Merry Christmas » Christmas Gifts

Christmas Shopping For Close Relatives

Admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Christmas shopping for close relatives can be extremely easy in some aspects but it can also be extremely difficult in other aspects. One the one hand shopping for close relatives is simple and a great deal of fun because they are people you really care about and people you know really well. However, on the other hand shopping for close relatives can also be extremely difficult and stressful because there is the added pressure to select Christmas gifts your relatives will really cherish and enjoy. This article will discuss some of the aspects of this Christmas shopping situation to help shoppers find the perfect gift for their loved ones.

Most people really look forward to Christmas shopping for their close relatives. For them this is an opportunity to purchase a gift for a loved one that he or she is sure to enjoy and appreciate. They also look forward to shopping for these close relatives because they know them well and likely have a number of great ideas for what to buy. However, all of these great ideas may turn out to be a source of stress. For example, you may immediately think of five or six great gift ideas for a particular relative. The problem you may encounter is that you think each of the gifts would be absolutely perfect and therefore have a great deal of trouble deciding which gift to select. Purchasing all of the items may not be feasible in terms of your budget and you may be disappointed that you can only select one item from the list of ideas. This can create stress because you may worry about selecting the best possible choice.

Another problem which may stem from having a lot of great ideas about what to get a particular relative is you may not be able to find the exact item for which you are searching. This can be particularly stressful and frustrating especially if you know a particular item would make the perfect gift for your loved one but are simply unable to find the exact item you are seeking during any of your shopping trips. In this case you may become obsessed with finding this particular item. Not being able to find this item can be incredibly frustrating. This frustration can make the shopping a great deal less fun. It can also cause you to not see other items which would also be great gifts because you are so focused on finding this one particular item. If you are shopping early, ie at least two weeks before Christmas, and you cannot find the item you may be able to source it from an online retailer and still have time to have it delivered to you. This may also be a preferable way of shopping inasmuch as you can often find greater discounts online than you can in the local mall which will help you keep within your budget. Some online retailers offer free shipping and bonus items along with the product.

Even when you don’t have a list of gift ideas for a particular relative, you may experience a great deal of frustration during your Christmas shopping. This frustration may stem from being too concerned about finding a gift which your close relative will really cherish and appreciate. The pressure of finding a great Christmas gift for a loved one is so important because you do not want someone you care so much about to be disappointed by the Christmas gift you give them. Although this should not really be a concern because it is most likely your close relatives will all be thrilled with the gifts you select for them but it still caused stress for many people.

Another problem associated with shopping for close relatives is it may be difficult to select appropriate gifts for multiple relatives without worrying that the relatives will compare the gifts. Again, this is not a likely scenario as most people would not go out of their way to discuss the gifts they were given but it is something that causes concern for many. Some individuals will feel that it is not appropriate to purchase an expensive gift for one relative but not for others. One way to deal with this is to select one item and give similar items to all of the relatives. Although the gifts will not be unique or selected for each individual it is one way to deal with the possibility of the recipients sharing information about the gifts they received. One example of how to do this is to give an item such as a sweater to each relative but to personalize the gift by selecting different styles or colors for each relative.

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Significance of Christmas Eve

Admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:26:45 +0000

The day before Christmas is one that is filled with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. There’s anxiety at putting all the final plans and finishing decoration touches in place and getting all the necessary shopping done. There’s also much anticipation about all the merriment and excitement of Christmas day. Children are usually hardly able to control themselves as they think about the Christmas gifts they hope to get the next day. They may try to stay up through the night to catch Santa Claus, or they may just be too excited to sleep.

Christmas Eve is also important for the simple reason that in ancient custom, and among some cultures today, a holiday or other celebrated day really starts from sundown of the day before the actual day that is celebrated. Therefore, festivities and observances for Christmas Day would really begin on Christmas Eve.

One of the most significant aspects of Christmas Eve however, is related to religion. Attending Midnight Mass or earlier church services is mandatory for many people whose religion is Christianity. This is so even for people who aren’t regular churchgoers during the year. Evidence of the importance of these church services can be seen in the overflow of congregations at the churches.

Many churches will also have an added service earlier in the evening to accommodate the above normal attendance, and also for individuals like the elderly who would prefer a service that is earlier than Midnight Mass.

Another important aspect of Christmas Eve celebrations is related to retail operations. On the day before Christmas, stores make a last ditch effort to push sales of Christmas and other merchandise. There often are special promotions last-minute advertised to capitalize on late, desperate Christmas shoppers and other impulse buyers. This last effort is also aimed at increasing sales for the Christmas period.

Some stores will remain open late, even up to midnight or just before midnight. Macy’s department store in New York City, which bills that particular store branch as the world’s largest, stayed open until midnight on Christmas Eve of 1867 for the first time. Christmas Eve culminates the single biggest shopping season, which started the day after Thanksgiving, for retailers.

Christmas Eve is also important for the traditions associated with it. It is the night when parents have to play the role of Santa Claus and sneak toys and other Christmas gifts under the Christmas tree to the absolute delight and surprise of children who awake on Christmas morning to find the presents.

The idea of Santa Claus coming descending chimneys on Christmas Eve to leave gifts for good boys and girls was made popular by a poem, attributed to Clement Clarke Moore. In that poem titled ‘An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas, ‘which Moore wrote in 1822 and which is now popularly known as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,’ Moore described Santa Claus s ‘a right jolly old elf’ who went from house to house with his sleigh pulled by reindeers flying through the air to deliver Christmas presents to all the girls and boys who had been well behaved.

Food plays a big role in making Christmas Day special and much of its preparation often begins on Christmas Eve. Poultry and other meats are often prepared by letting them stand in a mixture of various herbs and spices, puddings and pies are baked on Christmas Eve, as well as a fresh batch of gingerbread and other cookies and treats.

The scents and flurry of activity related to all these preparations also help to make Christmas Eve a memorable day on its own.

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Gift Cards, Gift Vouchers and Gift Coupons

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Gift Cards and Gift Baskets

Admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:17:30 +0000

Christmas is a time of hustle and bustle. There’s so much to do and organize. If there is anyway you can cut down on what you have to do and relieve your stress without the quality of your Christmas suffering you want to at least look into it.

And what about that person for whom you have forgotten to buy a Christmas Gift?

These are just a few useful times to give Gift Cards (sometimes known as Gift or Store vouchers or certificates.) You can save a trip to the mall and the crowds and sit comfortably at your computer and browse through gift cards to suit your gift recipient. There are thousands to choose from and they cover just about every product or service you might want. Plus they help you stay within your Christmas budget.

Click on the gift cards below that you’d like to know more about and the information will open in a new tab so that you can compare several.

The great thing about Gift Cards is that all you have to do is select a card based on the your gift recipients likes, hobbies, interests, and lifestyle. You don’t even have to know them very well so if you are looking for something for, say, your hairdresser or pool cleaner or a relative that lives out of town, you will find a gift card that suits. Gift cards are also great for children and teens who like to feel they can control their buying and have very definate likes and dislikes and demand the very ‘in’ thing to be ”cool.’ No more wrong gift, wrong size, wrong colour, wrong make or doubling up on things they already have. The gift they get is their choice so you are not going to wear any criticism!

And, if you are getting ready to go to a Christmas Party and realise that someone has been forgotten in all the hullabaloo, there are many gift cards or store vouchers that you can print out and take with you. They generally have an account or receipt number on them. Another option is to email your gift card direct to your gift recipient.

Your gift recipient need not wait to choose their Christmas gift. They too can go online and redeem their gift card at eStores which are open for business 24/7/365. Most goods will have arrived between 1-7 days wherever they live.

You can make the gift card even more special to your gift recipient by packaging it in a nice box or with a special card. Alternatively you could give the gift card with a Christmas Hamper, Christmas Gift Basket, with A Box of Chocolates, a bottle of wine or small toy or book. Or, you could theme your gift card, such as if the card is yellow make everything you wrap it with and card yellow. One idea I heard about was a gift card for a young teen who it was thought would want to buy a Transformer for Christmas but the gift giver did not know which one was wanted and he had so many in his collection so didn’t dare take a guess. The gift card given was for a toy store. The card was popped into a small $5 Transformer action figure box and the entire thing was wrapped in Transformer gift wrapping and accompanied by a Transformer designed card. The gift giver now has a reputation for being the best gift giver ever.

Relax and Enjoy Christmas – it’s a crazy season but full of love if you can take time to feel it!

Merry Christmas from my family to yours – Lee, Santa’s Helper

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Fun Office Christmas Activities

Admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 11:09:38 +0000

Just because you’re stuck in an office all day doesn’t mean Christmas fun can’t extend to your workplace. Depending on the environment at your work, it’s definitely possible to mix holiday fun with work.

One obvious choice for some fun at the office during the holidays is to have a party. You could have several, in fact. How about a cookie exchange party? Plan to do this at lunchtime one day, and during that block of time, everyone brings several dozen cookies they have made. You have to set a particular number of cookies everyone brings. Because once everyone has an empty plate, they go around the table picking up cookies that look good to them and place them on their empty paper plate. If everyone brought 3 dozen cookies, say, then everyone gets to take home 3 dozen cookies. This is not a particularly unique idea, but one that brings a bit of fun into the workplace.

Keeping in mind whether or not the public visits your workplace, you might choose to decorate. Why not have a Christmas tree decorating event? Everyone brings 6 ornaments and as a group activity, everyone decorates the tree. This is a good way to build team spirit and decorate your workplace at the same time.

Don’t forget to institute a “secret Santa” event at work, where you secretly buy gifts for someone and have some type of gift exchange. But what about a “Santa’s helper” activity? Someone in the group has to begin this on the sly. Essentially, this first person (the only one in the know about how the whole thing began) puts together a little gift. Ideally, it’s a basket with a few gift items in it. They might be decorative items, or baked goods or even bath items. Attach a card saying that “Santa’s helper” dropped by and brought these items. Now the person who received the “helper’s” gift must put together a little something for someone else and – again on the sly – deliver it to the next person. It continues until everyone has received a visit from “Santa’s helper”.

Nothing brings people together like a group activity designed to help others. What if your officemates came up with an activity designed to help people less fortunate at the holidays? You might adopt a local family and everyone in the office purchases items for that family. You might choose to purchase Christmas Gifts or food for needy families. If the public visits your office often, you might even begin a “sharing” tree and people can bring items to put under the tree for needy families or children. As a group activity, the office workers can then deliver these items to the needy.

The particularly festive office might want to have someone come in and do a cooking demonstration. If there are enough people interested, you can hire a cook or baker to come into your office on your lunch hour and do a demonstration or class. Say you want to bake but don’t know what to bake this year. A baker can come in and demonstrate cookies or other goodies you might not have thought to make. Or someone can come in with ideas and samples for the perfect Christmas meal. These ideas are perfect for the environment where people work many hours and are quite busy but still want to do their regular cooking and baking each year.

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Unusual Christmas Gifts

Admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 10:10:59 +0000

Woodstock Chimes Feng Shui Amber

When you find yourself with someone on your holiday gift list who is difficult to buy for, sometimes your best bet is to go for something out of the ordinary. Gifts that work to bring about harmony and peace in the environment are sure to please. From simple gifts of candles, crystals, and CD’s that play the soothing sounds of wind, rain and babbling brooks, to salt lamps, singing bowls and Zen sand gardens, the choices are plentiful.

You can choose jewelry made of amber, an organic gemstone that is professed to draw negative energy and turn it to positive energy leading to health and well being. Most people, when they think of amber think of the honey colored or the milky white but amber can also be found in brown, red, blue, black and green. You can also buy gifts of jewelry made out of the crystals for your astrological sign. Chlorite quartz is another healing mineral said to cleanse ones aura and makes a gift that is beautiful to look at.

On the more unusual side would be a gift of a negative ion producing lamp made of salt crystal rock. This rock naturally ionizes the air by releasing negative ions (electronically charged molecules of oxygen) thereby removing things like pollen, dust and animal dander from the air. The core of the piece of salt crystal is hollowed out then a light bulb is placed inside. The resulting heat from the light bulb starts the ions flowing into the air. Even if you aren’t interested in the healing qualities of the lamp, you end up with very pretty pieces to display on your dresser or end table.

We all know our moods and our health can be greatly affected by sound. Dissonant , loud sounds cause tension and if too prolonged can cause ill health. Other sounds energize the body and relax the mind. Singing bowls fall into this category. They are made from a mix of metals from the Himalayas, Tibet and India. When you strike and/or rub the bowl with a wooden mallet the multi-octave tones that are produced will relax and heal your mind as well as your body. Hand made bells called Rustic Noah Bells are believed to scare off bad spirits. Hang them near your home for good energy. The beautiful deep tone of the larger bells provides a superb sound to accompany your meditation.

In the Feng Shui shops you will also find a large selection of clothing to wear when meditating, books, videos, prayer flags and lots of different oils to energize the body mind and spirit. You might also be interested in the Chakra Bears. Legend says that when the sun shines through the mist in the Smokey Mountains it forms a beautiful rainbow. Every twenty years this rainbow touches the earth and rainbow Chakra bears are born. Each color has a different purpose. For instance the blue bear will listen with endless patience while the yellow bear’s purpose is to make you successful.

Click Here for Feng Shui products and you will find gifts of aromatherapy, incense, table top fountains, mirrors and plenty of books to explain the theories behind everything.

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Family Fun Christmas Activities

Admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 09:46:43 +0000

Family is at the core of the Christmas season, so creating fun memories with your family is always at the top of the must-do list this time of year.

What fun activities can you incorporate into your family life that makes Christmas memorable and fun? Plenty, really. There are the traditional and the things a little bit out of the box.

Think back to your childhood and Christmas time in your house. Are there particular memories that are clearer than others? Those are likely the traditions your parents created for you and your siblings. Trying to create traditions in your own home with your own children is one way to make Christmas fun, exciting and memorable. Perhaps it’s decorating cookies, or making gingerbread houses. Maybe when you were younger your mom always had something yummy smelling coming from the kitchen. You can create the same tradition by simply keeping potpourri warmed and smelling nice, if you don’t have the time to bake frequently.

If you want to do a fun family activity in the kitchen, but baking’s not your thing, you can make a variety of other gift items in your kitchen. The kids love making chocolate and candy covered pretzel sticks, and you can pair those with homemade hot cocoa mix to give as gifts.

Be sure to incorporate music into your family’s traditions. How about some family fun singing Christmas carols or creating your own family music CD? Record your family singing Christmas carols and use that CD as your music CD for the holidays. If you all are particularly talented, you could make these look pretty and give them as gifts.

Many families like to cut down their own Christmas tree. This is a really fun family activity that can add a lot to the Christmas season. Christmas tree farms are located just about everywhere. Check into a local grower’s group for locations. You simply show up, grab a saw (this is mom or dad’s job) and go hunting. Depending on the location of the tree farm, you might walk only a short distance, or you might have to hike up and down hills and far into the farm’s reaches to find just the right tree.

To add even more fun to this activity, create another family tradition that will annually go with the tree cutting. It can be as simple as also having lunch (at the same place each year) and picking up candy to eat in the car on the way home. You might also add a shopping excursion to the day; after the tree is safe at home in a bucket of water, you might all go shopping as a family for some new ornaments.

Other fun family activities can include annual visits to certain places in your community. Does your town have an annual “Christmas tree lane” where all the homes on one street decorate (sometimes in an over the top fashion) for the holidays? You can make a tradition of driving down the street each year, or walking the entire street, if the weather allows. Walking gives the kids a chance to see some of the details of the various décor items.

Many children think hot cocoa is an essential part of the Christmas season. If that’s the case with yours, you could start a fun family activity each year where you make a big batch of hot cocoa mix at the start of the season. Let the kids have a small cup each night before bed during the month of December and closer to Christmas, add special items to the hot cocoa, like mini marshmallows one night and whipped cream another. Be sure to leave this family-made hot cocoa for Santa on Christmas Eve!

At a certain age, children enjoy decorating their room for the holidays. One fun family Christmas activity is to encourage this decoration by letting the kids shop for items to put in their rooms and letting them do the decorating. Be sure to take a picture of them in their decorated room each year. They’ll enjoy looking at the pictures year after year.

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School Christmas Gift Exchange Games

Admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 09:14:49 +0000

Many public schools don’t allow gift exchanges during the Christmas season, but some do and certainly many private schools do. Many fun games can be created to make the gift exchange really fun and festive for kids.

There are several activities you can impose to make the gift buying interesting. For example, you can declare that one of the rules of the gift exchange is that gifts must be handmade or put together in some way and not purchased. You can take this a step further by declaring that the gifts feature the school’s colors in abundance. Perhaps they might also somehow incorporate the school’s mascot.

Definitely in a Christmas gift exchange with children, there should be a low dollar limit on the gifts (such at $5).

But once the Christmas gifts are ready, there are many fun exchange activities and games that can be used to make this even fun and memorable for the kids.

You can use a “white elephant” gift exchange method; here the kids draw a number and choose their gift from the pile of Christmas gifts in order by the number they drew. They can exchange their gift for a different one if they choose. A gift can only be “stolen” three times and the person who drew the first gift can “steal” a gift at the end of the gift exchange if they like. Kids always get a kick out of the “stealing” aspect of the white elephant gift exchange.

Children enjoy buying gifts for other people, so having them draw names is an excellent activity for an exchange. To add a twist, make the gift activity interesting by telling the children they can’t tell their recipient they are buying for them. Then create a fun activity during the exchange itself to play up the “mystery” element of the Christmas gift exchange.

In the mystery scenario, you can have each child open their Christmas gift, then try and figure out who it is from. If the children were asked to make a gift, this can be particularly fun, as some children might have drawing skills, or woodworking skills which might make it easier or harder for the other children to decide who have them a gift.

As the children open the gifts, have them guess who the gift is from. If they are wrong, they have to do a little dance or silly physical act before making another guess. This repeats until they guess the right giver of the gift they have been given.

Another fun activity for gift giving among children in a classroom is to have each child make a game piece for an unknown game board. Everyone brings a handcrafted game piece (there can be rules as to its size, for example, no larger than 2 inches high), to play with on the communal game board.

The “game board” can be nothing more than a large rug that’s been fashioned into some sort of game, ideally a Christmas-themed game. Always popular is “get Santa back to the North Pole” played much like Chutes and Ladders or Candyland. Since most children know how to play these games, the learning curve is small and at the Christmas party, they can get to playing right away. To keep with the Christmas gift exchange idea, each child can be asked to bring their handcrafted game piece wrapped and the pieces can be exchanged as gifts before everyone plays on the big game board.

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Fun Office Gift Exchange Games

Admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:53:05 +0000

There are dozens of fun office gift exchange games people can play during the Christmas season. Officemates might have a “secret Santa” gift exchange or a popular “white elephant” gift exchange. All are popular and always fun, provided the rules are clear and everyone understands them.

One of the most popular office games involving Christmas gifts is the “white elephant” gift exchange. The rules can vary depending on the office and participants, but generally it works something like this. Each person participating purchases a gift not to exceed a certain dollar amount (determined in advance and might range from $5 to $20, again depending on the group). The object here is a fun gift, so anything particularly practical is not welcome. You’re looking for unusual and interesting, perhaps funny, and something other people will want.

Everyone who’s participating in the exchange gets a number (the number should be the same as the number of presents). The numbers should be they drawn out of a hat or something else (perhaps a Santa hat, in recognition of the season?). So, the person who draws number “1″ goes first and picks a present. They open it and keep it. The second person can either pick a different present or they can “steal” the first present. They can’t open a present until they are sure they are keeping their choice and not picking the first gift. This continues until everyone has a present. Any present that’s been opened can be subject to stealing, but a gift can only be stolen three times.

At the end of the game, the person who was the first to open a present can steal a gift if they choose, since they didn’t have an opportunity earlier.

In this game there’s always one gift that everyone wants and will steal over and over again. What makes it fun is trying to figure out who is going to get the most coveted gift. In some cases, people can end up with the gift they brought.

Originally the “white elephant” gift exchange was a way for people to “regift” or give someone a gift they themselves received and don’t want. For a fun twist, you could ask people to bring something from their home like that, or you can require they purchase something (with the aforementioned limit on spending).

There are many varieties of the Secret Santa game, which is so popular in offices, but one option that’s fun involves putting a dollar limit on the purchase and having participants actually make “Santa lists”. Here’s how it works: Those participating create a little list for “Santa”. There should also be a dollar limit placed on this gift exchange, so if that is $10, then people should only list items on their Santa list that can be purchased for $10 or less.

Everyone who is participating draws a list out of a hat, or some other object, and sets about shopping for that person. They know who they are shopping for, but the recipient doesn’t. On exchange day, the Secret Santas must deliver the gifts to their officemates’ desks without being seen. Those participating can decide if they want people to sign the cards attached to the gifts, or if the secret should stay a secret. If they choose the latter, gift giving can be interesting, since it’s anonymous, but many people choose to have cards signed so in the end, people who to thank for their gifts.

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Selecting Christmas Gifts With ‘Wow’ Value

Admin — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:26:44 +0000

Many people adore Santa Claus because he brings them the perfect that often produces squeals of joy. Individuals, especially children, are often thrilled to get what they want and need from Santa. To bring joy to others, you also need to not only give a Christmas gift but to also try to get an item that will be a good match for the individual by selecting a gift that suits the person.

It is possible to find the right Christmas gift without having to fall for the easy way out by giving a ‘sweater.’ To find the right gift for Christmas for anyone means a gift has to capture one or both of the following qualities – something that you know the person will like or desire, or something with useful purpose that will captivate the person. A Christmas gift that captivates the receiver will produce a ‘wow’ reaction or comments of ‘that’s cool’ from others, who will be wishing silently that they had gotten such a gift.

The key to selecting a wonderful Christmas gift that will produce a ‘wow’ reaction is to make sure the item is one that will appear interesting to others. The gift itself may have limits to its use. That means it may not be something that will be used frequently, such as a sweater or other clothing. The ‘wow’ factor or coolness of the gift must however overshadow it’s possible limited usefulness.

Selecting a Christmas gift that is desired can prove to be difficult if you think you don’t know what the person wants or needs. But when we think that we don’t really know what someone wants for a Christmas gift, our real thought is that we haven’t really heard the person specifically say they want or desire a particular item. That however is not an obstacle to truly knowing what someone may desire for a Christmas gift.

To help to identify an item that will make a perfect Christmas gift, you need to focus on what you know about the person – various qualities, what leisure activity the person likes, what type of books, art and music for example, do they like. To focus on what you know about the person, think about conversations you have engaged in with the individual. Conversations in general can often give splendid ideas of good gifts to give for Christmas because oftentimes people will say ‘I wish for …..’ when talking with someone else.

The character of the person is also a good indicator of items that will make wonderful Christmas gifts. Remember, a gift for Christmas is a token to show love, fondness or appreciation or some combination of those qualities. An item that captures a quality of a person is therefore likely to be much appreciated. So, for example, books make good gifts for someone who likes to read. But if the person also has a humorous persona, a book on jokes would be a desirable Christmas gift.

For someone who likes to drive, a travel book on scenic routes is likely to create a large amount of interest. A Christmas gift like that also could stir some ‘wow’ remarks as it could easily cause others to want become engrossed in browsing it. A Christmas gift like that also is an example of something that is very useful but which may not get a lot of frequent use.

Another strategy for selecting a perfect Christmas gift is to think of how something will fit into someone’s lifestyle. A friend once recalled that wish another friend often expressed in conversation was for a Playstation PS3. But knowing that the friend also didn’t have much leisure time to actually sit and use a Playstation PS3, a hand-held game console PSP Go was given instead that could be used during commute on public transportation or in 10-15 minutes of short downtime.

Selecting Christmas gifts for friends, acquaintances and loved ones that will be remembered and treasured is therefore not too much of a difficult task if the strategies previously mentioned are kept in mind.

Avoiding Recalled Christmas Toys

Admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:03:10 +0000

Kids love getting gifts at Christmas. They dream about what they will find under the tree or in their stockings. They leave hints about what they would like to see under the gaily-wrapped paper. They whisper about their gift desires in jolly St. Nick’s ear and make lists months in advance. As a parent, we want our kids to be happy and when appropriate we give them what they want. Knowing if a toy is safe to give a child is more than knowing if it is age appropriate. It seems that there are more toy recalls each year. Toys are recalled when there is something dangerous about the toy, or toxic in how it is made. The gift giver needs to be aware of toy recalls and what to look out for when purchasing toys so that the gift is received with joy instead of disaster. How do toy recalls work?

Understanding the anatomy of a toy recall:

The usual route of a recall starts with an investigation into incidents of injury or from tests run in quality control labs. Unfortunately usually an incident means that the dangerous toy has already injured a child or perhaps several children.

Currently on the US Consumer Product Safety Commission Website there are a whole page of recalls, most involving Violations of Lead Paint Standards. The most recent recalls on the list include Gymboree Corp’s recall of Toy Swords due to breakage and laceration hazard, Dunkin’ Donuts Recalls of Glow Sticks due to choking and strangulation hazards, and Lan Enterprises Recall of a doll stroller after a child’s finger tip was severed. The same product also is stated to pose an entrapment hazard. These are just from the first 10 recalls from that long list of recalls.

The best scenario would be if the company’s quality control department discovered the dangerous situation before toys reached the shelves, so that no innocent children would be injured or made ill due to playing with a toy.

Safety standards are obviously an important part of any product manufacturing process. Obeying these standards should be expected especially when the products are made to be used by children. Monitoring, and enforcing these regulations should be of the highest level of ability of the US government. There should be a hefty price to pay for violating these safety standards.

Lately China has been cited as the manufacturing country in several recent toy recalls for lead paint infractions. Part of the problem is that so many of the US products are manufactured globally and not in the US. It is the responsibility of the US government and the US companies to expect compliance from those countries they deal with and to be able to regulate obedience and enforcement.

Finding Out About Toy Recalls:

Consumers can find out about a toy recall directly from toy companies or from the US government by way of Websites like the Consumer Product Safety Commission site located at:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html

When a determination has been made by a company to recall a toy, they usually set up a hotline and information on the company Website that addresses the recall issue including the particulars about what toy is being recalled and what consumers are to do if they have the toy in their possession.

Many news agencies make toy recalls public by making announcements and by giving information about the toy to the public using their media coverage ability.

One good reason to fill out that product questionnaire you received in the box is that if you register the product with the company, the company then has the ability to update you on issues with that product including any recalls.

There is a blog that has a comprehensive list of recalls including the latest toy recalls due to lead paint. The blog can be accessed at:

http://www.usrecallnews.com/2007/10/complete-list-of-recalled-toys-for-lead.html

The best thing any concerned individual can do regarding giving toys at Christmas or anytime of the year is to stay informed and pay attention to any news reports regarding recalls.

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