Last year, a couple of weeks before Christmas, we were visited by a sweet little elf. Cocoa had lots of fun with us as the holiday drew near. She also caused a little bit of chaos as she stayed up past our bedtime to have a little elfish fun of her own around the house!

Cocoa heralds from Elfing Around, a creative elf-in-the-mail program thought up and run by Lisa Huckemeyer. Elfing Around is no ordinary “Santa’s spy” elf kit. No, sir. This is one of the most ingenuous, well-thought-out, planned, and all-encompassing elf kits I’ve found!

When you order an Elfing Around kit, you receive not only a cute, stuffed, poseable-armed elf ready for fun and adventure with your family (that you can name and write your child’s name on the bottom of his/her shoe), you’ll also get a Parent Adventure Guide Book, which lays out every single “elf antic” for you and shows you what do to to “set the scene” each night, including cut-out notes from the elf to read to your child the next morning. A letter from Herbie the Elf is also tucked inside, already postmarked from the North Pole, so you can send a notice to your child that an elf will be visiting soon. An introduction letter is included to read the day of the elf’s appearing, and 2 fun elf tattoos add one more surprise!

Your family’s elf will create the most unforgettable scenes, projects, and….well, messes….that will keep your children anticipating each new morning. Also included are several blank pages for you to come up with your own crafty scenarios, unique to your own child’s interests or family traditions!

(“I wonder where we’ll find Cocoa tomorrow?” my children excitedly asked each evening!)

For $29.99 each, you can choose either a boy elf or a girl elf to visit your home this Christmas season. Be sure to order soon in order to guarantee delivery in time….December 1st is when all of the fun will start happening around your place, and you want to be ready!

Hey! There’s more!

To keep the magic going, Lisa at Elfing Around offers a Year 2 Adventure Guide Book with accessories, which she graciously sent us this year to use! The elf “doings” are just as cute and clever as last year’s….and more neat things are added, such as North Pole currency and Bible verses that can be opened as “gifts” and shared with your children day by day.

Add a bit more mystery….and memories….to your Christmas season this year by getting an Elfing Around kit to share with your family. (These make great surprise gifts from friends, grandparents, and other relatives, too!)

Win it! Lisa of Elfing Around is graciously offering one Elfing Around package to one of my readers! To enter to win, tell me in a comment below which you’d pick: A boy elf or a girl elf, and what you or your child would name him/her….OR tell me something you especially like about the Elfing Around experience. I’ll close the contest next Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 11pm EST. Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Congratulations to commenter #20, EOS Mom, the winner of the Elfing Around kit!

From noted writer Wally Lamb, author of She’s Come Undone and The Hour I First Believed, comes a tale that’s nostalgic and full of all-things-holiday, Wishin’ and Hopin’: A Christmas Story.

This book’s feel is somewhat, well, different than Lamb’s previous novels. It’s told from the perspective of a fifth grader, unhappy in his being a student in a Catholic school. The story is set in the mid-1960s, when so many things were changing in America….and it is an early coming of age of sorts for the main character, Felix Funicello. (Which means, of course, that he is distant cousins to the booming popularity figure, Annette Funicello.)

Felix is dark skinned and haired and extremely adorable, leading everyone around him to remind him constantly that he bears strong resemblance to a cartoon character of the time. His mother is preoccupied with things such as, oh, competing in the Pillsbury Bake-Off, in which she recently finds out she’s a finalist. And at school, Felix also has a fierce struggle to gain significance over the class brainiac and brown-noser, Rosalie Twerski.

Things start to turn, though, when his head teacher has a nervous breakdown and is ushered out of service until after the holiday break. In her place comes eccentric yet elegant substitute teacher Madame Frechette, and not long after, a mysterious Russian student enters the scene. It all culminates in an unforgettable fiasco in the form of a not-quite-normal school Christmas play. All of these crazy happenings make for one holiday season that Felix will never forget!

The book tells his story in a hilarity-filled way, all the time giving us a picturesque and well-rounded view of life in the mid-60s, a time before I myself was born, but by which I’m constantly fascinated and intrigued. What a terrific way to combine two of my favorite things, history and the holidays, into one excellent novella that, like many lighter-hearted Christmas reads, is readable again and again!

You can purchase Wishin’ and Hopin’: A Christmas Story by Wally Lamb for $19.99 from HarperCollins’ online store or wherever books are sold. (What a terrific teacher’s gift this would be!)

Win it! Courtesy of HarperCollins, TWO of you will win a copy of Wishin’ and Hopin’: A Christmas Story! Just tell me another HarperCollins title that you’d love to have around to read during the holidays. I’ll close the contest next Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 11pm EST, when I’ll announce all of the winners of the Cozy Christmas Reads event. US and Canadian addresses are eligible for this giveaway. Good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Compiled by Lisa Zwirn and published by HarperCollins is a Christmas cookie cookbook that houses some of the season’s tastiest and celebrated morsels. Christmas Cookies: 50 Recipes to Treasure for the Holiday Season is a beautiful cookbook that would easily second as a hostess gift.

Christmas cookies are special….whether it be their unique shapes, festive colors, or decadent (and sparingly used but for this time of year) ingredients. This beautiful cookbook celebrates the best of the best when it comes to buttery, chewy, and fudgy holiday treats.

The opening segments takes you through the fundamentals of successful cookie baking. Past the section on how to host a cookie exchange or cookie decorating party (both of which are so much fun!), the recipes begin. Whether your family or guests prefer the formal and indulgent specialty cookies such as Cocoa Meringue Kisses or Viennese Crescents….or something more home-style and familiar like Chocolate Crinkles or Gingerbread People, this book has something to please every palate.

I made the Baby Butter and (Raspberry) Jam Sandwiches (p. 92-93) the other day and surprised the kids with them after dinner. Buttery shortbread is held together with a layer of seedless raspberry jam, then sprinkled with a “snowing” of powdered sugar. They literally melt in the mouth! “Mmm….I could eat these all DAY, Mommy!” my son said, grinning a powdered sugar grin from across the table.

Christmas Cookies: 50 Recipes to Treasure for the Holiday Season can be purchased for $16.95 from HarperCollins’ store….or look for it in the holiday cookbook section of your favorite local bookstore! And merry baking!

Win it! Courtesy of HarperCollins, one of you can win Christmas Cookies: 50 Recipes to Treasure for the Holiday Season by Lisa Zwirn. Just tell me your absolute favorite Christmas cookie in a comment below. I’ll close the contest next Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 11pm EST, when I’ll announce all of the winners from the Muse Reviews’ Cozy Christmas Reads event! Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

“We interrupt this ‘Cozy Christmas Reads’ event to bring you important news…”

Putumayo Kids has released a Christmas album, A Family Christmas, that’s a must-have for the holidays this year!

There hasn’t been a Putumayo Kids album that we haven’t loved thus far….but their new Christmas album takes our affection for Putumayo’s eclectic and family-friendly music to a whole new level!

We’ve been listening to this CD for a few weeks now and just can’t get enough. All of the eleven songs on the album are familiar Christmas tunes….yet they are spun a bit differently and sung a bit more creatively by notable singers and musicians such as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Johnny Bregar (who is performing in December at Grammy Museum’s Holidays Around the World Concert), Deana Carter, and The Christmas Jug Band.

And let me be sure to emphasize that, though this album is 100% kid-friendly, it’s not just geared toward kids. My husband and I love it, too, and plan to add it to our holiday CD rotation for Christmas get-togethers and car rides to view holiday lights! It’s a fun, festive album that most anyone will enjoy. From jazzy to jivey, from bluesy to cozy, all elements of musical style enmesh on this terrific CD.

You can buy Putumayo Kids’ A Family Christmas directly from their site for $14.98….or look for it at Amazon or wherever your favorite music is sold.

Win it! Thanks to Putumayo Kids and Sugar Mountain PR, TWO of you will win A Family Christmas to listen to this holiday season! To enter to win, just jump over to listen to the samples and tell me here, in a comment below, your favorite song clip. I’ll close the contest and announce the two winners next Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 11pm EST. Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Brand new, out on the shelves this month is the brand new book in the Fancy Nancy series by Jane O’Connor (and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser)…Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas!

Fancy Nancy is obsessed with “all things fancy.” It’s commonplace, then, that Christmas is probably one of her most favorite seasons of all! Everything that exists gets gilded, glittered, and festooned during this time of the year!

Join Fancy Nancy as she goes with her family to pick out just the perfect Christmas tree….and as she unveils the new tree topper that she bought with her own money and set aside to save months before.

Fancy Nancy and her family anxiously await the arrival of her grandfather so that they can decorate the tree. Oh, no! Grandpa’s running late! Fancy Nancy gives into impatience and boredom and an accident ensues. Will Grandpa, when he arrives, be able to fix things? And despite Fancy Nancy’s being heartbroken, will she still be able to have a “Splendiferous Christmas?”

This book shows that “things” don’t make Christmas special. Other meaningful elements of the holidays, such as family, fun craftiness, and togetherness, show Fancy Nancy that there’s plenty worth celebrating.

Like with all Fancy Nancy books, I found myself deeply immersed in the intricate illustrations as we made our way through this book. There are so many tiny touches drawn in, and even more are discovered at each read-through.

You can buy Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas for $17.99 at HarperCollins’ online store or wherever your favorite books are sold.

Win it! Thanks to HarperCollins, one of you will win Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas….AND, bundled with it, a Fancy Nancy Christmas event kit, complete with a booklet/activity guide (that includes game ideas, craft how-tos, Christmas countdown calendar, and reproducibles), jingle bell bracelets, and Fancy Nancy gift wrap! This is all you need to host a magnificent Fancy Nancy party during the holidays! What a “splendiferous” prize pack!

To enter to win, simply tell me another HarperCollins Children’s book title that you’d love to gift your children with this Christmas. I’ll close the contest next Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 11pm EST, when I’ll announce all of the winners of the Cozy Christmas Reads event! Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

It’s a tale that’s as classic as classic can be: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It’s been re-read, dramatized, abridged, and re-published numerous times since its first publication in 1843. Over 150 years later, it still remains one of the most revered and most treasured holiday tales.

This is a picture book adaptation of the beloved story. The main story is shortened for brevity’s sake and for littler ears. The illustrations by Brett Helquist (the celebrated artist behind the artwork in the Lemony Snicket stories) are brand new and utterly spellbinding.

The drawing that particularly makes the hairs on MY arms stand on end is of Jacob Marley’s visit to Ebenezer Scrooge late on Christmas Eve night. Helquist’s pictorial visualizing and portrayal of this meeting is like none I’ve ever seen!

If you think you’d like to share this classic tale with your little ones this Christmas, I highly recommend this particular version. It will quickly become a treasured favorite in your household. You’ll find yourself opening it again and again just to gaze at the complex and entrancing pictures.

You can purchase this oversized A Christmas Carol picture book from HarperCollins directly for $17.99….or look for it at your local bookseller.

Win it! Thanks to HarperCollins, I’ll randomly pick one of you to win A Christmas Carol for your own Christmas book library! Just comment below with your favorite character in Dicken’s classic tale. I’ll close the contest next Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 11pm EST, when I’ll announce all of the winners from the Cozy Christmas Reads event. Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Here’s yet another book to challenge what you’ve learned and read! A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas by Ralph Covert and G. Riley Mills is a spin on the classic tale of The Nutcracker.

This time we hear what happens from the point of view of Fritz, Clara’s little brother. It all begins, of course, with the carelessness of Fritz that results in his breaking Clara’s prized nutcracker doll. As punishment, he had to stay home while everyone else in his family left to see The Nutcracker ballet….and his favorite video game was locked away out of reach.

Fritz is not the best role model, nor an honorable example, to say the least. He goes against his parents’ orders and gets his game out and plays it. A surprise is about to drop into the living room, however: The evil Mouse King himself!

Fritz enters the toy closet and finds himself on a journey with none other than the Nutcracker. A surprise twist awaits, though, when the Nutcracker’s true identity is revealed….and many battles are fought in order to right all wrongs in the mystical land.

In the end, Fritz learns a thing or two about putting others first, about loving others (even “yucky girls!”), and about doing what’s right….about saving Christmas.

Every square inch of The Nutty Nutcracker Christmas’s pages are covered with beautiful, rich, detailed illustrations, brought to live by artist Wilson Swain.

And..bonus! Included in the front cover of The Nutty Nutcracker Christmas is an audio CD, complete with an audiobook reading of the text and five songs from the musical! (You can hear snippets of the songs here.)

You can order A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas for $18.99 from Chronicle Books…or look for it at your nearby bookstore!

Have you ever thought about how snowmen are made? (No, not scientifically….with cold temperatures and atmospheric moisture….but magically?)

Open up your imagination as you read Heart of a Snowman by Eugene Yelchin and Mary Kuryla.

A little boy named Owen can’t figure out why the elaborate snowmen he creates every Christmas melt away a few days later. Can there be a way to preserve that jolly man made of snow? And if he must melt and disappear, where does he go?

Very late on Christmas Eve night, Owen is whisked off to an adventure of huge proportions. He somehow lands upon a “snow ship” of sorts and travels to what seems to be a snowman factory!

This is where my son instantly became hooked. Though he’s only five, anything dealing with factories, processes, and production peaks his interest….and when you mix this with surreal snowman fantasy? It’s pretty much perfect.

Animals of all kinds appear working here and there as the factory is explored and toured. Yet something in the process is missing. Something only Owen can provide….something only he can show them. He has the key to….the heart of a snowman.

You can purchase this beautifully written and illustrated book from HarperCollins for $16.99, or wherever your favorite books are sold. I’m sure you’ll agree with us that this is no ordinary book about snowmen and winter!

Win it! Thanks to HarperCollins, one of you can win a copy of Heart of a Snowman! Just tell me another HarperCollins title you’d love to read….during the Christmas holidays, perhaps. I’ll close the contest next Thursday, November 19th, 2009, when I’ll announce all of the winners from the Cozy Christmas Reads event! Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

We’ve been huge fans of Margaret Wise Brown from day one. (Which means, before I even had children! As a child myself!)

Her poetic writing can be the simplest of the simple for little ears (such as in Goodnight Moon)….but can expand into rich, detailed stories for preschool and elementary-aged children.

The Little Fir Tree is a much treasured story by Brown. It is a holiday tale that encompasses everything that is best about the season, including diligence, hope, and promises kept.

A little fir tree stands alone, rooted far away from the dense, coveted forests nearby. He longs to be a part of something special….a part of someone, somehow.

A little boy’s father helps make that dream a reality. The little tree begins to get a glimpse into a loving family with a tragic story. Year after year, the tree is allowed to share in the season of Christmas with this same family. Yet one year, something’s not the same. The little fir tree is about to behold a miracle!

My children really enjoy hearing this warming tale, the gorgeous illustrations by artist Jim LaMarche capturing their attentions just as strongly. This is a book any family should read together during the holidays. The questions and discussions that will follow will be priceless.

You can purchase The Little Fir Tree directly from HarperCollins for $15.99, or look for it wherever your favorite children’s books are sold.

Win it! HarperCollins is offering a copy of The Little Fir Tree to one of you! To enter to win, just comment below with your favorite aspect or part of the Christmas holidays. I’ll close the contest next Thursday, November 19th, when I’ll announce all of the winners of the Muse Reviews’ Cozy Christmas Reads event. Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Earlier this year, I reviewed a book about Splat the Cat, written and illustrated by Rob Scotton.

Splat appears this year in a brand new book that’s Christmas-themed: Merry Christmas, Splat!

Our kids adore Splat. He not only closely resembles our own long, wiry-haired, black cat, he’s also adorable in thought and action.

In the opening of this book, he’s writing a letter to Santa, with the aid of his tiny mouse pal, Seymour. His little sister walked over and began to plant some doubts in Splat’s head about how good he’d really been that year.

Splat, worried, began to seek out ways to make up for lost time. With an eager spirit, he began “helping out” around the house, which actually resulted more messes being created. When night fell, he went to bed with a flashlight, hoping to catch Santa and make one last plea for how good he’d been.

He awoke the next morning to….an unexpected surprise. (You’ll have to read to find out!)

Splat’s wiry, wispy black hair, wide and super-alert eyes, and cute and expressive mouth make for an entertaining main character that your children are sure to adore. It’s one of my favorite books to read to my own!

You can purchase Merry Christmas, Splat for $16.99 at these online retailers or at your favorite local book shop.

Win it! The first giveaway in Muse Reviews’ Cozy Christmas Reads event is Merry Christmas, Splat by Rob Scotton! To enter to win, tell me another one of HarperCollins Children’s titles you’d like to share with your children or grandchildren. I’ll close this contest next Thursday, November 19th, when I’ll announce all of the winners from the Cozy Christmas Reads event. Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.