Christmas is next week. Can you believe it? It seems like just yesterday we were watching fireworks while celebrating the Forth of July. In a matter of days it will be 2014! I’ve already seen Valentines Day products at the local drug store. Sigh…
If you are still in need of last minute gifts, holiday cards or décor you should swing by your local Hallmark store. You are sure to find what you are looking for.
Hallmark is the place to go for holiday cards. Sure, you could pick up a box or two of card from the Dollar store, but if you want quality cards that sparkle, shine or even plays music, you only have to stop by your local Hallmark store. I prefer to give family and friends cards that I specifically picked out for them – not a random card from a box. The holiday season means a lot to me and I want the cards that I give to loved ones to show them how much they mean to me too.
If you sign up for Hallmark Rewards you’ll earn points that you can use towards perks for every five cards that you purchase. If you are like me your holiday card list might be rather long, so you can easily rack up rewards points in no time.
I can easily spend an hour or more shopping for holiday cards at Hallmark, only because I love to check them all out. I especially love ones that make sounds, have pop-ups or parts that move. Hallmark cards are MORE than just a card – they are an experience.
One of my most favorite things about the Hallmark stores this time of year are the Keepsake Ornaments. My entire family gets a new ornament every year and our first stop is always Hallmark.
The new ornament every year tradition started with me and my mom. She would let me pick out an ornament (or she’d buy me one and gift it to me) every year when I was little. That way when I moved out and was on my own I would have enough ornaments to decorate my own tree. I do the same for my kids too. We’ve bought the a new ornament every year since they were born. My mom used to buy them ornaments each year too until she passed away. The both have a nice collection of ornaments to call their own.
Each year as we decorate the tree the kids take their own ornaments and hang them up. Its fun to see how they have grown over the years based on their ornaments. They started out with cute, cartoon’ish ornaments when they were younger to more grown up ones as the years go by. Each ornament marks their “growth” and how much they have changed personally as they develop over the years. I still remember how excited our son was to hang up his Bob the Builder ornament the year we bought it for him. Now he’s into more grown up ones. My daughter is the same way. She went from Barbie ornaments to ornaments that are pretty and classy.
My husband and I always prefer retro looking ornaments or ornaments based on our favorite holiday shows and movies.
My ornament this year is the Cozy Coupe. My mom bought our son a Cozy Coupe for his 2nd birthday. He loved that car so much. He played with it every day for years. When get got too old for it he refused to let us give it away, so we put it in my father’s basement. Our son is 14 now and can’t even sit in it. He still refuses to let us give it away. I guess he wants to save it for his kids some day.
I couldn’t find a picture of our son trying to squeeze inside the Cozy Coupe a few years ago, but I do have one of my favorite pictures of our son who is sitting inside his cousin’s Cozy Coupe (we were at my sister’s house – this was my nephews car which was the “older model” than the one we had).
I contemplated giving the Cozy Coupe Ornament to our son. For now I think I’ll keep it. I think it would be a fun remembrance of our son for my husband and I when our son is grown up and on his own. We’ll see.
The ornament is currently on our tree. I can’t get a good photo of it because it’s up high (I’m short – my son it taller and he put it on the tree). It’s adorable!
I have other great ornaments from Hallmark that reminds me of my youth and good times, like my Fisher Price Airplane.
If you are looking to start a holiday tradition, gifting a new Hallmark ornament each year is a tradition that many people will enjoy and look forward to year after year.
Speaking of traditions, do you and your family read holiday books together each year? We do. We held on to a few of our kids favorite holiday books and leave the out on the coffee table for all of us to enjoy again and again. Even if they are not little anymore they still enjoy looking through and reading the books.
I LOVE Hallmark’s recordable storybooks. You can record yourself reading the story. This is great to give someone when you are far away from them. For example, a father in the military could read and record a story for their child before deployment. That way they can sort of be there for their child and read them a story at night before going to bed.
I wish they had these when my kids were little. It would have been fun to record them reading the stories (as children) and have the ability to hear their sweet voices again and again over the years. Our son had such a cute, squeaky voice. Now he sounds like Barry White (that is no joke – he has a very deep voice and he’s only 14). The Hallmark recordable storybooks are a great way to capture someone’s voice to be enjoyed year after year.
It would have been sweet to have my kid’s grandparents records stories for them. That would have been a sweet way to remember them by.
If you are looking for gifts or holiday décor, Hallmark has you covered. Just the other day I was at the dentist office and heard the receptionist tell another patient that she had a hard time finding a gift for her son’s in-laws. The patient told her she should check out the Hallmark store. The receptionist replied that she should have thought of that earlier and that she was going to stop by the store on the way home.
You can find gifts for young and old, as well as males and females, at your local Hallmark store.
Hallmark stores also carry holiday and seasonal décor. They always have fun things that move, talk or play music too. I love to go around the store and press buttons to see things in action.
Hallmark has a fun product called the Christmas Fun Kit. It features fun props you can use in holiday photos including a background and props. We have this kit. My kids got into it and had a blast taking pictures but we have yet to get a family photo together with them. The kit is all over the place at the moment. Most pieces are in the box but my kids have some of the pieces around the room too. It’s a fun way to make your holiday photos more festive and fun.
As you can see there is something for everyone at your neighborhood Hallmark store. Many products are available online too at www.Hallmark.com. You can also connect with the brand through the various social media sites.
Do you shop at Hallmark during the holidays? What things do you like to shop for at your neighborhood Hallmark store?
Kimberly
*I received a few product samples to review, however I already shop at Hallmarks stores. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
Tammy S says
I love my Hallmark store. Like you I can spens an hour just reading cards and browsing all the other items they have. I really like hoe each store is just a little different. You can always find the best cards and gifts at Hallmark.
Meredith says
Great cards.
Karen Glatt says
I like a lot of things at the Hallmark store and after Christmas, I go there and get some of their really reduced Christmas items, and use them next year. I like their very nice cards!
Olivia Rubin says
Was in hallmark today for about an hour and bought one card…there are so many I never know what to get, so I just don’t get any! Also, some of the prices are so high…Ike 4-5 bucks a card. They are really nice a d I love the ornaments. Collected the wild Things ornament when they made them
Jenn says
I love Hallmark. They have the best ornaments by far.