It's a tough time of year to write about trends and fads. Most holiday traditions rely heavily on nostalgia and, well....tradition. However, there's no reason to start a few new traditions in your family, and our friends at Hallmark have a number of suggestions. It's not too late as I write this to have your children write a letter to Santa, and Hallmark's Mail Box and Letter to Santa Kit will help you to make sure their letter is delivered and a response returned. The box includes envelopes, stickers and delivery stamps, along with postcards back from the North Pole.... More »

While by no means a new trend (ever heard of a newfangled thing called the printing press?), as resident trend watcher, I've done my research and talked to the experts to bring you a list (and a prize pack) of some of the hottest titles in children's literature for your holiday shopping. Shall we begin at the very beginning (a very good place to start)...and look at first books for infants and toddlers? Anything by Sandra Boynton's a hit in my house, and her newest, Let's Dance Little Pookie is no exception. This is a book whose simple illustrations will... More »

What would the holidays be without the classics? Everyone has a different take on the classics, and that's as it should be. For me and my family, it wouldn't be Christmas without Charlie Brown Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the original), an orange in our stocking, a Christmas cracker at the dinner table, and a bottle of O'Sherwood's Irish cream. However, I think it's important to embrace change and welcome new classics (or twists to the old classics) into our holidays. For the past several years, Nicholas Cage's The Family Man has been playing... More »

MP3 players, digital cameras, cell phones...what on earth did we do for Christmas gifts before the digital age?! One hot trend identified by the toy expert from Mattel that I interviewed was technology. Hot this year is D-Rex, the interactive pet dinosaur. Your child can ask it questions (and expect dinosaur-like answers and grunts!). It boasts life-like movements, obeys commands, displays affection and protects its owner. This toy is geared especially to boys aged 7-9. Not only will they love the action of this dinosaur, its burping sound effects will keep them enchanted! For the youngest set, Fisher Price has... More »