Every time a holiday rolls around, the name
Hallmark is in the air, especially around my favorite holiday in December. Hallmark has grown far beyond the basic greeting card both in-store and online. Let me highlight some of my favorite Hallmark products for Holiday 2010 for you . . .
We have all heard of the
Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. There is such a wide variety offered every year. My favorite types of ornaments to give are the dated picture frames. I love dated ornaments period, just because they will remind the recipient of a particular Christmas with one's family. I like using the picture frame ornaments as gift topper gift tags. All I need to do is insert a piece of paper with the "To" and the "From" right into the frame.
Next, I want to show you the
Hallmark holiday photo cards I will be sending out this year. For the first time ever, I did not opt for a single photo layout. I took these photos of our children myself, so I made a point of taking some individual portraits as well. This
Merry Christmas 4 Frames card suited my needs perfectly. I was able to add our family name beneath the "Merry Christmas." I was also able to choose from a long list of greetings for the back, as well as customize the signature to include all the members of our family. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised to have received my cards within a few business days of placing my order.
For times when I want to give a holiday card to an acquaintance or someone with whom I have a business relationship, I often opt not to send a photo card of my family. It just seems too personal. For these occasions, I always buy one box of holiday greeting cards. There is something about foil or glitter accents on a card that always call out to me. I guess they best capture the mood of the season for me.
Something that is extremely popular this holiday is the line of
Hallmark Recordable Storybooks. If you know someone who is in the armed forces or is a parent who cannot be with their children on Christmas Eve this year, the recordable "The Night Before Christmas" would be such an ideal gift to give. The parent could record themselves reading the story ahead of time. Then his or her children would be able to listen to the story on Christmas Eve at bedtime. This would also be wonderful for a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, or even an older sibling to send a child whom they will not be able to be with during the holidays.
Every year on Christmas Eve before bed, my husband reads "The Night Before Christmas" to our three children. This year, he will read this version of the book and then allow the children to look through and listen to him retelling the story in the recording. There is even a place for us to personalize the book inside.
(Click any image to enlarge)
As you may have guessed, I have barely scratched the surface of the vast assortment of holiday products offered by Hallmark. To learn more, visit your local Hallmark store or pop onto
Hallmark.com to see what Hallmark has to offer both online and in stores. If you are planning to order cards online, you can save
30% off your card order when you use
Code: BLOGHER30 at checkout. This offer expires on December 31st, 2010 and cannot be combined with other promotional codes.
Thank you to Hallmark for sending us complimentary sample products to base this review upon, for giving us a gift code to use towards a holiday card order for this review, and for providing a second gift code for our contest prize.
What you can win:One lucky reader will receive
a $40 gift code to spend at Hallmark.com (Code expires 12/31/10).
Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.
How to Gain Entries:
Browse the selection of Hallmark holiday cards. Then leave a comment telling me the name of the card that appeals to you the most. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest. Extra Entries:
1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.
2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.
3) For 10 extra entries, join the Hallmark Crown Rewards Program. Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments telling me you did.
7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.
8)
Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.
9)
10) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.
(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)
Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Monday, December 13th, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.
Good luck in the drawing!