MOM wishlist: For you, my child {and me!}
For royalists: Playmobil fairytale castle
Playmobil we had a huge box full of kids. But: none of the BIG things. No pirate ship, no safari station, no knight's castle. The big Playmobil ensembles, that was what you looked at in a toy catalog before Christmas and knew you would never have that. My daughter was not quite five when she discovered the Playmobil Princess Dream Castle last year just before Christmas in a toy catalog and, well, wanted. Very, very much wanted. Finally, I got the chance to perform the magical act of bringing an object from the unreachable world of desire into mine, our real world. On a Friday afternoon in December 2011, at Karstadt, I bought a box with a pink-white-gold lock with four halls and two balconies on two levels, with four turrets, candle holders, a secret room under the roof, and an attached diadem for self-placement. It took me four and a half hours of real time to assemble the thing last year on Christmas Eve, alone, because the rest of my family was in bed vomiting with gastrointestinal virus starting at 8:30 pm. It was a wonderful Christmas Eve.
Stefanie Hentschel
The Playmobil 4250 fairytale castle with princess crown costs about 109 Euro, available at Mytoys.de
For Purists: Wood Monkey by Kay Bojesen
So pretty, so decorative and so not suitable for playing for my one-year-old son. After all: teak, no evil plastic. As long as the child is still too small for their own taste, the children's room is equipped with the things that I like. The wood monkey was designed by designer Kay Bojesen in 1951 for Rosendahl. In the meantime, according to Wallpaper, he has become the epitome of Danish design. I appreciate the reduced: A monkey that looks like a monkey. It does not flash, it can not make any noise, it does not go out of fashion and it makes for a good mood with its mischievous little face.
Antje Wewer
The monkey by Kay Bojesen costs depending on its size between 95 Euro and 1250 Euro, available for example at Amazon.de
For runners: mountain sledge made of wood
I grew up as a plastic sledder. Plastic bag, plastic bob, plastic Poporutscher - everything, with which one can break oneself in the snow the bones, was with us from plastic. Strangely, there was never a real wooden sled in our family. As a kid, that did not matter to me at first. I got everything under my ass, which was fast and robust. The sled-envy came as a teenager. Quickly I had to find the midnight tobogganing that the others had years of experience ahead of me. Everyone had a lot of fun, but I flew regularly off the track. Not cool. That should not happen to my daughter. At Christmas she gets a really nice classic wooden sled. Okay, maybe less than two years old she may be too small for that. But then I drive the sled for so long - and for the child there's a Poporutscher. From plastic.
Michèle Rothenberg
The Ress mountain toboggan with braided seat costs about 80 euros, available at Globetrotter.de
For romantics: Three hazelnuts for Cinderella
The most beautiful winter fairy tale in the world is called "Drei Haselnüsse für Cinderella", because in the old days, when the wishes still helped? I must have been about four then? The miracle of Christmas brought this movie to TV. I sat with red cheeks in front of the screen and saw my heroine galloping through the snowy forest with her hair blowing and her heart in the winter sky cheer: Lalalala .... Since then I dream of a daughter with whom I can share this happiness. My Anna will be four now. High time for the special edition - the "Three hazelnuts for Cinderella treasure box" with DVD, soundtrack and a bridal jewelry on red velvet, which looks exactly like in the movie.
Angela Wittmann
The "Three hazelnuts for Cinderella treasure box" costs about 11.99 euros, available at Libri.de
For frogmen: Muppet-Movie-Box
Unfortunately, my children are still a bit too young to go to the new Muppet movie next year. But watching muppets at home, cozy in the living room? You're never too young for that! And finally, there are the classics "Muppet Movie" and "Muppet Krimi" on DVD. Conveniently, even together in a cheap DVD box - I just have to live with the fact that there is also the misguided "Muppet Treasure Island" in it. But no matter finally I too can continue a family tradition: Outrageous children explain who all the Muppet guest stars of the 1970s and 80s are that no one can remember.
Henning Hönicke
"The legendary, stunning Muppet Cinema Movies Collection (3 DVDs)" costs around € 22.99, available at Amazon
For dollmothers: Käthe Kruse doll
Last Christmas I could resist, but this year the time has come: I give my 19-month-old daughter a Käthe Kruse doll. I've been through the toy shops a few times, finally deciding on one. Do I take Kikou Ronja with the pretty red braids or Bambina Emily with the adorable cap? The eyes of my daughter usually do not stick to the dolls with the fine faces. She loves simple stuffed dolls or those who can put a pacifier in their mouths. In the last shop, she fell in love with an oversized Ernie. What's up? Then she'll just get the and the Käthe Kruse doll.
Julia Weidenbach
The Käthe Kruse doll Kikou Ronja costs about 89.95 euros, available through Spiegelburg
For players: Dixit
I give the children what I want to have for myself, then for two reasons. Longing or self-defense. Longing are all the unfulfilled desires from childhood: clever walkie talkies, E.T., marshmallows to the point of despair. Self-defense is, for example, the only really good Christmas song book Biermann / Kacirek: "Am Weinbaumbaume") or finally a good board game to buy. I like to play. Also with my children. Loser frustration I try to endure. I think he belongs. The problem is the board games. Either it is only diced and I'm boring myself to death (game of life, monopoly, human being annoyed, maleficent ...) or it's one of those memory variants and the kids are bored to death because I'm so bad (Sagaland, Nanu, Zicke zacke Hühnerkacke) or the game is useless, because it has too narrow age target group. Last year I gave Dixit, a kind of lexicon game for children: without dice, without memory effect, age-span compatible. I gave it to the children. Today I know: it was for me.
Georg Cadeggianini
The board game Dixit costs about 20 euros, available on Weltbild.de
