As I get older, holidays get a little less special for me. One thing I can always count on to lift my spirits around the holidays is dessert. Oh man, the desserts are so worth it. My favorite has always been cookies because you can snack on them throughout the day (they make an excellent breakfast) and they’re pretty much single servings. The only problem I can see with holiday cookies is that they aren’t around in between holidays. I’m not saying I want to be eating Christmas cookies year round, but a little festivity never hurt anyone.

-Set of 26 letters plus ampersand & exclamation point
-Double sided cookie cutters
-Punch out shapes on one side
-Imprint letters on other side
-Packed in reusable plastic storage trays
-Hand wash only
-Made of durable food safe plastic

Christmas is a great holiday to go completely over the top without really offending anyone. What, so you put up a ton of lights on the outside of your house and the inside looks like Santa’s village?  Awesome! Don’t tell me, you bought your friends and family way too many presents? Well, golly gosh I guess that’s alright. If you’re self-conscious about the sheer volume of Christmas spirit in your life, then you’re doing it wrong.

-Dimensions: 10.5″ x 13″ x 1.125″
-Old school style holiday wreath
-Flickering yellow LED in each coin
-Uses 2 AA batteries (not included)
-Made of durable EVA foam

I wish it would just hurry up and snow already! I mean, how are we supposed to properly celebrate Christmas without any snow? I’m not asking for blizzard, just a couple of inches, maybe a foot, that’s all. We only need enough frosty precipitation to do all the traditional winter activities: snow angels, snow men, and most importantly, snowball fights. Seriously, is Mother Nature bah humbugging or what?

Ok, so it hasn’t snowed yet, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared for the eventual tundra war with the Snowball Slingshot (Hammacher Schlemmer, $39.95). There are a lot of different ways to arm yourself in a snowball fight and yet hardly anyone chooses the slingshot method. Perhaps if they knew this slingshot could hurl a snowball up to 60 feet through the air they’d feel differently. Yes, there are some concessions to be made here, like the fact that you can only shoot one snowball at a time but it’s not like your low-tech arm is doing any better than that. At least this shooter uses medical-grade elastic tubing, making it virtually unstoppable, and can withstand rigorous winter battles. There’s even a target to improve your skills!

Ok, I’ve done my part, now you have to do yours. Start looking up “snow dance” and let’s get those flurries started!

4 out of 5 stars.

Specs:

• -Dimensions: 19″ x 5″ x 12″
• -Weight: 5lbs
• -Hurls snowballs up to 60′
• -Holds softball sized snowball
• -Long range tactical advantage
• -Powered by elastic tubing
• -Include target for practicing accuracy
• -Ages 8 and up

Now that we’re almost halfway through December, it’s time to really get into the holiday spirit. I bet most of you have had your decorations out since Thanksgiving and there are probably only a handful of people out there without a Christmas tree already up. I’m not talking about your traditional Christmas embellishments – this is so much more festive.

What would the Christmas season be without the Chew-By-Numbers Christmas Tree (Perpetual Kid, $14.99)? Everybody knows that your Yuletide spirit is directly connected to how many pieces of gum you can successfully chew and assemble into a piece of art, so why not make that piece of art for the holidays? This gum-lovers set includes a GumArt board with a paint-by-numbers tree design on it as well as 32 pieces of gum to stick on it. As you can see by the photo, it’s not as easy as it might at first seem. I mean, look at the light string! Take a gander at those snowflakes! This is serious art!

I’m gonna go ahead and suggest this as a one-time-only type of deal. Please don’t save this gum board year after year because unlike wine, it will only get more disgusting with time.

3 out of 5 stars.

Specs:

• -Dimensions: 5″ x 7″
• -Includes: GumArt board, 32 pieces of gum, gum reference guide, and instructions
• -Use chewed gum to make art
• -Fun for the whole family

I can never make up my mind. If I’m trying to choose between two things, it never fails that as soon as I decide on one thing that I’ll immediately wish I chose the other. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who suffers from this affliction. The obvious solution is to make sure that the choices you make can easily be changed later. Tattoos are a definite no.

Now, I know that a comforter isn’t exactly a life choice, but they can be expensive so it’s probably best to think this one over before you lay your money out on something you’ll hate six month later. The smart option is to get a generic comforter and dress it up with a duvet cover – bonus points if you choose the Doodle Duvet Cover (Not On The High Street, £45.00 – £70.00). Not only will this duvet cover allow you to alter the look of your current comforter, but you can further alter the look of the duvet cover itself! The duvet cover has a note paper design, complete with red margins and hole punches so it’ll feel just like doodling in class. Using the included doodle pens, you can draw on the duvet cover until your heart is content because it’ll all come out in the wash. Like your design? No prob, just don’t wash it for awhile. Mess up your drawing? Throw it in the washer and it’ll come out good as new.

You can write the great novel without even having to get out of bed!

4 out of 5 stars.

Specs:

• -Dimensions: 140cm x 200cm (single); 200cm x 200cm (double)
• -Semi permanent doodle blanket
• -Looks like notebook paper
• -Includes 8 wash out doodle pens
• -Designs stay until washed out