Let's start with a selection of the Christmas Special Offers from John Lewis. These are all products that either have special offers or have had their price reduced permanently. I think that the boys have got the best of it but we'll take ladies first and mention the following :

The My Model Magic Hair Head will appeal to all budding hair stylists. The long, blonde hair can be styled, washed and even cut and then it's a simple (but sadly not free of charge) task to replace the hair with new long flowing locks. There is currently a limited period special offer of 20% off the normal price, bringing the cost down to £19.95.

The Amazing Lexie Dog is no ordinary pooch. She loves to chat, sing, bark and flutter her luxurious lashes. She can recognise commands, tell the time and knows lots of games to play along with. She's no stocking filler at a hefty £79.95 but that is a saving of £20 over the normal price.

Baby Born Magic Eye Dolls (in both black and white) have been around for a year or two. This year's "must-have" add-ons are the Baby Born Horse and the Baby Born Horse and Carriage. Both equine accessories have a limited time offer of 20% off.

Finally in this section let's give a mention to the Disney Princess Little Princess Tea Time With Me set where the star attraction talks you through her way of making the perfect cup of tea whilst joining you when you decide to take a drink. Oh and she sings a little ditty at the same time. It it all gets too much take one of the batteries out and say that they've gone dead and can't be replaced until the shop opens in the new year !. There's a 25% reduction on the price for a limited period, bring it down to £22.45.

Now a few highlights for the boys. Again all of these products have been reduced.

One of this year's most popular toys are the voice changer masks that enable the kids to talk like a robot. They were a huge hit at the toy fair held earlier this year and are on an awful lots of youngsters Christmas lists. John Lewis have both the Transformers Optimus Prime Voice Changing Helmet and the Doctor Who Dalek Sec Hybrid Voice Changer Mask in stock with £5 off normal prices of each item.

For the younger boys perhaps Thomas The Tank Engine, Percy & The Fun Fair would be more the ticket. Recommended for 3 years old and upwards, Thomas and Percy chug around the roller coaster and up and down the helter skelter. Luckily for Mums & Dads the action is accompanied by funfair sounds !. John Lewis currently have 25% off this toy, bringing it down to £39.95. The following link will take you to the full range of Thomas The Tank Engine toys and merchandise.

The ever popular Lego have a wealth of offerings this Christmas that should appeal to ages 6 through 12. All of them have reductions of 20 - 25% over the normal prices. The most complicated (and expensive) set is the Lego Creator Monster Dino, a set that enables one to build a remote controlled dinosaur. He walks, he roars and his spine glows in the dark. Other Lego sets at reduced prices include the Lego Aqua Raiders Crab Crusher, the Lego Duplo Gravel Pit for 3 years old and up, The Lego City Fire Station, the Lego ETX Alien Mother Ship Assault and a whole bunch of weird and wonderful science fiction creatures from the Lego Exo-Force range such as the Blade Titan, Sky Guardian and Iron Condor. These Exo-Force models are reduced down from £9.95 to £7.50 in a limited period special offer. The following link will let you see the full range of Lego.

We simply couldn't finish this section without mentioning Roboquad. Why weren't toys like this around when we were kids ?. Roboquad is an animated robot with unique multi-directional movement capabilities and advanced sensory awareness. You can alter his personality and behaviours by changing his awareness, activity or aggression levels. You can also program him with up to 40 moves using the full function, illuminated remote control. Suitable for ages 8 to around 65 I guess, this amazing toy is reduced from £79.95 down to £64.95 for a limited period.

Let's finish the John Lewis section with three items taken from their bestseller list :

FurReal Friends Squawkers McCaw Parrot is an animatronic parrot which is, as they say on the adverts, a 'talkin', squawkin' and totally unpredictable play pal'. He has more than 45 pre-programmed words, phrases and sound effects, including his signature 'Squawk, squawk, squawk' song. You can get him to dance to your tunes too and teach him additional words and phrases so he'll talk back to you. Hmm, OK it might grind a bit when you have the mother of all hangovers on Boxing Day Morning but Christmas is for the kids you know !. This delightful "pet" works out a great deal cheaper than the real thing at just over £50, and no vets bills to pay !.

The Fly Tech Remote Control Dragonfly was another huge hit at the toy fair. Based on the flight motion of real insects the Dragonfly's wings actually flutter plus it features light-up LED eyes and has two settings for beginners and advanced. It's hard to believe that they can produce a flying, remote controlled insect for under £30 but they have and it's the bargain of the season. Buy one now before they're all sold out.

And finally the traditional after Christmas lunch board game. Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old is based on the Noel Edmonds TV show. Simply answer 11 school curriculum-based questions that an average 10 year old should know. Claiming victory over the young people will ensure you avoid the humiliation of having to admit – “I am not smarter than a 10 year old!”.

Incidentally, the following links will let you view the entire range of John Lewis toys by toy type or by toy brand.

Now let's take a look at one of my all time favourite web sites. I Want One Of Those Ltd have gifts for everyone. They have some of the wackiest, craziest gadgets ever invented and have a huge selection of gifts suitable for friends, family, work mates and even people that you love to hate. We're pleased to be able to offer you a £5 discount on your first order over £20. To claim your discount enter the code VOFF8 into the "Enter Offer Code" box on the checkout page.

It's hard to know where to start but as this is a toy site let's begin with a few things that will appeal to the kids. Girls first of course :

There's a goodly assortment of cuddly toys on the site. We picked out the Cuddly Chimps and Cuddly Seals for special mention. With prices ranging from £4.99 for the babies up to £31.99 for a full chimp family there are prices to suit all pockets and situations. Oh and you've simply got to take a look at Patrick The Polar Bear. Sadly, it doesn't come with the young lady seen hugging it in the picture but it's still an awesome bear.

In truth, the site is packed full of boys toys, for all ages from 9 to 90. There's loads of Remote Control Gizmos ranging from Infra-Red Micro Battling Tanks at £49.99 the pair to a tiny Blade Runner Black Ghost Helicopter at £24.95 to its big brother Bladerunner 3 Helicopter and even a 1 metre wingspan Remote Control Spitfire designed for outdoor flying by experienced pilots.

We can't really describe the next item as a toy but in the mood lighting section is the most awesomely fabulous gadget that we've ever seen. It costs a hefty £129.00 but if you have a huge Christmas bonus from your city bank or maybe you're a professional footballer then you've just got to get hold of one of these. The Laser Cosmos projects an ever moving carpet of stars onto your ceiling, it's like laying outdoors gazing at the sky. This single device could end up being responsible for a drop in the birth rate. Turn it on and you'll gaze transfixed, completely forgetting why you went up to bed so early. Everybody that has seen one of these little beauties working has been completely in awe of the results. Without doubt our technological pick of the year !.

We can't leave I Want One Of Those without mentioning some of the crazy and kitsch things that the company has been famous for, many of which are priced under a tenner, in fact there's a goodly number costing under £5.00 :

Let's start with the Sudoku Loo Roll at £4.95, there's a different sudoku puzzle on every sheet and if you make a mistake you can simply flush away the evidence. We're not suggesting that you should actually use this particular loo roll for it's normal purpose, in fact there's no guarantee that the print wouldn't come off on your .....

Next on the menu and again at £4.95 let's take a look at Flying Animals. There's a flying pig, a superman monkey or a flying chicken to choose from. They're powered by a strong rubber band and each one emits a unique cry as it flies through the air. So next time somebody in the office suggests that pigs might fly, you'll be able to supply the evidence.

Our very last offering is the latest craze from our friends in Japan, it's called a MoPod. It consists of a strange little phone charm that is encased in a plastic dome. When your mobile rings or if you receive a text then if your MoPod is within a metre of your phone the little character gets into an almighty tizz, whirls around inside his dome and a little light will flash wildly. The most amazing thing about them is the price...only £4.95 each.

Don't forget that you can save £5 on your first order over £20 by entering the code VOFF8 into the "Enter Offer Code" box on the checkout page