There are only 12 shopping days until Christmas, and the British public is going present-shopping crazy. But some parents might have left it too late to buy the present their child really wants for Christmas.

Every year there seems to be a certain craze which sweeps across Britain, whether through clever marketing¹ or peer pressure, so that practically every child in the country wants the same thing for Christmas.

Of course, with thousands of parents trying to make their child's Christmas, it's quite easy for the most popular presents to get sold out before everyone can buy one. This leads to parents going to extraordinary lengths to find the desired gift.

In past years, the most favoured toys have included Tracy Island, from the 'Thunderbirds' TV series, and Buzz Lightyear, from the 'Toy Story' film.This years must-have present is the Nintendo Wii, an indication that British children are becoming more and more technologically² savvy³.

Other presents which are expected to top Christmas wish-lists this year are several toys related to TV programmes, such as popular science-fiction series 'Doctor Who', and pre-school sensation 'In the Night Garden', as well as the main character from the 'Transformers' movie.

As parents desperately⁴ search shops and online retailers⁵ for the gifts their children want, some people are cashing in. Those who predicted the trends bought some of the top presents earlier in the year, and can now sell them for great profits on online auction⁶ websites.

Special stock-check websites have been set up to alert parents as soon as a certain item becomes available anywhere. But with so many people signed up it'll still be a race against time to buy the toys before they sell out again.

Some children will inevitably⁷ be disappointed on Christmas morning, but let's hope that the chocolates, Christmas dinner and the many other presents will make up for it.