HO HO HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS 2021 by Jen Stein & The Giving Crew (Thank-you my dear friend Jen for allowing me to share your wonderful and thorough gift guide with my readers! Part 2 will publish tomorrow!)
What makes a hot gift for the holidays? It is the gift that the person wants. It is the gift that the giver can afford. It is something that will do exactly what it is supposed to and not break. It makes memories and brings joy. My testers and I have looked at many gifts and have tried to include a diverse grouping here. We were very cost conscious this year. So, while every gift on the list may not be for you, we hope that they inspire ideas and new options for our readership. There are many companies that are local and small businesses that could use your support this holiday season. Please note that all the products have been tested, vetted, and found to be innovative.
I recently read a story about Abraham Olagbegi, a 13-year-old boy who gave away his wish that Make A Wish wanted to give him to feed the needy in Mississippi, I saw the Christmas spirit alive and well. I contacted some of the companies on this list and asked them to give this bright light some happiness back. Within moments of the email going out, both BitOGenius and WowWee asked what they could send. For those that are reading this article with a heavy heart, know that the Christmas/Holiday spirit is out there and cannot be extinguished. Together, as a community, we have gone through much recently, but together, we can and will find light this season. That is a great gift.
Please remember: Prices below will vary depending on if you shop online or in stores. Shop around for the best prices. Be mindful of the age grades on toys for kids. They are there to protect little ones. Just Hope your regifting goes undetected this year!
Whatever you celebrate, may it be filled with fun, laughter, and love. Happy and HEALTHY holidays to all and to all an epic 2022!!!
Bold for Baby & Toddler 0-3
1)Little People Friends Together Play House 1+ Fisher-Price $39.99. This is the house that fun built with 3 Little People, accessories, and a big house. There are so many different opportunities to learn with this smart home. www.mattel.com
2)Count Along Basket and Scanner 2+ Leapfrog $29.99. Colors, Shapes, Numbers are all learned by playing pretend with this market toy. www.leapfrog.com
3)Musical Plush Bedtime CoComelon Bedtime JJ Doll 18 months Jazwares $19.97. Go to sleep with JJ to music! www.jazwares.com
4)Pop 2 Play 2 in 1 Kitchen and Nursery 2+ WowWee $35.99. Easy to assemble, sturdy for little ones to play with, and best of all, stores flat & takes up little space. www.wowwee.com
5)Choppin’ Fun Learning Pot 1+ Leap Frog $19.99. Pretend to make the family dinner with this educational pretend cooking set www.leapfrog.com
Bonus Great Green Option for Baby: Minnie Mouse Stacker Disney Baby 6m+ Green Toys™ $14.99. Made in the USA from 100% recycled Plastic, this Disney themed stacking toy is dishwasher safe, and contains no BPA, phthalates, or PVC. www.greentoys.com
Powerful Presents for Preschool 3-5
1)Tonies Starter Set 4+ $99. Record & store up to 90 minutes of audio on this storytelling, song, imagination unit that is amazing for little learners. www.us.tonies.com
2)Backyard Adventure 3+ $74.99. Magformers 61 pc intelligent magnetic construction set with light up flower that is 3D Brain training! www.magformers.com
3)Treasures Await Adventure Ship 3+ Lakeshore Learning $59.99. Let’s Play Pirate with this big boat that has accessories galore! www.lakeshorelearning.com
4)Brushalot 3+ Brushalot $42.99. The kit comes with a book, plush and night light. Together they help build long lasting positive dental habits. www.brushalot.com
5)Quadrilla Super Spirals 4+ Hape $93.99. Create your own marble runs and marble toys with this super STEM set that is part critical thinking and part creative imagination www.hape.com
Epic Elementary Gifts
1)Got2Glow Fairy Finder $35.99. WowWee Go hunting with your finder for virtual fantastic fairies. Feed your new friends, trade them, and collect them. www.wowwee.com
2)Numbers Blocks 5+ hand2mind $29.99. to start There are a number of purchasing options for this educational math set that is a great supplement for schoolwork or to teach for home school families. www.hand2mind.com
3)Spy Bots 6+ NSI $19.99 each plus S&H. Choose from 4 cybernetic security bots; T.R.I.P, Roboear, Spotbot, and Room Guardian. Each helps young spies get the mission accomplished and defend their position. www.getspybots.com
4)Interactive Galactic Snacking Yoda 4+ Hasbro $79. With over 40 sound and Motion combinations Baby Yoda is animatronic gold! www.hasbro.com
5)Smithsonian Planetarium Projector 8+ NSI $42.13. Learn about astronomy with this STEM toy that has over 50 different image combinations. A Rotating pattern of the Northern Sky is projected with 24 HD space images for visual learning. www.smithsonianstore.com
Very Amazing Vehicles
1)Marshall Transforming Paw Patrol Fire Truck 3+ Spin Master $44.97. Marshall’s truck has flashing lights and sounds. For exciting Paw Patrol play. www.spinmaster.com
2)Bluey’s Caravan Adventures 3+ Moose Toys $29.99. 12 pc transforming super interactive playset that includes Jean Luc. www.moosetoys.com
3)Pinxies Marvelous Mermaid Ship 6+ $39.99. LukiLab Super STEM authenticated ship building set that is almost 2ft long! www.lukilab.com
4)Hot Wheels Action Massive Loop Mayhem 5+ Mattel $54.99. This set is ginormous and will impress kids and kids at heart! Race your Hot Wheels for a wild ride! www.mattel.com
5)Rainbow High Color Change Car 6+ MGA Entertainment $49.99. Change the color of the car at the touch of a button. 2 Rainbow High fashion dolls fit in the colorful car. www.mga.com
Marvelous for Middle School
1)Batman Charaction Rubik’s Cube 8+ Bandai $17.45. Collect all the cool cubes and problem solve in a novel way. www.bandai.com
2)Ka-Blab! 10+ Hasbro $20.99. How many answers will you have to blurt out depends on the dice in this fast game. www.hasbro.com
3)ProjeX 6+ NSI $39.99. Blast targets projected on any light-colored wall. 5 Built in games and 3 skill levels to pick from. XCiting! www.projexgame.com
4)GibGab 8+Fat Brain Toys $24.99. This fast-paced game has you say a word that matches the category. It is easy to take on the go. www.fatbraintoys.com
5)Nintendo Switch OLED Model 8+ Nintendo $349.99. 64 GB of internal storage, 2 color options, 7-inch OLED screen, and the ability to play on the hand-held or on a TV games. This is not your mother’s Nintendo! www.nintendo.com
Tween/Teen DREAMS
1)Shashibo 8+ Fun In Motion Toys $24.99. Shape Shifting Cube that can be combined with other cubes that have over 70 different design possibilities to create per box www.funinmotiontoys.com
2)All Pro Passer 8+ NSI $49.99. Set comes with a football and a passer that tosses a perfect spiral every time! Practice for the big game or with friends. This is for the jock on your list or the kid that loves the game. www.allpropasser.com
3)Catan 10+ Catan Studio $55. The cult classic quest board game for 3-4 players where one trades, builds, and settles regions of the isle of Catan and their resources. The game is great for get togethers! www.catan.com
4)Keith Kid Deck by Hopps Skateboards $64. Made in Mexico and from 100% Canadian maple, this skateboard is a hot ride! Great graphics!! www.hoppsskateboards.com
5)Pop Under Pressure 14+ What Do You MeMe? $24.99. Don’t let the balloon pop or the game is going to stop in this fast-paced game www.whatdoyoumeme.com
All I WANT For Christmas is STEAM
1)Pixicade Digital Game Maker 6+ $19.88. (BitOGenius) Learn how to make your own video games on any white surface with this kit that comes with washable markers, 3 books, 2 QR codes, & stickers. It is as easy as Draw, Snap, and then Play to make over 1000 games! Games can be shared with your friends and in the arcade! They are nominated for a TOTY (Toy Of The Year)! www.pixicade.com
2)Paper Butterflies 7+ Crayola $12.97 .make 12 butterflies with this colorful paper STEAM kit. Learn about butterflies as you craft! www.crayola.com
3)Robo Max 7+ LukiLab $59.99. STEM Authenticated T-Rex set that stands over 3 ft tall with lights and sound. If you build this beast, he will play! www.lukilab.com
4)Artie Max 9+ Educational Insights $99.99. code and color with this bot that has lights and sound. With edge detection, the 3 markers will not go all over. www.educationalinsights.com
5)Hexmods Pro Series Elite Raceway 14+ Hexbug $89.99. 150+ piece playset with over 20 ft of track for the hobby grade RC to zoom down www.hexabugs.com
DECK THE HALLS WITH GAMES GALORE
1)Catan Jr 6+ Catan Studio $17.99. Be the 1st person to control 7 pirate hideouts and win this modified Catan game! www.catan.com
2)The Crew: The Quest For Planet Nine 10+ Thames & Kosmos $14.99. 3-5 players can play this strategy card game that needs teamwork to complete 50 different space missions www.thamesandkosmos.com
3)Tetris 8+ Buffalo Games $19.99. 2-4 players can explore the classic video game in board game fashion! www.buffalogames.com
4)Rhyme Antics Rhyme Antics $27.99. Hysterical rhyming vocab game that is inspired by hip hop. www.rhymeantics.com
5)5 Second Rule Disney Version 6+ PlayMonster $24.99. 300 Disney questions on 150 cards that has players in seconds answer fun Disney questions to win! www.playmonster.com
RUSH to PLUSH
1)Talking Bluey 3+ Moose $19.99. Plush Bluey says phrases and sings the theme song for comfort and good times. www.moosetoys.com
2)Blues Clues & You Check Up Time Blue 3+ Just Play $34.82. Blue needs to have an exam. Will your little one be the 1st doctor to examine Blue with the accessories included? www.justplayproducts.com
3)Cats vs Pickles Jumbos 4+ Cepia $19.99. Choose from a number of styles of these adorable plush that are over 8 inches big, colorful, and funny. www.catsvpickles.com
4) Ecokins Wolf Mini by Wild Republic 0+ $14.99. Wild Republic is making a promise to the planet by making eco-friendly plush from recycled materials, from fill to stitching! www.wildrepublic.com
5)Mixaroo™ 2+ Educational Insights $29.99. Mix and Match plush parts for a unique soft cuddly friend www.educationalinsights.com
BRIGHT Beautiful Books
1)The Bedtime Book by Todd Parr $17.99 This book will become a favorite bedtime read and Be Who You Are by Todd Parr Hachette Book Group $17.99 Be inspired to be just who you are! www.lb-kids.com
2)Rise Up Ordinary Kids with Extraordinary Stories By Amanda Li and illustrated by Amy Blackwell $16.99 Andrews McMeel Press 7+ Read about amazing young people and be inspired! www.andrewsmcmeel.com
3)Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead 17+ Published by Doubleday $28.95. This page turner is part heist, values, morality, with a healthy dose of Harlem of the 1960’s added in for fun. www.knopfdoubleday.com
4)From Staircase to Stage: The Story of Raekwon and Wu-Tang Clan by Raekwon with Anthony Bozza 14+ Published by Simon & Schuster $28.00. Native New Yorker and Hip-Hop honcho of Wu-Tang Clan fame tells his tale of poverty, perseverance, creative process, and prosperity. www.simonschuster.com
5) Meet Me In Madrid by Verity Lowell 17+ Published by Carina Press $14.99. Love at first flight type of romantic comedy dealing with the relationship journey of 2 wonderful women. www.carinapress.com
Dreaming of a Cool Christmas
1)The Joyful Book by Todd Parr $17.99 No matter what you celebrate, this book is about the joy of holiday, family, and faith. www.LBYR.com
2)Daily Delights 12 Cavity Mini Doughnut Pan by Wilton $11.59 Donuts are an essential part of Chanukah. Make them healthy by baking them!!! www.wilton.com
3)Pride Rainbow Love is Love Glass ornament by Kurt Adler $11.84 Bring LOVE into your holiday with this beautiful ornament. www.Kurtadler.com
4)Grace 3 Wick Candle by Love Notes Fragrances $50 Grace is infused with 5 fragrance blends to bring JOY to the world. www.lovenotesfragrances.com
5)Grand Christmas Gift Box With Wine by Harry and David $89 Almost 6 pounds of fruits and delicious treats to spread merry far and wide! www.harryanddavid.com
Some of these great items have already been up for giveaway on Mitch’s blog, check out the great list of current giveaway contests here!
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