I can still remember the anticipation of that Christmas in the mid-1970s when Star Wars merchandise was the currency of cool at school. In the morning after Santa’s delivery, my two siblings and I each had an armchair laden with presents. As my mother and father blinked in a predawn stupor, I went for the largest boxes. The first was a Girls’ World. The second was a doll’s house. And that was it; no longed-for Millennium Falcon for me, even from the hipper relatives, who usually came through on the perfect present front.

Somehow, I did end up with the ship commanded by Han Solo, though I forget how. But the disappointment of not getting it for Christmas is still crisp in my mind. And as a present giver, there is no more discouraging experience than seeing a small child’s face fall as he/she politely thanks you for a gift that clearly didn’t hit the mark, especially when this reaction is contrasted with jumping for joy for the smug giver, who gets it right.

So to avoid that particular distress this year, here’s what the toddlers, tweens and teens want this year from the big man and a few suggestions to help you get the adults’ right too.

Toddlers

The P’kolino Book Buggee Fire Truck (www.amazon.co.uk, €32), a little pull-along trolley shaped like a fire engine, is ostensibly intended for books. But your toddler will delight in piling it full of just about anything and then trotting through the house. It would even make a perfect Christmas sleigh.

Primary School

Doc McStuffins Big Book of Boo Boos is horribly popular this year (www.amazon.co.uk, €7). Doc McStuffins is a six-year-old girl who heals the injuries of a menagerie of animal friends. It’s purple, plasticky and gimmicky; naturally, they’ll love it.

If you can’t bear that kind of kitsch, try the Mini Solar 6 in 1 Robot Kit (www.amazon.co.uk, €4.50). It teaches children the benefits of solar energy through 21 snap-together parts, and they end up with a fun toy that doesn’t need batteries.

If your older kids are clamouring for a real pet, consider the Teksta dog. It responds to hand gestures or voice commands and can do a backflip on demand (www.amazon.co.uk, €65). If that’s a bit too pricey, opt instead for the robotic version of a goldfish, which swims and feeds just like the real thing, without having to worry about it keeling over, dying and “going down the toilet to God” within a week (€24).

Tweens

Remember the days when the only place to play video games was in an arcade? The Ion iCade Arcade Gaming Cabinet recreates this experience and gives gaming a cool retro feel. Your kids can plug their iPads in and transfer their game experience to the big screen (www.amazon.co.uk, €95).

Teens

Tastes in video games and music change so fast that your best bet is really to buy an iTunes gift voucher and let them buy apps, music or games themselves (www.apple.com/uk/).

There is no more discouraging experience than seeing a small child’s face fall as he/she politely thanks you for a gift that clearly didn’t hit the mark

Students

There’s possibly nothing a university student likes more than hanging around with friends, so make it literal with a La Siesta Hammock Chair. You can hang them pretty much anywhere and they are perfect for studying à deux... or falling asleep with a book over your face (www.amaca-graziani.it, €99).

Once they are ensconced in the hammock, complete the relaxed vibe with a pair of ludicrously cool Skull Candy Aviator Headphones in black (www.amazon.co.uk, €70).

Women

For a significant woman in your life, Christmas could be the time for a grand gesture. www.ytctravel.org is offering a three-day trip by catamaran to Sicily for €319pp, including travel, half board, excursions and a tour guide. Next departures are Feb 14 and April 11, 2014.

If your man is the adventurous sort, a GoPro camera offers hours of fun.If your man is the adventurous sort, a GoPro camera offers hours of fun.

Or you could book a five-night ski holiday in Livigno from €645pp (including flights, half board and transfers) with a ski pass (including hire and tuition) from €300 (departure on January18, 2013).

Men

If your man is a jump-from-a-waterfall-parachute-from-a-plane action hero, then consider buying him a Go Pro. This nifty camera attaches to a helmet, jacket, or can be carried in the hand. It films wide-angle, bird’s-eye footage of whatever activity you’re doing and also takes a photo once a minute. The results are incredibly professional (www.amazon.co.uk, €200).

For a more sedate offering, buy the book Stuff Every Man Should Know (www.agendamalta.com, €7.35). It guides the reader through macho must-knows such as “how to talk your way out of a parking ticket” and “what’s the best way to ask for a raise”.

Grandma

Club together with the other grandkids and get her an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. Whether Grannie is totally tech savvy and already has an iPad, or can’t even use the TV remote, the Kindle is so easy to use that you’ll soon need to gift an additional allowance for new books. The text size can be increased and the reading experience really is as good as a paperback these days (www.amazon.co.uk, €130).

Grandad

It’s worth buying Grandad a subscription to National Geographic if only to leaf through those stunning photos and intelligent articles yourself when you go to visit (www.nationalgeographicmagazines.com, €33). Just make sure you select the ‘rest of world’ button.

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