Tis the season to start shopping for the 2013 Holiday Season! Anyone who knows me I'm an early bird and I like to get my shopping done nice and early so I don't have to stand in the crazy lines and I can sit back and enjoy the last few weeks of the holiday season. Why be dealing with cranky shoppers if you can be sitting back enjoying some cookies and listening to carols?! I started early this year and have been compiling what I think are some of the best quality gifts you can buy this year for your family, friends and loved ones.
I love shopping for my son every year. He is five this year and he's so much fun I knew I'd have a blast picking some really great items out for him. The big gift going under the tree this year is Y Bike's Explorer. This item is a pedal go cart that is great for kids ages 5 to about 10. My little man loves to go on the gas powered go carts at the track near our house. I considered getting him an electric one to cruise around with but I think this is going to be a lot safer and a lot of fun. It's reasonably priced just under $200. If you consider the price of bikes, ride-on's an go carts I feel like this is reasonably priced seeing as how it's designed with the older kids in mind.
My son has the Y Bike GLX Pro Scooter and I think this would be a fantastic gift purchase for any child ages 3 to 5. My son is 5 ½ and has always been on the smaller side and he loves this scooter. It glides nice and fast but it seems a lot safer to me than some of the other 2 wheeled scooters on the market right now. It is so easy to assemble. You simply snap on the handlebars and it's ready to ride. There's also a foot break positioned on the rear of the scooter to slow your little ones down. My son mastered the use of this scooter in about 10 minutes and loves it. The Spooner Board is another great outdoor toy that helps improves kid's balance while encouraging physical activity. Kid's can even develop and master a variety of tricks that they can complete on the Spooner Board
I like to stick with toys for my son that don't require half of an economy pack of batteries. I also like if they happen to be somewhat educational or take some imagination or concentration. Quercetti makes a number of toys that are available through International Playthings LLC and they are great items that will keep kids interested for a decent amount of time. My son is going to be receiving one of their marble runs for Christmas this year. He has a tiny marble run that he loves to play with so I know he's going to be thrilled with the set he's getting. For the older kids there are some pretty elaborate sets, such as the Skyrail set, that are really exciting and fun.
We like to sit around and play board games during the winter months when there's not much else to do in the evenings. Goliath games has a number of newer releases this year that would make great Christmas gifts for the little ones in your life. Dino Meal is a version of Operation where you have to steal eggs from a nest using a special tool. Make sure not to disturb the dinosaur or he'll jump at you! Gooey Louie is a grossly fun game that every kid will love. This game lets kids pick Louie's nose and if you pick the wrong booger poor Louie's brain will pop up! My son loves this. Wordsearch Junior from Goliath games is great practice for some of the older kids. There's a few different levels that you can play depending on the age you're dealing with.
Crafts are also big in our house. My five year old loves to color and create things so Creativity For Kid's Sticker Maker Set is a really fun step by step product that allows kids to color, create and use their very own stickers that they made. The comic book version is what my son has and it allows him to color a number of different superheroes and props, turn them into stickers and then use them in a comic book that comes with the set.
Cate & Levi makes some great products that make awesome stocking stuffers such as the colored pencil and notepad set. A box of pencils and a little notepad come in a handmade case of your choosing (various animals). It's great to take on a road trip or to dinner. My son uses one of their change purses to collect quarters in for when we're going to the arcade. It's easy to open and close and because it's made of wool it's nice and durable.
Another great stocking stuffer idea comes from Scentco Inc. For the holidays this company makes holiday themed scented pencils for the kids. I like these because each of them comes in their own individual tube. Scents won't mix this way and the decorative tubes are cute as well. The pencils are #2 style which means they can be used in class, unlike a lot of decorative pencils you receive in gift bags or goodie bags. I also like Brain Quest's trivia card packets and workbooks. The easy-to-flip cards make for a great item to take on a road trip or to a restaurant and the questions are fun. Your child won't even know they are learning while playing with these products!
For the men in your life you can gift SlantShack Jerky as a gift or for a stocking stuffer. My husband is a big jerky lover but the store-bought brands just don't cut it for the holidays or for the hardcore jerky lovers. Slantshack Jerky is fantastic jerky because it comes from grass fed beef and there isn't anything added to the jerky that makes it unhealthy to eat (Some jerky brands add so much MSG or nitrates that it's not worth munching on). There are a ton of different flavors to choose from or you can even build your own.
Also, if you want to create a customized matching gift for the men in your life you can contact Custom Ink to have embroidered or printed shirts made up. The quality of the shirts are great (There's a variety to choose from) and the embroidery comes out really professional. There's a ton of different logos you can choose from or you can upload your own which is awesome if the men in your life all share a common love, are on a team together, etc.
I almost always have someone on my shopping list that I make up a bath and body-type basket for. I like to include all kinds of things to pamper yourself with including candles, lotions, body washes, shampoos, etc. Thymes is a great line of bath and body products that smell great and are very high quality. They also have a home fragrance line that really brings the whole gift together, allowing you to personalize the scents for each person you are shopping for. The green-tea lotion is mild but has just enough scent to it that people will notice you're wearing something. It's also nice and thick and soaks in nicely.
I also look for high quality candles each year that I can add to these baskets or gift to friends and family. Charleston Candle Works makes some of the highest quality candles I think I've ever seen. The candles come in heavy duty containers with lids. The glass containers look very professional and perfect. Also a great bonus is the fact that Charleston Candle Works makes candles out of soy wax so these are a healthier and safer alternative to other candle brands. Their scents are very mild. I really like Morning Java. It makes your whole house smell like a fresh pot of coffee is brewing. It's very warm and mild.
Pure Air Candles by David Oreck is a good gift idea for someone who maybe doesn't necessarily love to light candles in the home for their effect and décor but maybe are looking to freshen the air in their home and remove odors. The David Oreck Candle Company makes products that are designed to not mask odors in the home but completely eliminate them, leaving behind a fresh scent. In addition to candles you can also purchase wax melts in a variety of scents.
I recently hopped on the bandwagon and started carrying around one of those plastic insulated cups. They make them in such cute designs and they keep my beverage cold all day so you can't beat that. Tervis makes a great line of these cups in different sizes, styles, and colors. What I loved the most is that Tervis has an option on their website where you can customize the cup of your choosing. It's a great option to buy a bunch and personalize one for each member of your family so the cups stay separate and germ sharing stays to a minimum.
After years of purchasing jewelry from our local jewelry stores I think I've probably bought every charm, chain and bracelet that is available. I have started looking around for more unique jewelry to give as gifts especially items that reflect something personal about the person I am shopping for. I came across Mantrabands which are stainless steel bangle-type bracelets that feature a mantra-like saying. There's tons to choose from. I like these because they are adjustable so they'll fit any size wrist. I usually have a ton of trouble wearing bracelets because I have such a small wrist. If I receive a bracelet as a gift I usually have to have it professionally sized. With Mantrabands I was wearing two inspirational messages within seconds of opening my package from them. The two I have been wearing are the silver in color "Let Your Light Shine" and the gold colored "Breathe". They won't tarnish either which is fantastic because I personally hate taking off my jewelry for showers or bedtime. There's a mantra for everybody and I had quite a hard time picking my favorites!
Another great jewelry brand is Erica Sara Designs. These designs include mother's jewelry, Hebrew designs, personal mantras, monograms and much more. You can even have a custom design done for a really fair price. Erica Sara Designs also has a line of runner-inspired jewelry including pieces for those affected by the Boston Marathon bombing. I personally have the Lotus Flower Hammered Necklace and love it. It's very delicate and pretty and the chains the charms come on are unique and beautiful. Also, similarly priced is Stella & Dot jewelry. Stella & Dot offers fancy pieces for special occasions as well as really simple pieces that you could wear everyday, even with your sweat pants. Some of the pieces are customizable by choosing initial charms and such.
Once the cold weather hits in Buffalo, New York I like to snuggle up in cozy pajamas in the evenings and on the weekends. Even better I like to shop for new PJ's for myself and for other people. I think PajamaGram is a fantastic idea for your family and loved ones. Not only can you coordinate a pajama gift for everyone in your household for Christmas morning but you can send out pajama gifts to everyone you know no matter where they are! There's tons of styles and designs to choose from and you can include a personalized message with each gift as well. My son has the Stewart Plaid set and they are a very high quality and very comfy. You can even have a number of their pajamas monogrammed which is nice. I like their products because not only do they have a great selection but the quality is far better than the polyester pajamas you find in stores.
Along with a pajama gift you can always gift something for the home to someone you love especially if it's your partner or spouse. Charles P. Rogers makes some of the best organic cotton sheets I've ever seen. A lot of cotton sheets can be stiff and scratchy but these ones I found to be incredibly soft and strong. You can also a number of other products from Charles P. Rogers including other bedding as well as mattresses and bed frames.
Compliment your bedroom or home with a Solay Wellness Salt Lamp. They come in a variety of sizes and you can purchase one that plugs into an outlet or into your USB port. Salt lamps can help rejuvenate your body and bring your more energy and better health. Made with pure, fair trade Himalayan Salt, these salt lamps are not only beneficial to your health but they are also an attractive and unique addition to your home.
I like to have a photo book made at the end of every year so I can keep track of all the great memories we made that year. I've tried out a number of different photo book companies over the past few years. This year I think I found the best one when I chose Classic Memories. This company creates custom DVD slideshows, photo books and much more. The pages are super glossy and the photos come out sharp and clear. I purchased a photobook from another company this holiday season using the exact same photos as I did for Classic Memories and the other book ended up getting thrown away when I saw this one. The price point for Classic Memories books are a bit high but I would absolutely say its worth it especially if you want to document a wedding or birth from this past year.
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