If you know a child (or for that matter someone older) that supports Man Utd then you are spoilt for choice when it comes to Christmas presents. There is literally something for everyone, and at all price ranges – a present related to a person’s favourite football team is always a winner.

If someone you know likes to follow Rooney, Giggs, Berbatov and Ferdinand then maybe the first choice is a replica kit with name and number included, available from Kitbag. Available in sizes from child sizes right up to adult sizes, a Man Utd kit with name and number will really show off the wearing as  a true fan of the club! If you buy with enough time to go before Christmas then you can also personalise a replica shirt to the person you are buying for – with any name and number of your choice on the back of the shirt. You can buy the Man Utd home kit in their traditional red, the away kit in blue or the third kit which is white.

If a replica shirt is out of the price range you were thinking, then you can also get a number of personalised Man Utd gifts from Calendars, to wallets, mugs and pictures.

If you know someone who is a Man Utd fan but has never had the chance to go to Old Trafford then a Man Utd Stadium Tour is a great option for a present. This allows you to go right behind the scenes of the famous club, from the changing rooms with special “warm-up” room to the players lounge where the stars relax after a a game. Old Trafford is the largest club ground in England, and a stadium tour will allow you to see it from all aspects, including pitch side where you can look around you and imagine being cheers on by 67,000 fans. Stadium Tours are available from BuyAGift.

If you are preparing your Christmas shopping already then well done! It allows you to take advantage of promotions such as this one from WH Smith, a buy one get one free offer on selected toys & games.

Available either in the high street stores or online at WHSmith.co.uk, this offer allows you to sabe a sizeable amount of money on popular toys and games such as Britain’s got Talent electronic boardgame, and a whole chunk of Ben 10, playmobil, Lego, transformer toys and many more. The whole list available online can be seen by clicking here.

This offer runs until the 1st November so you have just over a week to make the most of this deal – act now!

In recent years we have seen the increase in digital photo frames, and this year we see that companies have been able to miniaturise the technology to bring you this brilliant stocking filler that works for anyone.

This digital photo keyring on sale from Firebox is available in black, red, blue or silver, and has a 1.5″ screen to see your digital photo’s on. You can fit up to 100 photos on the 8MB storage, and you can either choose one image which is your main one or have it on a slideshow function scrolling through all your photos. To save the battery you can set your keyring to sleep mode when not in use and then when you want to show your images simply wake it up and view your photos.

Getting your photos on the digital photo keyring couldn’t be easier – this has a USB connection so you simply plug it into your computer and transfer across the files that you wish to show on there. USB also charges the battery on the keyring so you need not worry about battery life on this.

These are quite brilliant for the sub £10 cost – grab them now here we say!

Crazy Strawz Straws tells you all you need to know about this Christmas present – it is a crazy straw! Remember when you were a kid and liked making long straws by putting lots of straws together – much fun but never that good as a straw! Well now this present gives you a crazy looking straw that actually works like it should do!

Use the connectors and the bits of straw to make a super-long, super crazy shape to put in your drink. There are 20 connectors and 16 straw bits in the pack so you can mix and match the bits available to make a new shape straw every time you go for a new drink.

A great stocking filler for under £10, Buy Here!

If you know someone who has a favourite stadium but has only ever been there to watch a game then a stadium tour is an excellent present. The ability to go right behind the scenes, to the changing rooms, players area, press box and right out into the arena is something that only a stadium tour will give you.

Stadium tours are best known at football stadiums such as Old Trafford, The Emirates, Anfield or the national stadium of Wembley, but it is less known that you can also have a venue tour of a motorspot track such as Silverstone or the horse race course of Newmarket.

Head to Old Trafford and see the warm-up-room where Rooney and Berbatov warm up with a football. At Anfield you have the chance to touch that all important “This is Anfield sign”. At the Emirates Stadium walk down the tunnel and feel like an Arsenal player. Silverstone gives you the opportunity to stand on the podium and imagine celebrating winning a race.

A stadium tour really is a fantastic present not just for the kids in your life but for anyone who would be interested to see how these modern venues work. Tours start at around £10 so make an inexpensive gift so you can go along and enjoy the tour as well!

View the whole range of stadium tours here

If you are after a present that really shows you’ve thought about the intended recipient then personalisation is a very good way to go – yes you have to think about it a bit earlier since it takes longer to receive but someone seeing a present personal to them is a very touching thing. So around Christmas when people are looking for calendars for the coming year, a personalised calendar is a great idea.

BuyaGift have a selection of personalised calendars at around £10-£20 with calendars based on Dogs, High School, Science Fiction, All things pink and many more.  You can get desktop calendars to sit on side table, or an A3 calendar which you can hang on the wall, all at a very good price. Check out the whole range of personalised gifts here.

Trunki ride on suitcases came to prominence on BBC tv’s Dragon’s Den programme, after the designer got some good feedback but ultimately, no investment from any of the dragons. This didn’t stop the company continuing with their work and since then they these kids suitcases have gone from strength to strength. Perfect for Christmas if you plan to go away ski-ing this winter, or in preparation for a summer holiday next year, so which are the latest models?

Harley the ladybug trunki is, as the name suggests given the look of a ladybird and a special edition model released this year. The striking red suitcase with black spots has sturdy wheels and grab handles, so you can be sure that when waiting at the airport that the suitcase can handle anything a bored child can throw at it! Inside the trunki, there is plenty of room for clothes, toys and games, books or anything to keep a kid entertained on a holiday.

The second model released this year was the Trunki Tipu Tiger, a fetching orange suitcase with black stripes replicating the stripes you might see on a tiger” One for the child that likes dangerous animals! The Tipu Tiger is built the same as the ladybug, with the straps on the top of the ride on suitcase meaning you can carry this from the top as well as dragging it along the floor using the traditional straps at the rear of the suitcase.

At the time of writing these suitcases are available for under £35 at Amazon, a good price considering it helps children take a real interest in the holiday they are going on, not to mention something to keep them entertained whilst you wait in the queues which sometimes exist when you go to check in at airports! There are also more versions of the trunki ride on kids suitcases available, so if these two don’t match your childs personality then there may be another model which does!

Football boots are a great Christmas present for kids, right in the middle of the football season when old boots are starting to look worn and they want the new model which is out now and worn by their favourite player. It can be quite a confusing market though for the parent or relative with all the different makes, models and materials – which is the best one? Our friends at Football Bootroom put together the following guide which will hopefully help you!

Believe it or not, the first and most important thing to think about when buying football boots is the size needed. Football boots are not something to “grow into” – that won’t make a good footballer and will be very uncomfortable when wearing! So make sure you check their current boots and see if a change in size is needed or not. It’s true that kids football boots aren’t super cheap, but then they aren’t that expensive either especially if you find some in the sale, so get the right size!

Then we get to the all important make and model choice. Adult football boots at the top end can cost easily over £100, but in the junior market they are much more reasonable as the materials used are not as high specification as the expensive top of the range models. They still look similar though, so kids can still imagine that they are wearing the same football boots as England stars Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard. Adidas and Nike are the main companies that kids will know about due to the players mentioned, so we’ll explain the models in their range and some of the more niche brands below.

Adidas

Predator
You can get two versions of the Adidas Predator in kids sizes, the top of the range Powerswerve and the value Adsolado. Buying the Powerswerve model can cost around £80 so they are the right option if you don’t mind spending money for top quality boots, but the absolado at around £40 will suit more budgets. Both models incorporate the swerve “vamps”, although on the value range they don’t have the same effect as on the more expensive boot they still look very similar and you can try to “bend it like Beckham”. The Predator is available in many colourways from black and white to more colourful versions and is a great value boot that is very popular on the football pitch.

Worn by Beckham (LA Galaxy & England), Gerrard (Liverpool & England), Berbatov (Man Utd & Bulgaria), Ballack (Chelsea & Germany).

F10 iTunit
The F50.9 and F50 iTunit are the top of the range versions of this boot family, the F10.9 and F10i are the models lower down in the range that you will look to be buying for kids. The tunit is the lightweight boot in the Adidas range and it achieves this by using a lightweight upper rather than the traditional leather you’ll find on other Adidas kids football boots. A pair of boot for the quick winger, midfielder or striker, again available in some funky looking colours.

Worn by Messi (Barcelona & Argentina), Adebayor (Man City & Togo), Defoe (Spurs & England)

Adipure/Adinova
The adipure and adinova are the more traditional football boot which will appeal to the footballer who doesn’t want to stand out, and wants to make a quiet statement about their football boots. An off centre lacing allows for a larger clean area to strike the ball on this quality football boot.

Worn by Lampard (Chelsea & England), Kaka (Real Madrid & Brazil)

Nike

Mercurial
The Nike Mercurial range is similar to the Adidas “F” range in that it is the lightweight boot of the range.In junior form, the mercurial range is represented by two models, the veloci and talaria. The veloci can be had for around £50 and the talaria at around £30, so there is something to suit all price ranges. Again achieved by using a lightweight upper rather than a leather upper, there is also a cover over the laces to allow for a clean strike of the football. In adult form the mercurial vapor superfly is the most expensive boot on the market at around £200, so the cheaper versions of this football boot for kids is much appreciated! New colours are often coming out in the mercurial range with black the current version as we type this.

Worn by Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal), Ribery (Bayern Munich & Germany), Walcott (Arsenal & England)

Total90
The Total90 looks quite different from a lot of football boots, with a “power” zone on the top of the boot which allows for a clean and powerful strike of the football. It certainly works for Rooney and Torres well!  The Total90 is often available in some very loud colours (think bright yellow), so if you know a kid that likes to stand out playing football then these may well be the ones for them!

Worn by Rooney (Man Utd & England), Torres (Liverpool & Spain)

Tiempo
Similar to the Adidas adipure and adinova, this leather boot with roll over tongue looks classical and works really well. A great fitting boot and my boot of choice when I was a kid!

Worn by Fabregas (Arsenal & Spain), Tevez (Man City & Argentina)

Puma

In the Puma range you have a good selection of boots and price ranges to suit many budgets. At the top end there is the V1.08, Puma King and V-Kon III, all very good boots but costing arounf £50. Mid range you then have the value versions of those boots, the V5.08, Esito and V-Kon II. Puma make very good boots and despite not being one of the main two companies, there is still quality and with pro’s such as Ashley Cole and Nicholas Anelka wearing them they have pedigree behind them as well.

Reebok

Worn by Ryan Giggs throughout his Man Utd career and lately by Thierry Henry of Barcelona, Reebok boots have been around and popular for a long time (they were my first boots as well!). They still have a more traditional look about them, keeping mainly the black leather look with flashes of colour and they look good because of that. Since they don’t have the marketing power and associated costs, you’ll often find Reebok kids football boots for a few quid less than the latest Nike or Adidas boots, but they are just as good and well worth consideration.

Umbro

Another traditional brand in the mould of Reebok, Umbro have been making quality football boots for years and are currently being worn by England captain John Terry, along with Michael Owen who has worn them throughout his career. Yes, they don’t look the most exciting boots, but if the looks are not that important to you and you want a pair of boots to fit your child well then these can be a good option.

Others

Mizuno and Nomis, are some of the other brands that you may come across and to be honest their offerings are just as good as the others mentioned above. They don’t have such market recognition in the UK though and that may be an issue when you child doesn’t have the same boots as their friends! However, if you have a kid that likes to be different then sometimes looking “off the beaten track” is the right way to go!

Hopefully this has been useful for you looking towards Christmas presents and football boots for kids, if you want to find out more information about football boots then please check out Football Bootroom for regular updated information!

Monopoly is the classic board game that you all know, and despite the many modern variances of the game the classic version is the best value and still the best seller. Invented in 1934, moving round the board from Old Kent Road to Mayfair trying to stay out of jail became a well known path for kids throughout the years, and it still offers the same entertainment in 2009.

As well as being a fun game, it is also educational since it teaches you about strategy, arithmetic, risk and reward, which has helped it sell over 200 million sets worldwide. Do you go for houses, hotels, the train stations or utilities, do you want to go early in the hope that you pick up the useful roads or do you play conservative? The great thing is that you can change your approach each time you play so that one game is never replicated. It is quite common to set a time limit of 45 minutes or an hour for a game, so you can even change your strategy and play two games in an evening!

Quite simply this is a great present for the whole family and one that you can play for years to come. Recommended for ages 8+, available from Amazon

The waterbomb catapult is a great present for the mischievous boy who likes to cause a bit of havoc outside! Simply create your waterbomb as normal but instead of throwing it only a couple of metres, use the waterbomb catapult and launch the waterbomb up to hundreds of metres!

You’re going to need some help launching waterbombs that far though, this is a present that needs three people to make the most of it. Two hold the handles whilst the person with the bomb stand in the middle and pulls back as far as he can before letting that waterbomb fly!! Take this down the local park and have a competition between your friends to see who can get their waterbomb the furthest (but make sure they don’t hit anyone… if you like…!)

When you buy this product from Firebox you get a bunch of waterbombs included, if you need more then small balloons are all you need for a never ending supply of fun!

This is a great value christmas present, for under ten pounds this is easy to buy for either a child or someone older but still just as childish! Also, it isn’t in the brochure for the product, but think how good this would be as a snow ball launcher! You and your two friends could easily win a snowball fight using this present!