Tonight is the 7th night of Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees defeated the Syrians and won their religious freedom.  Hanukkah is also called the Festival of Lights because after the Maccabees purified the Temple they rekindled the Menorah (a candelabra).  Although they believed they only had enough oil for one day…the oil lasted for 8 days.

Hanukkah is celebrated for 8 days and each night a candle is lit, prayers and songs are sung…and gifts are given. When I was a child, I always received a gift each night – not always something big, but something.  We have continued this tradition in our home.  It is joyful to watch Benjamin light the candles, recite the prayers, and, of course, open presents.

Since I co-own a toy business, Benjamin really got some wonderful kids’ gifts this year.  Here is what we got for him from GIFT HERO: Do You Sudoku Game for Kids by University Games, Zoobmobile Dragster by Infinitoy, Snap Circuits Jr by Elenco, the World Puzzle by Mudpuppy, and Bananagrams. 

The 8th night of Hanukkah is Friday December 18th.  Happy Hanukkah to all of our Jewish friends, fans and customers!

It’s amazing to me how many “national holidays” there are.  Forget about Memorial Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day…there’s a day commemorating everything from board games to secretaries to popcorn. Today, December 15th, is National Cupcake Day!

Who doesn’t love cupcakes? For some reason they taste better than a slice of cake. They are a classroom classic for birthday parties at school. Benjamin and I are a little obsessed with the Big Top Cupcake pan – we see the commercial for it all the time on Discovery Kids. I promised him we would get one when we move into our new apartment and actually have a functioning kitchen.

For a mess-free cupcake experience, check out the new Bake and Decorate Cupcake Set from Melissa & Doug.  With this adorable set, kids can create their own pretend cupcakes and decorate them over and over again with dry erase markers that look like frosting tubes. This kids’ gift is a must-have for any play kitchen.  It is guaranteed to deliver hours of fun for kids 3 and up.

Just in time for the holidays, we added three brand new products from Zoob to GIFT HERO.  We love Zoob building sets because they are so versatile. Kids can create anything from vehicles to animals to buildings and so much more. The sets are really durable, and the pieces big enough to not get lost as easily as some of the other big name  building sets.

Pictured here is  Sparkle Zoob – the same Zoob building pieces in bright, sparkly colors. The folks at Zoob told us this product was created specifically to interest girls, who are more attracted to these pieces than to the traditional Zoob colors. I love that more companies are starting to realize that girls love to build as much as boys. My daughter Maya has her eye on this set for sure!

Also new from Zoob is the Zoob Cube – which contains sturdy floor tiles and Zoob pieces so that kids can create new kinds of Zoob creations like forts and buildings. The Zoob pieces fit right into the panels – which also interlock together to hold the Zoob pieces for storage – very clever design by the folks at Zoob.

Finally, we love the Zoob Jr. line, made especially for ages 3-5.  The Zoob Jr. pieces are bigger in size for little hands.  We have added the brand new Zoob Jr. Zoomers, which includes Zoob pieces, wheels and instruction cards with easy to follow diagrams that do not require reading. Boys will love making their own moving vehicles and then zooming them all over the place. A great addition to the line from Zoob!

As a special holiday gift to our customers, we are offering free gift bags with each gift purchased from today through December 17th.  We normally charge $3 per bag – which we think is a steal for gift wrap (with our nifty drawstring bag, you don’t need to wrap or find a bag to carry the gift, plus the bag is reusable as a tote or a storage bag for toys).

To receive your bags, you must add one to your shopping cart for each gift you order.  Just click on the blue “Add a Gift Bag” button in the shopping cart to add bags to your order. 
Happy holidays and enjoy!

December is a great time to make donations to organizations that are important to you.  The solication envelopes are piling up on my desk.  In addition to cash donations, one thing I love to do before year end is clean out my closets and donate clothing and gear that Benjamin has grown out of.

I was thrilled to learn that Baby Buggy, an amazing organization that helps New York City’s children in need, is holding a gear drive this weekend.  From December 3-5th, you can donate new and gently used strollers, high chairs, front carriers and bassinets to local families. 

Location: The Caledonia, 16th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues
Times:  Thursday and Friday 10-7, Saturday 10-5*
(*Come with your children on Saturday and make a card to send to a recipient family)

Please consider joining me in supporting this wonderful cause…I will be donating a stroller and a high chair!