December Collage

Pin It

National Geographic's Novica Celebrates Christmas

When I was a kid, I love National Geographic magazine. I had all of my Grampy's old copies, and I would get my hand on the new ones whenever I could. The pictures were amazing for a girl growing up in the city. It showed me that there was this whole other great big world out there, and someday I could go and be a part of it. I wanted to eventually collect and own every single edition of National Geographic. Luckily I got over that or my husband would probably have to leave me. My books take up enough space as it is. Someday I do plan on going on one of National Geographic's tours where they teach you about photography and you get to see some amazing places.

The reason I am telling you about my lifelong love affair with National Geographic is because I got to work with them recently! Seriously. They contacted me to see if I wanted to review their new Novica program. If you didn't know, Novica is a new online boutique where National Geographic sells amazing handicrafts made all over the world.

I got to pick absolutely anything I wanted from Novica to review. It was a really hard decision. They have a lot of objects with elephants on them, which I love. They also have some great articles of clothing and accesories.

In the end, I decided to go with a wooden nativity set. I have been searching for a nativity set that was pretty and that I could let CJ play with and not have to worry about him breaking it. I found a bunch of absolutely gorgeous nativity sets on Novica. Here are some of my favorites. You can get Nativities from Peru, El Salvador, and America.

The one I chose is similar to the one on the far left, but it isn't available on the website anymore. It was handmade and shipped from the Andes. It arrived in the cutest little package, wrapped up like a present. Attached was this adorable little "worry doll". It is a tradition in the Andes that you take all your worries and you tell it to this doll. Then you put it under your pillow, let the worries go, and fall deep into a peaceful sleep. That's the idea anyway. Every time we strip the bed and this falls out of my pillow hubby just looks at me like I'm crazy.

So I unwrapped my present and found this gorgeous Nativity set. It included two wise men, Joseph, Mary, some animals, baby Jesus, and of course the stable. Isn't it the cutest? CJ loves playing with it. I actually had to put it up because he plays with the pieces so much that they were disappearing into couch cushions and such. He loves to play with baby Jesus especially, or baby "Ess" as he calls him. He is currently obsessed with babies. 

The quality of the Nativity is absolutely amazing. It will truly last forever and is gorgeously handcrafted. I think that next year I'm going to have to buy one of the other sets. They're just gorgeous. I would expect nothing less from National Geographic. 

You can find Novica products at Novica.com. You can find information there on how to host a Novica party, where you can earn free Novica products. Everyday they have flash sales on some of their products. You can even join their website and curate your own collections. Oh, by the way, every single thing that I've mentioned in this post, the Nativities, the elephants, and the clothes... each one costs $50 and under. The prices are amazing considering the quality you are receiving. You are also supporting the amazing artists all over the world who create these amazing products. 

Luckily for you, Novica is offering one reader a $50 giftcode. You can truly get an amazing gift for yourself or for someone else. To enter, just fill out the rafflecopter form below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway Pin It

Children's Book Review - One Little Christmas Tree

This is an adorable children's book that is just perfect for Christmas. It was part of our 25 days til Christmas book countdown.

One Little Christmas Tree by Rusty Fischer is about a Christmas tree named Alfred. When the book starts out Alfred is one of the smallest trees on the farm. Next to him is his friend, the very large Christmas tree Mr. Phipps. Mr. Phipps is very wise and he tells Alfred that one day a nice family will come to the farm and inherit him. When the families come, Mr. Phipps is inherited, but Alfred is left behind. He worries that he will never have a a family. Years go by, and still Alfred isn't chosen. During that time though, he grows bigger and taller. Finally, Alfred spots a boy that he knows would be just perfect for him. He decides to do something special to try to convince him that Alfred belongs with his family.

This book was really cute. The only thing that I would caution against, is that while they say it is a picture book it really isn't. There are a lot of words on each page, so it is more appropriate for a read-aloud for ages 3-5 and a book that kids can read themselves at around age 6. Just my opinion, based on what I know about reading levels. This is just the first book in the series, and I look forward to the next. The book is available on amazon as both a paperback and an e-book. 

Pin It

Buddy the elf, what's your favorite color? My top twelve Christmas movies

Don we now our gay apparel, falalalalalala. Tis the season to be jolly, falalaalalalalaaaaaaaa.

It's the most wonderful tiiiiiiiime of the yeaaaar.

Yes, we have had Christmas tunes on non-step since Thanksgiving night. I regret nothing.

I have also been slowly but surely introducing CJ to my favorite Christmas movies. So in no particular order, here are my top ten favorite Christmas movies!

This is also how CJ thinks.

Elf - We watch Elf probably 5 times a week at the least. This has been going on all year, not just now that it is Christmas. CJ is obsessed. He could care less about Santa Clause. He thinks that Santa is just Elf's pal. Elf is the big kahuna. Any time he sees and Elf he loses his mind. ELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He freaks, it is hysterical.

The Santa Clause - I think Tim Allen is hysterical, and he was especially funny in this. There are some awesome scenes in here. I want the elves' hot chocolate recipe, and I want it now. Also, is it wrong to be physically attracted to an elf? Cuz Bernard is sexy. True story.

Nightmare Before Christmas - We actually have a Nightmare Before Christmas tree because we love it so much. Our wedding cake topper was Jack and Sally. The blanket covering our couch is Jack and Sally. We looooove Nightmare Before Christmas. CJ hasn't seen it yet, I think it is a bit scary for him yet. Oogie Boogie scared me when I was a kid. I'm not yet ready to scar him completely, but it is still one of my favorites.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - "I'm cute, I'm cute... she thinks I'm cute!" Love that scene. This is just one of the all time classic Christmas movies. CJ likes this one, but it isn't his favorite. Oh, and if you haven't heard DMX sing Rudolph yet, you haven't lived. Watch it, watch it now. "Come on! What!"

Frosty the Snowman - Another one of the great classic Christmas movies. My hubby takes offense to the lyrics "There must have been some magic...", he says no, it should be "There likely was some magic..." CJ likes Frosty, but he loves Frosty Returns. Don't know why.

My brother-in-law can actually
do this face. It's amazing really.

The Grinch - I love the Grinch!! He's my favorite! I used to be the Grinch. I hated Christmas for a really long time. (Boohoo, horrible childhood, blah blah blah.) Now that I have CJ I make sure to love the whole Christmas season. But I still love the Grinch. I love him before his heart grows and I love him even more when he, he himself, carves the roast beast! I also think that Cindy Lou Who is the cutest thing ever. Note - I am talking about the original, but I also love the Jim Carrey version.

It's a Wonderful Life - "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings." Now tell me you don't think that every time you hear a bell ring. I know I do. This movie brings me back to the good old days, when towns were small and everyone knew everyone and banded together and everyone lived happily ever after and you could pull down the moon for your beloved if you wanted to. "I'll take it."

That's Jesus with Ben Hur.
Told you so.

Ben Hur - Yes, Ben Hur is a Christmas movie! I always have to explain this to people. Ben Hur is born around the same time as Jesus, and their lives go on divergent paths until Ben meets Jesus. The wise men are a big part of the book, not so much in the movie. But a great movie that I love to watch around Christmas.

Muppet Christmas Carol - This is another one on heavy rotation in our house. We love everything Muppets, and Michael Caine is amazing as Scrooge.

The Little Drummer Boy - I used to love watching this on Thanksgiving. The Little Drummer Boy gives the only thing that he can to the baby Jesus. Ba dum a dum dum. CJ watched this today and said "Baby esas". Yep. :)

Scrooged - So yes, the ghost of Christmas Future is freaking HORRIFYING, but this is an awesome remake of A Christmas Carol. Billy Murray is absolutely perfect.

And as a bonus, Home Alone - While I will never understand how someone can leave their child home alone on Christmas (or any other time for that matter), it does provide an awesome premise to the movie. I also love the second movie when he gives the old lady a turtledove. Oh Macauly.

Pin It

Wordless Wednesday - Patient Santa

After half an hour of coaxing and peek-a-boo, this is the best we got.

Pin It

Give a gift, Make a difference with World Vision

I very happily sponsor a boy in India, named Daniel, through World Vision. I think they are an amazing organization that does wonderful things all around the world, including here in the USA. I was recently contacted by World Vision to see if I would like to share their new Christmas catalog with my readers. Of course!

So when you make a purchase from the catalog, you aren't buying something for yourself. You are buying it for one of the millions of people that World Vision helps out. You can buy chicken, goats, soccer balls, school supplies, and tons of other awesome gifts. These are things that we take for granted here in the US. For the people who are receiving these gifts, it could be life-saving or at least life-altering. Two chickens costing $25 will give a family an endless supply of eggs. If you give a goat with those two chickens, it'll cost you only $100 and give a family an endless supply of eggs, milk, and meat.

With some purchases, you do get a gift beyond what you are giving. For a $50 donation, you can get a blend of fair-trade coffee from Ethiopia, Sumatra, and Costa Rica, all held together in a bag handcrafted by African women. I'm in love with these ornaments that you get with a $150 donation. They are the cutest. For the littles in your family, you can get Veggie Tales League of Incredible Vegetables on DVD for a donation of $50. There are also gorgeous scarves, necklaces, and other accessories.

You can go here for the catalog. You can also follow World Vision on pinterest and facebook.

To thank me for sharing their catalog with you, World Vision sent me a copy of The League of Incredible Vegetables. They are also kindly giving one away to a lucky BBB reader. To enter, just fill out the rafflecopter form below. Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway Pin It

Best Children's Christmas Books

If you have a pinterest, I can guarantee that you've seen the book countdown idea going around. The premise is, you get 25 books about Christmas, then wrap them. You let your child pick out one book every night until Christmas Day. Well, being the book nerd that I am, I loved this idea. But I may have gone slightly overboard. I ended up with 45 books.... whoops. I was able to whittle it down, and only wrapped 32. The rest are books that are anthologies or books that are just too advanced for a two year old.

I've seen really cute ideas of wrapping the books in green wrapping paper and then displaying them like a tree. There are tons of other ideas, but I just wrapped them in random wrapping papers and put them inside a Christmas box.

Since we had 32 books, we were able to start our countdown today. Yay! I was probably more excited than CJ was.

CJ ended up choosing the Golden Book version of A Christmas Story. I was glad that he chose a book about the actual Christmas story first as opposed to a book about Santa.

Since I went cray-cray finding Christmas stories, I'm making it easier for you by listing them all here by age. I've got a great mix of new books and old classics. I have them in order of age level. The board books are at the beginning and the longer books are at the end. Enjoy!

What Is Christmas? - Cute little board book that explains what Christmas means in a way that little ones can grasp.
Arthur Decks the Hall - CJ loves Arthur, and he'll love that this has little flaps for him to lift up.
Backyardigans' Jingle Bell Christmas - I think this will be one of CJ's favorites this year.
Snowman's Christmas Surprise & Santa's Christmas Surprise - Two different board books that I found really cheap somewhere. CJ will like them though.
Mouse's First Christmas - Really cute and really simple story. The pictures tell the story with very short sentences below.
The Mitten - Not really a Christmas story, but a great one by Jan Brett about giving and family.
The First Night - A beautifully illustrated telling of the birth of Christ.
Counting Christmas - CJ loves Karen Katz' books, he is going to love this one. He already saw it before I wrapped it and freaked about it.
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies - Another one that isn't really about Christmas, but the illustrations show that it takes place at Christmastime.
Little Critter's Merry Christmas Mom and Dad - Little Critter is another one of CJ's favorites, so this should be a hit.
The Twelve Days of Christmas - Another one illustrated by Jan Brett, this is just the classic song in book form.
Countdown To Christmas - CJ got this last year but was too little for it. It has a page to read every day with a little story, a bible verse, and a very simple craft. I love it.
The Berenstain Bears Meet Santa Bear - This will be CJ's first Berenstein Bear book.
My Penguin Osbert - This story is so cute. A little boy has to be very specific with what he tells Santa he wants because Santa always gets it wrong. So he asks for a penguin from the Arctic.
The Snowy Day - This is one of my favorite children's books of all time. Not technically a Christmas book, but I'm including it because I love it, and it is Winter-themed.

I Spy Christmas: A Book of Picture Riddles - CJ loves these look and find books, so I snatched this up for a dollar at a thrift store.
Mooseltoe - I can't find this on amazon, but it is the story of a moose trying to figure out the meaning of Christmas. It is apparently part of a whole series.
Storybook Treasury for Christmas (Storybook Treasuries) - Contains The Night Before the Night Before Christmas; Wee Three Pigs; All About Christmas; The Nutcracker; Corduroy's Christmas Surprise; and The Little Engine That Could and the Snowy, Blowy Christmas. I'm just going to read Wee Three Pigs and All About Christmas. 
The Night Before Christmas - We have a couple versions of this, so I am going to use the most toddler- friendly edition this year.
The Christmas Story - The Little Golden Book version of the story of the birth of Christ.
The Polar Express - This is one of the new classics. CJ loves trains, so he'll love this.
An Irish Night Before Christmas - I had to get this when I saw it on paperbackswap, and I'm so glad I did. It is so funny. We are going to read it as a family on Christmas Eve. The donkey's name is actually my mother-in-law's maiden name. So funny.
When Santa Lost His Ho! Ho! Ho! - I don't know much about this one, but the illustrations looked cute.
The Littlest Christmas Elf - This was one of my favorites when I was a kid. I actually bought it when I was pregnant because I saw it at a thrift store for really cheap.
Mickey's Christmas Carol - The Little Golden Book edition of Mickey's Christmas Carol.

Noel - A Christmas ornament learns the meaning of Christmas.
Olive, the Other Reindeer - After hearing the song Rudolph, Oliver realizes that she plays a very important part in Christmas.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! - This obviously had to be included.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - The Little Golden Book edition. 
Nutcracker - Another Little Golden Book edition.
Snowmen at Christmas - I don't know much about this one either, except that the illustrations look awesome.
Frosty the Snowman - Yet another Little Golden Book.
One Little Christmas Tree: A Children's Christmas Picture Book - Review coming soon.
A Christmas Treasury: The Children's Classic Edition - Contains songs and stories for kids, includes The Night Before Christmas, A Merry Christmas, The Little Blue Dishes, and the Biblical text of the very first Christmas.
The Littlest Christmas Tree: A Tale of Growing and Becoming - I left this one out because it is just too complex for a two year old, but the pictures are great.
The Littlest Angel - Another great one that CJ is too young for, but he'll enjoy it someday.
A Little House Christmas: Holiday Stories From the Little House Books - I love these stories, so I'll be reading them to myself, but CJ is still too little for the Little House books.


So remember how I said that I went a little overboard on getting Christmas books? Well I ended up with a couple of repeats, so you are in luck. I'm going to give a couple of the extras away. It is a surprise though, on which ones you will get! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase, I get a small percentage of the profits. That money will be sent right back into the blog for awesome giveaways! 

Pin It