'Tis the season for gift buying and I've put together a list of gift ideas that should appeal to anyone planning a trip to Africa. Gifts include CD's, beasts of burden, newspapers, air travel vouchers and more ....

Christmas is celebrated widely throughout Africa but for most Africans sharing a meal and attending church is what it's all about. But you will still see window shops decorated with fake snow and people dressed as Santa, so the commercial aspects of the holidays are somewhat alive and well.

_{Image of a Maasai Lade holding necklaces from the Leakey Collection (i.e. what I want for Christmas) -- © Leakey Collection}

Finally, it looks like Zimbabwe is getting out of its terrible economic slump. The coalition, forced on Mugabe after last year's elections, has helped stabilize the country and tourism is on the rise. According to a recent AP report, "The number of tourists visiting Zimbabwe this year has more than tripled". The initial number was so low, this probably sounds better than it is, but at least the trend is in the right direction. With the forced power sharing agreement many foreign governments have lifted their travel warnings, which has undoubtedly helped tourism. Zimbabwe was never very dangerous to visit, even during its worst times, but perception is everything and tourists are quite risk averse, after all they want to enjoy their holiday.

Mugabe's regime itself also put a lot of people off from visiting. The idea that your tourist dollars may end up in his pocket is not very appealing. But, of course, it's the ordinary man and woman in the street that really suffers when tourists don't come. No one to buy their crafts or stay at hotels where they work. Zimbabwe is blessed with the magnificent Victoria Falls, excellent national parks, beautiful landscapes, great fishing, golfing, rafting ... (you name it) and very friendly people. It has always been one of the safest countries to visit in Africa and one of the best to explore independently. Hopefully this recent upward trend will continue and Zimbabwe will be back on every tourist's Southern Africa itinerary. And hey, they're using the US Dollar as their currency now, you won't even have to change money when you get there.

_{Zimbabwean Pottery, Waiting For Buyers -- Getty Images/Neil Beer}

There are plenty of good reasons to visit East Africa. So I thought it would help to give you my short list of  the 10 best reasons to visit Kenya. Kenya is blessed with some of Africa's finest national parks, mountains, beaches and its lakes are filled with flamingos and pelicans. No wonder it's one of Africa's most popular destinations. The country's natural beauty is also complemented by its proud cultural heritage. There are several tribes still living a traditional lifestyle such as the Samburu, Maasai and Turkana. Tourism is well established and there are some incredible eco-friendly boutique lodges and camps to choose from. In this way Kenya can really offer visitors a unique vacation despite its popularity. Check out my list of Kenya's Top 10 Attractions and make sure your itinerary includes at least some of them when you visit.

More About Kenya: Kenya Facts l Kenya Travel Tips l Swahili for Travelers

_{Samburu woman -- Getty Images}

The "Indomitable Lions", Cameroon's national soccer team, did it again by beating Morocco 2-0 to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Nigeria's Super Eagles also managed to clinch a victory over Kenya (3-2) and will be heading to South Africa in the summer. The last available spot in the tournament will go to either Egypt or Algeria, who are scheduled to play their final playoff game in Sudan on Wednesday. In an earlier match, Egypt beat Algeria 2-0 in a heated soccer match, preceded by violence as Egyptian fans stoned the Algerian players' bus, injuring some of the players.

Soccer is HUGE in Africa and this is the first time the FIFA World Cup will be held on African soil. So to make it to the 2010 World Cup is particularly important and the stakes are high.

Just six African nations (out of 53) will take part in the 2010 World Cup. Ghana's Black Stars were the first African team to qualify in September, while the Ivory Coast's Elephants secured their spot about a month ago. South Africa's Bafana Bafana automatically qualify as the host nation.

For the teams that don't make it to the World Cup, the long, drawn out tournament at least paves the way for some to play in Africa's biggest soccer tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations. This will be held in Luanda, Angola in January 2010. Congratulations to The Flames of Malawi for making this tournament today. Angola in the meantime is very busy trying to ready the country. And I'll be keeping my eye on that tournament, so check back.

_{Image of Cameroon Fans celebrating their 2010 World Cup Qualifying Game -- Getty Images/Michael Steele}