I would like to personally thank all the wonderful companies that donated Christmas gifts to my 2009 Christmas Gift Guide. You have helped me brighten a lot of people’s lives this holiday season. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Below are the amazing companies:

For nearly 100 years, Hallmark Cards, Inc. has helped people connect with one another and give voice to their feelings. Our employees are personally passionate about caring, creativity, quality and innovation, values that have guided us from the start and remain at our core.

These are just some of  the great holiday gift ideas that Hallmark has…

2009 Christmas Recordable Card with Music – Each Hallmark Recordable Card with Music allows the sender to record a 10-second voice message directly into the card. When opened, the recipient will hear the familiar voice of the sender, followed by a 30-second clip of a classic pre-recorded Christmas song.

Cover: Guess who hopes your Christmas is as merry as can be?
Inside: It’s me!
Music: “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”

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2009 Christmas DVD Greeting Card – Heart

Hallmark DVD Greetings are an interactive new approach to the holiday newsletter. Each Hallmark DVD Greeting hosts a template that can be edited and customized with personal photos, burned to the included DVD, and sent with the coordinating greeting card (also included).

Cover: From our hearts to yours…

Inside: Have a wonderful Christmas.

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Digital Scrapbook – Holiday Digital Memory Keeping

Hallmark’s Digital Scrapbooks incorporate multimedia enhancements including music, photos and text with personal photos.  It’s an easy way to personalize and share special holiday memories.

Consumers can select a background, sentiments and music to coordinate with their favorite photos — creating their own digital scrapbook — which can then be displayed on a digital photo frame, computer screen, television, or anywhere else you can plug in a USB drive.

The Digital Scrapbook collection also features friend, family, love, and baby themes.

Check out your local Hallmark store for these gifts and many more for everyone on your Christmas list.

It seems like every company has these amazing stories about how they got started doing what they do, like, “I was on a trip to south America and saw some shoes and thought, I’m going to start a business selling these shoes in America!” or “I was skiing down the Alps and realized my feet were cold so I started feetwarmers.com!”

So we tried coming up with a story so amazing, so jawdropping, that at very thought of it people would start crying uncontrollably in the streets. But after multiple sheets of crumpled paper and countless arguments on which African country we were skydiving into when we got this idea, we realized, why not just say how it actually happened:

Read the rest of this story here.

Lotus Prayer Pose Organic TShirt

This is an awesome pose by itself, but when done outside on a sunny day, it makes you feel as though you are reaching into the sun. That’s the idea behind this design. The sun is an extension of the pose and vise versa. Now if it would just stop raining outside!

Can be found for Men or Women at TheNakedHippie.com for $19.00

This is just one of the amazing designs that you can find on The Naked Hippie. The shirts are comfortable and breathable and have a great fit. T-Shirts are made of 100% fine combed organic cotton, this lightweight fine jersey is exceptionally smooth and tight-knit, making it just as opaque as much heavier fabric. Environmentally safe and friendly pre-washed organic cotton is manufactured under strict conditions, resulting in a pesticide, herbicide, and chemical-free product. Since the t-shirts are pre-washed minimal shrinking occurs.

I recommend checking out The Naked Hippie for gifts for those on your Christmas list this year.

Oceana, founded in 2001, is the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation. Our offices in North America, South America and Europe work together on a limited number of strategic, directed campaigns to achieve measurable outcomes that will help return our oceans to former levels of abundance. We believe in the importance of science in identifying problems and solutions. Our scientists work closely with our teams of economists, lawyers and advocates to achieve tangible results for the oceans.

At this time of year what better gift to give than adoption? Your symbolic adoption in honor of one of Oceana’s favorite ocean creatures, allows them to carry out their important work to protect the oceans from overfishing, habitat destruction and pollution. This gift is full of love, and one that I was excited to be able to give to a special person in my life, my 10 year old daughter, who at her young age has already taken a liking to the animals of our oceans and is very concerned with the animals and their safety.

Oceana’s Adopt a Creature set offers online shoppers up to 6 sea creature cookie cutters and 4 sea creature plush toys they can virtually adopt in someone else’s name. Gift recipients receive an adoption certificate, creature facts and a sugar cookie recipe with the cookie cutters. You can view all creature options at http://www.oceana.org/adopt.

Donation levels

• $35: cookie cutter, recipe card and personalized adoption certificate
• $50: plush creature and personalized adoption certificate
• $75: cookie cutter, recipe card, framed adoption certificate and an additional gift from Oceana or a plush creature and framed adoption certificate
• $100: complete set of cookie cutters, framed adoption certificate and an additional gift from Oceana
• $150: complete set of plush creatures and framed adoption certificate

I think this would make a great Christmas gift for just about anyone on your Christmas list this year. And while you bring a smile to someone you can also help with ocean conservation.

ID Me Labels, is home of the Binky/Bib Button, ID Me Photo Labels, and one of the fastest turnarounds in the industry (24- to 48-hours!); the very things that distinguish us from all other label companies! ID Me Labels are specially laminated so they’re UVA-resistant, microwave- and dishwasher-safe, and highly durable. Our research proves that millions of childrens’ untagged personal items end up lost or in the lost-and-found departments of daycare facilities, schools, camps, and swim schools annually. And with a relatively small investment in ID Me Labels, most loss can be prevented. ID Me Labels are perfect on baby bottles, backpacks, bibs, binkies, bowls, cameras, CDs, DVDs, clothing, craft supplies, cell phones, luggage, eyeglasses, lunch boxes, school supplies, sporting goods, toys, toothbrushes, pencil boxes, water bottles, and the list goes endlessly.

Water-Resistant All Purpose Icon Labels

All of ID Me Labels are specially designed to be dishwasher and microwave safe and built to last the lifetime of your child’s bottles, sippy-cups, binkies, bowls, lunch containers, backbacks, bibs, and more. Make sure all of your child’s belongings return home with them from daycare and school with ID Me All Purpose Icon Labels.

All ID ME All-Purpose Icon Labels are UVA resistant, microwave- and dishwasher-safe.

Can be found at IDMeLabels.com for $19.99.

My Thoughts

Having labels for my toddlers things has helped me keep track of her stuff. I used to lose sippy cups, spoons, bags and more because they were never labeled. One of the things I noticed right away was the selection choices were wonderful. You can choose from 10 different fonts, 9 colors, 4 shapes and a whole bunch of little icons. My daughter picked her name with the watermelon character and they came out so cute that she stuck them on all her things. Now I can find which spoon is hers and where her sippy cup is, and what is more I have had her lost things returned to me because they had her label on them. Having them be microwave and dishwasher safe is a huge plus too. ID Me Labels has a large choice of labels like Daycare Labels, School Labels, Clothing Labels, Child Safety Labels, Household labels and so much more. I recommend ID Me Labels to everyone this holiday season.

And I am happy to bring you a giveaway donated by ID Me Labels for the Christmas Gift Guide. Below is what you will receive:

Set of All Purpose Icon Labels
Set Of Stick On Clothing Labels
2 Bag Tags
Value at $50.00

Please see rules below to enter today.

Giveaway

• MAIN RULE – Go to ID Me Labels and find which label you could use the most and come back and tell me in comments which one it is. (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Add my Christmas button to your site and let me know you did in a separate comment (code is at the top of blog)
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in subscribe section on the right sidebar) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste – Merry Christmas! @Jentifa is giving away an ID Me Label Gift Pack! Check it out here http://bit.ly/4YfNxm. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.
• 1 Extra Entry – Join ID Me Labels on their Facebook Page and come back and tell me in comments that you have.
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog.

This giveaway will run through midnight on December 19, with winner being announced the morning of December 20. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Xanta Claus is a hilariously funny, fresh story guaranteed to brighten your holiday season. David Kringle realizes his destiny is to start his own fairy tale, Xanta Claus, which starts where his brother’s ends. The new fairy tale is an extension of the family business, but is different in every way! David is a slender, handsome man with a quick wit and a certain charisma with the ladies. He is hopeful he will find the one, even after searching for over a thousand years! He believes it can still happen since his brother found Claire and he is as big as a house!

David had found a niche in life as an author writing about the family business with titles such as “Elves Gone Wild”, “One Reindeer You Don’t Want to Pet”, “What Happens at the North Pole Stays at the North Pole” and others. Despite these less than flattering views of the North Pole, Kris and Claire supported David in all his endeavors – that doesn’t mean there isn’t restitution! The Council of Fairy Tales approves the Xanta Claus charter for a one year provisional trial. Immediately the race is on to prove the new South Pole based fairy tale can make a difference in the world. The success of Xanta Claus relies on the edgy elves appointed by the Elf Union, a rookie reindeer team and their strict trainer, an inexperienced head elf, a cantankerous plant foreman and the rest of a colorful, hilarious cast of characters. Their journey is sure to become part of your holiday season for years to come.

Don Keeler was born and raised in rural Missouri where his family still resides today. Christmas for the Keeler’s has always been a special, and interesting, time of year. These experiences were the inspiration for the creation of Xanta Claus.

This book is perfect for this time of year! I read it from front to back in less than 5 days as I was hooked on the journey that everyone takes through this fun, loving story. I laughed out loud on a few parts and really enjoyed it. I found myself reading sections aloud to my husband and he liked it too. And what’s more was that because I was reading this enjoyable book I was able to spend some time laughing with my husband something that always brightens my mood and at this time gets me in the holiday spirit. I loved this witty book and recommend it for everyone reading lists this Christmas.

From the Inscribe-It website
Our trade publishing partners use SharedBook to provide consumers with the opportunity to make their favorite books even more valuable and special through the addition of personalized pages. These custom creations maintain the artistic and creative integrity of the underlying work while allowing the reader’s affinity for the work to increase with the new version, an on-demand one-of-a-kind rarity. One example: the addition of a personalized dedication page to the Golden Books classic Poky Little Puppy in our store devoted to personalized titles for children.

I love this company and was so thrilled with the outcome of my gift I was able to get my daughter earlier this year. Please see my previous complete review here.

For the Christmas Gift Guide Giveaway Inscribe-It.com has donated a gift coupon for $19.99. Please see rules below to enter today, giveaway is only until December 14 so get your entries in early.

Giveaway

• MAIN RULE – Go to Inscribe-it.com and choose a book that you would like to dedicate and come back and tell me in comments what it is and for what occasion you would like it to be for. (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Add my Christmas button to your site and let me know you did in a separate comment (code is at the top of blog)
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in subscribe section on the right sidebar) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste – Merry Christmas! @Jentifa is giving away an Inscribe-It.com Gift Code! Check it out here http://bit.ly/8bXJKG. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog.

This giveaway will run through midnight on December 14, with winner being announced the morning of December 15. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

I love the Wrapadoo so much that I wanted to host another giveaway for it and the wonderful creator, Cynthia Saito was on board! This is such a great, unique and handy product to have on hand for you or your daughters or granddaughters. I really recommend Wrapadoo to everyone!!!

Please see previous review here.

To enter to win your choice of a girls Wrapadoo please see rules below to enter today!

Giveaway

• MAIN RULE – Go here and tell me which girls Wrapadoo you would like to receive if you are the winner. (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Add my Christmas button to your site and let me know you did in a separate comment (code is at the top of blog)
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in subscribe section on the right sidebar) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste – Merry Christmas! @Jentifa is giving away a fabulous girls @Wrapadoo! Check it out here http://bit.ly/7p39cM. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog.

This giveaway will run through midnight on December 18, with winner being announced the morning of December 19. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

How-to books from Klutz come packaged with the tools of their trade (from juggling cubes to face paints to yo-yos), and are designed for doing, not just reading. “We think people learn best through their hands, nose, feet, mouth and ears. Then their eyes. So we design multi-sensory books,” John Cassidy, the English major says. The appeal of this hands-on approach is borne out by sales figures; Klutz is a fixture on U.S. book and toy bestseller lists, and is available in 24 countries around the world.

To read the rest of their interesting history please click here.

Draw Star Wars®: The Clone Wars™ is packed with tips and techniques, practice space to draw right in the book, and translucent overlays to make you a master of drawing. Start with stick figures, move onto basic shapes, and finish up with the details. Learn to draw 20 different Clone Wars characters. The book comes with everything you need, including a black marker, double-tipped metallic — colored pencils, and an always-sharp mechanical pencil. Of course, we also include perhaps the most essential tool for any artist… an eraser. Because sometimes even a Jedi Master could use a do-over.

My Thoughts

My son absolutely loved getting this review handed to him. He is a fan of Star Wars and is a great at drawing. But the reason why I love this book is because I love watching him while he is drawing, his concentration and intensity, and then that changes to joy and almost a childish feature of being excited to show his work to us, like when he was young. His Yoda is awesome and he has worked his way through this book with such happiness. I love that it has taught him how to draw his favorite characters from The Clone Wars and given me a little memory of his youth.

The wonderful people at KLUTZ have donated 5 of the Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars books to The Dirty Shirt’s Christmas Gift Guide which means there are 5 chances to win this for someone on your gift list. See rules below to enter today.

Giveaway

• MAIN RULE – Go to the KLUTZ Gift Center and find another book you think your kids will like and come back and tell me which you chose. (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Add my Christmas button to your site and let me know you did in a separate comment (code is at the top of blog)
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in subscribe section on the right sidebar) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste – Merry Christmas @Jentifa is giving away Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars! 5 Winners! Check it out here http://bit.ly/5HfMgh. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog.

This giveaway will run through midnight on December 18, with winner being announced the morning of December 19. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

With a history of over 40 years, Playmates Toys is among the most well respected and innovative marketing and distribution companies in the global toy industry with a proven heritage in both the creation of original and imaginative products as well as the development and management of profitable, long-term brand franchises.

Sam’s Remote -  For fans of the show, this is the ultimate Christmas gift! Just like Sam’s actual remote on the show, Sam’s Remote comes pre-loaded with the same sounds featured on iCarly – Applause, Booing, Random Dancing, and hilarious, random sounds! – so kids can imagine themselves on set with Carly, Sam, and Freddie!

My Thoughts

My tween was so excited when I told her about the opportunity to review Sam’s Remote. She loves making her own recorded shows with her friends and the remote has helped her with them. She used to hold her hands up over her mouth and shout and cheer like there was a large audience now with the push of a button there sounds like there is an audience. Funny thing is she will walk around the house with it sometimes and push the BOO button to boo her brother and the applause button when her little sister accomplishes something, like her potty training. It’s gotten to where my toddler goes on the potty just so she can hear the applause, which is an added bonus!

Any fan of iCarly would love to receive this in their stocking this holiday season. Can be found at Amazon.com for $16.89.