BlogHer - Gift Wish Lists - Comments

A Phone for Canadians

Laurie_Halo Secretarial — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:12:33 -0600

Might have to see about that Cleo phone, not that I need a new one! I do like Samsung phones though - great list!

Laurie, mom of 3 boys and

blogger about my VA business and my life as a mom!

You Rock!

sugarbritches26 — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:04:51 -0600

How freakin funny was that? And so true! I won't even go into Sugarbaby's list to jolly ole Saint Nick. She's the only girl and the baby of the family so spoiled is an understatement. Me? I'm still wearing jeans from 1999 and shoes from two seasons ago. My nail polish is chipped and my purse is a $10 Old Navy special. Her diaper bag costs more than my winter coat. Woe is the mother of a fashion diva.

A.A.

Love the Noel case! thanks

AshleySF — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:47:54 -0600

Love the Noel case! thanks for the tip, I may have to add that to my xmas list. It's so hard to find a nice looking case for the iphone.

Ashley

www.themadgrad.com

Green Gift- Ever grow a plant that moves when you tickle it?

kidsgardener — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:15:35 -0600

I thought your readers would enjoy this indoor container gardening growing activity I do with my students and family in the Fall/Winter. To get your children excited about gardening and more sensitive to plants and nature, consider having them grow a plant that they will never forget -The TickleMe Plant! This is the plant that will close its leaves and lower its branches when tickled. How cool is that!!. This growing experience allows kids to learn the basic skills needed for gardening. Parents that are interested in sharing their love of plants and nature with their children, can get more information and supplies by visiting http://www.TickleMePlant.com TickleMe Plants can be grown indoors year round. If you know any students or teachers that would enjoy this exciting gardening and nature experience, share this information with them and they will thank you. This kits are a great green holiday gift as well!

Xbox Live

Sally-D — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:10:59 -0500

I agree that Xbox Live subscription seems a bit tough on the wallet - and wish it were free as it should be. But there is a kind of payoff - Achievement points.

By playing online and being a subscriber to Live, you can accumulate achievement points and these points can be exchanged for games and other Xbox related merchandise through Live. As a system it does tend to favour the avid, rather than casual, gamer but my point here is simply to suggest that the subscription can end up paying for itself - and more.

If you take a look around (for example, take a look at the article on xbox3l33t.com ) you will also discover that certain games and certain actions reward you higher than others, so even a casual gamer can strategically accumulate as many points as a hardcore gamer in less time. It's not a cheat or anything, it's just a matter of knowing where Mcirosoft's emphasis lies.

Anyway, I have both a Playstation 3 and an Xbox 360, so I know they are both equally good in their own unique ways.

Sally

Green Gifts/El Salvador

CSchaffer — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:14:15 -0500

Hi, so I just found this nonprofit called People of Hope Crafts. They sell items that artisans in El Salvador make. It is soo neat because the groups include Salvadorans with disabilities, former gang-members and all-women co-ops. They also have a lot to choose from for gifts and all. Check m out- www.peopleofhopecrafts.org

fresh heirlooms

janelle76 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:22:41 -0500

last holiday season i did all of my christmas shopping at this cute store in pittsburgh pa, Fresh Heirlooms (they also have an online store now). they have the best green gift selection! all made from 100% recycled and reused products. i got my dad a recycled clock made from reused bicycle parts, my niece a wall clock made froom pretty pink spouting material, and my friend a bicycle chain bottle opener--they all LOVED their eco freindly gifts. they also have hand-painted furniture (creative reuse).

http://www.freshheirlooms.com

Green gifts - save our planet

danielmdr — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:19:16 -0500

No matter what others do for our planet and global warming, we can start by protecting it ourselfs.
Trees instead, LLC is a company devoted to preserve the environment by planting memory trees and offset carbon footprint.
Why send flowers or give gifts that contaminate our planet when you can plan a tree in behaf of your loved one?
Preserve life planting a tree instead of giving flowers that create waste soon after it is cut.
www.TreesInstead.com is to plant trees instead of giving traditional gifts.

Political Gifts

Muky — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:14:16 -0500

A political game perhaps? Probably not nearly the visual impact of the Hillary Nutcracker, but might be easier on your fingers? About.com has many, and there's one called "Dimension Defender."

I love the breakfast.

KateSavage — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:06:38 -0500

That's it. Now I can't wait to get a new "man"-friend (if only for the reason that I can buy him felt bacon (is that on Etsy, too?) and send it to him with the note.

There is nothing that says "love" like sharing your bacon.

JRR Tolkien did santa correspondence with his kids

Crunchy Carpets — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:52:12 -0500

for years...with art.

They loved it

Look for me at http://crunchycarpets.com or check out the ladies at www.wetcoastwomen.com

7 Simple Techniques for Keeping Your Child Believing in Santa

djgruber — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:43:32 -0500

Many parents love to see the joy and excitement Santa Claus can bring to their child. For many people, their childhood memories of Santa Claus are the best Christmas memories they have. Keeping your child believing in Santa, however, can be a daunting task. Children are smart these days, and some of the old Santa tricks just don't get by them anymore. Many children are perpetually plagued with the question, "Is there a Santa Claus?"

Every family may have slightly different Christmas traditions with regards to Santa Claus, but there are some very easy things any person can do to keep the belief in Santa at an all time high. The following 7 techniques will keep your child believing in the magic and wonderment of Santa Claus and you don't have to be familiar with the history of Santa Claus to apply them.

1) Have your child write a Santa Letter. This can be a simple letter that your child can write to Santa Claus. Children absolutely love to write a letter to Santa, but they occasionally need a little parental guidance to pull it off.

Help your child include a special list of gifts they desire for Christmas into the Santa letter. Many children enjoy getting more creative by drawing or cutting out pictures that represent the gifts they want.

Once the child's Santa letter is finished, simply mail it to the North Pole. Mail it to the following Santa Claus address: Santa Claus, 1 Candy Cane Lane, North Pole 00001. Don't bother using a return address, you wouldn't want it to return as ‘undeliverable' for any reason.

2) Write a letter from Santa and have your child receive it in the mail. Create a personalized letter from Santa by directly mentioning your child's name and certain information about your child in the text. This will make for a much more believable Santa letter. Be sure to make these letters from Santa different for each child in the same household. The child will have no doubt that Santa Claus is coming to town after they receive their personalized letter from Santa!

"I can honestly state as a parent that the personalized letter from Santa has single handedly restored my son's belief! The look of shock and amazement on his face when he got an ‘authentic letter from Santa' quickly abolished any doubt he previously had about Santa Claus."

Print the Santa letter on authentic looking letterhead, as this will help to reinforce the believability. Many different styles of paper can be found at your local office supply store.

You can add to the fun by getting your letter from Santa postmarked at the North Pole. Simply send your Santa letter inside another sealed, stamped envelope to: North Pole Christmas Cancellation, Postmaster, 5400 Mail Trail, Fairbanks, AK 99709-9999. (It needs to arrive by December 15th)

Many parents add a certificate for being on Santa's "Nice List" along with the Santa Letter for added effect. Another great item to add with the Santa letter is a Santa Claus coloring sheet. Combining the personalized Santa letter, the nice certificate, and the Santa Claus coloring sheet is a sure fire method for keeping your child believing.

A reputable online service that offers inexpensive Personalized Santa Letters and Nice Certificates can be found here: www.PackageFromSanta.com .

3) Have your child leave milk and cookies out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. This is simple enough to do with your child. It lets your child know YOU still believe, too. Make it a bonding experience for you and your child by baking the cookies together on Christmas Eve. Don't underestimate how powerful this can be for creating joyful memories of Santa Claus, for both you and your child. Did you know that Santa's favorite cookie recipe is Chocolate Chip?

Put the fresh cookies on a plate next to a glass of cold milk. You can even put a short letter to Santa Claus next to the cookies and milk. These tasty treats will give Santa the energy he needs to continue traveling to the millions of other households awaiting his arrival.

Don't forget to leave some crumbs on the table Christmas morning. Your child will feel honored that Santa Claus ate the whole plate of cookies and drank all of the milk before rushing on his way.

4) On Christmas Eve, have your child sprinkle reindeer food on the lawn. Santa Claus gets milk and cookies on Christmas Eve, but what about Rudolph and the rest of the joyful gang? What do they eat? Well, reindeer food, of course!

You can make a batch of environmentally friendly reindeer food with common grocery items such as oats or granola. (Do not use potentially hazardous items, such as glitter in your reindeer food. Although this may make the reindeer food appear to be magical in some way, it can be extremely dangerous if ingested by small children, should they decide to ‘sample' the reindeer food. It can also be potentially hazardous to the small animals outside such as rabbits, dogs, or cats that may eat the food.)

Once you have the reindeer food mixed up, walk outside with your child on Christmas Eve night and explain the importance of making sure Santa's sleigh team stays fed. Sprinkle a small amount onto your yard near bushes or trees.

This healthy reindeer snack will give Rudolph and the rest of the reindeer the nourishment they need to continue flying Santa's heavy sleigh into the night. Your child will be proud for helping Santa Claus on his journey, and is sure to raise the belief in Rudolph and the other reindeer as well.

5) Leave Santa Claus tracks in your house on Christmas Eve. Being sure to not stain your carpet, leave some dirty boot prints by the fireplace (or doorway). Be sure to draw attention to the Santa Claus footprints on Christmas morning. To a child, this is solid evidence that Santa had been to their house.

6) A month or so after Christmas, send your child a postcard from Santa Claus on vacation. This not only keeps your child believing, but reminds your child that Santa is in their hearts all year long. It also answers the common question posed by children after Christmas, "Where is Santa Claus now?"

Be sure to make the postcard from somewhere very warm and sunny. After all, Santa does need a break from all that North Pole snow.

7) Mail your child a birthday greeting from Santa Claus. This technique works in tandem with the personalized Santa letter you mailed your child previously. Mailing your child a simple birthday card from Santa is an excellent way to keep your child's belief high throughout the year. Your child will think, "Wow! Santa actually knows my birthday!" The shock on your child's face will be priceless.

Parents that have extremely intelligent kids or kids that are getting slightly older will genuinely need to utilize all 7 techniques mentioned above to keep their child believing in Santa Claus. These techniques will assure your child is one of the millions of children that write Santa Letters each and every holiday season... one of the millions of children that believe wholeheartedly in Santa Claus.

About the Author: Alex Russell has performed extensive research in the arena of personalized letters from Santa, and devotes much of his time to reviewing websites that offer services for Santa letters. Alex has earned the respect of many Christmas authority websites such as www.PackageFromSanta.com, for his highly regarded articles on such topics as "How to Write a Letter from Santa" and "The Truth about Santa Letters."

You can help me some more (smile)

Kim Pearson — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:04:54 -0600

Budding photographer has been getting a lot of compliments on his photos and wants to sell some of them. What steps should he take? Are there pitfalls to watch out for? Thanks in advance for the advice.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

Feel-Good Gifts

drjon — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:25:53 -0600

Bully for you!

Practical ideas to help bring healing and connection to folk in the midst of the busy-ness and bustle of the holidays. Awesome!

Works for the rest of the year, too!

I am overwhelmed with joy that 3 of the 10 have to do with massage and spa. As a massage therapist, that can only help the profession while it is helping your readers!!

If you lived near St Louis you would be getting a Gift Certificate from me for time in my office!!

Blessings,

Dr Jon
The Renegade Doctor, The Medical Heretic
To Thine Own Self Be True!
http://www.beingwork.com
http://www.threebrothersbooks.com
http://www.goodheartgroupinc.com/blog

If you like Guitar Hero, you'll love Rock Band

Jennifer Satterwhite — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:54:02 -0600

I love Guitar Hero. Now that we have added Rock Band, we have the drums and the microphone to add to the fun. I, too, love the games with things like the glorified guitar. Makes it seem more interactive. Though, I am used to regular controllers, it is fun to break out with the others!

~Jenn~
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