A shopping blog of cool gift ideas

Go one step further than Guitar Hero—or even Rock Band. This iAXE USB Guitar is the real deal. The set comes with an electric guitar, mini amp and USB cable—everything you need to rock right out of the box. Just plug it into your computer, and your bedroom/living room/garage will become an instant recording studio. And because it's easy to record your own licks, you won't be stuck playing "Shout at the Devil" or "Free as a Bird" over and over again. I gave it a try a couple weeks ago at The Sharper Image; click here to watch me rock it out.

This hands-on gift is ideal for music lovers of all ages and budding musicians who want to take their Guitar Hero skills to a whole new level.

iAXE393 USB Guitar by Behringer starting at $199.95

If you know someone who would like to become a YouTube sensation like the wedding couple with the funny first dance, you can make their dream an easy reality with the Easy-to-Use Pure Digital Flip Video. Just as the name suggests, this awesome little camcorder is really easy to use and allows you to record high-quality MPEG-4 encoded video and audio and upload it online.

This would make a fantastic Christmas gift for the budding filmmaker, but beware–you might just end up the subject of a funny video and find yourself with a million hits on YouTube!

Pure Digital Flip Video (512 MB) Camcorder starting at $110

I'm a drummer loving, drum playing, drum fan, so while a lot of my friends were obsessed with Guitar Hero, I always thought the game would be a lot cooler if I had the option to play my favorite instrument. That's why I think MTV's Rock Band video game is so cool–you can rock out no matter what instrument stirs your soul. You can jam on the guitar or drums or grab the microphone and try to master the lyrics. And you can even play virtually with friends, make your own merch and compete with other bands. Rock on!

If you have a wannabe rocker, teen musician or video game fanatic on your shopping list, this is a must-buy for Christmas! While the stand alone Rock Band game and instruments all come out tomorrow, I recommend you hold off and pre-order this all-inclusive set instead. It ships on December 11 so you'll still get it with plenty of time to get it under the tree. 

MTV's Rock Band Special Edition starting at $149.99 

By now you've all probably heard about Apple's latest additions to their impressive iPod stable. The iPod Touch is basically the iPhone without the phone. It's got a touchable 3.5" widescreen display and Wi-Fi so you can purchase music and videos wirelessly from iTunes. The iPod Nano is now wider with a 2" display for videos and it's available in five new colors. And there's the 160GB iPod for music lovers that want to carry around their entire library, that's 40,000 songs or roughly 200 hours of video content.

But here are two Guru tips to make these iPods awesome gifts. First, if you purchase any of these, Apple will give free laser engraving on the back of the player to turn it into a commemorative gift. And second, have the iPod shipped to you and pre-load their favorite music and videos onto the player. It's that personal touch which turns a good gift into a great one.

This beautiful Blue Kimono Jewelry Roll incorporates three things that I love: jewelry, travel and sushi! Oh, alright, not so much the sushi part, but it is Asian-inspired as it's made with an authentic hand-printed Japanese kimono fabric, and that’s close enough for me. There's nothing worse than arriving in your destination to find all of your jewelry tangled or worse, spilled all over your suitcase. This solution keeps everything organized without taking up too much precious suitcase space. The Blue Kimono Jewelry Roll would make an ideal birthday or bon voyage gift for the well-accessorized traveler.

Blue Kimono Jewelry Roll starting at $59.95