tweetsfortoys from Refuge and Freestyle Interactive

An innovative campaign for Christmas has been created by the digital agency  Freestyle Interactive called #tweetsfortoys. The aim of the campaign is to give support to Refuge , the charity that is dedicated to providing shelter and support for women and children who have suffered from the devastating effects of domestic violence.

This campaign has come about as a result of the decision Freestyle made to replace their usual Secret Santa with something that was altogether more meaningful and worthy. The aim of  #tweetsfortoys is for presents to be donated to the children who are spending Christmas in the refuges in the Midlands and in Warwickshire.

To be involved, all you have to do is to tweet a message using the gift tag #tweetsfortoys. Every day until Christmas, Freestyle will pick the best 20 messages and donate a toy to Refuge on behalf of the tweeter.

Refuge Chief Executive Sandra Horley CBE says: “#tweetsfortoys and Freestyle’s campaign gives people a great way to support Refuge’s work whilst giving some of the country’s most vulnerable and isolated young people some joy at what can be a difficult time of year. Thank you to all those who show their support.”

She adds: “Domestic violence is a serious crime that takes place all year round and kills two women every week. Domestic violence has been happening for centuries, to all races, all classes and at all times of the year.

Thousands of women and children are living in daily fear and terror and Christmas is no exception. It is perhaps at Christmas that women experiencing domestic violence feel, most acutely, a sense of isolation and despair. Christmas is meant to be a time of joy, a time of generosity, a time of love. Yet many of the women and children in our refuges have given up everything as they face their first Christmas away from home. “

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If the Christmas lists from the Shopzilla poll are anything to go by the pile under trees this year will consist of all things that the parents have as also making the list of top wants are electronic pets, tablets and games consoles. Children are expecting their parents to spend an average of £167 on them, which the youngest don’t realise isn’t enough to cover some of the costlier toys.

More than half estimate that their gifts will cost less than £150 in total. The gap between the genders seems to start at an early age, according to this survey at least. While boys aged 6-12 expect an average of £183 to be spent on them by their parents, the girls of the same age are only expecting £155 to be spent, which is 18% less.An interesting part of the Shopzilla survey reveals that toys from the film Cars 2 are as popular with girls as they are with boys, and they came in at number 5 on both lists.

Kids want to be just like their parents with ‘grown-up’ items such as digital cameras, laptops, iPads and smart phones making the top ten. 14% of the children surveyed no longer play with or use last year’s top gift any more and 12% can’t remember the best gift they received last year.

Neil McCarthy, Sales and Marketing Director at Shopzilla said: “The sheer newness of a must-have item is what attracts many of these young shoppers. It’s not just about getting the right item, it often has to be a certain colour and a particular model. Retailers who anticipate these trends and are able to meet demand will be able to tap into the tech-savvy young market.”

Top 10 most-wanted GIRLS’ toys and gifts:

1. Laptop/tablet
2. Digital camera
3. Nintendo 3DS
4. Electronic Pet
5. Cars 2 Toy
6. A real pet (not a toy)
7. Mobile phone/smartphone
8. Games for a computer console
9. Lego
10. Games Console

Top 10 most-wanted BOYS’ toys and gifts:

1. Laptop/tablet
2. Electronic Pet
3. Nintendo 3DS
4. Digital camera
5. Cars 2 Toy
6. Games for a computer console
7. Lego
8. Mobile phone/smartphone
9. Games Console
10. Moshi Monsters

www.shopzillasolutions.co.uk

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Lamaze offer Christmas fun

Lamaze, the experts in developmental play, have a great solution for every little one this coming Christmas. Toys that will delight and entertain, and will hold interest long past Christmas morning. They toys are designed to give your baby hours of sun whilst also stimulating, aiding and encouraging their development and will stay a firm favourite as baby grows.

Age 0 months plus:

High Contrast Foot Finders

Watch your baby’s little face light up when they see these contrasting foot rattles! The socks are black and white stripes and on one foot is a colourful ladybird rattle and on the other a butterfly. The gentlest of movements get the bugs rattling, and they are guaranteed to entertain baby as they kick around, as well as stimulating their visual development.

These foot rattles also encourage your baby to kick, reach and grab, which develops muscles and improves hand/eye coordination. These are suitable from birth and the retail price will be around £6.99.

.Age 6 months plus:

Mix & Match Activity Blocks

These soft and delightful Mix & Match Activity Blocks specially created by Lamaze are a new representation of a classic toy that is designed to spark your baby’s creativity with the numerous ways in which the colourful blocks can be built up. Baby will have great fun grabbing the brightly decorated soft blocks and mixing and matching the colours and the patterns. One block also includes a baby safe unbreakable mirror for extra stimulation.

The blocks are made from rich and textured fabrics of premium quality, and the various tactile surfaces, including a knit effect, will give baby plenty to explore. The Mix & Match Activity Blocks have also got a quick-release clip so that baby can enjoy fun on the go. Babies from 6 months upwards can enjoy these blocks and the retail guide price is £9.99

Age 9 months plus:

Farm Truck Pull Toy

This fun pull-along toy will delight little boys and girls alike. Made from bright, colourful fabrics, the little truck glides easily across the floor as baby pulls it along. A mixture of soft, textured plush and silky, crinkly surfaces stimulate baby’s tactile and auditory senses while bright, bold colours and patterns along with fun faces stimulate baby’s vision. The entertaining motion even helps advance gross motor skills. And baby will just love taking the cute little soft bean bag pig for a ride in the back of the truck. All aboard!

Guide retail price: £14.99. Age: From nine months.

Age 18 months plus:

Carly the Cowgirl – Learn to dress activity doll

Little girls will just adore the brand new Carly the Cowgirl! This fun soft, plush dolly looks just the part in her bold cowgirl outfit. Packed with developmental features this is a unique and adorable doll no little girl will want to be parted from!

Learning basic dressing skills and aiding future independence, little girls will enjoy buttoning Carly’s vest, tying her scarf, buckling her belt and zipping or fastening her fun cowgirl boots!

Perfect, not only for hours of imaginative play but also for developing dexterity and fine motor skill development. This interactive, activity doll also promotes hand-eye co-ordination and comes complete with colourful satin ribbons, bright patterns, and different textures for tactile fun.

Guide retail price: £14.99. Age: from 18 months.

Age 0 – 24 months

Play & Grow Rusty the Robot

The exciting Play & Grow Rusty the Robot is double-sided to offer two sides of play! Rusty’s ratcheting head allows little ones to mix and match his body. With crinkle effects, ribbons, clanking rings, busy beads, and a baby-safe discovery mirror, Rusty the Robot will keep little ones amused for hours. The ‘sci-fi’ character, with his bright, bold patterns and colours, will stimulate baby’s visual development while the various textures provide excellent tactile and auditory stimulation. A quick-release clip makes for easy attachment to cot sides and pushchairs for ‘on-the-go’ play.

Guide retail price: £9.99. Age: From birth.

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Not only will your kids love the little fella sitting on the shelf, but you will more than likely find that they will be better behaved than usual in the run up to the big day as they will think that the Elf is reporting back to Santa! The story book that accompanies the Elf is a great bedtime story and will get everyone in the festive spirit.

As the theory is that Santa needs to know if children have been good or not, he sends the Elf to keep an eye on things.  To add credence to this, move the Elf around the house, as kids aren’t dumb, and will quickly work out that they can be naughty in rooms where the Elf can’t see them, and the story also goes that if the kids come down every morning and find him sitting in the same place he will forfeit his powers.

The children can also go online and register the Elf, and can give him a unique name too. The set consists of the Elf, the hard backed story book and also a keepsake box for the kids to keep special Christmas mementoes in. There is also an action book you can purchase separately as well as additional dolls such as girl and boy Elves, and these extras make sure that your kids get completely absorbed in the tale.

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Keeping this in mind, there usually are toys that are designed for the specific holiday and great occasion. These kinds of gifts are usually unavailable as Christmas gets near making it more difficult to get the toys they are most interested in unless purchased in advance.

Many people around Christmas time will wait until it is close to the holiday to shop then when they go out to shop they find out that there is very little they can buy especially the hot Christmas toys since they were fully sold out. This means you must start looking for the toys as early as you can.

Technological development has made things easier for people and therefore you can search easily for things online at home or even in the office. You can also purchase the items online at that time and not worry about them being sold out. No longer do you have to go store to store to get your gifts items, just website to website.

There are a number of reputable stores that are available online to get your gifts. There are also more and more shops that are opening for this wonderful holiday and leading to a high number of choices.

This also has created problems with people taking advantage of those people that are searching desperately for the hot Christmas gift. These scammers are out to rip people off. Therefore you need to shop only at the stores that are most reputable and the ones known to you.

In order to do this you need to perform a great deal of research of the different stores that are selling Christmas gifts. You will not always be able to get gifts from stores you are familiar with therefore you need to research the stores you do not know to see if they are legitimate.

You need to make sure you have a spending budget set up. Christmas gifts can cost a very large sum of money and your need to stay within your budget since not everyone can afford to spend anything they want. With a budget you will also be able to determine which toys are within your budget and which toys you cannot afford to purchase. If you do everything correctly then you will enjoy your Christmas holiday even more.

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And the aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents are looking for that one special gift that will set itself apart from all the rest and place their name in the book of cool forever. But because of the incredible number of internet, radio and televisions ads it is difficult to know what or where that perfect gift is.

It is a miracle anyone can figure out what to purchase these days with the endless number of musical toys, action figures, dolls, robots, play sets and video games out there. One gift that is almost always appreciated is a hand held video system like the PSP or DSi that will provide endless hours of fun for the majority of kids from 10 upwards.

For the kids less than 10, video games by V-tech have becomes popular and for children between 3 and 5 there is the iXL from Fisher Price. For those children that are master contractors in the making you can get them anything from Lego. There are a myriad of different sets to choose from and the kids can recreate many different scenes from the likes of Star Wars and Harry Potter. Building can become a great bonding experience for child and adult alike.

Also for the younger crowd you cannot beat the Imaginext sets. From space stations to castles they give children hours of pleasure while using their imaginations and having fun. They also have BIGFOOT and MONSTER, a remote controlled buddy for the youngest members of the household. Paper Jamz is a musical instrument toy for the little musical lover that has loads of technology for what you pay. It will help any kid get a start to see if they are interested in learning to play an instrument.

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For example when you say good night, they shut their eyes and begin snoring; when you give them a tickle they laugh, if want to talk with them they have over 100 responses that are set to answer your questions. They can even tell knock knock jokes if you ask them to tell you a joke.

The Fijits are made by Mattel and in the US are marketed to girls as every one needs a best friend especially one that busts a move. In Britain they are banking on boys to fall for them as well because of the technology. They robot can also interact by using an iPhone app.

The country’s largest retailer, Tesco, has so much confidence that the robots will sky rocket they think they will knock brands like Lego, Nerf guns, Buzz Lightyear and Zhu Zhu hamsters off the top of the wish list for Christmas. These predictions are what starts the season when retailers try to predict what their Christmas best sellers will be after already having to order their stock from China.

The Fijit is topping the list ahead of versions of some old favourites like Monopoly’s latest iteration, Lego, Bob the Builder toys that are expected to return for the doldrums, Transformers and Barbie, the doll that has enjoyed years of success and more than usual since her 50^th anniversary edition in 2009. She will be promoting Barbie Doggie Water Park with a pool, dogs and a special bikini for the one and only Barbie.

Vtech Kidizoom Twist is second on the list and is a camera for kids that allows you to watch videos and photos and includes other things like games and a self portrait rotating lens. Prices for the Fijits are still undecided but it looks like £50 ($30) in America and then will hit the British selves in late summer.

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Part of the Shop Direct Group, the largest online and home shopping retailer in the U.K., Littlewoods Europe is offering more than 500 lines of toys for children at discounts of up to 50%.  Littlewoods’s list of top ten Christmas got to-haves came out in October, and many of the favourites are also on the discount list.  They include lines such as VTech, Fisher Price and Lego, as well as toys derived from children’s favourite movies like Toy Story, Star Wars and Dr. Who.

Littlewoods came up with Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story 3 as the number one pick; others in the top ten include Zhu Zhu Pets hamsters as number two and then Ben 10 Ultimate Alien Ultramatrix as number three.  The Lego fire station and truck ranked number four, and Ladybird wooden dollhouses made two spots on the list.

Littlewoods online retailers are very much aware that economic times are tight for many this year, and they hope to alleviate the strain of Christmas shopping for everyone who checks in and checks out their product lines.  You can find everything on a child’s wish list, and on yours too, since Littlewoods offers over 14,000 product lines in many other categories including clothing and footwear for the whole family.  Delivery is only euro 5

in the U.K., Germany, Portugal, Spain and France for any size order until Dec. 10^th.

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With fairy-tale landscapes, amazing Christmas attractions and magic in the air, it’s little surprise that Father Christmas chose the snowy wilderness of Lapland to be his home! But with so much to see and do, it’s not all about the big man. You can hitch a ride with a husky, visit the Ice Hotel set in First Choice’s exclusive Snow Village, speed on a snowmobile, enrol at Elf school, sleigh with Rudolf, and if you’re really lucky, catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis – the spectacular Northern Lights. That’s before you indulge in some snowman building and mammoth snowball fights! There really is nowhere better to be during December, courtesy of First Choice.

Whistle-stop Day Trips

For those interested in going for the day, First Choice has two fun-filled trips to choose from. Santa’s Secret Grotto Day Trip in Rovaniemi operates from 10 UK departure airports and the Search for Santa Day Trip in Kittila departs from six UK airports, so you never have too far to travel to start your adventure. Both trips include all of your snow gear, plus entry to the parks, lunch, snacks and activities.

First Choice offers the Search for Santa and Santa’s Secret Grotto day trips to Lapland from £369 per person, departing on the 4th December 2010 from Bristol to Kittila.

Mini-break with your little helpers

Those looking for a longer adventure can opt for a Classic Lapland or Lapland Explorer three or four night stay, with a choice of 15 properties across four resorts including Levi, Yllas, Pallas, and Rovaniemi, departing from five UK airports. Each trip includes detailed itineraries to keep you busy, including free tasters on snowmobiles and husky and reindeer rides, plus an activity morning and gala dinner which Santa will join. The Winter Wonderland Hotel and Log Cabins in Rovaniemi is exclusive to First Choice and comes complete with ‘Santa Stars’ entertainment with plenty of activities on offer to keep everyone smiling.

First Choice offers three night holidays in Lapland staying at the 3 Snowflake Plus Winter Wonderland Hotel on a half board basis from £589 per adult and from £499 per child, departing from London Gatwick on 12th December 2010.

New Year Spectacular

And finally, there’s the option of spending a magical New Year’s Eve with a super seven night stay. Enjoy a wide range of activities before celebrating on New Year’s Eve with a festive gala dinner and a glass of bubbly, followed by a starlit firework display. On the first day of the New Year, visit the Snow Village, where you explore the amazing Ice Hotel and admire the chilled surroundings of the incredible Ice Bar and Ice Chapel. Other activities include husky dog sledging, snowmobiling and meeting Santa and his elves. You can stay at First Choice’s Hotel Snow Princess which comes with a Santa Academy that offers free childcare to the over threes. What could be more perfect than bringing in the New Year with the ones you love in your own winter wonderland?

First Choice offers seven night holidays in Lapland staying full board at the 3 Snowflake Hotel Snow Princess, which is exclusive to First Choice, from £1056 per adult and from £780 per child, departing from Manchester on the 26th December 2010..

All holidays are subject to availability and booking terms and conditions. Prices include return flights, in-resort transfers and all taxes and surcharges.

For further information on any Lapland holiday, go to www.firstchoice.co.uk/lapland or call 0871 200 4455.

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With fairy-tale landscapes, Christmas attractions and magic in the air, it’s little surprise Santa Claus chose the snowy wilderness of Lapland to be his home. But with so much else to see and do, it’s not all about the big man. You can hitch a ride with a husky, visit the Ice Hotel, speed on a snowmobile, enrol at Elf school, sleigh with Rudolph, check out the slopes and if you’re really lucky, catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis – the spectacular Northern Lights. That’s before you indulge in some snowman building and mammoth snowball fights.

One company offering a range of Lapland Holidays is First Choice with something to suit everybody, ranging from day trips to one week New Years Eve holidays.

Whistle stop Santa tour

For those interested in going for the day, First Choice has two magical day trips to choose from. Santa’s Secret Grotto in Rovaniemi operates from 14 UK departure airports and Search for Santa in Kittila departs from London Gatwick, East Midlands and Manchester airports so there’s never to far to go to start your adventure.

First Choice offers the Search for Santa and Santa’s Secret Grotto day trips to Lapland from £439 per adult and £244 per child, departing on the 13th December 2009 from London Gatwick to Rovaniemi Airport.

Mini-break with your little helpers

Those looking for a longer adventure can opt for three or four night stays, with a choice of 17 properties across four resorts including Levi, Yllas and Pallas, as well as Rovaniemi. Each trip includes detailed itineraries to keep you busy, including free tasters on snowmobiles, husky and reindeer rides plus an activity morning and gala dinner where there’ll be the chance to meet the big man himself.  First Choice offers three night holidays in Lapland staying at the 3 Snowflake Hotel Snow Princess on a full board basis from £641 per adult and from £535 per child, departing from East Midlands to Kittila Airport on 6th December 2009.

New Year Spectacular

And finally, there’s the option of spending a magical New Years Eve with a super seven night’s stay. Enjoy a wide range of activities before celebrating on New Year’s Eve with a festive gala dinner and a glass of bubbly, followed by a starlit firework display. On the first day of the New Year visit the Snow Ice Park, where you explore the amazing ice hotel and admire the chilled surroundings of the incredible ice bar. Other activities include husky dog sleighs; snowmobiling and meeting Santa and the elves. What could be more perfect than bringing in the New Year with the ones you love in your own winter wonderland?

For further information on any Lapland holiday, go to www.firstchoice.co.uk/lapland or call 0871 200 4455.

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