Christmas Treats

If you're in the mood to make something cute, fun, and edible for the holidays, here are some ideas:

Reindeer & Christmas Kisses

Christmas Bark

Christmas OREOs

Santa Bars

Homemade Marshmallows

OREO Ornaments

 

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Winter Wishes - A Holiday Festival at the Hawaii Convention Center

Now until Christmas Eve, you and your family can attend Winter Wishes - A Holiday Festival at the Hawai‘i Convention Center’s 56,000 sq. ft. exhibit hall space! The space has been transformed into a magical whimsical winter wonderland and offers a full lineup of activities for the entire family, including:

• An expansive 82’ x 50’ indoor ice-skating rink featuring themed events for up to 164 skaters

• Winter Wishes Marketplace

• Photos with Santa 

• Winter Wishes Christmas Tree Forest 

• Musical Entertainment

• Holiday Craft Workshops

• Keiki Activities and Attractions

• Festive Holiday Cuisine and Beverages

Best of all, a portion of the proceeds will support early childhood literacy in Hawai‘i schools through our partnership with Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream Foundation.

We checked out the fun last night!  The kids were eager to get to skating, but we needed to fill out waivers first.  After we checked in, we ordered our skates.  They were out of a couple of sizes for kids so be sure to go early. For beginner skaters, you can rent a very cute seal or reindeer walker for $10 per session. 

There’s plenty of seating right outside the rink if you or the kids need to take a break. All that skating can work up an appetite so be sure to check out the many food options. Of course we would opt for ice cream!

Extended hours start tomorrow, Monday, Dec. 23 11:00am-9:00pm and last day to enjoy is Christmas Eve – Dec. 24 11:00am-4:00pm. 

Thank you to our sponsor for the complimentary admission and skate passes! 

Bright lights and music keep the skating fun! 

But first, waivers. 

Cade’s a beginner and needed this cute walker. 

Getting a push from big sister, Lauren.

Skating made us hungry so ice cream treats to the rescue!

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Reyn Spooner's Christmas 2018 Collection

Disclosure: Complimentary products were received.

Christmas arrived early this year, as a delivery of Reyn Spooner's Christmas 2018 Collection arrived to our home.

I was fortunate to have received the following:

Hawaiian Christmas 2018 Wine Bag

Christmas Quilt Boy’s Cabana Set Shirt

Hawaiian Christmas 2018 Boy’s Shirt

For the past 36 years, Reyn Spooner has been introducing a new print for its Hawaiian Christmas collection.  This year's print features all sorts of outdoor scenes featuring Santa, including one with Santa in an Aloha shirt with a bag full of gifts in one hand, and canoe paddle in the other!

The Christmas Quilt design consists of hibiscus blossoms, holly leaves and berries.

The kids now have the perfect attire for this year's holiday parties!   

You can view the Reyn Spooner Christmas 2018 Collection here.

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WW: The Holidays at Grand Wailea

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Kiehl's 8th Annual Limited Edition Holiday Collection

Disclosure:  Products were received complimentary for review purposes.

Kiehl's Since 1851's Baby Give Back collaboration with FAILE (Brooklyn-based artists Patrick McNeil and Patrick Miller) is launching their 8th Annual Limited Edition Holiday Collection.  Whether it's customer favorite Crème de Corps or their ultimate strength hand salve, you're sure to find the perfect gift for that special person on your list. 

The best part?  From this limited edition collection, 100% of Kiehl's net profits of up to $100,000 will help provide 1.1 million meals to families this holiday season through Feeding America, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity.  Pretty awesome!

I love Kiehl's products, but I had not tried the crème de corps or the hand salve previously.  The crème de corps is a rich, non-greasy body moisturizer with a pleasant light scent.  It's made with beta-carotene, cocoa butter, and sesame oil.  My dry skin soaked it up right away and made my skin feel nice and smooth.

The hand salve is wonderful!  The blend of select ingredients allows the skin to draw and absorb water from the air; forming a "glove-like" protective against moisture loss for all day care and protection.  I totally agree.  As soon as I put it on, my hands looked so much better and still feel soft without feeling greasy.  I can tell that I won't need to reapply as often like my other hand lotions.       

Check out these Baby Give Back items and more on their website or in a store near you!

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Ballet Hawaii Presents The Nutcracker This Weekend!

Complimentary tickets received.  All opinions are my own.

I vaguely recall as a little girl putting on my leotard and ballet slippers for ballet lessons.  I quickly grew out of that past time, but my inner ballerina still loves all things ballet which includes holiday favorite The Nutcracker.  My daughter and I watched Ballet Hawaii's The Nutcracker last year and I was so impressed with the amazing production that I looked forward to seeing it again this year.

During most of Act 1, my eight-year-old (who has never aspired to become a ballerina) shifted like a maniac in her seat which made me question why I had not brought another adult.  But my goal of exposing her to a fine art was rewarded when she mindlessly hummed Tchaikovsky during intermission.  

You can't help but feel joy and exuberation when you hear The Nutcracker Suite and seeing it come to life and embodied by the graceful dancers is absoloutely extraordinary.  I loved every minute.  

Ballet Hawaii will have just two more showings of The Nutcracker at the Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall.  Make sure not to miss it! You can still get your tickets here.   

Thank you to Ballet Hawaii for the complimentary tickets to The Nutcracker.  All opinions are entirely my own.

        

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Christmas Lights Around Oahu

I love taking the kids to see Christmas lights around the island.  We usually go to the same places, but I'm always looking for new areas to take them to get into the holiday spirit.

Here are the places we usually go:

Mililani - Maiahoe Wonderland

Waikele - Hopoe Place

Kaneohe - Namoku Street (Christmas Lane)

Of course there is always the Honolulu City Lights, which we've seen by foot, trolley, and fire truck!

Ward Village Honolulu City Lights Trolley

Fire Truck Hawaii

Where is your favorite place on Oahu to see the Christmas lights?

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Don't Miss Ballet Hawaii's Nutcracker!

After seeing Ballet Hawaii's Peter Pan, my daughter and I have been bit by the ballet bug.  We love it!  We were thrilled to get complimentary tickets to the opening night of Ballet Hawaii's Nutcracker at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.  This year’s production of Nutcracker features an amazing cast of international dance stars and is choreographed by Tom Pazik, conducted by Ann Krinitsky and staged by Pamela Taylor Tongg.

First off, the sets were amazing, the costumes brilliant, and the choreography and dancing fascinating.  The Nutcracker is a two act ballet set to Tchaikovsky's most famous composition.  Who doesn't recognize the well known score that puts you right into the holiday spirit?

This was the first time both my daughter and I saw the Nutcracker ballet in its entirety.  We were absolutely captivated by the story, but our favorite by far was the dancing in the second act, The Kingdom of Sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy calls for her dolls in her kingdom to dance.  Among the equally amazing dancers are the Spanish dancers, Arabian dancers, Chinese dancers, Russian dancers, and more. 

Ballet Hawaii’s Nutcracker is a must see this holiday season and is sure to delight children and adults of all ages.  It was an absolute pleasure to see so many performers on stage enchanting the audience with the famous Christmas tale.

Tickets are still available for performances on December 20 and 21.  Tickets by phone: 800-745-3000 at the Blaisdell Box Office or online at ticketmaster.com   

Of course we couldn't leave without a Nutcracker of our own.

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Reindeer Kisses and Christmas Kisses

Christmas is just around the corner, so I decided to start working on treats for my kids' classmates and teachers.

I used the sticker freebie from Amanda's Parties To Go to make Reindeer Kisses for my middle son's classmates, and a cup full of Christmas Kisses for his teacher.

The stickers really make the Hershey's Kisses that much more festive and special!

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