At the top of my list of Hallmark Holiday 2016 favourites is their Smiling Snowman Flannel Throw Blanket. This super cozy blanket features a smiling snowman, a cardinal and a fox in a snowy forest. Did I mention it's incredibly soft? It is an affordable gift idea that retails for only $24.95 so I suggest you pick up two of them before they're all gone. Trust me, you'll want one all to yourself!

Next up is the cutest stuffed animal I have ever seen - Frosty Friends Shivering Polar Bear. Whenever you rub noses with this plush, it shivers and makes the cutest little sounds. My daughter can't get enough of it! It currently retails for $29.95. For the toddler on your list, pick up an itty bittys Frosty the Snowman Stuffed Animal and Storybook Set. The book is a rhymed retelling of the classic holiday TV special and includes an exclusive itty bitty. Plus, it's a steal of a deal at only $6.95 for the set. 

My son's favourite ornament this year is the itty bittys Star Wars: The Force Awakens BB-8 Ornament. I personally love the Red Poinsettia Glass Ball Ornament from the Heritage Collection. The Coffee Signature Ornament is also a great teacher gift idea. Most ornaments range in price from $6.95 for the itty bittys up to $24.95 for the large glass ball ornament.

Finally, we can't forget Hallmark's stunning line of greeting cards. This year, they released their Home and Native Land Canadian Exclusive Boxed Card sets ($9.99 for a set of 16) and their stylish Signature Boxed Cards sets ($16.99 for a set of 8) that feature premium materials, beautiful embellishments and quality lined envelopes. 

But my ultimate favourite this year is their Wonder-Folds White Christmas Tree Cards. These intricately designed 3-D cards include a tag that reads Merry Christmas and has room on the back to write who it's for and from. This set retails for $19.99 for a set of five.

You will find other fabulous gift ideas for the holidays that include beautifully knit stockings, carryall tote bags, snowflake candle holders, holiday themed socks, gift bags and tags, and Hanukkah gifts and greeting cards, too. Stop by your nearest Hallmark Gold store to view their entire assortment.

To help celebrate the holidays, Hallmark is giving away a Peanuts Holidays Through the Year Book, valued at $14.95, that features Charlie Brown and the gang in five classic Peanuts stories about the holidays, from Valentine's Day through Christmas. To be eligible to win, please complete the Rafflecopter form below. Open to residents of Canada only, excluding Quebec.

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As a child, counting down to Christmas was a surefire way to brighten our spirits once the weather turned cold. Sometimes the countdown would end sooner than usual if we had a family vacation down south to look forward to. Whether we spent the holidays at home with the family or abroad on the beach, holiday smiles were pretty much a guarantee. Today, as a mother of two, I realize how much I had taken that all for granted. For the first time, we will be spending time in the hospital visiting with my mother-in-law who recently slipped and broke her leg. This was devastating news for my youngest, who wanted desperately to see her but was hit hard by the stomach flu. It was a difficult reminder that life isn't always easy; that illness and injury can take us all by surprise. 

For thousands of children and their families, the holidays will be spent in Canadian hospitals. But because Duracell believes in powering the imagination of sick children by helping to ensure kids can still be kids, they can still enjoy the magic of the season. For the 10th consecutive year, Duracell is donating a year supply of batteries to hospital playrooms across the country. The goal: to power smiles and imagination this holiday season and beyond. Knowing that a new working toy or game can help make a child's hospital stay a little brighter, Brampton singer Alessia Cara joined Duracell, who donated $180,000 to SickKids in her name, to promote their Powering Smiles campaign. In addition, Duracell, in partnership with Hasbro, also delivered a shipment of toys, along with the batteries to power them. Among these toys was the new Furby Connect.

In our home, Furby has been bringing smiles to my kids for the past four years. It first started with the original Furby and then the family expanded with a Furby Boom. For each one, we always made sure to use Duracell batteries. This year, we are thrilled to welcome Furby Connect to the family. My favourite features are his moving ears and his colourful eyes that display more than 150 animations to help express what Furby wants. You can pet him, tickle him, shake him, or turn him upside down. Furby reacts each time! Plus, when Furby Connect syncs with the Furby Connect World app, there are more physical and digital ways to interact and more surprises to discover, making this a great gift idea for the holidays. And don't forget to power Furby Connect with Duracell batteries since Duracell makes the magic of the holidays last longer.

For every pack of Duracell batteries sold at Walmart in December 2016, Duracell will donate to Children’s Miracle Network. Now only will you avoid a child's disappointment in receiving a battery-operated toy that is powerless, you will also help make a child’s hospital stay a little brighter. Join the Powering Smiles Campaign and help them reach this year's goal to raise $150,000.

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Duracell. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

One year, I had purchased a princess themed Playmobil Advent Calendar for my daughter. It was a great alternative to the typical Advent calendar filled with chocolates and, once Advent was over, she would have a complete Playmobil set to play with. It had a pretty white horse, a pink unicorn, peacocks, bluebirds, a garden filled with flowers, a large bird cage and a beautiful water fountain. One of the princesses even had her own parasol. The attention to detail was remarkable and my daughter loved this set so much, we used this Advent calendar for many years.

This year, we have a brand new calendar to help us count down to Christmas. Just in time for the World Cup of Hockey, Playmobil's new NHL Advent Calendar "Rivalry On The Pond" is sure to be a hit this season. The backdrop for this scene is a frozen pond in the great outdoors. Setting up the background was a cinch and the skate marks on the pond make it look all the more realistic. With Santa as referee, players can actually pass the puck to fellow team members. 

This advent calendar contains twenty-four surprise items for each day leading up to Christmas. Once all the pieces are revealed, children can enjoy their own mini NHL game. The compartments are easy to open, which means this will last even longer than our first Playmobil Advent calendar that used individual boxes that had to be assembled each year. This will definitely become a best-seller this season so grab one while you can. They are listed at $39.99 and can be found at most retail stores and independent toy stores.

Disclosure: I received product to help facilitate this review. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Every summer, I take advantage of the time off work to sort through old clothes and toys, donating what no longer fits or passing along outgrown toys to my niece and nephew. Yet, I always come across a toy or two that either myself or my kids can't bare to part with. One such toy is Simon Swipe, since it brings back so many memories of its original predecessor and offers endless hours of fun. Next on the list, which should come as no surprise, is Simon Flash, which is equally as fun but offers a different dynamic to the game. For my daughter, the one toy she can't seem to give up is her Furby Boom. For my son, it's his coveted remote controlled BB-8. (I swear, it has something to do with the fact that he's a Star Wars baby. That, and he just loves all things RC!) All these cool toys need is a storage break and a little reboot from Duracell Quantum.

Since play helps build imagination, creativity and confidence, Duracell wants to celebrate the importance of powering imaginations by helping to get more fun and more play out of last year’s toys, at least until this holiday. One lucky reader will win a #PowerImagination prize pack that includes:

To be eligible to win, complete the Rafflecopter form below. Open to residents of Canada, excluding Quebec.

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Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Duracell. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Have you ever bought a battery-powered toy as a gift for a child but then forgot the batteries? Nope? Neither have I. Okay, yes I have. It's worse when the child opens the gift on Christmas day when there aren't any stores open where you can pick up some batteries after the fact. But imagine having to spend the holidays in the hospital. Think of the thousands of children across Canada who, instead of asking for toys and games, hope instead for a full recovery or a cure that will allow them the luxury of never having to spend another holiday in the hospital ever again. To help ensure these kids can still enjoy the magic of the season, Duracell is donating a year’s supply of batteries to hospitals across Canada, batteries which will power the thousands of playroom toys and games that children and their families will be playing with this holiday season and beyond.

In addition, for every pack of Duracell CopperTop and Quantum batteries that are purchased at Walmart locations in Canada from December 1st to December 31st, 2014, Duracell will donate 20 cents to Children’s Miracle Network. Their goal: to raise $150,000 for the Network. To learn more about the campaign follow @Duracell on Twitter.

For as long as I can remember, bedtime has always been a challenge with my first-born. As a newborn, she would often fuss and cry at night but I thought if we could just implement a routine as she got older, things would get easier. And sometimes it did. But mostly, it didn't. It turns out, she needed someone with her in her room every night. Yet for me, I needed her to go to sleep on her own. I was often tired and if I were to lay down next to her, I would inevitably fall asleep in an awkward position on her twin bed and wake up with an arm resting on my face. I'm sure many parents can relate. Lots of fun, right? Nope. I needed to sleep in my own spacious bed and I needed my daughter to find ways to self-soothe. My husband, however, would prefer to lay down next to her than have her call us repeatedly to her room out of fear of the dark. We have tried a few different night lights but, even at nine years of age, she was still afraid of being alone in her room at night. Until we met Charley the Chameleon, that is.

Initially, I had intended for my six-year-old son to have Charley because it was designed for babies and toddlers, I thought to myself. Surely the novelty would wear off and then I could pass it on to my baby nephew or my three-year-old goddaughter. While my son loved it, he really didn't need it. He's always been a pro at sleeping and would often sleep for 10-11 hours a night since he was one month old. But because Charley is so cute, my kids decided to take turns with him each night. What ended up happening? My daughter kept him in her room and my son really hasn't asked for him in weeks. Which is perfectly fine because for the first time in a very, very long time, my daughter will go to bed without asking me to say with her. I'm still having a hard time believing it myself, but it's true! I feel like bowing down to the Cloud B gods and saying, "I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!"

Hot holiday toys are in abundance this year and the adrenaline-powered Ollie robot is just one example. But if you're looking for something a little more toddler-friendly, VTech has an amazing playset that will be sure to provide endless hours of fun - the Go! Go! Smart Wheels® Ultimate Amazement Park Playset! With three cool courses and over 70 sing-along songs, melodies, sounds and phrases, there is so much to explore.

The Go! Go! Smart Wheels® Ultimate Amazement Park Playset is no small toy. It is more than 3 feet long and will take up some floor space but the neat part is that you can connect it to other Go! Go! Smart Wheels® playsets to encourage creativity and develop your child’s imagination (each sold separately). Assembly requires a screwdriver and there are several parts and stickers so I suggest setting aside some time to put it together, such as during nap time.

Place the included SmartPoint race car at the top of the tower, pull the flag and watch it race through the 360-degree loop, spiral or ramp. Your child will have plenty of fun navigating the car through obstacles all the while building motor skills.

As the race car drives over one of 8 SmartPoint locations, it responds with different music or fun sound effects. 

There has been a recent addition to our family. Friends, meet Ollie. You may have seen his cousin causing up quite a stir last year. His name is Sphero. Both Ollie and Sphero are a remarkable breed of robot. Like Sphero, Ollie is controlled remotely using an app you can download onto your smart phone or tablet. While Spero is a fairly well-rounded robot and can swim in water, Ollie puts him to shame on the racetrack. Engineered for speed, programmed for tricks and driven by adrenaline, nothing quite compares to Ollie the speed-demon.

So how fast are we talking here? Over three times as fast as Spero! Reaching speeds of over 14 MPH, Ollie leaves the average toy in the dust. You would think it would roll out of control given the speed but it is actually quite agile thanks to its totally tubular design. The best part? You can easily customize the tires and hubcaps using a variety of combinations and colours. Each Ollie comes with a base bot, fixed wheel rims, a set of removable tires and removable hubs. It also comes with a USB charging cord. The tires provide ultra grip for hard cornering but you could easily remove them and turn Ollie into a super drift machine.

Within a matter of minutes, I had assembled our robot and downloaded the app onto my new LG G3 smart phone. Communicating via Bluetooth, the phone or tablet connects instantly with Ollie and acts as a remote, kind of like a joystick. Turn your device sideways to enter tricks mode and enjoy the light show courtesy of the built-in LED's.