If you're like us, Christmas Eve day is going to be spent in a big gift wrap frenzy. As much as I love those brown paper packages tied up with string, I really love when the gifts I'm giving look as festive as the holidays themselves. He…
If you are not familiar with HoneyBells, you are not familiar with the sweetest, most delectable, lipsmackingly awesome nectar of the gods. Or as my kids call it, good orange juice. (Silly kids.) Each year, my dad has sent us a shipment …
If Santa's elves make everything, why do the boxes say "made in China?" my little sister asked me several decades ago. Her prescient question rings more true now than ever, where it seems unlikely that the handiwork of elves had much to …
I still have fond memories of certain bookmarks I had when I was young. I remember loving to return to a book, not just because I was eager to get back into the story I was reading, but also because I couldn't wait to peek at the special…
If you're a go-getter sewing type who hasn't quite go-gotten around to making all of your Christmas presents yet, you need to check out two adorable sewing books by Choly Knight. Sew Kawaii ! and Sew Your Own Pet Pillows will have you pr…
If you caught our Editor-in-Chief Liz on TODAY this morning talking about those awesome last minute personalized gifts today that you can still grab for Christmas or Hanukkah , don't panic if you didn't catch every single URL! We've got …
As much as I like to tap into my inner Martha Stewart during the holiday season, this year there just isn't enough time to crochet snowflake ornaments, whip up petit fours wrapped in fondant, and glue-gun wreaths made of pinecones and mi…
Okay, Cool Mom Picks is a safe space where I feel like I can admit this freely: I'm starting to panic a little. The gift-purchasing isn't going as planned. I keep seeing all these amazingly fabulous personalized gifts--that I should have…
Okay, so we sometimes make fun of mugs as gifts around here. But only because when most people think of mug gifts, they think of some awful " world's greatest____ " thing in comic sans that was nabbed off the bargain shelf at the last mi…
Over 120 holiday gifts in our own Holiday Gift Guide for the entire family just weren't enough for us, mamas, so that's why we added 100 more ideas over at our Cool Mom Tech holiday gift guide . Isn't the bow pretty? We scoured the web f…
While bananas are not normally something you find associated with Hanukkah, this year we have good reason for you to reconsider- Bananagrams have gone Hebrew. This awesome modern word game already exists in English and in Spanish so we'r…
If you're the type who likes to fill your holiday gifts with handmade love, we've got a whole bunch of beautiful ideas for you. My grandmother was a crocheter who made such hilariously bad gifts ( sorry, Grandma! ), they were the highlig…
I have this one person on my list that I can't stand holiday shopping for. Why? Because she already has everything . Really. If it's something she likes, she buys it before anyone else has the chance. It's the worst. But, for the first t…
Baby's first anything can be difficult to shop for and baby's first Hanukkah doubly so. So if you are looking for something different and special for the little bundle I suggest you check out Judaica pioneer Emily Rosenfeld. I have perso…
We're kicking November to the curb and happily welcoming December with our highly anticipated, super spectacular 2011 Holiday Gift Guide ! Whoo! For the 6th straight year, we've scoured the web for the best gifts ever--150 this year at e…
I have an arsenal of go-to occasion gifts and one of my favs for the ladies in my life is the classic initial necklace . Perfect for a new mama or a friend's birthday it always leaves my girls feeling extra special. I couldn't be more th…
Looking for a gift this holiday season that won't take up any more space in the playroom? How about some practical and functional items for your little ones to call all their own? Artist Mayi Carles has a full line of pieces that you can…
First of all, a big welcome to The Today Show viewers! If you caught our Editor-in-Chief Liz Gumbinner today talking about Cyber Monday fashion deals --and you like the idea of doing your holiday shopping from work or from home while you…
While you're oh so busy shopping for everyone on your list (and man, doesn't that list seem to get bigger every year?) I say, don't forget to pick up a little something something for yourself. Something that you can show off at every sto…
My kids really want to be helper elves when it comes to wrapping the gifts, but after a roll of tape and a yard of paper, I've learned to enlist their help in other ways. So instead of handing them the safety scissors and gift wrap, I'm …
It's the perfect spirit of the holidays come to life: Give a little, get a little, and well, a collectible holiday keepsake doesn't hurt either. I just discovered the Heart 2011 Designer Ornament Collection from HSN, a partnership with a…
It's not even Black Friday yet, but of course the deals are already starting to roll in . And this particular pick is so special that we have to tell you about every time it comes available. After all, there's nothing we love more than a…
When the toy store ads appear in our Sunday newspaper, I'm mostly uninspired by all the blinky, noisy, plasticky stuff touted as The Next Big Thing. Would these really be the toys that Santa's elves carefully assemble in the North Pole? …
I was wondering if you could recommend a classic dollhouse for my two daughters' Christmas gift? Would love any suggestions you have. Thank you!! -Amy Ooh, dollhouses! One of our favorite things to look for, now that there are so many to…