Hallmark for the holidays

My mom adores Hallmark…and I mean ADORES Hallmark. Me? I’ve purchased the occasional Shoebox greeting card (I’m more humor than heartfelt) and sent more than my fair share of Hoops & Yoyo e-cards.
…

…
If you’re not familiar with Hoops & Yoyo, your life doesn’t have nearly enough rainbows and sunshine.

With the holidays just a few days away (I do the Nordstrom thing and don’t kick off Christmas until AFTER Thanksgiving), Hallmark should be one of the stops on your holiday shopping route. From their classic keepsake ornaments to festive cards and gifts, Hallmark knows better than anyone how to make the holidays more memorable.

…

…

And they’re not kidding about that “to life” part. Their Interactive Story Buddies feature two of the most adorable (seriously adorable) husky puppies , Jingle and Bell, who magically respond when they hear specific words in the story.
…

…
Olivia and George were lucky enough to receive the Jingle Interactive Story Buddy to review and believe me when I say they were entranced from the moment Jingle uttered his first words bark. I’m pretty sure Jingle only left Livi’s side when she had to go to school.*

Neither one was happy about it.

If you have loved ones who live far away or who won’t be home for the holidays, Hallmark’s Recordable Storybooks make a wonderful gift. Grandpa can add his voice to a holiday story complete with illustrations and music, and then your kids get to enjoy hearing Grandpa read them a bedtime story.

Hallmark has a huge library of Recordable Storybooks, but it IS “’tis the season” so I’d go with The Very First Christmas or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

A few of my other favorites from Hallmark this year:

• Interactive Greetings: I’m sure you’ve seen the commercial already, but I love the look on Santa’s face when he opens an Interactive Greetings card and little Susie is letting him know exactly what he wants for Christmas.
  …

  I think I’ll send one to my parents.

• Personalized Greetings: Did you know you can visit Hallmark.com (and avoid long lines at the post office) to create and send personalized holiday greetings? Add photos and customized messages for that personal touch.

…
I’m already planning on visiting my cute little Hallmark store during the holidays. I always have at least one or two Grinch-like moments and Hallmark has a way of fixing those the minute I walk through the door.

Disclosure: Hallmark provided me with an Interactive Story Buddies set, Recordable Storybook and signature greeting cards in exchange for this review. They also provided us with some early holiday cheer. All opinions and love of Jingle-like fluffy stuffed animals are mine.