Mindflex Duel is the greatest party game ever!

If your kid wants a Mindflex or that Jedi Mind training thing, the one where you strap on headgear then "pilot" your ball through a maze? Skip it, pay a little more and get the MindFlex Duel instead. You can still play solo, BUT you can also play head-to-head, almost literally, as you essentially play tug-of-war with your concentration. The only issue is that people won't believe it works. But it does, and it is a lot of fun.

Golden Snitch Christmas tree ornament

So awesome! My kids are getting some Harry Potter LEGO sets this Christmas, and I got my son the Ninjago Flame Temple with dragon -- it is huge!

Anyway, this golden snitch is just adorable. And simple enough for mature kids to do, I think. I bet you could somehow paint or dye or stress a softball to look like a bludger.

Make your own Star Wars craft toys!

I actually owned the 80's-era Star Wars craft book referenced in this article, but I think the new Star Wars craft book looks pretty cool, if a bit difficult for younger kids.

Best value Nerf gun: N-Strike Maverick

Nerf came out with a series of guns and they've been pretty aggressive with the lineup, frequently changing it around and introducing new models. OK, so I haven't tested all models, like the impressive N-Strike Vulcan. But I am seeing a lot of lazy design in the guns I have checked out thus far, including the N-Strike series guns Nite Finder Blaster and the truly horrible Recon CS-6. We tried to give my son the Rapid Fire 20 and it was a complete disaster -- you have to pump it up over 30 times and it gets *really* hard to pump after about 25 or so.

The only gun that seems to work reliably and not require a lot of fuss is, no surprise to real gun aficionados, a revolver. It's the N-Strike Maverick. Aside from looking really cool, the gun is easy to load, can be cocked by a kid, and reliably shoots whatever you put in it. Unlike some of the guns Nerf has made, each with a variety of design flaws, the Maverick handles ammo well. Some guns will only accept certain ammo, but the Maverick work with snub nosed ammo, suction cups and whistlers.

For the money it's hard to beat the Maverick in style and quality. There are even mods out there that make it cool for older kids!