The Most Festive US Cities for Christmas Celebrations

Christmas, a necessary break from the normal and the mundane, a time when people remember the spirit of giving, and when magic truly seems real. Some cities go above and beyond every holiday season, creating festive Christmas celebrations that are truly memorable.

New York City has always prided itself on being one of the biggest, brightest, most bustling cities in the US, and Christmas time in the Big Apple is no different. The city is one of the most attractive shopping destinations in the country, bringing in scores of shoppers every year to trot down the snowy streets just before the holidays. The iconic Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is part of one of the most impressive holiday displays around, and the city’s other lovely parks all have their own fantastic tree lighting ceremonies. Christmas is always just around the corner in New York.

We all know, of course, that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, but did you know that he’s also an American? The Alaska town of North Pole, right in the center of the US’s largest and snowiest state, is a true winter wonderland–a place where Christmas never ends. Come and admire the whimsical decorations, and be sure to stop by the Santa Claus house and see the North Pole workshop we’ve all dreamed about since young times.
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Furby and K-Mart’s Fab 15

There is a new toy in town, one that looks very familiar to many of us. The Furby, but the newest generation of Furby is more interactive, more digital, and talks quite a bit more. Furby is the original robotic pet, first introduced to us in 1998 and was immediately the must have toy of the holiday season. Furbies were in play rooms, living rooms, and even offices. I personally have 2, the one on the right and a white one that is currently lost in Little’s room. They were to so prevalent in offices that the NSA forbid them from being brought into their own offices for fears of it recording and learning national secrets. This is not really a valid concern as Furby’s do no record anything, but it’s funny! Ah, government….

The early generation Furby’s learned, talked and interacted with the person playing with it. They are learning based directly on the level of interaction and time spent with the Furby. The newest generation of Furbies work in a similar manner, but updated and with newer tech and more attitude. The tech includes an app to feed and play with your Furby, brand new LCD screen eyes which give you a peak into the Furby’s thoughts with a ton of emotion and meaning behind each pixel. These eyes are (to daddy) a welcome change to the original Furby which had big realistic eyes that kind of freaked him out a bit.The newest additions include more emotions and a more attitude driven play experience. Instead of simple action -reaction play there is action-emotion driven reaction. What this means is, if your Furby doesn’t like music and you play music for her, she will become aggravated and be mad at you. If you continue being inattentive to Furby’s needs, the Furby will get angrier. It is amazing how much this little fluffy ball of circuits, [Read more…]

Sesame Place #Spooktacular @SesamePlace

Halloween themed destinations often fall into two categories- scary/non-kid friendly, or family friendly to the point of boredom for adults. As always, Sesame Place has made a wonderful middle ground with “The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular”. The Spooktacular event transforms Sesame Place from the summer amusement park destination for kids of all ages to a Halloween themed wonderland of Sesame Street proportions.


The Spooktacular starts with an already cool park (but now without water rides), then adds Trick or Treating and special Spooktacular rides, decorations, and attractions. These include an Un-Haunted Castle maze, which is adorable to roam through, and without a single scare is great for kids of all ages with tons of interactive discoveries (and buttons to push) and fun learning experiences.

There is also Abby Cadabby’s Magical Halloween Maze, which is a fun hay-bale maze full of sparkle-riffic fun for kids. The story behind the attraction is that you and your kids must help find Abby’s missing wand and of course, experience the hijinks that occur in the process.

There is also a wonderful family themed hay ride with a Sesame Street character in their own costume as well. When we went we had Bert dressed as a farmer. During the ride there was singing and stories and laughing [Read more…]

Hallmark Halloween Decor Review and W!N @HallmarkPR

Happy Halloween boils and ghouls!

How can you throw a wonderful Halloween get together without scaring the pants off your more sensitive, smaller guests as well as adult ones? How about by having Hallmark help with the decorating and Halloween shopping? Hallmark are the greeting card experts and have been for years. Halloween cards are great for any occasion, with bright colors, meaningful words, or and silly phrases. Some cards are even decorations as well, these large cards can open up and be put out for display. Hallmark is also known for their holiday decorations including Christmas, Thanksgiving, and of course Halloween. Their Halloween line is ever-expanding and constantly getting spooky, playful decorations and this year is no different. Here are a few highlights:

My Pet Ghost is a little jar that holds your choice of 3 ghosts, each with their own personalities including Genevieve Ruffles, Julian Hijinks, and Maxwell McSpooky. When the top of the jar is pressed the ghost lights up inside and give you some spooky insight into the ‘life’ of a ghost in a silly fun way. Little Man really liked this little pet, he was endlessly amused by it/her. He took it to his room to scare off any rouge monsters that may creep up in the night. Hey, whatever works.

Another spooky decoration is the new Witch’s Hat Door Decor. The hat hangs on the door and is motion activated. All you have to do is walk in front of it and it [Read more…]

Peppa Pig- New Toys and Books Available!

My son loves Peppa Pig, the adorable cartoon originally created in the UK. Last year, the award-winning, animated series for pre-k kids jumped across the pond, much to the to delight of U.S. kids. Your children can tune in on Nick Jr.

The main character is a pig named Peppa, who likes to get into all sorts of things. The show follows the daily routines of Peppa, her brother George, as well as Mommy Pig and Daddy Pig. The episodes tend to feature everyday, relater activities like attending playgroup and being with friends, going to the playground, swimming, visiting with grandparents, playing in mud puddles and doing all sorts of fun stuff.

Little Man was super excited when his Peppa Pig toys got here- he asked me if we could “call England to say thank you”, LOL. They arrived just moments before we were on our way out the door for a weekend trip to CT, so guess who came with us? You got that right….Peppa Pig, in stuffed version, is really cute. She is soft and fuzzy, and snorts! (Don’t worry- she has an on/off button for sleep time, no waking up to pig noises!)
We love the “Muddy Puddles” DVD. It has tons of Peppa-sodes, ready to keep your little fan entertained on rainy or sicky days. My son also loved the Peppa Pig Christmas book, which also had coloring pages on the back of the color. Sweet for the car ride! A double-occupier.
The Peek n’ Surprise Playhouse was another hit- it is played with everyday. It came with 2 piggies, and you can get extra characters [Read more…]

Kmart’s Big Layaway Giveaway- In Stores

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kmart for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Can you believe that the holidays are approaching? If you are like me, you want to get a jump on shopping so you don’t end up with wild and crazy bills as your special “holiday gift” to yourself, LOL. Nobody likes that present 🙂

BLG_Logo_Horizontal.jpg (3 documents, 3 total pages)

Those of us with kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, friends, or family- that is most everyone, right? Hmmm…can be glad that Kmart has free layawayavailable this year to make shopping for your holiday gifts easier. You can pay a little every week, and then you can pick it all [Read more…]

Happy 4th Of July!!!

Have a Great Day celebrating with [Read more…]

Happy Father’s Day!

Wishing you and yours a Happy Father’s Day! We hope you all enjoy your [Read more…]