2024 Holiday Gift Guide No. 4

Today I was going to review a Christmas movie I watched over the weekend.

In talking to family members about Christmas movies, I decided to make this post about the 5 best Christmas movies, in our mutual opinions, that are available for purchase.

I won't list The Christmas Story, Home Alone, Love Actually, White Christmas, or It's a Wonderful Life because they're standards that can still be seen at multiple streamers.

Some of these movies are getting hard to find. Streaming channels prefer offering new (not necessarily improved) Christmas movies each year. There are so many they're beginning to feel derivative and generic. The older movies seem to have more "life" and spark so here's the list with a link to where you can buy them.

(1) Mrs. Miracle starring the wonderful Doris Roberts is heartwarming and makes you feel good. She was perfect in the role of this "angel" who shows up when needed. 

The DVD is expensive at $29.50, but it's a movie that's hard to find this year on streamers. Like many older movies, it may be phased out in years to come.

This is a heartwarming film about family, faith and forgiveness. James Van Der Beek is an overwhelmed widower who needs a housekeeper to help with his six-year-old twin sons.

Mrs. Merkle (Roberts) appears and becomes indispensable to the family who call her Mrs. Miracle. Based on the book by Debbie Macomber, the movie is full of joy.

(2) The Christmas Chronicles starring Kurt Russell is so much fun. I'm sorry, but this can be viewed only on Netflix. It's been an economic boon for them so I don't imagine it will be made available any time soon for retail purchase, but I had to mention it.

(3) The Holiday starring Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black is available in DVD and BluRay. 

This movie is heartwarming but a little more sophisticated than most parents would want children to watch.

I guess it would probably be rated PG13, but it's a delightful movie about finding love when you least expect it. 

There's also a story line about an aging screenwriter who was noted for the romantic comedy movies he wrote. 

Winslet's character is compassionate and loving—the kind of woman every grandparent probably wishes was in his or her life. $6.99 on BluRay

(4) The Family Stone starring Craig T. Nelson, Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rachel McAdams, Dermot Mulroney, Luke Wilson, and Claire Danes. This is not for children, but this is a favorite movie. It will make you laugh, make you cry, and help you deal with loss that may occur around Christmas. I watch it every year. $15.94 on DVD.

(5) A Season for Miracles starring Carla Gugino, Laura Dern, Kathy Baker, Patty Duke, and David Conrad. Love, love, love this movie for the drama, the tears, the fractured family, and the romance. $23.99 on DVD.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Do you have a list of great Christmas movies? Leave a comment with your favorites.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

Love to read? Sign up for my free Newsletter, I LOVE READING. Once a month, you'll receive exclusive content and news about giveaways, bargains, and new releases.

2024 Holiday Gift Guide No. 3

We all have Wish Lists. You know, those things you'd like to have but never buy for yourself.

At least you wouldn't buy it until you'd thought about for a long time—and finally talked yourself into getting it.

Today's Holiday Gift Guide contains suggestions for gifts like that. Here are 3 such gifts to get for someone else or splurge on for yourself.

(1) Microcurrent Facial-Device-Massager

This is a device that's commonly used in spas. I had one of these on my Amazon Gift list for almost a year—waiting for it to be reduced for Black Friday or Cyber Monday because the regular price was $399.99. Well, it did get reduced to $279.00 which was still way too expensive.

So I looked at the features and shopped for a comparable device at a much lower price point. I found the MCSYPOAL Microcurrent Facial Device which has massage and electronic pulse functions, and a combination of both. 

The device is pretty Rose Gold and charges using a USB cable with adapter. This device has better reviews and hundreds more than the expensive device I thought I had wanted—749 reviews averaging 4.3 stars.

I don't know if it will make me look more youthful—LOL—but I do know it relaxes the muscles that lead to my frequent headaches, and I feel refreshed when I use it every morning and evening.

Today it is only $39.99 and has a 10% off coupon you can claim.

(2) Backlit Ergonomic Keyboard $99.99, today with a $25.00 Coupon.

If you do a lot of typing, this keyboard is for you. 

It's backlit for those early mornings and late evenings when you want to work at the computer without needing bright lights that may disturb others.

This ProtoArc Backlit Wireless Ergonomic Keyboard features full size keys, wrist rest, split design, adjustable tilt, USB-Charging, and Bluetooth capability is phenomenal. (446 reviews averaging 4.3 stars.

(3) Year Date Christmas Ornament $11.95.

I'm a sucker for mercury glass ornaments and also ornaments with the year as part of the design. Ornaments make great gifts either one at a time or a collection.

Every year, I add to my year-date ornament collection. When we hang the ornaments on the tree, we talk about what was happening in our lives in each year.

My preference is a ball-shape with a distinctive image. Once you could find these in the stores but not so much now. Amazon has quite a collection. I chose this one for 2024.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Let me know if you add some of these items to your shopping list, and I'll see you tomorrow with a movie review and another gift idea. Now I must set up the skinny Christmas tree I bought.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

Love to read? Sign up for my free Newsletter, I LOVE READING. Once a month, you'll receive exclusive content and news about giveaways, bargains, and new releases.

Dec. 2 Holiday Gifts - No FOMO Here

Frosty says today is a great day for bargains.

I guess he's saying that because it's Cyber Monday—a chance to grab great gifts at bargain prices.

Today's Gift Guide Suggestions are for readers.

I also have a Christmas ebook to give away from now to Tuesday, December  3, 2024 at 11:59 PM PST. Let's get started.

Suggestion #1 - the latest Amazon Kindle Ereader $84.99

Regular price is $109.99. This is the latest incarnation of the ereader that changed the world of publishing and reading. 

Available in black or in a fashion color called Matcha for $5.00 more, it comes with 16GB of memory which enables you to store 1,000's of ebooks. 

This device is the lightest and most compact of the Kindle ereaders. It offers a glare-free display, faster page turns, adjustable front light, and long battery life.

This is a great gift for readers, or If you're looking to replace an older generation Kindle, take advantage of this deal.

Suggestion #2 - Kindle Unlimited, the Gift of Unlimited Reading - 6 Months $65.95

If you have a reader in your life, this is the best gift possible. Kindle Unlimited offers 4 million titles that can be read free. A membership also enables you to Unlimited Audiobooks. 

You don't have to have an ereader to use Kindle Unlimited, aka KU, you can use any device but a Kindle ereader makes it easy to read any time and anywhere in lighting that's suitable for outdoor sunshine or muted reading in bed at night.

With KU, the reader can choose up to 10 books at a time. When finished reading each book, simply remove it from your account and get another.

When the subscription expires, a notice is sent and the reader can renew or leave it canceled.

Renewal is $11.95 per month which is a little more than $1.00 per title if only 10 books are read.

But readers can read as many books as they wish as long as only 10 are "checked out" at any one time.

Suggestion #3 - Book Light / Safety Light $13.59 

This gift item is normally $16.99. For those who still take print books to read in bed, this light is perfect because it has 2 lights, one for each page. The light brightness is adjustable and rechargeable and also offers warning lights.

If you walk a dog at night, a light like this is a must. After Darling Husband was almost hit by a car one night, we never walk at night without these "neck lights" flashing. 

Sometimes wearing reflective clothing isn't enough when there are so many distracted drivers on the streets.

FREE BOOK JUST FOR MY READERS

From now until tomorrow night (Dec.3, 2024, 11:59pm PST), Stuck on the Naughty List , a fun, heartwarming Christmas romance is free. This is a Kindle Unlimited title so if you don't pick it up for free, you can still read for free if you are a KU subscriber.

"Stuck on the Naughty List is a must-read for fans of small town romance and second chances. 

This romance will have you rooting for true love until the very end." —Reader Review

"Joan is a master at setting the stage (aka Texas) with wonderful characters and places."—EbookLover

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I love finding great gifts for the people in my life. I hope some of these ideas will help you with your Christmas shopping. Enjoy the Cyber Monday Gift Hunt.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

Love to read? Sign up for my free Newsletter, I LOVE READING. Once a month, you'll receive exclusive content and news about giveaways, bargains, and new releases.

Holiday Gift Guide Is Live!

Farewell, November, and hello December.

It's going to be a great month with lots of fun, family, friends, and good times.

The last few years, I didn't post about gift suggestions.

This year, I think it's time to do that again because there are a lot of wonderful gift items available.

Even better, there are many bargains to be had since all the retailers are scrambling to make mucho sales as quickly as possible.

Dec. 1 Gift Suggestion—Automatic Ice Cream Maker

This might seem a little strange, but when you think about it, you'll see it makes perfect sense. Just about  everyone loves ice cream. What we don't love is the crappy stuff in most ice cream, i.e., vegetable gums, HFCS and "regular" corn syrup, artificial flavorings, etc.

The AIRMSEN Ice Cream Maker, 2.1-Quart Automatic Ice Cream Machine has an LED Screen and Timer, and you can make ice cream, gelato, sorbet, frozen yogurt, and milkshakes. It's a compact size but makes a half-gallon of frozen delight. It comes in blue and gray—costs $2.00 more for gray. (I ordered 2 for gifts and 1 for myself.)

Best of all, this ice cream maker is on Amazon's Cyber Monday Sale for $63.11, reduced from $78.89.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I'll see you tomorrow when I'll have a free Christmas book for you plus another Christmas Gift Suggestion.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

Love to read? Sign up for my free Newsletter, I LOVE READING. Once a month, you'll receive exclusive content and news about giveaways, bargains, and new releases.