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Stuff Parents Need

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My Curated “Before Christmas” Gift Suggestions

November 13, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 6 Comments

If you hunt around on Stuff Parents Need, you will find several hundred (likely approaching 1,000!) finds I have discovered over the past 4 years that could be great holiday gift suggestions for folks on your list.

But today I want to talk about the things I think you should consider getting BEFORE the holidays are here (and they are almost here, so hurry up!). Think of them as gifts to yourself! These are items that can help make the holidays more festive and fun, and prepare you for send out yearly family letters or make some fun crafts without costing you an arm and a leg. Here’s a list of the products and services that I’m loving RIGHT NOW:

gift ideas for November

1. The Elf on the Shelf. This has seriously got to be the best $30 I have ever spent. Darah is completely nuts about her elf, whom she named Owen. He moves around the house daily, and he is NOT a naughty elf (mama ain’t got time for that!). Darah talks to Owen, dances for Owen, brings Owen marshmallows, and sings for Owen. I almost die pretty much every single day from the cuteness of it. He has brought some serious Christmas joy to our house, and a feeling of magic. He has only been with us for a month (yes, he cam early) and he is already a family treasure that I know we will have for decades to come.

elf on the shelf

2. Tiny Prints cards. For today only you can get 25% off your entire order (no minimum!) AND free shipping, which is a smokin’ hot deal because these are some of the prettiest cards around, and they are already reasonably priced. The code to use at checkout is exclusive to affiliates of the store (that’s me!) and I’ve been told this is the very best deal they offer on holiday cards. The code to use at checkout is HOLIDAY25FS. (Edit: new code is SW1119 for 25% off). I got mine ordered already and they will be here soon so that I can get all the holiday cards ready for the mail for the day after Thanksgiving.

cheap holiday cards

3. Groovebook. I’ll be adding an additional printed photo to each of my holiday cards, and I can do that for SUPER DUPER CHEAP thanks to Groovebook! You can read all about Groovebook here, (and learn how you can get 100 prints 100% FREE!). Basically, for this month, I picked a photo on the phone that I really liked, and printed 30 copies of it into my Groovebook. The other 70 prints for the month are just other things I like. Now I’ve got an extra photo for my friends and family to enjoy, and got it printed and delievered to my doorstep, along with 70 other pictures I like, for $3! Groovebook is my favorite app of all time, hands down.

groovebook print photos from phone

4. Stitch Fix. If you have some festive parties to attend and you need an updated outfit or two, leave the work to the stylists at Stitch Fix. They will hook you up with something gorgeous that suits your taste and your budget. You’ll save time and you’ll look great! Here’s a link to all my past fixes to give you a sense for what it is like!

5. Kiwi Crate. This is one of my very favorite subscriptions, as it helps busy and/or non-crafty parents like me put together truly awesome crafts and activities for the kiddos. We adore our Kiwi Crates, and plan to order more in the near future. Right now they have special holiday-themed crates that you definitely need to check out. How much fun would it be for your kids to get to make some of the decorations for Thanksgiving, Hannukah or Christmas?

kiwi crate holiday boxes

6. Amazon Prime. I’ve been a member of Amazon Prime since January of this year, and I’m planning on renewing when my membership expires. The ability to ship SO many things from the site without meeting the minimum shipping amount (which I heard has gone up to $35…can anyone confirm that?), and the 2 day shipping is SOOOOO nice! You get to try it out free of charge for 30 days, and if ever there was a time to give it a whirl, it is during the holiday shopping season!

7. Ebates. This is the time of year when I make sure I’m checking in regularly with Ebates, as well. You can read all about how Ebates works to get the full scoop. It is a totally free service that will give you cash back on the online purchases you are already making. So far they have sent me over $215. For real. Yes, the checks cleared. This is legit! 🙂

Your turn: what are some of the things you are buying to get ready for the holidays? 

Filed Under: My Favorite Finds, Popular Post · Tagged: amazon prime, before christmas shopping list, christmas, christmas ideas, christmas shopping, christmas shopping list, ebates, elf on the shelf, groovebook, holiday craft ideas, holiday ideas, kiwi crate, stitch fix, tiny prints

Holiday Wishes from Stuff Parents Need

December 22, 2011 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

It will be a bit quiet around here for a few days as the Stuff Parents Need team enjoys special quality time with our friends and family. I hope that you are also getting to have some special, quiet moments over the next handful of days, and even get to experienced being “unplugged” for a little while!

I have a few more reviews and giveaways that will pop up in between Christmas and New Year’s, and then we’ll be back in full swing in 2012!

Thank you all for reading this blog; that is the greatest gift of all to me! Happy holidays!

Filed Under: Featured, General · Tagged: christmas, happy holidays, holiday wishes, new years

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

We are with my family in Alabama and I feel like a young child all over again; I can’t wait for Santa to arrive! I can’t believe that I’m in charge of the Christmas memories for my own little girl, now. This is so awesome!

I want to wish all of my readers , “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!” Be sure to get in a reading of The Night Before Christmas! 🙂

Filed Under: General · Tagged: christmas, happy holidays, holiday, merry christmas

My Family’s Christmas Traditions

December 9, 2009 · by Tiffany Merritt · 7 Comments

This is my very first meme, inspired by Girly Mama! It’s all about Christmas traditions. Please feel free to join in on the fun and post your own answers on your blog, and then post a link in the comments!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? I LOVE egg nog. Go ahead and judge me. I judge myself a little bit, because I can objectively realize that it is kind of gross. Oh well!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? This is a point of contention between my husband and me. In my family, Santa gifts are unwrapped. In his family, Santa wraps presents, but they are in a special semi-see through type of wrapping paper. I have no idea how we are going to do this next year (this year we’ll be at my in-laws, so Santa gifts will be wrapped).

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White on a house and colored on a tree. I’m partial to a tree that is a little bit tacky!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope!

5. When do you put your decorations up? Um…when we get around to it? 🙂 I try to get home decor out soon after Thanksgiving, but the tree usually goes up the following weekend.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? I am especially fond of fudge. I also really like those Reese’s peanut butter cups in the shape of a Christmas tree!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? I remember several Christmas mornings as a child, when my older brother and I would go get my parents (it was the rule that we had to go get them before we went into the living room to see what Santa had brought). In hindsight, I realize my parents had probably only gotten a few hours of sleep (because we woke up at an ungodly hour on Christmas morning), but they never fussed and Christmas morning was always SO AWESOME because of them!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Ok, nerd alert! I had my suspicions once I found a few gifts in my mom’s closet labeled as being from Santa, so I went straight to the authority on all matters…the encyclopedia! I remember reading that he was a “fictitious” character and I was all, “Ah ha!” I think I was 6 or 7.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We open one gift on Christmas Eve, and that is pajamas.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? My husband and I both have a good number of ornaments from our childhood days, and we also have accumulated quite a few in our 7 years of marriage!

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love it, but that is because I live in a place where it snows between 1 and 3 times each year, and it is always a tiny amount.

12. Do you remember your favorite gift? My favorite gift ever? Well, my husband proposed to me on Christmas morning, and while he didn’t yet have a ring to give me, that would still be my favorite gift of all time.

13. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Special memory- making time with my family.

14. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Christmas Eve drive about town to look at Christmas lights.

15. What tops your tree? We have a star.

16. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Everyone who knows me knows that gifts are my love language. I really do love to get gifts, and that doesn’t mean that it has to be a material object. As trite as it sounds, I swear that it is the thought that counts. I guarantee that I will always appreciate a handmade card that cost nothing over a $100 gift that had no thought put into it. As I have gotten older and more mature, I have also started to get a lot of joy out of gift giving. I try to put thought into all the gifts I give!

17. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? Sort of yuck.

18. Favorite Christmas Show? I really like The Grinch!

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I love so many of them, but O Holy Night is my favorite. My second favorite is What Child is This?

 

Don’t forget about my 3 giveaways going on right now! (Playskool, swaddling blankets, and Delicae Gourmet!)

Filed Under: General · Tagged: american christmas traditions, celebrate christmas, christmas, christmas traditions, family christmas traditions, fun christmas traditions, meme

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Welcome!


Grab your beverage of choice (mine is iced coffee) and let's hang out for a spell! I'm Tiffany, and I've rambunctious little girls and a fierce desire to share any tip and trick I can find to make lives with little ones a bit less hectic and a lot more fun. [Read more...]

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