every day. Yes I did say “need.”

To buy: Crisp Cooking, $14.99

Two Christmases ago I asked for a Clarisonic so I could scrub all that mom dirt off my face every night. I loved my Clarisonic so much, but cleaning it was a huge hassle. The Luna by Foreo is silicon so you won’t be scrubbing dirty brushes and wondering how clean your face is, actually. Also it has an anti-aging side to follow up your scrub with, which is great when your kids are giving you wrinkles.

To buy: Sephora, $199