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I’m about a week later than I wanted to be with this, but I know there are plenty of people like me who still have a fair amount of shopping to do! Here are some great holiday gift ideas for the people on your shopping list. Some of these items are things that I’ve purchased with my own hard-earned money because it was what someone really wanted. When possible, I’m including my affiliate links for you to buy these products. (I consider the small commission my “tip” for helping you find great gift items!) Some of these items have been sent to me by companies or PR agencies in exchange for blog coverage. Rest assured, I will always give you my honest opinion of these things. I won’t stand by a product I don’t believe in.
Hallmark Recordable Storybooks
I was lucky enough to get two Frosty the Snowman recordable storybooks from Hallmark after attending their Christmas in August party at BlogHer ’10. These Hallmark recordable storybooks are really cool. When I first got them, I just thought they were a really novel thing to have, and that TJ would get a kick out of his book once it was given to him. Now? It means even more. With my dad battling mantle cell lymphoma, I’m having him record himself reading one copy of the book for TJ and the other copy of the book for my niece Avery. The cancer started in his throat, so if he should ever lose his voice because of it, his grandkids will always be able to listen to him reading to them whenever they want. I don’t even want to think about the other reason they might cherish the books. I remember crying while watching the promotional video they had at the Hallmark party in August…Grandparents reading to their grandkids even though they live a thousand miles apart, deployed servicemen and women reading to their children from Iraq and Afghanistan… I had thought of the book as a way to read to TJ when I’m away at conferences, but it’s far more important to me now to have my dad reading to him. We may pick up more titles for others to read! Click on the picture to order one from Amazon.
Lyziwraps Reusable Gift Wrap
I was supposed to review Lyziwraps reusable gift wrap for the Type-A Parent holiday gift guide, but I didn’t receive the product until after the deadline had already passed. Let me tell you, though – it’s so cool. I received one of the small size and some of the larger ones. I used the small one for a kid’s birthday party last week. I stuffed four Hexbugs (see below) into it. SO easy to use, and it’s good for the Earth. They have drawstrings at each end, so you can use the gift wrap for even awkwardly shaped gifts. The nylon wraps like I got are washable, so your gift recipient can pass the wrap along the next time they need to give a gift – even if it ended up with birthday cake frosting fingerprints on it. Lyziwraps may seem a little pricey – $6.00 for the extra small up to $9.00 for the large – but if you normally spend that much money on gift bags and embellishments, it’s actually quite an investment. Your family or circle of friends could be passing along the gift wrap for years – and that adds no waste to the landfill like wrapping paper does. Lyziwraps also makes really cool mesh and vinyl banner bags out of old advertising banners. Repurposing is awesome, and I find a lot of their designs to be quite stylish!
ThermaCELL Patio Lantern
Trendy Tadpole Shirts
I got one of the cutest t-shirts from the Trendy Tadpole, which makes “hip tops for trendy tots.” It looks like an old school AC/DC t-shirt, and we’ve gotten a number of souble takes when TJ has worn it, because that’s what everyone thinks it is at first glance. Instead, it says: “AB/CD – For Those About to Read We Salute You.” Which is hilarious. You can get the design in a onesie from 3m to 12m, a lap tee from 12m to 24m, a t-shirt from 2T to 12, or even men’s and women’s sizes! This is just one of the cool designs you can find at the Trendy Tadpole, so if you want your kids to stand out in the crowd, take a look around the shop.
That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.
Okay, seriously. This post should come with a warning, because the audio book part made me cry. What a fabulous idea. May it be just another way to hear Grandpa’s voice (in addition to calling on the phone,) for many, many years to come.
Thanks for the wonderful review of Lyziwraps and your support of reusable gift wraps. Lyziwraps will offer a 20% discount for the wraps until the end of January for all Cutest Kid readers.
Just use “cutestkid” as the coupon code.
I’m one of those who have TONS of shopping left! did I mention TONS? I spent yesterday on the phone calling every store in my area and Amazon trying to get a hold of a Kindle. No luck. At best Target may get them in Wed. when they get their next shipment. Well if they’re on back order at Amazon… well, the Nook is looking better and better.