Holiday shopping is never an easy task, especially when hunting down the perfect Christmas gifts for the family. Heading out to the toy store isn’t a one-stop shop for the kids, grandparents, nieces and nephews and mom or dad. Nowadays, the latest electronics can beat out this year’s hottest toys for kids of all ages, too.
Christmas shopping for the family is a hassle, but luckily for you, CGMagazine took the guesswork out of it. Whether you’re shopping for a toy-loving kindergartener, the grown-up who can’t keep up with the housework or deserves a break, or maybe even the adults in your life who are still kids-at-heart, there will be something for that special someone on this list.
Here are our favourite Christmas gifts for the family 2023:
Toys for Christmas:
TMNT Toys!
With the recent success of the new TMNT movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, this generation is getting into TMNT this holiday season. For those of us born in the 80s, TMNT toys were a huge part of our childhood. Now we can pass that on to our kids with some brand-new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toys for 2023. These toys will make great Christmas gifts this year.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Switch Kick Skaters
- Rip To Skate TMNT Toys: Shred your way to victory with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Switch Kick Skaters. These small but mighty skateboard toys are super easy to use, just rip the cord to turn your mutants into professional skaters.
- Perform Awesome Skating Tricks: The self-stabilizing gyro mechanism ensures that your Switch Kick Skater will land on their wheels every time so that you can perform rad tricks and twists with your finger scooters and skateboards – let’s see what you’ve got.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Micro Shell Racers
- 3” 2.4 GHz RC vehicle built for speed with classic-inspired design featuring Ninja Turtle Donatello driving a vintage-inspired bus
- Use the turtle half shell controller to navigate and charge the RC vehicle!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Half Pipe RC
- REMOTE CONTROL: Full-function 2.4 GHz RC vehicle built to skate smooth and perform tricks on any surface just like a real skater. TMNT movie-inspired design with Raphael.
- STEER: Use the skateboard-shaped remote controller to navigate, control speed and shift.
ThinkFun Magnetic Travel Puzzles
ThinkFun brings learning to toys in so many ways. A perfect Christmas gift for families that travel would be any of their Magnetic Travel Puzzles. When you need to drive out to see the family over the holiday, these compact, magnetic puzzles are perfect for the car. Even better, they come in various themes like Minecraft or Chess, so they are great Christmas gifts for kids or parents!
Solitaire Chess Magnetic Travel Puzzle
- What you get – comes with board, 10 magnetic chess piece tokens, instruction manual with solutions, challenge booklet (120 beginner to expert challenges)
- Develop learning skills: logic and problem solving, STEM and creative thinking, visual perception and reasoning
Minecraft Magnetic Travel Puzzle Logic Game
- What You Get – The Minecraft Magnetic Travel Puzzle Includes 9 Magnetic Minecraft Items, An Instruction Manual, And A Challenge Booklet Containing 40 Beginner To Expert Challenges And Solutions
- Clear Instructions – Easy To Learn With A Clear, High Quality Instruction Manual. You Can Start Playing Immediately
ThinkFun Roller Coaster Challenge
ThinkFun has a ton of great educational toys that can be fun to play alongside your kids. Roller Coaster Challenge is taking the screen out of Roller Coaster Tycoon and letting you build the coaster of your dreams right at the dining room table! Think marble track without it rolling away!
- Trusted By Families Worldwide – With Over 50 Million Sold, Thinkfun Is The World’S Leading Manufacturer Of Brain Games And Mind Challenging Puzzles
- Develops Critical Skills – Playing Through The Challenges Builds Engineering, Reasoning And Planning Skills And Provides A Great Stealth Learning Experience For Young Players
Pinata Smashlings
This is the first year I’ve seen Pinata Smashlings, and they are absolutely a must-buy for my daughter’s Christmas list this year. Believe it or not, these little guys actually stem from Roblox, so even though my 4-year-old is going to fall in love with these squishy little guys, my 8-year-old will know all about them, too. You can pick up larger figures or smaller versions in packs of five, and in the box, you’ll also find Roblox codes to use in-game!
Pinata Smashlings Figure
- INTRODUCING THE PIÑATA SMASHLINGS TOY LINE! The Roblox game that has been making waves all over the world is now coming to life! Go on daily adventures with your Piñata Smashlings Roblox Toys!
- CATCH THAT SMASHLING! The articulated Piñatas are 1.5 cm tall and come complete with their own piñata stick accessory, 2 exclusive Smashlings, one of them is a hidden, bubblegum pink Smashing, and an exclusive DLC code that grants Roblox in-game benefits.
Pinata Smashlings 5-Pack
- INTRODUCING THE PINATA SMASHLINGS TOY LINE! The Roblox game that has been making waves all over the world is now coming to life! Go on daily adventures with your Piñata Smashlings Roblox Toys!
- CATCH THAT SMASHLING! Each 5-pack of Piñata Smashlings Collectible Figures comes includes 1 hidden character and an exclusive DLC code that grants Roblox in-game benefits.
LEGO Harry Potter
A Christmas list for families doesn’t count unless there is LEGO on it! We recommended LEGO Advent calendars earlier in the month, but now it’s time to find something for under the tree once the countdown is over. LEGO comes in all fandoms, that’s for sure, and one of the favourites for those of us with kids today is Harry Potter. You can grab The Battle of Hogwarts 730-piece set or check out something a bit smaller, depending on age. But if it’s for mom and dad, there are bigger and badder sets out there, too!
LEGO Harry Potter The Battle of Hogwarts
- The Battle of Hogwarts building toy set (76415) – Build the Hogwarts Castle courtyard and reenact the Voldemort vs. Harry Potter duel from the climax of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
- 6 LEGO minifigures – Harry Potter and Voldemort, each with a wand and spell-casting element, Neville Longbottom with the Sword of Gryffindor, Scabior, Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange
LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall
- Also includes buildable basilisk and fawkes creatures, Plus hedwig and scabbard figures
- Hogwarts great hall with House banners, tower with movable spiral staircase, potions room and treasure room!
LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle
- Hogwarts Castle Model – Buildable microscale Hogwarts Castle, Hagrid’s hut, Whomping Willow tree, and 5 boats.
- Detailed Decor – Hogwarts Castle features the Great Hall with buildable ‘stained glass windows’, house banners, benches, tables, flaming torches, and moving staircases.
Escape Academy: The Complete Edition
We already handled our favourite games for Christmas 2023, but I wanted to share this one here, too. Escape Academy is an awesome game for families, especially those with kids around 7 and up. I play this with my son all the time, and as time goes on, he has started playing it confidently without me, showing his cousins the escape room ropes, so to speak. It’s a great game to get kids thinking, and it can be a lot of fun when you play with them, too!
Cross Escape Academy: The Complete Edition on Nintendo Switch of your Christmas list today!
Tech Christmas Gifts:
GUNNAR – Spider-Man: Miles Morales Edition
Though technically not tech, GUNNARS are great for any kids who might be gaming or watching their tablet regularly. Blue Light glasses are meant to help block harmful light that might be keeping you up at night or hurting your eyes. GUNNAR launched their newest edition to the Marvel line recently, so now is a great time to pick them up in time for the holidays. The kid’s Cruz line is linked below, but they also make adult sizes because who doesn’t love Spider-Man?
- MARVEL COLLECTION – Unleash your inner Super-Hero with the GUNNAR Spider-Man Miles Morales Edition. Equipped with these blue light glasses, swing into performance and protection with glasses featuring everyone’s new favorite Web Slinger.
- DOCTOR RECOMMENDED — Protects against symptoms stemming from prolonged screen-staring including migraines, headaches, dry eyes, blurry vision, cataracts, macular degeneration (AMD) and negative effects of blue light exposure
NACON Limited Editon Colorlight Wired Controller for Xbox
NACON makes products that are durable and trustworthy. The same is true with this Limited Edition Wired Controller for Xbox, which is important for families with kids who are less than gentle with their electronics. What is—arguably—more important, however, is just how cool the Colorlight controller looks. Anyone, child or adult, will love the Colorlight’s flashy style, but its ultimate customization, between colours and button mapping, will have any gamer wowed this Christmas.
- OFFICIALLY LICENSED FOR XBOX: Customizable LED controller licensed for Xbox and compatible with Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and Windows 10/11 PC
- SHOW YOUR TRUE COLORS: 6 LEDs with 25 color variations, 4 lighting effects and 3 scrolling speeds allow for over a quintillion customization combinations
Turtle Beach REACT-R Wired Controller
This is a great controller for anyone who plays on Xbox or PC. It works with both the Series X and Series S and moves over to PC seamlessly. Though wired controllers aren’t my go-to, I’m starting to learn that there are a ton of people out there who don’t charge all their electronics overnight! This wired controller will always be ready for its recipient and is excellent for kids or adults! It comes in some great colourways, too, so it’s the perfect Christmas gift for anyone in your family!
- Contains: REACT-R Controller, 8’ / 2.5m USB Cable, Quick Start Guide, and Turtle Beach Sticker
- Turtle Beach Game-Enhancing Audio Controls
PDP Sonic-Themed Controllers & More
If Nintendo Switch is more your family’s speed, then PDP has you covered with some awesome Sonic-themed gear. The Nintendo Switch Controller comes in both wired and wireless, depending on your needs, and you can also find it in a set with a PDP headset as well. You can choose from Tails, Knuckles, and Sonic, or branch out and check out their other themes like Pikmin or Transformers, too. Find the bundle below!
- Collectible figurine captured inside the grip and a multi-layered design featuring iconic game scenes
- 3.5mm jack for in-game audio and chat, plus built-in volume controls on the D-pad
PDP AIRLITE GLOW Wired Headset
PDP also sells their headsets non-Sonic-themed, and I think they are great for kid gamers. Standard headsets tend to be big and bulky, but PDP offers a more reasonable size for kids who are still growing. Again, we are landing in the wired area, so you won’t have to hear “My headset is dead!” every other day. The PDP AIRLITE GLOW comes in a bunch of colours and patterns, so you’ll definitely be able to match their set-up!
- Unique design glows in the dark after exposure to light (for best results use UV light)
- Lightweight construction (7 oz) and soft padded earcups for all-day comfort
