by Kimberly Schiller

Created on: December 17, 2009

It's December, and you haven't gotten around to your holiday shopping yet. Need some easy ideas fast? Almost everyone watches TV, and some great releases just hit the market. So what are the top five television DVDs ready to be gift wrapped this year?

Lost - Season 5

There's no mistaking if you have a Lost fan on your holiday shopping list. They're very vocal about their obsession! Normally they would run right out and purchase this set, but the TV gods were kind and just released it on December 8. The Lost Season 5 set includes 5 discs with all of last season's time-jumping episodes, plus tons of extras to mess with a Lost fan's mind.

Bones - Season 4

Bones is a great combination of gross-out visuals and fun romantic comedy. Temperance Brennan is an over-educated and socially under-developed forensic anthropologist who is partnered with hunky, hockey playing FBI Agent Seeley Booth. With the help of a strong supporting cast, sparks fly and crimes are solved. This show is built for multiple viewings, since the whodunit isn't really the point of most episodes. And while there are some long term storylines, anyone could jump in at Season 4 and enjoy the ride.

The National Parks - America's Best Idea

This 6 DVD set is another visually stunning PBS series by Ken Burns. It's a little pricey, so keep an eye out for a good sale. But it's a great gift idea for both the intellectual and the nature lover. There's a treasure trove of beautiful footage from National Parks all over the U.S., plus fascinating stories about how the National Park system came into existence. As an added bonus, it's narrated by Peter Coyote - cool!

Ally McBeal - The Complete Series

Who can forget the dancing baby, short skirts, and "Fishisms"? This is the series that made the hour long comedy/drama format popular, not to mention characters performing musical numbers and scenes showing a character's daydreams. It catapulted Calista Flockhart, Jane Krakowski, Lucy Liu, and Portia de Rossi to household name status. And it's super hard to find in syndication!

Legend of the Seeker - Season 1

Have you run across this series in syndication and wondered what the heck it is? It's actually an entertaining made-for-syndication series about wizards, woodsmen, and prophesies. With surprisingly sharp special effects and writing, it's based on a NY Times best seller and a far cry from Hercules and Xena! Fans of fantasy and heroic tales should get a kick out of this series, and there's a good chance they missed it on whatever local channel it airs on.

Bonus: The Wizard of Oz - Collector's Edition

Okay, I know technically this is a movie. But since it was released in theaters in 1939 (yes, they had theaters then), most of us only know it as a television event. The quintessential story for the young and the young at heart, this classic has been remastered and given the modern treatment of commentary, deleted scenes, and featurettes. I don't know anyone who doesn't remember the childhood excitement of watching the Wizard of Oz every year when it surfaced, and it has stood the test of time. When in doubt, you can never go wrong with a classic!

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