While the old adage says that the best Christmas gifts come from the heart, the most popular gifts are usually determined by market analysts and who had the best ad campaign.

What follows is a list of 10 of the hottest gifts for the Christmas season, listed in no particular order of popularity. For the sake of convenience the list has been divided into gifts for kids/teens and gifts for adults, though every adult knows that they’re perfectly capable of asking for something off the kids’ list if they feel like it.

Kids/Teens:

Zhu Zhu Pets

The Tickle-Me-Elmo for 2009 are little battery-powered, conveniently accessorized hamsters known as Zhu Zhu Pets. Though they’re the cheapest thing on this list (official retail price is $7.99), they’re so popular that stores can’t keep them on the shelves no matter how hard they try. Online, the mark-ups can get much higher (the average price seems to be between $25 and $30, depending on which one you get), but selection seems to be good enough that it is a way to be certain you’ll get your hands on one.

Backugan Battle Brawlers

Just think of them as this year’s Pokemon (or Yu-Gi-Oh, or whatever Japanese-import monster battle-style game you happen to be personally familiar with). The line actually debuted in 2008, and the combination of an expanded range of toys plus the fact that they’re slightly less insanely popular than the Zhu Zhu pets means that there might actually be a chance of picking one of these up in a store. Online browsing makes it clear that there’s an absolutely mind-boggling selection to choose from, though the Bakugan 7 in 1 Maxus Dragonoid has been recommended as the latest and greatest.

Anything “Twilight” related

Or, to be more specific, anything related to “New Moon” (the people who are going to want this already got all their “Twilight” merchandise last year). Hot Topic has an almost dizzying selection of items, including posters, jewelry, shirts, blankets and even box tape, most of which can neatly be slotted into either Edward-centric or Jacob-centric categories. Word of advice: if you’re not sure which of these two young men your giftee prefers, it’s safer by far not to buy anything at all until you’ve found out.

Nintendo Wii

A recent price decrease (the consoles are now $199) has put the Wii on a lot of people’s gift lists, and it can actually work surprisingly well as a gift for an entire family. The Wii’s motion-based control system (surely you’ve seen the commercials) means that even non-gamers can participate and actually do pretty well for themselves, while several of the games (particularly Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort) allow for several players at once. As long as you keep a hold of the controller (particularly in bowling, as several YouTube videos of smashed TVs will stand testament), a Wii has the potential to be a little family bonding in a box.

Nintendo DSi

Though to the uninitiated this latest iteration of Nintendo’s bestselling handheld console may look like all the others, the big deal about the DSi are the two interactive cameras that can either be used on their own or in certain games (the first game to use the camera, System Flaw, was released in late October). Normal DS games, however, work perfectly fine on the DSi, and the distorted lenses that come with the DSi means that kids can have plenty of fun mutating their siblings without any outside assistance.

Adults:

Amazon Kindle/Sony E-reader

Electronic readers are the big thing this year, and these two seem to be the biggest names in that particular race (Barnes and Noble’s Nook hasn’t been getting quite as good reviews). The Kindle has the bigger name, but the E-reader might be the better product – it’s slightly cheaper than the Kindle, has an appealing touchscreen, and supports open file formats (meaning you can check e-books out of the library).

Apple iPhone 3GS

The network bump has pushed Apple’s iPhone back into the gifting spotlight, with the biggest feature being the faster speeds for anything e-mail or Internet based (and, for the easily lost, assisted GPS). The 3GS, the latest version, also has a built-in camera and voice control option for those moments when you just have to make those standing next to you green with technological envy.

iPod Touch

In addition to the new touchscreen format, the iPod Touch has a new assortment of technological goodies. Built-in WiFi means that you can use it to surf the Web, and a gaming option means that iPod owners can now start taking greater advantage of Apple’s online App store (and have a lovely new way to pass the time during those boring moments like waiting in line). For those who are more familiar with the inner workings, the iPod Touch comes with the iPhone 3.1 software already installed.

Nintendo Wii

Even outside of the family fun dynamic, the Nintendo Wii has been working to carve out a following among adults who don’t mind their personal trainers being electronic. Wii Fit (which requires the purchase of a Wii Fit board) guides people through a personalized, carefully calibrated fitness routine that includes both encouragement and admonishments. For those who already have Wii Fit, an upgrade to Wii Fit Plus (which expands the available exercises), is being sold for $20.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

The hottest single game of the Christmas season, the latest “Call of Duty” ends up square in the adult category because of its M rating (no one under 18 can purchase the game).

The rating comes from the game’s depictions of battlefield violence (several detailed reviews are online for those who need more information), though the raves have come mostly for its gameplay innovations and cinematic quality.