Perfect Alternatives for Hard-to-Find Gifts in Rockford

Blood, sweat and tears; you're willing to give anything to get that one hard-to-find toy on your kid's Christmas list this year; maybe even a kidney. OK, maybe not that far; but if you searched the entire Stateline this weekend for toys like Hatchimals, a classic Nintendo or an Amazon Echo, you're pretty much out of luck.

That's according to USA Today and their friends at Reviewed.com. However, Reviewed.com has put together a great list of popular gifts to avoid this year and an alternative option for most of those things on the list.

Now I know what you're thinking, there's no way your kid is going to want an alternative (says in a snarky kid voice with an eye roll); but as my parents always said, "hey,it's better than getting nothing."

And, if these alternatives are anything like getting the second best thing as an adult, like that knock-off Coach bag you got from SoHo, then they're going to be just fine and enjoy it just as much as if it was the real thing.

Here are some helpful alternatives for your gift-giving needs this holiday season from Reviewed.com:

Hatchimals. They suggest the Furby Connect. For $79.99, they say it's "actually pretty good, easier to come by and a definite upgrade from the one that people went bananas for in the '90s." Remember how awesome your Furby was?
NES Classic. Reviewed.com says you won't even be able to get your hands on this one; saying, "The Sega Genesis Classic Game Console for $46.83 is a darn good retro gaming experience."
An Amazon Echo. Sorry, but it looks like these are out of stock until after the holidays. If you have someone on your list that just can't wait until then, Reviewed.com says, "The $49.99 Amazon Echo Dot is pretty neat, cheaper and includes Echo's fanciest feature: Alexa. The Fire Stick, $10 cheaper, is also an option."

There's also one more alternative that Reviewed.com didn't mention; it's that you can win one of these from 97ZOK and it'll be delivered by Santa.

You only have 5 days left to enter and you can do it now, below.