Santa’s Little Helper: When You Didn’t Score That Special Gift For The Kids

Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins may lament that they were unable to procure the ideal gift for the children in their lives. Geography, finances, or perhaps the sold out toy store were all obstacles in getting the the gift that all the kiddies are clamoring for. But this just in for adults who are finding themselves picking through the shelves looking for alternatives to Harry Potter Legos: kids love gift cards. Seriously. They love gift cards more than gifts, primarily because it give them the autonomy to purchase what their family won’t buy for them.

Unless we’re talking about little children who aren’t quite old enough to fathom the wonders of gift cards, most kids will take this opportunity and run with it. They all have iPods and are familiar with iTunes. They know what a Kindle is and they know how to “gift” books. They know that American Express has special cards that work like Mommy’s credit card only they can use it too. Our kid’s live in a powerful universe of branding, and by virtue of buying albums online and clicking through books they may want, they are well aware of the power of online money.

So don’t loose sleep over not getting your niece a retro gift this year.  She may have loved a wooden sled, but handing her an iTunes gift card will allow her to buy the music you can’t stand — and perhaps think of you.

(photo: amazon.com)