With Christmas right around the corner we decided to put together a gift guide for all of our wonderful followers. In this three part series we will detail our favourite gift for each member of your family. Check in everyday this week if you are looking for that special gift, for that special someone.
Kids
L.O.L Big Surprise
Let the little one on your list unbox the biggest surprise with L.O.L. Big Surprise.
Selected as one of the top toys of the holiday season by major retailers, this new Big Surprise offers the ultimate unboxing experience that L.O.L. surprise toys are known for. Inside the super-sizes sparkly package they’ll find 50 surprises! Talk about bang for your buck and a gift that keeps on giving.
It’s no wonder, then, that Toys R Us featured L.O.L. Big Surprise on the 2017 Holiday Hot Toy list or why American retailers Target and Kmart added it to their 2017 Top Toys list and Fab15 Top Toys list respectively.
Here in Canada you’ll find it in-store at Toys R Us and Indigo and online on Amazon. The suggested retail price is $99.99.
Want to see the fun the little one in your life will be in for? Watch the outrageously fun unboxing video here.
L.O.L., which stands for Lil Outrageous Littles, are also available in smaller surprise packs including Surprise Tots, Surprise Charm Fizz, Surprise 2-packs and Surprise lil Sisters, which range in price from $8.99 to $26.99, making them a great price point for smaller gifts or stocking stuffers.
All of them have become insanely popular over the last six months and many retailers are selling out of them quickly as Christmas approaches. Watch the flyers for retailers that are running specials, then keep and eye on Mom Groups on Facebook for postings about where you can actually find them in store.
Star Wars Drones
While the infamous Star Wars movies took place in a land far, far away, these high performance Star Wars battle drones by Propel can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home.
The young Jedi in your life will be thrilled with either the 74-Speeder Bike, T-65 X-Wing or the TIE Fighter. All are available at Best Buy, Walmart, Indigo and Staples for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $249.
What really brings these drones to life is Propel’s intelligent awareness technology that makes it more than just a toy and turns it into an interactive experience in which they can race against each other up to 35 mph and engage in laser battles.
The little one in your life (the drones are suggested for ages 14+) won’t be disappointed in the various options, which include a training mode for new users that will help them learn to fly at reduced speed. As they gain experience they can work their way up to Admiral Status for a chance to win prizes using the app.
Each drone requires four AA batteries that aren’t included. Average charge time is 30-40 minutes with average run time six to eight minutes.
The Drones are also available in special Collector’s Editions, which come in a wax-sealed box that lights up and plays the original John Williams score when opened and features a unique serial number.
Dad / Husband
Brew Box Subscription
A subscription to anything is the gift that keeps on giving. But the gift of a craft beer box? That’s a no-brainer for your dad. That’s where the Brew Box Company comes in.
The concept is simple: choose the club you think dad would want to be part of then sit back and relax while you wait for his beer to arrive. Depending on the subscription you choose, dad can enjoy fresh beer every month for anywhere from one to 12 months.
Choose from:
• The Brewscovery Club
Each brew box contains beer from three different breweries from across the province. Dad will enjoy a selection of small batch, craft brews and seasonal beers that would be difficult for dad to find at the Beer Store or LCBO. Each box contains about four litres of beer. Dad will also receive tasting notes and brewery profiles on each beer included. Membership starts at $58 per month.
Available in two- or four-bottle per month options, this club has a membership cap because each month some of the rarest beers are included in the box. The Brewbox Company has partnered with 40 of the province’s breweries to offer a selection of unique and expensive brews. The box also contains tasting notes for dad’s enjoyment. Membership starts at $59 per month. 
This “Fancy Pants” club delivers a collection of the finest offerings and fan-favourites from the Sawdust City Brewing Company. Each is hand-selected by brewmaster Sam Corbeil and may include new brewery-only or small-batch beers and may include the latest Winewood Series release. Membership starts at $72 per month.
Mom / Wife
Midnight Blue Shimmering Drops Stud Earrings
Celebrate winter and your love for mom with these hand-finished, reversible earrings from Pandora. She can effortlessly go from day to night be simply reversing the earrings from the midnight blue crystals to the pave spheres or vice versa.
These Midnight Blue Shimmering Drops stud earrings are available at Pandora stores for $95.
Pandora is known for quality jewellery and exceptional craftsmanship and these earrings are no exception. The reversibility makes them extremely versatile and since they are part of Pandora’s winter 2017 collection you’ll find a number of pieces that either match or coordinate to amp up your gift giving options.
For mom’s Pandora bracelet you can get one of four charms: Wintry Delight, Royal Blue Galaxy, Midnight Blue Orbit or Christmas Night.
Or give her a ring that will coordinate with the crystals on the earrings, such as Cosmic Lines or Shooting Star. Stackable Wishbone rings in both crystal and plain sterling silver designs are also a beautiful choice.
Perhaps the best thing about these earrings is that while they’re very appropriate for Christmas they are suitable for the entire winter season and beyond.
If blue is your mom’s favourite colour, she’s sure to appreciate these gems.
Of course if blue isn’t your mom’s thing, Pandora has a wide selection of other quality jewellery pieces to choose from. Visit your nearest Pandora store to find just the right piece to delight mom on Christmas morning.
Gluten-Free Gifting
Gluten-Free Bread Maker
Give the gift of gluten-free baking with this Gluten-Free Bread Maker by Panasonic. Perfect for the gluten-free baker in your life, it allows those with gluten allergies to indulge in all their favourite holiday and year-round treats.
Available at BestBuy.ca for $369.99
With the push of a button you’ll be on your way to fresh bread and more. It features both an automatic yeast and nut/raisin dispenser for both even distribution and to ensure the ingredients are added at the appropriate point in baking.
The powerful bread maker is designed to mix, knead and rise dough to perfection for everything from doughs to batters and because it’s compatible with all types of flours it’s suitable for non gluten-free baking too.
It features a large, easy-to-read LCD screen and smart touchpad controls that make it easy to choose pre-set menu modes, loaf size – anywhere from medium to extra-large, and crust colour from light to dark. 
And you can enjoy fresh bread whenever you’re ready. The 13-hour pre-set timer means you can bake bread overnight for breakfast or during the day for dinner. Smart inside/outside temperature sensors constantly keep track of both room and baking temperatures to ensure optimum baking performance and even texture. Now that’s smart!
Plus, it comes with a step-by-step recipe book so you can try an assortment of breads and more.
Or, try this recipe below from Doves Farm.
This is another give that keeps on giving!
Gift For The Techie
Powered by Google Assistant, the Google Home smart speaker lets you control all your smart devices and get information with simple voice commands.
The ideal gift for the techie in your life, Google Home will be there to help. It responds to the homeowner’s voice to deliver information, music and control all the other smart devices in your home.
Smart!
Google Home is available at Best Buy for $179.99
To start, the techie homeowner simply needs to say “OK, Google,” and they’re personal assistant will be there to help them stay organized – offering information about their schedule, commute, flights and even grocery lists.
A calculator, dictionary and translator all I none, Google Home provides real-time answers to all your questions – from traffic and weather to sports and finance. Plus, you can sync it with Chromecast to further simplify your life, casting the movies, TV shows and videos you want to see directly to your television.
Want to listen to a particular song? Google Home can play music from such built-in services as Google Play Music and Spotify. And it’s got room-filling sound from a high excursion speaker, which can also be paired with other Google Home units, Chromecast Audio or speakers with Chromecast built-in to deliver synchronized music throughout the home.
Catch Google Home in action here and you’ll quickly see why it is the perfect gift for the techie in your life (or yourself!).
Gift for the Host
Red Christmas Tea Collector’s Gift Box
When you’re being hosted for Christmas, whether it’s dinner or an overnight stay, it’s just good manners to bring a lovely gift for your host. This year, skip the standard bottle of wine, or add to it with this Collector’s Tea Tin filled with luxurious Red Christmas Teabags.
The blend of red tea with a festival of holiday spices promised a wonderful assembly of rich flavours and is available at vansingdg.com for $228.
Each gorgeously crafted ruby red Collector’s Tea Tin contains 50 2.5g 100 per cent cotton teabags of Red Christmas Tea, a blend of theine-free red tea.
Red tea, also known as Rooibois, is decaffeinated and theine-free tea from South Africa. It’s best prepared by pouring 95 degree Celsius water over one teabag, allowing it to infuse for two to tree minutes for one cup or three to four minutes for a small teapot before removing the teabag to serve.
The Christmas blend in this Collector’s tin is ideal for cozy holiday evenings, but suitable all year long and will certainly remind your host of your appreciation each time they serve themselves, or other guests, a cup of this delicious tea.
A true delicacy, the red leaves of the South African rooibos herb produce an herbal tea that is stunning both in colour and taste. Harvested from a single estate in South Africa, this tea has been specially blended for the holidays. The fact that it’s decaffeinated makes it an ideal evening or bedtime tea that can certainly be enjoyed throughout the day.
And it’s beautiful tin means you can skip the wrapping.
