We hope that whatever you end up doing today (and whatever your kids are playing with) that your day is full of joy, love, and, if you've been very very good this year, a big fat afternoon nap. Wishing you a very merry Christmas! -Kriste…
You'd think a book called Sad Santa , complete with a morose bearded guy in red on the cover, would be a real downer at the holidays. But fortunately, illustrator and author Tad Carpenter's story will put a smile on your face. And--spoil…
Last minute gift ideas are always the toughest. You have all these last minute people you forgot about (with no offense to them--we get busy!) and suddenly you're stuck with whatever you can find in the drugstore aisles. Fortunately the …
My girls have vowed to stay up late enough to see the ball drop this New Year's Eve, but their plans are bigger than that. Evidently they have also planned to dress up, wear fancy shoes, and I think I heard murmuring about tiaras (and kn…
We love how grownups and kids alike will totally let their silly side show when you leave out some easy-to-DIY printable photo props. We've seen this trend at many birthday parties and even outlined how to make your own photo booth for y…
In case you missed them, here are 5 of our favorite holiday posts on Cool Mom Tech from this week. 1. An awesome round-up of easy photo tutorials to help make your holiday photos brighter. 2. 6 of the best ways to send cards online . Yep…
Each week we feature our favorite pins on Pinterest, but today we'd be remiss if we didn't point you towards just a few of our our own Cool Mom Picks Pinterest boards , which we've been packing with last minute holiday gifts and ideas fo…
Running low on gift tags and holiday wrapping paper right when you really need them? Want to avoid a shopping center parking lot at all costs this close to Christmas? Yeah, us too. No worries: Download some of these gorgeous printable gi…
There's still time to give a special child a special gift that keeps giving each month with one of these awesome subscription boxes . We've recently rounded up our picks for the 10 best subscription gifts for adults , but kiddos get thei…
As much as we love shopping and big surprises and our seasonal visit to the Nutcracker at BAM and shopping some more, I'm well aware that some of the greatest treats of the season are the little things. So I hope you'll like this list th…
Forget overpriced seating and an emergency potty break right before the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy. Thanks to these gorgeous printable Nutcracker paper dolls from CMP favorite Sarah Jane , now you can enjoy the magic of one of our favo…
Last year, we brought you 10 of the best subscription gift boxes we could find. And this year, we're adding on to the list because there are so many new exciting entries. (Geez, remember when it was just Birchbox ? Although we do still l…
Featured Partner With all the holiday shopping I'm doing for everyone else, it's been hard not to snatch up a few things for myself too. But then I remembered my New Year's Eve plans, and oh look! Another excuse! Still, I may want a glit…
When we're asked for ideas for a great gift for the kid who has everything--or even those who don't--the first thing that comes to mind for me are experience gifts . They don't have to be expensive at all, or they can be super splurgey. …
We do not snow? Think again. Those Star Wars snowflakes from last year were out of this world, but now that we've discovered Game of Thrones snowflakes ., we realize that we knew nothing, Jon Snow. Thanks to these free patterns, anyone c…
I remember one of the first times I was interviewed by a media outlet, and they surprised me with an off-topic question: What's the best safe toy for a child? I paused, then stammered, "Uh...blocks." Not my finest moment. But the truth i…
When I've spent hours working on the perfect Christmas meal, a great holiday table setting is important to me. Serving it on plastic Santa Claus plates with paper napkins is not really my thing, since I want to show my friends and family…
As much as I love loving, sweet, from-the-heart holiday greetings, there are those family members of mine I can always count on to send the funniest Christmas cards. Here, 15 cards that made me laugh out loud. No guarantees we have the s…
If you're still looking for that one gift under the tree that will make kids scream "OH EM GEE!" (or is that just our kids these days?) this Doctor Who TARDIS Play Tent might do the trick. While it's not a classic kids' tent shaped like …
What are the best gifts for an 8-year-old boy? I'm looking for a big gift, in the $50-$100 range. — CMP reader, via Twitter Oh, you mean the kind of gift that makes a child pause while unwrapping, shout out with glee, and rush over to gi…
If Santa is bringing a new MP3 player or you'd love to wrap up a few new cool kids' music CDs to give your little listeners, here are four cool new releases, by some of our very-favorite kindie artists: Recess Monkey, Charlie Hope , Mist…
Modern city gal though I think myself, I have a total weakness for traditional Christmas cookie swaps. There's something so cool about seeing the Christmas cookies from around the world that come from sometimes generations-old recipes fr…
Have a budding Martha Stewart on your holiday shopping list? Go ahead and check them off — these sweet little craft kits from Purl Soho (the folks behind The Purl Bee ) are just perfect. Knitting, embroidery, and other craft projects are…
If you're anything like me, you've waited all year for a taste — or two or three — of gingerbread. Warm and spicy, the combination of molasses and holiday spice makes any sweet even sweeter. These seven gingerbread recipes, from cookies …