Online and in the shops: Gift ideas for Christmas

Your weekly guide to some new family friendly products online and in the shops.

CHRISTMAS CLOTHES:

To celebrate the nation’s favourite night in front of the TV, Penneys and RTÉ released a limited edition Late Late Toy Show Christmas range earlier this month, with €2 from every item sold being donated to the Temple Street Foundation.

Novelty jumpers (adults, €20; kids, €15) and loungewear sets (men, €15; ladies, €14; kids, €10) featuring the iconic Late Late Toy Show Owl, are available in Penneys stores and through the RTÉ online shop www.rte.ie/shop

POLE POSITION:

Santa’s Elves have already started arriving at Cuskinny Court near Cobh to prepare for the busy Christmas period. This Sunday they will open the doors of The Cork North Pole Outpost Experience where children can catch the Elf Express and see Santa. Visitors can make Christmas decorations in the Elf Workshop, test toys and find out some essential Elf skills from Professor Shandon Bells at Elfversity.

The Cork North Pole Outpost Experience is open daily until December 23. More details at www.northpolecork.com

T-REX TOYS:

Set in a world where dinosaurs didn’t become extinct, the release of Disney’s Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur means that there’s an even wider selection of toys this year for the many children who are fascinated by these prehistoric creatures.

For the first time we see T-Rex as the good guys, with a friendly group named Butch, Ramsey and Nash. This 10” Ramsey soft toy, €20, ages two and upwards, is available from Debenhams; www.debenhams.ie

DESIGNER DOLLS:

Fossil Hunter Lottie, comes with fossil finding tools and a collection of cards about her favourite female scientists. She was developed in collaboration with TrowelBlazers, an organisation which highlights the achievements of women in archaeology, paleontology and geology, two members of which are scientists at the Natural History Museum and is available online at nhmshop.co.uk.

Lottie dolls are designed to encourage children to explore the world around them and are inspired by real-life inventive and adventurous women. Designist in Dublin stock six dolls including Fossil Hunter Lottie and Pirate Queen, telling the story of Grace O’Malley, €25, which can be ordered online from shop.designist.ie