More Christmas Lights and If that Dog Could Talk

A few towns over is an amazing Christmas light display that was donated by the Camuso family after the patriarch of the group passed away, who had decorated his house for many years.

We didn't leave in New Jersey to get to see the original Camuso family home in all it's splendiferous Christmas glory, but we've been regulars every year to the display in Livingston.

In part we go every year to visit him:

His story is a good one, and one definitely worth telling, but as the saying goes, it is a story for a other time. Also, despite the antlers, that is so a dog's face.

The Camuso decorations are incredibly intricate and handmade, and most of them are animontronic, the dog/reindeer above plays his violin; in another display there are skaters skating.

Several displays show Santa's Workshop, where toys are built and wrapped for delivery.

Not sure if this is an addition from the town of Livingston or part of the original display, but there's a nice spinning dreidel and a large menorah, right next to the Grinch peeking out of a chimney.

There's also a tall Christmas tree with a train running around the base. The tree spins making it by far and most definitely my favorite of all the trees I've seen this season.

The story of the dog reindeer coming soon, or at least, soon-ish.

On the first day of winter break...

... a policeman paid a visit:

... Sharpie the Pig's sty finally got evicted, ironically, when we finally got around to cleaning the owner's pig sty room:

... we found three marbles deeply hidden in the aforementioned sty, leftover from the days when these were the most prized possession in all the realm. Today? The tween declared with a sigh, "get rid of them."

... and last, a night time visit with friends to Zoo Lights, to see sea lions, sparkly creations, roast marshmallows and eat s'mores, before making a quick exit when an unexpected, and heavy, freezing rain began to fall. Pictured here, cute gibbons:

All in all, not a bad first day, especially for a Monday.

The Lights Shine Bright... Deep in the Heart of Jersey

The Best Christmas Cookies

We are a family that is always on the search for the best of... just about anything. Best socks. Best burger. Best pillows. You get the idea.

Last year at the holidays, it was a quest for the best stollen. We tried many - award-winning, classic, new-styled, fusion. The verdict was unanimous: we don't really care for stollen, no matter how good a version of it we get.

Two years ago, we vetted all the Italian Christmas cookies we could find.

A clear winning bakery emerged from all the ones we tried, but no consensus on which of these amazing cookies was the absolute best. If you're local in Jersey, the winner was Conca D'Oro Italian Pastry Shop in Union. Totes worth the trip.

Personally, I'm partial to the rainbow cookies. (Not pictured because I ate them all.)

This year, we're having an egg nog-off.

I'll be back with the winner after all the votes are in!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I love St. Patrick's Day in all its drunken revelry as much as I love the hoards of inebriated Santas roaming the streets during the annual delightful day drinking event, SantaCon.

I know now based on the Facebook updates of my peers, my opinion is not the one that is widely held.

Apparently most if not all of my middle aged friends want to avoid the trains, the streets and everywhere else that the youth of America might be puking while celebrating. I get it. I hear you. But still. There's something to me completely endearing about young people who might otherwise have nothing in common finding just that in these celebrations of questionable merit.

And for that reason, I'll always love St. Patrick's Day and SantaCon. Even if no one else does.

As for me, I was home making Leprechaun pudding for my children, because that's how I roll these days. As may or may not come as a surprise, it did not turn out as planned.

You can find out all about how (not) to make Leprechaun pudding at my home-away-from-home, CraftFail.

Farewell Noel: The Greatest and Most Depressing Christmas Tree Video You'll Ever See

For anyone who has ever laid awake at night wondering what happens to all those New York City Christmas trees, this video reveals the sad truth.


Farewell, Noel.

With thanks to A.E., the genius behind Farewell Noel.

It's Holiday Time, Yo.

Since Hanukkah came early this year, I feel like "The Holidays" have passed already, while of course for most people the main event of Christmas is still more than a week away. For those of you who still have holiday shopping to do, here are a few more picks for gifts that were big hits at our house:

Winx Deluxe Fashion Dolls ($21.99) from Nickelodeon. My daughters (ages 8 and 10) don't watch the show (there is a show, right?), but they lovd the doll's wings and that they were removable, as well as the fact that the doll has lots of points of articulation and can be easily posed in lots of different ways. Also, the glitter was a big plus, too.

My son, age 4, is a huge fan of the lean, green fighting machines, so he loves this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Lunch Box Puzzle ($8.00). He really likes doing the puzzle and then putting the pieces back in the tin, and I don't think you need me to tell you how much a  toy a kid will clean-up on his own is a win-win-win-win-win.

Also getting the rave reviews at our house is this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle LEGO Set, Stealth Shell in Pursuit ($24.99). My four-year-old son plays with it the most, but his tween-age sisters were more than happy to put it together for him.

And if you have kids who are Rainbow Loom fanatics, they'll love this brand-new product, The Loom Boom ($9.99). Invented by a five-year-old and brought to market by his mom, this cool catch-all is a great place to store and display finished bracelets and the base makes a perfect home for all those loose looms, too.

 

So what toys are the biggest hits at your house?

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I did receive the Winx Doll and the Ninja Turtle products for review purposes from Nickelodeon.

The Three Best Catalog Reviews of 2012!

Resolution for 2013 -
Less catalogs, more Us Weekly!

It's the time of year when it seems just about every site is offering up their picks for the Best of 2012. So, here's mine: the three best catalog reviews of 2012!

The Pottery Barn catalog fantasy is compared to reality in the Mommyologist's The Pottery Barn Catalog is a Bigger Buzz Kill Than Size Zero Celebrities.

The Pottery Barn Kids catalog gets real at A Very PBK Christmas from The Fordeville Diaries.

The Williams-Sonoma catalogue is delightfully dissected in The Hater's Guide to the Williams-Sonoma Catalog on DeadSpin.com.

So there you have it, my picks for the three best catalog reviews of 2012!

Oh, and one more. Not a catalog review, but if you haven't seen the product reviews for The Hutzler 571 (it's a banana slicer), they're really pretty awesome.

Not only can The Hutzler 571 slice bananas, it can even be a Christmas tree ornament!



Image from Amazon.com

What's more festive than that?

Just in case you're wondering, no I was definitely not compensated for anything mentioned in this post.

What's your Best of 2012?

My Favorite "Nutcracker" - by E.T.A. Hoffmann and Illustrated by Maurice Sendak

I've never been a huge fan of The Nutracker, not the story or the ballet. I always figured it just wasn't for me.

 

Until this year, when I received a review copy of this version which is based on the original Nutcracker story and is illustrated by Maurice Sendak. This version of the Nutcracker story is absolute perfection.

 

Nutcracker, written by E.T.A. Hoffman in 1816, is a fascinating story, which I was surprised to find when reading that it is not that similar to the perhaps more famous ballet production on which it is based.

 

As much as I was enthralled by the words (translation by Ralph Manheim), it was Maurice Sendak's amazing illustrations which were truly enchanting.

 And funny. How could you not love this depiction of the Nutcracker?

 

 

While the book itself is a little bit of a difficult read for kids, they will be so entranced by the illustrations and by the general story you might just pull off skipping a bit. (Or not.)

 

Nutcracker is $24.99 and published by Crown in 2012. I highly recommend it, but don't take my word for it - New York Times Book Review called Nutrcacker one of the ten best illustrated books for kids this year.

 



 

Egg Nog + Chocolate Liqueur = Best Holiday Drink Ever

I'm not a big drinker, but this really is the Best Holiday Drink Ever.

Just two ingredients:

Egg Nog

Image from MarthaStewart.com

Chocolate Liqueur (I'm a big fan of Godiva)



Image from TheBar.com

Mix, stir and drink!

Happy Holidays!

For lots more egg nog creations, check out the board Egg Nog-rific on Pinterest.

Candy Cane Craft: Do a Pepermint Stick Experiment!

I recently got a very awesome book in the mail to review: Candy Experiments, by Loralee Levitt. In a word the book is awesome. My kids and I spent an afternoon doing just about every experiment in the book, and they were totally and completely engrossed.

And the side-effect of the experiments that I liked the most was that they used candy. Candy for science instead of for eating.

How perfect is this book so kids will use up at least some of their Halloween candy doing experiments?

One of the easiest and most fun experiments we did was fill a bowl with water and then see what candy floated, and which sunk. You'd be surprised by the results, and I was surprised by how much candy this particular experiment was able to use up as the kids kept asking to try "just one more!" Of course, kids. Of course.

If you want to try your own candy experiments, here's a fun one from the book that uses Candy Canes, Crazy Canes:

Time: 10 to 30 minutes
Skill Level: Get a grown-up

Snap! That’s what happens to your candy cane if you try to bend it. Is there a way to bend candy canes without breaking them?

What you need:
Oven
Aluminum foil
Baking sheet
Candy cane or straight candy stick

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.

 

2.  Tear off a square of aluminum foil. Fold it in half, then fold again and again to make a rectangular strip about 3 inches wide (wider than the candy cane). Bend this strip into a fun shape, like a zigzag, an S-curve, or a bowl.

 

 

3. Place the foil shape on the baking sheet and put the candy cane on the foil shape. Heat in the oven for 5 to 20 minutes. (The melting time will depend on the size of the candy cane.) Check frequently until the candy cane has softened and curved into the shape of the mold.

 

What's happening:

When you’re melting an ice cube, you can see it turn to water. An ice cube is a solid, made from molecules locked together as crystals. When it melts, the molecules break apart. The solid becomes a liquid.

 

The molecules in a candy cane don’t make crystals. Instead, the candy cane contains lots of kinds of molecules jumbled together, like the fruit Life Saver in the Life Savers Melting Race experiment on page 96. When it gets warm, it doesn’t turn liquid right away. Instead, it gets softer and softer as the molecules shift around. That’s why you can turn a warm candy cane into a crazy cane.

 

In fact, your candy cane has already been heated and bent. A candy cane is made from a straight candy stick that’s bent into a cane shape while it’s still warm.

To purchase the book visit CandyExperiments.com.

I was not compensated for this post. I did receive a copy of Candy Experiments - and I highly recommend it.

Unique Gift Wrap Ideas: Wrapping Gifts with Duck Tape

We are just a few nights away from the end of Hanukkah, so the majority of my gift wrapping is already finished. This year, I've (of course) used Duck Tape to wrap them all instead of regular scotch tape.

Since the awesome people at Duck Tape Central sent me rolls of EZ Start Duck Tape I also used it to decorate the packages. The Tape comes in lots of festive colors, some Christmas-themed and some good for year-round gift wrapping.

I paired the tape with brown Kraft Paper and was really happy with how the gifts all turned-out. These decorative tapes also are great for decorating cards, gift bags, and shipping boxes.

 



These EZ Start Duck Tapes are also used to make easy photo frames and other cool projects, like this one.

And of course, I need to post soon about the epic crafts my tweens and I made with mustache Duck Tape.

Disclosure: Duck Tape sent me samples, but I think we all know how much I adore this stuff.

All photographs from Duck Tape, ShurTech Brands except for the last one.

For more gift wrapping ideas, check out 10 Fun Ways to Wrap A Gift and Cool Holiday Gift Wrap Ideas.

Holiday Book Giveaway! Win "Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat" **Giveaway Closed**

The Giveaway is now closed! Congrats to the winner King J's Queen!

I will admit that my mom lifestyle with-a-side-of-blogging leaves very little time for reading real, actual books.

Which is too bad, because I really like to read real, actual books instead of pecking away night after night at my virtual trough.

So I was delighted to receive a review copy of Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch In the Throat, the hilarious new book from Jen of the similarly titled blog, People I Want to Punch in the Throat.

Jen covers all of the hot areas of holiday drama and comedy, with chapters that dissect the annual holiday cookie exchange (her thoughts on the whole thing are succinctly summed up in the chapter title, You Can Keep Your Cookies, I'm Just Here for the Booze), photos with Santa, humble brag Christmas letters, and her most well-known rant, how she really feels about Over Achieving Elf on the Shelf Mommies.

Want your own copy? You can buy the book here AND.... one lucky winner will receive an autographed copy!

To enter, just leave a comment below with your favorite (or least favorite) holiday tradition.

For extra entries (leave a comment letting me know you like/follow or already like/follow):
- Like People I Want to Punch in the Throat on Facebook
- Like Random Handprints on Facebook
- Follow Jen @Throat_Punch on Twitter
- Follow me @Anna_Sandler on Twitter

Enter now! Giveaway closes at 9:00pm EST on Tuesday, December 18, 2012.

Small print:
Contest open to U.S. residents age 18 and over. Contest ends at 9:00pm EST, Tuesday, December 18, 2012. Winners will be randomly selected via Random.org and announced here as well as emailed with the good news. Entrants must provide contact information in their comment. If winner does not respond within twenty-four hours, a new winner will be selected. I was not compensated for this post or for promoting this giveaway. I did receive a review copy of the book.

Good luck and happy holidays!

SantaCon Toddler

Below is a photo of my son Ziggy getting his SantaCon on in 2010. Yes, I encouraged my son to pose with two drunk Santas, not to mention the two elves who had seen more coherent days.

And the Smoking elf in the photo above? Totally fine with it - it's not like my kid even glanced up from his texting to take in this whole New York City scene anyway.

A holiday memory to treasure forever? Definitely, and we even have a mention in an AP story that ran today: Better Watch Out: SantaCon is Coming to Town.

Other Stuff I Wrote Last Week and a Spectacular Craft Fail, Too

I love all of the holidays of the winter season, which is why last week I wrote for BaristaKids.com not only a Hanukkah Guide but also 10 Amazing Advent Calendars.

And the result of Hanukkah + Advent Calendars at my house? Yeah, that's right, a punch board filled with Hanukkah gifts for my kids to enjoy during the middle five nights of the eight night holiday. If that's not winning, I don't know what is.

I've also got where to see holiday lights all over New Jersey in Garden State Glow, so if you're in Jersey you're all set for a Tacky Light Tour.

Also, in other holiday-rific news:
- MommyShorts.com has my favorite tall tale I tell the kids in her Handy Guide to Lying to the Kids.
- SparkNotes.com shared my wrap-up of ugly menorah hats in their post 8 Reasons Chanukah Rocks.

And last, but clearly not least, CraftFail featured my not-so-festive dreidel cookies.

Lying to my kids, ugly menorahs, kitchen disasters... yes, clearly I'm WINNING.

Have a great week everyone! We certainly will here at our house where it's Hanukkah tonight and every night for the next week. Chag Sameach!

Duane Reade: Happy and Healthy with a Side of Ology!

Ah, the Duane Reade circular - how I love you.

It's true. While I'm not an extreme couponer, or even a couponer at all, I do like to get a good deal.

Duane Reade has a new in-store magazine, Happy and Healthy, and it makes it so easy to find out the Happy and Healthy items of the week, which this week are Ology - Laundry.

If you like to plan your shopping before you go the magazine is available online, but there are also plenty of magazines available when you enter Duane Reade.

After taking a meander around the store to check out things like their awesome collection of New York-y Holiday cards,

I literally followed the deals down the escalator.

I headed to the Ology section where I quickly found the sale priced Ology laundry detergent and Ology fabric softener, both which are running low at our house

 

 

and both which were priced $2 off at $4.99 instead of the usual $6.99 for the detergent, and $5.99 instead of $7.99 for the fabric softener - which I knew from having checked in the circular at home beforehand.

 

And of course, I'm so glad that Ology products don't have harmful chemicals.

 

I got a Nine candle for a certain person with a birthday at our house, and some Ology tissues in a very cute box, and at a very good price ($1.49 marked down from from $2.79), and my shopping was done.

 

 

 

Just in time to meet my husband for lunch, and then to see the Macy's holiday windows.

It was a great New York City day.

Happy Holidays!

_____________________________

I've got lots more photos from my trip over in my Google+ Album, check them out here.

You can also learn more about Happy and Healthy by following the hashtag: #DRHappyandHealthy on Twitter, as well as @DuaneReade on Twitter.

You can also find Duane Reade on Facebook and YouTube.

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric #cbBigApple #DRHappyandHealthy

Advent Calendars... for Hanukkah?

Image from JusttheBeesKnees.com

Recently my husband and I got to a bit of an impasse regarding whether a Jewish family like our own could (should?) have a Christmas Tree.

Apparently, from his point of view at least, it's not gonna happen, nor should it or could it.

So, being the helpful, compromising and think-outside-the-box kinda person I am, I suggested we get an Advent Calendar instead - only instead of counting down the days to Christmas, ours would (obviously) count down the days to Hanukkah instead.

However, he - not being as helpful, compromising, and outside-the-box thinking as moi - got all caught-up on the word Advent - which apparently accordingly to Wikipedia is laden with all sorts of Christian and Christmas connotations. Honestly, who knew?

So where does this leave us? I finally came up with a solution that works for the whole Random Handprints household. I'm going to hide the kids Hanukkah gifts in a board which sorta resembles the  one from Punch A Bunch on the The Price Is Right, with a gift revealed for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah.

I got the idea from You Are My Fave's Punchboard Advent, which you can check out here.

And next time? I'm going to refer to not as a Hanukkah Advent but as a Countdown Calendar to Hanukkah, because a quick visit to Pinterest reveals that is definitely a thing now - Valentine's Day, Birthdays, Vacations - you can countdown to anything.

I wrote about10 Amazing Advent Calendars for BaristaKids.com. You can check them all out here.

Image from HouseofHepworths.com

Move Over Black Friday and Cyber Monday... Today is Giving Tuesday

I didn't go to the mall on Black Friday - I took my kids to the movies.

I didn't shop on Saturday or Sunday either.

And Cyber Monday? Yep, no shopping then either. (Well, maybe a tiny little bit, but Hanukkah is early this year!)

So today, the first Giving Tuesday, I'm going to spend all the money I didn't spend the last four days.

And I can't wait.

Giving Tuesday is all about giving to others, which for me is much closer to the holiday spirit than buying more stuff for my overly materialistic children. I'd much rather buy a doll for a child who doesn't even have one then buy another one for my daughter who has plenty (and by plenty I mean way too many).

Here are a few organizations I'm supporting this year:

• Kiva. My amazing cousin Mary first told me about this organization last year - they provide life-changing micro loans to people in developing countries who use these funds to build their own businesses and do other incredible things. During the holiday season, you can give Kiva Cards for $25 (or more) to friends and family, who can then choose what projects they would like to support.

• It Takes A Family. This organization has a single goal: to bring families effected by Hurricane Sandy together with families who want to help them. You can Sign-up here to be matched with a family. You can also contact me if you would like to contribute to help the family Sandler & Wald has already been paired with through the program.

• Book Pantry of Orange. Run single-handedly by Carol Lukoff, The Book Pantry of Orange provides books to kids who otherwise wouldn't have any. I can't even imagine. Year-round the book pantry primarily gives out gently used books to the kids who visit, but for the holidays wouldn't it be great if all the kids could have the thrill of unwrapping a brand-new book? BaristaKids.com is holding a Holiday Book Drive, you can find out how to contribute here.

What organizations are you supporting on Giving Tuesday? Please share in the comments below!

Winter Vacation - The First Half

We are just about at the half-way point of the kids winter vacation, and while they have complained a bit of being bored,  it has been really fun.

Our family's Hanukkah celebration has come to an end, finally. Like many endings, it was bittersweet. The family gathering at the front bay window was an evening tradition I came to cherish - even as it came with squabbles over who was standing closer, whose turn it was to light the candles... you know, the usual holiday traditions.


Photo from American Vernacular Landscapes

My son brought home from preschool a homemade menorah I adore:

As for presents, we gave Kay, who is six, a rite-of-passage gift I was so happy to give her - a book light, signifying not only that she can read now but that now that she can read after lights-out. She beamed.

And for Magpie, who is eight, a literary upgrade as well - a reading chair from her grandma:

Big Duckie likes the chair, too:

Other things making the kids happy, Kay's new Huggie Pillow, "Peace-y"

And Magpie's new reading obsession, The Dork Diaries:

And Ziggy, he is loving Richard Scarry books and looking for Mr. Frumble's hat:

And I'm loving having gotten a couple of photos of all the kids together:

We've seen the holiday lights at the Turtle Back Zoo:

And we continued our annual Merry Zoo Day tradition, which is going on eight years now:

And already, I know there is one thing I'll be doing next year. I overheard Magpie whisper to her little sister on the last day of Hanukkah, "There's only one night left, I don't think there's much chance I'm getting that iTouch."

Sorry, kid. But I'm so planning on it for next year.
How is your winter vacation? Too long or too short? Or just right?