Christmas shopping

I went shopping for Christmas presents tonight. I checked out the Elmo doll aisle because my baby niece likes Elmo. I was a bit disappointed with the selection. Every doll and product with the character's face was a talking toy. I try to avoid glutting my niece's world with talking toys. Sure at her age (2) everything is shiny and new so hitting a button to get sound X is alright. She learns animal sounds and baby sounds that way and it also tests a child's memory. But talking toys also rob a child of their imagination, a extremely vital part of childhood. So far I'm not worried because often my baby niece is more fascinated by the box than the doll in it. I ended up getting an Elmo tree ornament and some books. She loves books too, especially me reading them. Post later. Bye!