Guide to Holiday Gift Giving: Part III

If you are looking for some last minute Christmas gifts, here are some of my favorite Christmas gifts for this season:

1) Kodak, Shutterfly, or SeeHere allow you to create books, puzzles, ornaments, stickers, and other photo gifts.

2) Gift baskets are always a good standby. Keep in mind to stick with a theme. Beware that these can add up pretty quickly. It is best to fill a gift basket with items with smaller price tags.

3) Crafts, Wine, and Coffee Clubs that send a new selection each month are a unique gift. Kids Craft of the Month offers a 6 month and a 12 month membership where children will receive two new crafts each month along with stickers, tattoos, small toys, jokes, games, or some type of activity. Caribou Coffee offers a Coffee of the Month Club.

4)Magazine subscriptions (Amazon often has great deals or you can checkout Magazines.com) can be a welcome gift.

5)Teething Bling by SmartMom (I hate not being able to wear jewelry with my teething infant so this solves that problem.) are perfect for mothers of young ones.

6)The Discovery Expedition Entertainment Projector is perfect for my hubby since his Christmas break from work is going to be spent on finishing our basement.

7)Avon's Cashtastic Earmuffs look and feel like cashmere.

8)Avon's version of Jennifer Groover's Butler Bag is designed for a fashionista.

9)In case of emergencies (especially those that are nature related), it is ideal to have on hand LL Bean's Emergency Weather Radio.

10)The Crawford Headband from ModCloth that will make you look like a chic flapper (totally impractical for day to day but I love vintage inspired items). This would dress up any outfit on New Year's Eve.

11)SwitchFlops and Ballet Flats by Lindsay Phillips are designed for shoe lovers that want to have versatile pieces in their wardrobe. The sandals have interchangeable straps and the ballet flats have snazzy snaps so they can go with any outfit. No need to have 4 different pairs of shoes.

12) Parents of infants will fall in love with the Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Take Along Soothing Projector.

Christmas Traditions: The Twelve Days Before Christmas

This year with a 5 month old and a 2 year old, we have been a little slow getting the house decorated. On Thanksgiving Day, both of my very spry 80-something grandparents were hospitalized for separate medical conditions. The tree is up but undecorated, the old wooden sled that normally sits next to the front door decorated with a swag and bow still sits in the garage somewhere, and boxes of Christmas decorations sit on a shelf in the spare bedroom, untouched. We are slowly pulling things out but it is hard since my hubby works long hours.

I have been thinking a lot about family traditions. I want my daughters to enjoy this time of year and to realize that it is about family and not just presents. Since we are a little behind this year, I made my checklist of things to do before December 25th. Boy, do we have a lot to cram in before the big day arrives. It is pretty fitting that I have 12 things on our list and there are at least twelve days before Christmas (I have a few extra days built in...)

1) Help choose and decorate the Christmas tree. (We got the first part done.)

2) Make faux gingerbread houses using graham crackers, icing, and candy and also yummy marshmellow snowmen.

3) Watch Frosty, Rudolph, A Charlie Brown Christmas, or the new favorite, Prep and Landing.

4) Go caroling.

5) Mail Christmas cards. (I have the seals for my daughter to put on the envelopes. I have a feeling people will be wondering why the seals are not on the flaps but on odd places on the back of the envelopes.)

6) Help wrap gifts. (I bought solid wrapping paper so my daughter can go to town with stickers and markers.)

7) Help decide where charity money is going and deliver it to its destination.

8) Bake Xmas cookies for Xmas Day.

9) Drive around and look at Xmas Lights.

10) Write a letter to Santa and mail it.

11) Finish Christmas crafts (paper chains for the stairway and something to hang on the refrigerator door).

12) Christmas Eve: Read Twas the Night Before Christmas and open a gift(s) from Mommy & Daddy (new pjs for Xmas morning and the girls' yearly ornament for the tree). Set out the cookies we baked for Santa and treats for the reindeer.