When some of us were kids, our moms and dads would buy and wrap our presents and put them under the Christmas tree before Thanksgiving dinner was fully digested.

Overachievers, our parents.

Fast-forward to today.

Even though we’re parents who grew up with moms and dads setting good examples for us regarding the holidays, maybe we’ve only acquired a super-small percentage of the gifts we intend to give our children, and have yet to wrap any of them.

Maybe you’re judging us right now.

Or. Just maybe. You’re totally the same, and would appreciate cool gift ideas for your kids or others you know.

In either case, every idea below is better than another set of winter gloves and a hat from your great Aunt Dolores.

It’s true.

Holiday Gifts For Kids

Mechanic’s Car Engine Play Set

Somewhere here at OnAllCylinders lives another gift guide for kids, and this engine play set is totally on it. And that’s because a few years ago this product was featured in a national publication, garnered intense attention, and has been the most popular auto-oriented kids’ toy we’ve ever seen or heard of since.

It’s awesome. See for yourself.

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Drag Tracks Slot Car Racing System

For every kid without access to junior dragsters and longing for a little drag racing experience, this slot car system is the next best thing. Just maybe, their dads and moms will like it, too. Just maybe, the holidays will be filled with friendly wagers settled on the electronic track. Not that we’d know anything about that.

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Workman Engine Builder Kit

The argument for this is the same as the first engine play set above and the one you’ll see later, except more motorcycle-y.

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1963 Corvette 12V Ride-On

If you’re anything like us, you love the 1963 Chevy Corvette split-window but can’t really afford one right now because you spend all of your money on your precious children who are always so grateful for your sacrifices, and reward you with unwavering respect and expressions of gratitude.

We might have made some of that up. But not the part about loving the ’63 ‘Vette. It’s rad.

And your kids will think so too, even if they don’t say “Thank you” as much as you’d like.

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Turbospoke The Bicycle Exhaust System

It makes bicycles sound like motorcycles.

Hopefully, it’s obvious why that’s awesome.

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Four by Four Pedal Car

You might like a more-aggressive tire on your Jeep or pickup-truck offroader, but your little ones running on leg power will appreciate the sensible design of this vintage trail runner built just for them.

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Zombie-Opoly

 

Breathe life into your next family game night with a healthy dose of walking dead.

We used to fight over who got to be the car or the top hat before our childhood Monopoly games. Now, we can fight over who gets to be the human femur or severed ear.

Nothing says ‘holiday spirit’ quite like jacking up zombie rent by acquiring boxes of flesh.

It’s more family friendly than it sounds. We promise.

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Hot Wheels Racing Battle Case

 

Our great-grandparents took perilous boat rides across the ocean to start entirely new lives in a foreign land to provide opportunity for their children.

Our grandparents walked uphill to school both directions as a matter of routine.

Our parents had 19-inch black-and-white televisions with only two channels.

We had to talk on corded telephones, rewind our favorite cassettes and movies, research stuff from 30-pound encyclopedia volumes, and suffer the indignity of friends sneak-attack-deflating our Reebok Pumps at school.

Kids today? They have Google, Netflix streaming on commercial flights, and Hot Wheels Racing Battle Cases.

Hot Wheels Racing Battle Cases!

(Life Tip: Buy track extensions to lengthen the race track.)

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John Deere Tractor Engine Play Set

This battery-operated (eight AAA batteries not included) John Deere tractor engine play set provides 12 maintenance and repair tasks for your little mechanic-in-training.

Fun, even for city kids.

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Summit BIGFOOT SUV Ride-On

Look on proudly as your children or grandchildren traverse mountain trails, or possibly just moderate backyard undulations if the grass isn’t too wet, in this battery-powered Summit BIGFOOT-themed SUV.

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Bubble Lights

Our grandparents had this star which sat atop the Christmas tree, and when you plugged it in, a softball-sized globe in the center lit up. Once heated, it would spin some type of internal color wheel which would cast a small amount of colored light off the wall and ceiling and mesmerize us children.

Everything about the holidays felt magical as kids. And this arbitrary tree-topper was a part of that.

Enter Bubble Lights. They heat up, and make your tree alive with color and motion and Christmas-light glory.

Maybe your kids will always hold onto the memories of seeing them.

Or maybe they’re too busy staring at their iPods.

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Silver Streak Ride-On Scooter

Don’t let the name fool you. This thing doesn’t go very fast at all (unless you send it down a steep hill which we don’t advise). It’s for young children in the 1-3 range and serves as a viable first car for the future car, truck, and performance enthusiasts still waiting to discover automotive and holiday magic themselves.