Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, birthdays, anniversaries... There are probably many different occasions for gift-giving, regardless of your culture and traditions. Sometimes you can save money and buy off-brand substitutes for the popular items, but sometimes not. Here are a few hints on what not to buy kids for the holidays.
If you buy Rose Art crayons, colored pencils, or other cheap art supplies instead of a good brand, you hate your kids. This is undeniable scientific fact. You deserve the crappiest retirement home they can find. As a general rule in art supplies, higher price correlates well with better pigments and materials. They say it's a poor craftsman who blames his tools, but shitty tools are shitty tools.
LEGO > all other construction toys. Get the real thing. They may be more expensive, but they actually work. The knockoffs suck. The tolerances are worse, the plastic is worse, the colors don't match, and the entire building experience is thus worse all around. At least Mega Bloks and Kre-O have some interesting IP licenses, but Best Lock and other clones are just pre-packaged garbage.
Don't buy a cheap musical instrument for someone you love. There are good substitutes for Gibson or Fender if your kid wants an instrument, but don't buy any cheap model advertised as a "beginner guitar." Consider instead a used Ibanez or Samick. In those instances, "lower price" doesn't mean "utter shite."
We live in the internet age. Check online to see if an unknown item is a bargain or a waste of money on something broken from the start. Kids don't deserve junk because they're young and inexperienced. You wouldn't tell a new driver to get a 1989 Yugo for a first car, would you? OK, I might do that, but I am evil. Don't be like me.
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