RAPID CITY — Crystal Christensen of Box Elder spent 24 hours Monday at Wal-Mart waiting for a chance to buy the new Xbox 360, the 2005 holiday season's hottest gift.

She was first in line, and by 6:30 p.m. Monday, it was a very, very long line. Wal-Mart had 46 units in stock, and Xbox maker Microsoft wouldn't allow them to go on sale until 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

"I love games, and my boyfriend does, too," Christensen said, explaining her Wal-Mart vigil. And the Xbox 360 — the high-end models have wireless remotes, high-definition viewing and other cutting-edge features — is worth the wait, she said. "People would have to play it to understand."

Behind her in line Monday evening was Misty Schmidt of Martin. She arrived at 1:30 p.m. "I was so glad to see somebody else was here, too," she said with a laugh. "I'd hate to think I'm the only one crazy enough to do this."

The Xbox 360 was the only item on her 9-year-old son's Christmas list, she explained. "There was a lot of pressure: ‘We must get Xbox!'" Schmidt said.

Mark Haberman, Wal-Mart manager, said he expects to receive more Xbox shipments during the holiday shopping season, but there isn't any way to predict how many or when they will arrive.

Chris Mooney of Rapid City was third in line on Monday. He had been there since 2 p.m. "It's for me," he said. Farther back in line, Toby Kirkpatrick said his Xbox is a gift for his grandson. And Mark Freese said he was in line strictly for the money.

The electronic toys for teens and adults — the iPod is Apple's MP3 music and media player — are the much-hyped early leaders in the burgeoning market for consumer electronics.

As the 2005 holiday shopping season officially begins Friday, retailers are doing the annual guessing game of what will sell and what will be sitting on the sales racks Dec. 26. It seems clear that anything electronic won't be sitting on the shelves.

"All electronics are selling well," Mitch Dahl, an executive-team leader at the Rapid City Target store, said. The list includes DVD players, flat-screen TVs, Xbox 360s, camcorders, headphone speakers, hand-held gaming devices, computer accessories and computer software are all expected to sell well.

And among MP3 players — there are a number of choices, including the iRiver, the Rio and an emerging line of cell phones that play MP3-format music — the iPod has been getting the most attention.

"The iPod is the hottest thing there is; the tough part is getting them," Fred Hadd of Computer Village said. His store has been selling the tiny iPod nano and the new video iPod as fast as the Rapid City shop can take delivery. "You probably don't want to wait until the week before Christmas," he said.

A number of local stores are selling the new iPods, but supplies have been tight. The iPod nano is about the size and thickness of a Rye Crisp. The $199 version holds 2 gigabytes, or about 500 songs. The $249 model holds twice that. The devices also store electronic audio books, photos and computer files.

The larger and newer video iPod comes in models that have 30 gigabytes and a whopping 60 gigabytes of storage space. And it has the distinction of being able to store and play television shows and other video.

If you're desperate to watch "Desperate Housewives," you can buy last week's episode online for $2. It seems odd to pay to watch TV on a tiny screen when you can watch it for free on a 36-inch screen, but Apple has a knack for bucking conventional wisdom. Its iTunes Web site sold a million video downloads in the first 10 days it began offering them.

She's a doll, but she goes far beyond Barbie. Amazing Amanda, according to Target's Mitch Dahl, is perhaps the most interactive doll to date. "I'm smart, I listen, I speak and I show real feelings," according to the text on the Amazing Amanda box.

She has two-way conversations for a truly personal relationship. Her face changes with her moods. She knows when it's time to eat, sleep and play.

At Wal-Mart, Haberman said the Tumble Time Tigger doll, the Brats doll line, Furby toys and Dora the Explorer-themed items also will be popular in the toy department on Friday.

"We're seeing a lot of holiday shoppers already," Chris Johnson, owner of the Clock Shop and vice president of Rapid City's United Downtown Association, said. He gauges that by the pile of wrapped-and-ready-to-give gifts in the store. "Wrapped gifts are piling up a little sooner than they used to."

The United Downtown Association is organizing a Super Sunday event on Dec. 4. A number of merchants will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and many will pay your sales tax that day.

And the day after Thanksgiving is not necessarily the busiest day of the year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. Last year, for example, the busiest shopping day nationally was Dec. 18 — not Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving. That was last year's second-busiest day.

Meanwhile, some stores, including Kmart, Shopko and Wal-Mart, aren't waiting until the day after Thanksgiving. They are open for business on Thursday for shoppers who want to stretch their legs after dinner and beat the Friday crowds.

As always, weather can be a big factor in holiday sales, retailers say. Nothing puts shoppers in the holiday mood like a blanket of snow on the ground. And nothing keeps them home like an early winter blizzard. That is especially important in Rapid City, which has a trade area that extends from Gillette, Wyo., to Pierre.

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