The Gift of Literacy and Wonder

Lost on what to give your nieces and nephews for Christmas? Going insane on weighing the merits of a plushie over an electronic toy, and whether you should heed the "For ages 3+" guides on the boxes?

Why not give the gift of literacy and wonder instead? Give books. Personalized books may be specially-ordered ones, or just wrapped/scrapped nicely. Start on a series, and give one from it for each year till you finish it (there are many new classics now, like Harry Potter, Narnia, Series of Unfortunate Events, Amelia Bedelia, etc.)

If you can, give the book and a VCD/DVD copy of the movie (Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne has recently been made into a wonderful movie starring Brendan Fraser).

Sooner or later, the recipient is bound to pick up these gems and get lost in its stories. And books are the last gifts parents will be throwing or giving away.