I need help with a birthday and Christmas gift.

[EricKei]

On the anime side -- look in the toy section of a department store or "general merchandise" store, some will have figures, or mini-plushies for $3-10 or similar things for anime characters (probably only wise if you know which specific shows she likes). Also, more off-beat stores carry stuff like that, too, from time to time (eg, one of the only times I set foot in a Hot Topic store, ever, I came out with a little 2" GIR plushie -- he is currently chained to my passenger-side headrest in the car, guarding it. It's been working for years, now).

[Trixie]

I know in my store we have a bunch of Hello Kitty stuff like lip balm and shower gel, even stuff like ear buds. I've also seen all kinds of licensed stuff in any stocking stuffer section in any stores. It's usually a good place to start if you're not looking for anything specific but special. If that makes any sense.

[mathnerd]

I'm shopping for a 14 year old girl. I don't know this girl very well, or at all really. This is one of those friend of a friend of a friend of a friend's daughter's husband's cousin type situations. Anyway, I really want to do something special for this girl, even though I don't know her. She's had a tough year. Her mother passed away and her father is absent. She lives with her grandparents. Her birthday is Christmas eve, and I know how much that sucks because that's my birthday too.

I don't know much about her. She's 14, into Hello Kitty, My Little Pony, Anime, video games, and Pokemon. I have a limited budget, so it will be small, but I still want it to be cool. I was thinking I'd do a stocking stuffed with little stuff for Christmas, and one or two gifts for her birthday, along with cards for each occasion. The problem is that I have no freaking clue what to get. I've been looking for about a week and a half, and nothing seems exciting. I was hoping that some of you guys might be a bit more creative than I am and have gift suggestions.

Any thoughts?