Christmas Archives

2015 Family Holiday Gift Guide

Disclosure: I have brand relationships with some of the companies for items listed in my gift guide. All opinions are mine alone. ** There are NO Affiliate links in this post** #NotSponsored

I love to shop for gifts my family can use and enjoy together. We are all busy and have so much going on in our personal lives that I like to schedule specific times that we can spend quality time together whether it’s a family game night, movie night or fun activity. I also like to get things that we can all use in our everyday lives.

I am the mother of one daughter in her freshman year of college, a son in his senior year of high school on his way to college, a daughter in her sophomore year of high school and my seven year old who is in elementary school. When purchasing gifts we can all use and enjoy I factor in everyone’s age and personality. I may not always be able to always please everyone but, I sure do try!

The holiday gift items that I have selected to highlight are ones that really stuck out to me as being practical and an item that can be used by everyone in the home. Items that can be used while the family is all together or on an individual basis. My family loves technology so there are a few tech items on the list and a couple of items that I have on my personal wish list. Tell me what you think…

1. Just Dance 2016 – Just Dance 2016 is a great game the family can enjoy together. It’s a fun workout alternative especially if you love to dance. The track list is amazing and you can also download the controller app on your smartphone to keep track of your score and dance moves. Our family loves Just Dance and it’s also a great party game when you are hosting. For more information check out Just Dance 2016 on the Ubisoft website.

2. Motorola Droid Turbo 2 – I am so intrigued by the Droid Turbo 2 21 megapixel camera and shatterproof display. You also have fast turbo charging and wireless charging options. The display and resolution are great. The photos look AMAZING! I can’t wait to record video on the Droid Turbo 2. Bonus: You can build your very own customized phone in Moto Maker. Head over to the Motorola website for more information. *Available only on Verizon

3. Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro – This tablet is so AWESOME! I’m loving the rotatable projector giving you an image of up to 70″ on any wall or ceiling. You have a QHD display that delivers amazing visuals that are great for gaming and watching video. You can get up to 18 hours of battery life on one charge. You have four modes to use your tablet: hold, tilt, stand or hang. AnyPen technology and Android OS. Visit the Lenovo website for more information.

4. Ricoh Theta S 360 Degree Spherical Panorama Camera – Shoots Still Shots and Video. Can record up to 25 minutes of video. 8GB of memory. 14 megapixels, HD Live Streaming, Live View and long exposure. I fell in love with the 360 degree camera after watching videos with 360 angle and seeing its potential. Imagine recording your next adventure with a 360 degree camera whether it’s travel, live events or family fun! Get more information on the Theta360 website.

5. Star Wars Disney Infinity & Characters – There have been some great updates to the 3.0 Toy Box. You can create your own universe and visit the worlds of some amazing characters. I’m sure there will be tons of adventure. I also like that you can mix, match and mash up your characters in one place now. My seven year old is going to have a blast with Star Wars Disney Infinity 3.0 Visit the Disney Infinity website for more information.

6. Star Wars PS4 Limited Edition – (Available exclusively at Walmart) 500 GB Bundle includes a playstation console, Disney Infinity 3.0 edition video game disc, 1 Disney Infinity 3.0 edition base, 3 Star Wars figures, 1 Star Wars Rise Against the Empire play set piece and two web code cards. My family would really enjoy the PS4 Limited Edition. I just love that it’s Darth Vader and looks so chic. Check out more information on the Disney Infinity website.

7. Logi by Logitech – Portable Home Security System Camera that gives you the option to always be in the know with what’s going on at home! You can record, download video and check on home from anywhere. There’s also a smartphone app and free 24 hour cloud storage. HD Camera, USB Power Adapter and WiFi Wireless Connectivity. This is a great addition to any home. If you’d like more information, head over to the Logitech website.

8. Samsung Curved Ultra 4K HD TV 55″ – The 4K UHD has amazing detail. The curved panel allows you to enjoy the view no matter where you are seated. It’s a Smart TV with Apps and full web browser. PurColor really allows you to enjoy the color shades. You also get full RGB color resolution. My family is notorious for having movie night frequently and I know we would LOVE to watch our movies on this gem. Get more information on the Samsung website.

9. Open Table Gift Card – This is for all my FOODIES! Open Table is a great app that allows you to make reservations, read reviews, purchase gift cards, view menus and earn points towards free meals. You can discover restaurants in your local area and when you travel. An Open Table Gift Card can be used at any participating restaurant worldwide. You also have the option to skip the check and pay with Open Table. Check out the Open Table website for more information.

10. HP Envy 5540 Printer & HP Instant Ink – The HP Envy All-in-One printer is a great compact solution for your home and office printing, scanning and copying needs. Now, when you buy the HP Envy 5540 e-All-in-One printer, it comes with 3 months free of HP Instant Ink!

With HP Instant Ink you select your subscription plan and HP takes care of the rest so that you never run out of ink and printing costs a lot less! Ink, shipping, and cartridge recycling are included in your monthly plan. Plans start as low as $2.99/month and are based on pages printed, not cartridges used. Thereâ€™s no annual fee and you can change or cancel plans online at anytime.

FREE INK OFFER – Now through December 31st, when you enroll your printer in HP Instant Ink, you will receive six free months of ink! To decide which plan is right for you and to enroll, visit HP Instant Ink but remember to do it before December 31, 2015!

My Blog Vacation Is Over…

I haven’t been blogging much this month, things have been hectic at work. I took about ten days off from writing since my last blog post to relax, travel and deal with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and now I’m back and ready to dive back into the blogosphere. I had a great Christmas! We spent part of the holiday season in New York with my dad, siblings, best friend, nieces, and In-Laws having a BLAST! It had been some time since we’ve been back home to New York so it was a much needed visit. I’m at total peace when I am surrounded by family. I was able to play catch up with everyone and truly appreciated the time spent with each and every person. I think my favorite pass time aside from spending time with family was… SHOPPING besides EATING! We all went out to eat at TGI Friday’s and had a ball! I went to Manhattan and shopped in Time Square at 1:00 a.m. Headed to the Westchester in White Plains, NY and shopped, took mini me to see Santa and bumped into friends at the Mall. You can almost always guarantee you’ll bump into someone you know shopping during the holiday season! We’re from Mt.Vernon, NY so you know we couldn’t leave without going to 4th Avenue and shop.

Hubby and I decided to give the kids cash for Christmas! We gave “The Fab 4” money combined with additional money they received from relatives to go on a NYC shopping spree and get whatever they wanted. We must’ve hit every clothing, shoe accessory and toy store that you can think of. It was great, everyone got exactly what they wanted and had smiles on their faces. In addition to shopping they had gifts under their grandmother’s Christmas Tree. Did I mention we drove to New York, getting all these additional purchases to fit in the SUV with our luggage on the way back was quite interesting. Let’s just say it was packed to capacity and we even had to use the rack on the roof and bungee some luggage down. Oh, let me not forget to mention that our luggage wasn’t waterproof and it rained the entire ride home. Thank goodness we didn’t have any electronics in there and all our toiletries were secured and protected. Once we got home, I did laundry immediately! It’s crazy experiences like these that I’ll ever forget, but worth every moment. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Needless to say we were safely nestled back in our home on Christmas Day spending quality time enjoying each other and there’s nothing better than that! I had a very relaxing Christmas Day, watching movies, cooking dinner and enjoying my family. How was your holiday? Next up… NYE! What do you have planned? Will you be all glammed up with glitter and sparkle for the occasion? I’m working on putting my outfit together, I’ll definitely post about my New Year’s Eve Fashion. Enjoy some pictures from our New York road trip adventures.

Giving Selfishly This Christmas

This Christmas has come and gone and I think I Santa did a great job in the gift giving department. Before the day was over my husband looked at me and said, you are selfish… There were a couple of gifts he claims I got to benefit me as well as our children. I had to stop and think about it for a second and he might have had a tiny point there! For starters we give our children throughout the year and during the holidays we focus more on family and spending quality time together with less emphasis on gifts. Now if the children would like something they haven’t gotten and they are deserving of it we will get them their “wish” for Christmas.

I am the mother of two boys and two girls, ages 4, 13, 15, and 16! My preschooler is literally a teenager trapped in a four year old body and what can I say… He get’s it honestly being the youngest of three teenagers. He’s always around adults and doesn’t socialize with other children his age very often. When I got my iPad 2 last year mini me (the four year old) literally took it over. I had a bunch of Preschool learning apps, Avengers Apps, lots of games apps downloaded to it. He’d watch Netflix movies on it and I found myself asking to use my iPad and sharing it with him. He didn’t like to share and I didn’t much either, not this social media mommy! It got to the point where I felt I needed to get him his own tablet.

Mini wanted to use the iPad constantly and doesn’t know how to wait patiently. I’ve been through many meltdowns when he couldn’t use the iPad. I’ve been called “The Best Downloader Ever” He loves Apps! I’ve been accused of treating him unfairly and not sharing. This kid got so good, he memorized my password and didn’t even need me anymore to unlock it and successfully downloaded $70.00 worth of in-app purchases to my iPad. I got a huge lesson in using my (in-app) restrictions that day! After researching all the available children’s tablets I opted to go with the iPad 2 because I know he’ll continue to grow with it being he’s so advanced for his age and he also can navigate his way around the iPad 2 with no problem. He’s had a good year of experience using mine.

I customized his iPad cover with his name and Marvel Avengers stickers, I made his iPad wallpaper Marvel Avengers and deleted every app that he installed on my iPad 2 and downloaded it to his! I even got matching Marvel Avengers headphones so he can play all his games, watch movies and the best part is I don’t have to hear any of it. Mama is happy and mini me is happy! So I guess that’s one selfish gift I can take full responsibility for. My daughter turned 13 on the 23rd. I took her on a shopping spree and surprised her on Christmas Day with some more cute accessories. I make it a point to try and celebrate her birthday independent of Christmas. My two older teen children received debit cards since I opened new checking accounts for them. I deposited Christmas cash in their accounts and they can go shopping for what ever they would like. In the long run, I hope to teach them how to budget effectively and to value money!

After all is said and done my children were very satisfied with their gifts so much that when Mini Me got his iPad 2 he said… “Okay, you can have your iPad back now. I have my own!” I couldn’t do anything but bust out laughing. There may be some lessons to learn from certain gifts that I gave so, if I have given selfishly this Christmas I don’t regret it one bit! I give myself an A+ in iPad 2 Marvel Avengers Customization. Take a look!

Is Re-gifting Tasteful or Tacky?

I think weâ€™ve all done it at one time or another. You get that one gift from someone that you have no intention of using and you appreciate the thought but, now what? There are so many opportunities to re-gift. Holiday office parties, secret Santa, gag gifts, and letâ€™s not forget the white elephant gift exchange. The white elephant gift exchange was a tradition at my previous job, and we did it on an annual basis. It was really fun and amazing to see what people had stored at home through gifts that didnâ€™t quite make the cut! If you are unaware of what the white elephant gift exchange is, itâ€™s something that you may have lying around the house that you NEVER use or a horrible gift you received that you just leave in the wrapper or gift bag with the intent to immediately pass it on. White Elephants gifts are usually gag gifts and not something useful or desirable to the recipient.

I know Iâ€™ve had a few gifts that I have taken to the white elephant gift exchange and others that were intentional gag gifts to friends and even some family. So if you are given a NEW to you gift or a NEW gift that has no place in your home, is it tasteful or tacky to re-gift it? There are also things that will go to good will in my attempt to not become a hoarder. What are your thoughts on this? Take a look at this funny video and see how Kevin Hart feels about re-gifting. #ihartholidays

Will Kevin Hart Go Real or Fake?

I grew up in a household with a fake tree every year until I met my husband, he had always had a real tree growing up. When we started our family there was the annual great debate around the holidays… What type of tree are we going to get REAL or FAKE? Each one has it’s set of pros and cons. I love the fresh smell of pine but don’t necessarily like cleaning up the needles, any possible surprise visitors AND… I have to remember to keep adding water to the tree stand. A fake tree you can put it up and pull it down with no mess and you may have to replace it every few years! Do you have a preference? Take a look at this hysterical video with Kevin Hart for #ihartholidays trying to make a decision between Ole’ Faithful and a Real Tree!