Troublesome Teenagers : Finding holiday gifts for these young people needn’t be as big a pain as the recipients themselves.

Teens are no better at hiding their feelings while opening a gift than they were as little ones, when they squealed with delight as they pushed off the bow, tore the wrapping paper and destroyed a perfectly good box to find Legos or a Barbie.

Only now, the strong feelings they exhibit are frequently not joyful.

There is 17-year-old Sammy’s grimace when he opens the hand-knit sweater from Grandma, or 13-year-old Sally’s rolled eyes when she discovers the baby doll Aunt Sue gave her.

But these disappointments can be avoided.

It is important to remember when shopping for teens that they are not big children or small adults. Think about a caterpillar metamorphosing into a butterfly, only no cocoon.

They like things unique to them. Consider, for example, purchasing a potato gun. For some reason, teens enjoy shoving the tip of a gun into a potato to grab a piece of the vegetable and shoot it at their friends. This $4.99 toy can entertain teens for hours and is sold at Dapy at The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks.

Another hot seller at Dapy is miniature finger bikes. We have all seen the fingerboards. Schools everywhere have banned the little skateboards kids slide across their desks. Now teachers can start a new collection. According to Assistant Manager Larry Abker, those not-quite-adult fingers can pedal and do tricks on a small bike, each one of which costs $12.99.

Abker recommends another gift for teens who want to light up their bedrooms at home or at college.

“Lava lamps and black lights are what mid- to older teen boys are buying,” he said.

These sell for $40 to $60 at Dapy.

The really lucky teens who can talk their parents into buying Neon Bubble Tube lights always leave the store very happy, Abker said.

Tube lights entail a big tube with bubbling liquid that lights up and changes colors, and sell from $60 to $250.

Anything--combs, candles, mirrors--with “diva” or “princess” written on them are big sellers at Claire’s Accessories, in Thousand Oaks, Ventura, Oxnard and Camarillo, District Manager Carla Griffin said.

Thirteen-year-old Amber Dittmer, of Thousand Oaks, who is hoping to get a full-size skateboard for Christmas, would also like some Karma Beads, she said.

She is not alone. Claire’s stores in Griffin’s district sell about 3,000 Karma Beads a week.

Karma Beads are glass bead bracelets that come in different colors and that are supposed to help the wearer in different areas of life. Pink beads, for example, are for romance, while black beads are for courage and brown beads are for wisdom. Even if they don’t work, they make nice accessories and sell two for $8.

High school junior Brent Sanderson, 16, would like a car for Christmas. It does not have to be a new car. Just a car. Something with four wheels and a motor. Any vehicle will do.

Most likely he will not get a car, he said.

Brent is also hoping that he and his friends will get enough cash for Christmas to enable them to go snowboarding in Mammoth for a weekend.

“Cash is a good gift,” Brent suggested.

He also had a suggestion for parents who feel a need to wrap a box and put it under a tree. At least 10 of his friends, he said, are hoping for the new Sega Dreamcast System with the NFL2K game. It sells at Costco for just under $300 and includes an extra controller.

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For brave people who want to buy clothes for teens, we do have a few clothing suggestions.

The Gap reports pajamas, flair jeans, hats and wool sweaters are best-selling items for girls. Guys like pro fleece sweatshirts, cargo pants and pajamas. Limited Too, a store that caters to girls, suggests dressy satin pants, flair jeans and cargo pants.

It is hard to imagine that giving a teen pajamas will get parents the same reaction as a lava lamp or cash, but we understand some of you just have to try it.

For parents who want to be certain they are giving something their child will love, consider loud music. To save money, you might just record yourself banging pots and pans and swearing.

Steve Cowan, owner of CD Trader in Thousand Oaks, gets a lot of used-CD business after the holidays and has insight on what not to buy. (“They bring in a lot of Christmas presents Grandma bought [that] they don’t want,” he said.)

Right now Cowan has so much Ricky Martin he’s not buying anymore. ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys are also being traded in regularly. The CDs that teens like, he said, include Beastie Boys, Nas and Dr. Dre.

At Tower Records in Westlake Village, supervisor Sergio Garcia said teens are buying CDs by Limp Bizkit, Korn and Eminem.

Watch out for that Eminem. It is pronounced a lot like that candy that won’t melt in your hands, but if your teen asks for it and you mistakenly give the other, you will be sure to get that look.

You know the one.

Nancy Needham can be reached by e-mail at nancy.needham @reporters.net.