Christmas - 10/11 - Views From the Ville

2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Suggestions For the Kids

(Be sure to check out all the other great Gift Guide items and giveaways here.)

If you were to ask anyone in my family if I have “Christmas spirit”, they would probably laugh at you. Not because I don’t have any Christmas spirit, but because I have so much. I love everything from the lights to the decorations to the songs to the movies to the feeling in the air.

So I know that my younger self would have loved the new Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town video game (available on the Nintendo DS or the Wii). I know this because my older self thinks it’s pretty cute, too.

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town is inspired by the classic ABC claymation TV show of the same name. The show tells the story of Kris Kringle and how he became Santa Claus; debuting in 1970, it’s one of the longest-running holiday specials of all time and is watched by millions each year. The game lets you join in the fun as you join Kris Kringle and his friends as they escape the Burgemeister Meisterburger and bring toys to the children of Sombertown.

The game play (we tried the DS version) is simple and straight-forward. It’s basically a platforming adventure game (run, jump, collect things) with a fun Christmas theme. You get to collect snowflakes and deliver toys as you move through the storyline. There are three main adventures to play and over 20 mini-games – everything from puzzles to mazes to coloring.

If you have kids, are a kid at heart, or have kids on your shopping list, I think this would make a nice purchase this year. Both versions are under $20 which makes it nice, too.

Where to Buy:

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town is available on Nintendo DS ($19.99) and Nintendo Wii ($19.96) from Amazon and other retailers.

Want to Win?

One winner will receive a copy of Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town for the Nintendo DS! To win, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Reminder: Rafflecopter can sometimes take a moment to load; if you don’t see it after a minute, please try refreshing your browser.

ENTER HERE:

I received a copy of the game in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% mine and my family’s.

I forgot this weekend to pick up the supplies that I needed for the craft I wanted to make this week, so today’s Make at Home Monday is a collection of great Christmas Craft pins I found on Pinterest. Next week I’ll have my supplies and I’ll be sharing a craft for the readers in your lives (maybe on your shopping lists?).

Salt Dough Family Thumbprint Christmas Tree

Clay Pot Snowmen

“Grinch” Pills

Tree Garland

Baby Food Jar Snowmen

Cinnamon Ornaments (I’ve made these before; they’re easy and smell great!)

Do you have any Christmas crafts you’d like to share?

While I love Thanksgiving and will take time to savor and enjoy the holiday, I can’t deny that I look forward to the day after Thanksgiving for two reasons. First is Black Friday, that fast and furious day of shopping where the deals are plentiful (and where common courtesy and patience often are not). The second reason is because we finally get to decorate for Christmas.

Decorating is one of my favorite parts of the season and I’m lucky that my hubby cheerfully offers to put the tree up as early as I want. He offered to put it up for me this weekend but Baby C. is in to everything right now and I knew it only meant two extra weeks of chasing her amazingly fast little self down and keeping her from trying to climb the thing.

So we’ll do it Thanksgiving evening or the day after. But just because I’m not decorating yet doesn’t mean I’m not crafting (and buying) ornaments!

Button ornaments have been around for ages, so this may not be all that new for you. But they’re inexpensive to make and get put together very quickly so they’re easy to do as a family craft, at an ornament exchange with friends or just to mass-produce on your own to decorate the tree or give as gifts. Continue reading »

I couldn’t wait any longer so today I am officially kicking off my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! For the next month or so I will be bringing you a number of reviews and giveaways to help you complete your shopping lists.

As sponsors are confirmed I will be adding them to the 2011 Holiday Gift Guide page. Here you’ll be able to get a sneak peak at the products coming; you’ll also find links to each sponsor’s website in case you’d like more information. And as each item’s review and giveaway goes live, you’ll also be able to click the image and go directly to the giveaway.

I’m also bringing you two special additions. The first will be the “For Your Holiday Table” supplement. Towards the end of the month I will have reviews and giveaways that focus on tasty treats to serve at your parties plus decorating items for entertaining. These will all happen over the same weekend as opposed to spread throughout the month (meaning that there will be tons of great giveaway prizes for you to win that weekend, especially!).

The second special treat is an ongoing giveaway that starts today and ends on 12/16. The giveaway is for a Christmas Stocking full of gifts, treats and gift cards. Each day after you enter the new Gift Guide giveaways you can come back to this post and fill out the Rafflecopter form below. For each Gift Guide giveaway you enter you’ll get an entry into the Christmas Stocking giveaway. There will also be an extra “Bonus Entry” each day that you can complete.

ENTER HERE:

If you are my brother or my sister-in-law – stop reading here, please!

I wanted to make something a little special as an “Our First Christmas” ornament for my brother and sis-in-law this year and when I saw a similar ornament on Pinterest a few weeks ago I thought it would be perfect.

DIY First Christmas Wedding Ornament

A clear glass ornament (I purchased mine at a craft store)

Wedding Invitation

Craft knife or pair of scissors

Ribbon (coordinating with the colors of the invitation)

Charm (I used a heart that I found in the jewelry section of a craft store)

Pen or pencil

I started by cutting the invitation horizontally into strips; I didn’t use the entire invitation, but I cut out the sections that had all the important information such as their names, date, location, etc. I used a pair of scissors so they’re not perfectly straight or of even thickness, but I can’t find the box I had all my crafting supplies packed into, so I couldn’t get out my mat and knife. It worked just fine, though, I think.

Next I wrapped the strips of invitation around a pen to corkscrew them.

After I curled them I slipped them all into the glass ornament.

I used a heart-shaped charm on my ornament but you could easily swap it out for something special to the bride and groom (a sun for an outdoor wedding, a starfish for a beach one, etc.) or something Christmas-y, like a snowflake.

I tied a ribbon on; as you can see the pink of the ribbon is a lot brighter than the actual invitation, but watermelon was one of their wedding colors so I thought they would like it. (It’s a quick fix to untie it and throw a new one on if they don’t). You’re also pretty safe if you choose to go with white/cream.

Do you have a craft you’d like to share with everyone? Feel free to link it up below!

Views From the Ville

2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town Video Game – Review & Giveaway (12/16) #SfSHolidayGiftGuide

Make At Home Mondays – Christmas Craft Pins

DIY Button Wreath Ornaments

2011 Holiday Gift Guide Starts Today! Great Reviews & Giveaways for Everyone on Your Lists #SfSHolidayGiftGuide

DIY First Christmas Wedding Invitation Ornament – Make at Home Monday

DIY First Christmas Wedding Ornament