Company: Hershey’s
Item Reviewed: Hershey’s Prize Pack
Item Given Away: Hershey’s Prize pack
Start Date: December 12
End Date: December 17

Whether you’re looking for the perfect stocking stuffer or a sweet treat to fill your candy dish, Hershey’s holiday collection has a variety of items sure to top every wish list this season. Every single year my family gets the delicious taste of Hershey’s when I (I mean Santa) fills their stocking with an assortment of Hershey’s chocolate. This year will be no different! You can even visit CelebratewithHersheys.com for quick and easy festive crafts to make with the kids, holiday décor ideas, gift tags, cards and photo options. I can taste the chocolate already…oh wait, I am eating Hershey’s KISSES right now

Now, I have a yummy giveaway for one lucky Dirty t Shirt reader. But because the holidays are right around the corner this will be a quick one, so if you would like the chance to win the prize pack listed below, see rules and enter right away! Good luck!

Prize pack includes:

• Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Creme Santa
• Hershey’s Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate Bells
• Hershey’s Miniatures Assortment
• Rolo Holiday Candies
• 1.45oz Hershey’s Kisses – Santa Hat

Rules

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SeaWorld knows how to do Christmas. I have had the wonderful opportunity to see it first hand and while I am not in Florida at the moment I was able to send my sister, Melanie who is my Orlando Correspondent while I am away, this year and she and her family had a lot of fun. I am going to share her story and her photos with you all and highly suggest you get to SeaWorld to check out the wonderful shows, amazing decorations and Santa Claus!

Melanie’s Thoughts

We really enjoyed our time at SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration. First we posed for photos in front of the giant Christmas tree at the entrance which truly got us in the Christmas mood. We then headed to Santa’s Fireside Feast at the Seafire Grill, and I must say it felt like we stepped right into Santa’s house at the North Pole. Mrs. Claus was there too with some elves and as we ate they all shared the story of The Night Before Christmas. The food was wonderful and there was a lot of it too. My husband and I were most impressed with Chef Hector and how he and his staff went out of there to make our son a special Christmas meal he could eat. Our son is on the GF/CF diet and chef Hector made him a special plate of food and brought it out to us personally. Very impressive. (I, Jennifer, have to add something here. I was super impressed when Melanie told me that this happened. I knew of my nephew’s diet and didn’t even think to ask for special arrangements. That Chef Hector went out of his way to do so means so much to me!)

After the wonderful food we headed over to a meet and greet with some of SeaWorld’s animals. The kids loved feeding the Macaw and Sloth. After some pictures we decided to head over to the Polar Express and let me tell you what an experience that was. We rode the Polar Express into the North Pole and meet up with the man himself, Santa Claus. Photo op for the kids, and we could actually smell chocolate in the air, great to get the Holiday spirit going. It was amazing. Finally we stopped and saw the new show “O Wondrous Night”, very well done show, full of music, dancing, and storytelling, which included live animals. The kids were so excited. From the beautiful decorations all over the park to the amazing staff, we were in love with SeaWord’s Christmas Celebration and will definitely be going again next year!

SeaWorld provided my sister’s family with tickets into the park to experience the Christmas Celebration firsthand.

SeaWolrd’s Christmas Celebration

Discover the power of a simple gift!

Laura Carrot’s Christmas stocking might be empty this year because her dad is in danger of losing his job. While Larry thinks a letter to the North Pole should fix the problem, Bob knows what will really help…and tells the story of a little boy named Nicholas who made a discovery in Bethlehem that changed Christmas forever. But what did Nick learn and how can it possibly help Laura and her family? Find out as the Veggies discover the true joy of giving to others – at Christmas time and throughout the year!

Family Fun Bonus Features:

• Give This Christmas Away – Music Video
• Behind the Scenes
• Art Gallery
• Audio Commentary
• Sing Along with Larry (My Family’s Favorite!)
• Discussion Guide
• Family Activity

Nothing makes me happier than teaching my children that giving is better than receiving, at Christmas time and all year long! Anytime there is a show that they can watch to strengthen that lesson I have them watch it. Veggie Tales is very high on that list as they are always teaching very important lessons and my kids love them. In an ongoing tradition at Christmas time I love reminding them that it’s not all about what you get, a fact that as kids they sometimes forget.

Saint Nicholas is a great family show to watch and for me and my family the Veggie Tales are fun to watch and definitely strong at teaching children life’s little lessons. I highly recommend adding this DVD to your family’s collection today.

And here’s another great reason, in the spirit of the giving holiday, to get Saint Nicholas today. If you purchase the Saint Nicholas DVD you will receive a FREE VeggieTales DVD to give to a friend in need! Through this offer inside the DVD, consumers can log onto a special website and select the free VeggieTales DVD they would like to send to a friend with only $2.99 shipping and handling.

Big Idea partners with Operation Christmas Child
‘Tis better to give than receive! This fall, Big Idea has teamed up with Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, to help collect gifts for needy children throughout the world. More than 65,000 churches across the country will hold shoe-box gift collection events. Church leaders have the opportunity to hold a screening of Saint Nicholas where kids and families will be encouraged to “share the spirit of giving” by donating shoe-box gifts.

This post was written for Family Review Network as part of a program for Big Idea, who supplied the DVD for review.

From the start of December, to Christmas Eve night, one chapter an evening, Wrapped up with delight.

Enter the magical festive world of the Christmas “Tree-Dwellers”, as Larry, a Christmas snowman, wakes up after a long sleep in the Christmas box, to find his brother missing.

Desperate to find him before Christmas, Larry, along with his girlfriend Debbie, a newcomer Splint, and Larry’s companion Tinsel, break the laws of the “Tree-Elders” and escape down the tree an away into the house, to look for clues.

Away from the safety of the tree and in an unfamiliar world, the Dwellers stumble upon a dark and sinister secret that threatens their entire world. Can Larry and the group make it back to the tree in time to warn the others, and finally uncover the truth behind the “Secrets of a Christmas Box”?

Steven Hornby is a multi award winning animator, bringing stories to life for over 15 years in visual effects and animated movies. Born in Preston, England, he attended Lancaster University for Design Communication for 3 years, which although had nothing to do with animation or telling wonderful stories, introduced him to the world of computer graphics.

In 2000, after working on a set of commercials in Europe and Australasia, and his own short film, “Zzz Night”, he joined the animation crew on the Academy Award winning “The Lord of the Rings” films in New Zealand, which is where he received a VES Award for his animation on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional character, Gollum.

Since then, he has been busy as a lead animator on “I, Robot” (2004), “King Kong” (2005), Disney’s “Meet the Robinson’s” (2007) and “Glago’s Guest” (2008), and more recently Dreamworks’s “Kung Fu Panda” (2008) and “How to Train Your Dragon” (In Theaters 2010).

This brings us nicely to the present, where after 3 years of writing, he has just completed the children’s fantasy novel, “Secrets of a Christmas Box” to be released in September 2009. He initially planned the book as a screenplay, after spending several years having the story running around in his head, but instead turned it into his first children’s novel.

Aside from the busy hours at Dreamworks Animation, he has already begun work on the sequel to the Christmas novel, and also a new fantasy adventure, “The Mist Catchers”.

He currently lives in Burbank, California, with his wonderful family.

~~~~~~~~~~

This book is a pure delight, and one that seemed to reach deep within me and pull my childhood out as I was captured by the great characters and their quest to save their world. As I was going through chapter by chapter I realized just how much my children would love this story, so I will be taking the advice of the author and at the start of December start reading a chapter a night. I am so excited to bring this particular story to them as the Christmas season is my favorite and is the only season that truly make me feel like a kid again, and this book helps me hold on to that.

I am very happy to be able to host this particular giveaway, as I would love to be able to help one of my readers to feel like a kid again even if for only a moment. I would highly recommend you reading this to your children too as I will be in December. I love books and reading and this is one amazing journey to share. So if you would like to win a Special Edition “Secrets of a Christmas Box” prize package (as shown below) please see the rules to enter today!

Special Edition Prize Package includes: •A specially numbered, signed copy of the book •A set of limited edition stickers •’Secrets of a Christmas Box’ balloons •’Secrets of a Christmas Box’ postcards •’Secrets of a Christmas Box’ pencils

Giveaway

• MAIN RULE – Tell me in comments what your fondest Christmas memory 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 – Favorite The Dirty Shirt in Technorati and leave your name (I will be checking) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in subscribe section on on the right sidebar) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste – @Jentifa is giving away a Secrets of a Christmas Box Special Edition Prize Pack! Check it out here http://tinyurl.com/l9twww. 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 – Fan Secrets of a Christmas Box on Facebook.
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog.

This giveaway will run through midnight on September 14, with winner being announced the morning of September 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 am so excited about this and I hope you will be too. I would love to invite all my readers to take a trip down memory lane with me this holiday season. Please tune in to Turner Classic Movies as they conjure up some pure movie magic this December with the debut airing of TCM Presents: The Family Classics.

The festivities will include Sunday movie showcases featuring more than 25 Disney live-action classics, plus an all-new original documentary entitled THE AGE OF BELIEVING:  THE DISNEY LIVE-ACTION CLASSICS, narrated by Tony® winner and three-time Oscar® nominee Angela Lansbury.

TCM PRESENTS: THE FAMILY CLASSICS premieres Sunday, December 7 at noon and continues each Sunday in December, featuring such films as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Freaky Friday (1976), The Parent Trap (1961), The Love Bug (1968), Treasure Island (1950), The Shaggy Dog (1959) and Swiss Family Robinson (1960), as well as Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), which stars Lansbury.

THE AGE OF BELIEVING:  THE DISNEY LIVE-ACTION CLASSICS, which comes to TCM from FitzFilm, Inc. and writer/producer/director Peter Fitzgerald, will follow the studio’s history as it ventured beyond its animation legacy to develop non-animated family fare.  It premieres at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14.

Below is the complete schedule of shows and times. Please join me in reliving your childhood through the magic of Disney and TCM Presents! Also you have to check out this wonderful link!!!!! What fun!!!

TCM PRESENTS: THE FAMILY CLASSICS:
Sun., Dec 7

• Noon – Treasure Island (1950) – starring Robert Newton and Bobby Driscoll
• 1:45 p.m. – Swiss Family Robinson (1960) – starring John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, Sessue Hayakawa and Tommy Kirk
• 4 p.m. – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) – starring Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre
• 6:15 p.m. – Old Yeller (1958) – starring Tommy Kirk, Dorothy McGuire and Fess Parker
• 8 p.m. – The Parent Trap (1961) – starring Hayley Mills, Maureen O’Hara and Brian Keith
• 10:15 p.m. – Pollyanna (1960) – starring Hayley Mills, Jane Wyman, Karl Malden, Adolphe Menjou and Agnes Moorehead
• 12:30 a.m. – The Barefoot Executive (1971) – starring Kurt Russell, Harry Morgan, Wally Cox and John Ritter

Sunday, Dec. 14

• Noon – The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1970) – starring Kurt Russell and Cesar Romero
• 1:45 p.m. – The Strongest Man in the World (1975) – starring Kurt Russell, Cesar Romero and Dick Van Patten
• 3:30 p.m. – The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) – starring Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olson and Tommy Kirk
• 5:15 p.m. – Son of Flubber (1963) – starring Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn, Tommy Kirk and Ed Wynn
• 7 p.m. – THE AGE OF BELIEVING:  THE DISNEY LIVE-ACTION CLASSICS – narrated by Angela Lansbury
• 8:30 p.m. – The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975) – starring Tim Conway, Don Knotts, Bill Bixby and Susan Clark
• 10:15 p.m. – The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979) – starring Tim Conway, Don Knotts, Tim Matheson, Kenneth Mars and Jack Elam

Sunday, Dec. 21

• Noon – The Black Hole (1979) – starring Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster and Ernest Borgnine
• 2 p.m. – Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) – starring Eddie Albert, Kim Richards, Ike Eisenmann and Donald Pleasance
• 4 p.m. – Return from Witch Mountain (1978) – starring Bette Davis, Christopher Lee, Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann
• 6 p.m. – Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) – starring Angela Lansbury, David Tomlinson and Roddy McDowall
• 8 p.m. – Candleshoe (1977) – starring Jodie Foster, David Niven and Helen Hayes
• 10 p.m. – Freaky Friday (1976) – starring Jodie Foster, Barbara Harris and John Astin
• 11:45 p.m. – THE AGE OF BELIEVING:  THE DISNEY LIVE-ACTION CLASSICS (encore)

Sunday, Dec. 28

• Noon – The Shaggy Dog (1959) – starring Fred MacMurray, Jean Hagen and Tommy Kirk.
• 2 p.m. – The Shaggy D.A. (1976) – starring Dean Jones, Tim Conway and Suzanne Pleshette.
• 4 p.m. – The Love Bug (1968) – starring Dean Jones, Michelle Lee and Buddy Hackett.
• 6 p.m. – Herbie Rides Again (1974) – starring Helen Hayes, Ken Berry and Stefanie Powers.
• 8 p.m. – Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977) – starring Dean Jones and Don Knotts.
• 9:45 p.m. – Herbie Goes Bananas (1980) – starring Cloris Leachman and Harvey Korman.
• 11:30 p.m. – The World’s Greatest Athlete (1973) – starring Tim Conway, Jan Michael Vincent, John Amos and Nancy Walker

We love Sesame Street here at our house and the latest DVD, Elmo’s Christmas Countdown just adds to the greatness of it all. My toddler loves Elmo & Abby (and she is super pleased that that Abby has her name) and even my two older kids like to stop what they are doing and join in on watching. They did for this show.

Can Elmo and Abby Save Christmas?

There’s a miracle on Sesame Street in this special holiday tale. Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and their new friend Stiller the Elf (voiced by Ben Stiller) are going to count down to Christmas with the Christmas Counter-Downer. But all the counting boxes have gone missing and Christmas may never come again!

Can Elmo, Abby and Stiller the Elf save Christmas? With the help of very special guests Sheryl Crow, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley, Ty Pennington, Steve Schirripa, Tony Sirico and Kevin James (as Santa Claus), Elmo and  friends will learn to believe in Christmas miracles.

There is something about Sesame Street that brings families together. For me it brings me back to my youth, in simpler times, and it is a great way to be able to spend quality time with the kids. And the plus is that I too enjoy taking time out to watch Sesame Street. This show is a great show with a very special meaning, and it is funny to boot. I recommend watching with your children today and share in the miracle.

When I was approached to review a Christmas wreath from Grandma D’s Tree & Wreath Farm I was so excited. I miss the real trees and wreaths we had when I was younger. I wanted to instill this in my family as a new tradition and what better way to start than with a wreath from Grandma D’s. Enjoy a fresh, NW Holiday Wreath made from Evergreens!

When my wreath arrived I could immediately smell that wonderful smell of what is to me, Christmas. This wreath is one of the most full and beautiful wreaths I have ever seen. Have I said how good it smelled yet? This family owned business sells beautiful Evergreen wreaths, center pieces, and trees. And they are the perfect way to get in the holiday spirit.

At Grandma D’s Tree & Wreath Farm we produce the finest tree’s, wreaths, centerpieces, candy canes, and coffee mugs to fulfill all your holiday decorating and gift giving needs. As fifth generation family owners we take pride in our products and services.

Whether you are interested in a single product or several hundred we offer the freshest and finest products in our industry. If you are looking to raise money for your group or school we have a solution for you. Our goal is to provide our customers with superior customer service and the finest products available.

Grandma D’s Tree and Wreath Farm is located in the Silverton Hills southeast of Salem, Oregon, adjacent to Silver Falls State Park near Silverton, Oregon.

In the early 1920′s, the De Santis family began purchasing farm land.

This land was first used to plant and harvest strawberries. By the 1960′s, the strawberry crops were phased out, while Noble and Douglas Christmas Trees were gradually planted. By 1990, the Rutherford family, descendants of the De Santis family, managed the tree farm. This family-owned business sells beautiful noble fir wreaths, centerpieces, and trees.

Today, as you take the scenic drive to Silver Falls State Park, no longer will you see the strawberry fields of yesteryear. Instead, you will see the even more picturesque Christmas Trees that outline the landscape.

I wanted to keep my wreath indoors because I can’t get enough of the fragrance of it. It was the centerpiece of conversation at Thanksgiving and I have received so many compliments on it.

If you would like one of these beautiful wreaths or one of their other products please go to Grandma D’s Tree and Wreath Farm today! They make great Christmas gifts for everyone! You can use code W0834 for free UPS ground shipping in the USA. These wreaths are so beautiful you will love having one for your holiday decorations this year and every year!

For my second Christmas Giveaway I am happy to say I will turn you to chocolate. You are going to love this!!

If you are like me you love chocolate!! And because I love chocolate I jumped at the chance to try out the new Turtle Chex Mix Bars. And let me tell you I was in HEAVEN!!! The bars have a mixture of crunchy Chex pieces, pretzels, peanuts and chocolate and caramel. Heaven I tell ya. And thats not even the best part!! Each bar is less than 150 calories. Sweet. That they are.

My “Basket of Indulgence” contained other chocolate goodies like:

• Chocolate Candles
• Caramel Lotion (which smells so good!)
• A Loofah
• A Hand Massager
• A Nail Brush
• A Spa Towel

So, I hope you can see exactly why I was in heaven! And guess what??? I will be able to offer 3, YES 3 of my readers a chance to experience the heavenly taste of these Turtle Chex Bars which come with your very own Basket of Indulgence. Rules are as follows:

• MAIN RULE – Tell me your favorite chocolate treat (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 – Place my Christmas Giveaway button on your side bar and leave a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Stumble this post and leave your Stumble name (I will be checking) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Favorite The Dirty Shirt in Technorati and leave your name (I will be checking) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button on the top left sidebar) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog

This Christmas Giveaway will run through the month of November ending at midnight on November 30th. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and submitted to PRIZEYWinners as well as notified via email the first week of December. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Hey there, just wanted to remind everyone that The Dirty Shirt’s Christmas Giveaway starts tomorrow so don’t forget to check back.

Here is how it will work. Starting November 1 I will be posting a product review and giveaway a day for the first two weeks. NOW this may run longer you will just have to keep coming back to see! All giveaways will run the entire month of November and winners will be announced the first week in December so you can get your prizes before Christmas.

Because this will be alot to keep track of I will be throwing out all submissions that do not comply with the MAIN way to enter. The MAIN way is a must, all others are optional for more chances to win. The optional will include things like: Adding button (Christmas Giveaway one) to sidebar, Stumble blog, RSS sign up, email subscription, Fav in Technorati, Follow me on Twitter, things like that.

So I hope you are as excited as I am. I have some great products geared up and ready to go. Good luck

So yeah, while surfing around my favorite websites for tech stuff I happened across the most beautiful (can you say that about cameras?) camera, the camera of my dreams. I fell in love instantly and the more I read about it the deeper that love went. I would like to introduce you to my new love (shhh, don’t tell the hubby) the wonderful Sony Gray Cyber-Shot T700 Digital Camera

Isn’t it amazing? I mean seriously look how sleek it is and so nice. Gah!!! I have to have this! See recently my camera (won’t name names and point fingers) crapped out on me. It has been going downhill fast and funny thing is it isn’t even a year old. That’s what I get for not buying from my favorite company. And with a baby that is ever changing I need a good dependable camera to capture those moments before they are gone.

Here are just a few of the specifics on this beauty:

• Portable Photo Album
• Smile Shutter Technology
• Face Detection Technology
• Double Anti-Blur Solution
• Intelligent Scene Recognition
• In Camera Retouch
• Image Management

And so much more!!!! I am so impressed with this I can’t even tell you. So, Santa, if you are listening, or should I say reading this, I have been a REALLY good girl this year, and this wonderful camera is at the top of my list.