Every year it seems like it gets harder and harder to find just the right gift to surprise and delight the special people in your life. And that’s why I’ve put together this gift guide! Here’s where you’ll find my suggestions for fun and practical gifts for kids, Mom, Dad, and the home. I’ll be adding more gift ideas, reviews, idea roundups, and giveaways as we go, so be sure to follow along to find the perfect present!
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Gift Ideas for Kids
All you need is six queen-size pillows and this versatile, convertible, 3-in-1 pillow lounger cover will transform them into a comfortable floor lounger (26″x103″), a pair of toddler-length loungers (26″x52″), or a square cushion lounger (52″x52″) perfect for playtime or hanging out with friends. There are several appealing designs available, but we love the glow-in-the-dark stars best!
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This holiday season, give the gift of creativity with DIY!
DIY.org is an online playground for kids to explore new skills, make friends over common interests, and discover themselves in the process. DIY has over 167 skills for kids to learn including baking, animation, coding, gaming, cubing, music making, and much, much more. Kids can explore these skills through how-to videos, live workshops, and hands-on projects. All of this is included in a single subscription that also includes access to DIY TV – an OTT platform curated just for kids. The platform is moderated by a dedicated team every single hour of the day and is 100% COPPA compliant making it a safe, versatile, and delightful gift for any kid from 5-15 years!
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Founded in Calgary, The Wild|Life Outdoor Adventures is Canada’s first and only outdoor-themed subscription kit that inspires outdoor adventure while aligning with Canadian school curriculum. Designed for children ages 8-12, these monthly adventure kits fuel curiosity, power independent spirits, and teach kids about the great outdoors through the joys of getting outside and having fun. Each kit includes 3-4 pieces of outdoor equipment, a wild craft, 3 activity cards with hours of skill-building adventures and games, plus a custom enamel merit pin.
Choose from one, three, six, or twelve month subscriptions, and be sure to check out the limited edition Holiday Survivor Adventure Kit (shown above) containing an emergency bandana printed with first aid instructions, Green Good First Aid salve, Mountaineers Don’t Die Out There deck, 7-in-1 multi-tool, repair kit, and more!
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Created by two moms with a passion to encourage families to get out, explore and make memories together, Wanderwild backpacks are made with quality water-resistant materials, an ergonomic kid-friendly design, plenty of pockets and fidget tabs. What makes these backpacks extra special is the colourful prints and combinations that can be personalized just for your child. We love that Wanderwild also gives a portion of each sale to selected organizations that address childhood hunger, education needs, and spreading kindness.
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Designed for children aged 6-12, Mightier is a new way to help kids navigate big emotions and learn lifelong calming skills. Mightier pairs video games with a heart rate monitor that lets kids see their heart rate, in real time, right on the screen. During gameplay, children practice clinically validated strategies that help them build self-confidence, learn to regulate their emotions, and support healthy relationships.
Save 25% off 6 and 12-month memberships using promo code CHEER (ends December 17, 2021).
Read our personal story to see how Mightier has helped our own family!
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The next edition Tobi 2 Robot Smartwatch combines the interactive features of a smartwatch with a playful robot packed full of personality. Tobi speaks gibberish, giggles, and cycles through more than 100 expressions. Functions include a calculator, stopwatch, timer, alarm clock, calendar, reminders, and more than 50 watch faces. Kids can play games head-to-head against other Tobi 2 Robot Smartwatches, experience advanced graphics, and take photos with a motion-activated selfie-camera. Contains a variety of brain, arcade, and fitness games to keep kids entertained, moving, and learning. Comes in purple and red.
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Keep kids entertained and learning at the dinner table! BiMoo’s fun and educational fabrics can be coloured and drawn on, washed, and coloured on again. Multilingual labels teach vocabulary words in French, English, and Spanish.
Made from high quality, 100% OEKO-TEX certified polyester and environmentally-friendly inks, BiMoo tablecloths and placemats are eco-friendly as well as kid-friendly. We especially love the double-sided placemats with a built-in ribbon to roll up your child’s masterpiece once the meal is done. Add a set of washable markers for the perfect portable and creative gift this holiday!
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Lalaloopsy offers a whimsical world of friendship and fun where classic rag dolls come to life, each stitched together with unique personalities, inspiring children to develop their own creativity and imagination. Each cute and colourful 13″ doll is carefully crafted with articulation in her head, arms and legs, a unique personality, and sewn on date. Clothes and shoes can be removed and swapped for fashion play, and each comes with her own adorable pet. The package can even be transformed into a playset that can connect with other playsets to create Lalaloopsy Land!
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In the world of Dino Rise (now streaming on YouTube), dinosaurs were the most dangerous creatures in the world before humans learned to befriend them. The Spinosaurus is one of the largest and most dangerous dinosaurs, but since being freed from Dino Rock, he and his friends Samu and Ayla fight side by side against the perfidious fighting machines trying to destroy everything. The Spinosaurus wears a special protective armour and firing cannons that make him even more dangerous.
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FurReal Friends are always popular, and this year’s FurReal Sweet Jammiecorn Unicorn is a plush, huggable bedtime friend that interacts, lights up, plays music, and makes sounds with over 30 reactions. New FurReal Fuzzalots are smaller in size, but just as fun and interactive as their bigger cousins. And then for teens, Betrayal at House on the Hill is a cooperative strategy game for 3-6 players who must work together to escape a haunted mansion. But beware, not all is as it seems!
Read more and enter our giveaway for a chance to win these Hasbro toys for your own family!
This 12-inch The Child remote-controlled toy with motion and sound features will capture the hearts of Star Wars fans everywhere! Grogu “talks”, its ears move, and it can roll across the floor (best on hard floors). “Baby Yoda” has five ways to play: Follow Me, Curious, Hide & Seek, Sound Only, or use the joystick to move Grogu where you want it to go. Comes with batteries installed, but you’ll need 2x AAA batteries for the wrist remote.
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Osmo is a line of hands-on educational digital/physical games. Using a stand and clip-on mirror, your iPad or Kindle Fire tablet’s front-facing camera can recognize and track objects allowing Osmo’s AI software to bridge the physical and digital worlds and take gameplay beyond the screen. Starter kits and games are designed for a range of skill levels and ages from 3-10 aimed at helping kids practice critical thinking and imaginative play, as well as develop skills in coding, drawing, geography, literacy, math, and science. Encourage their creativity and problem-solving with this uniquely inspiring mix of art tools and cutting-edge technology!
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Gotta Catch ‘Em All! Celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pokémon with cute and cuddly Limited Edition Pokémon Shiny Silver Plush Stuffed Animals! You can’t go wrong with Silver Pikachu – he measures 10″ to the top of its ear and is sure to be a hit for any Pokémon fan.
Curious about Curiosity Box? Curiosity Boxes are themed monthly boxes containing quality crafts and engaging activities delivered right to your door. Each box is filled with carefully curated, age-appropriate crafts, educational activities, themed novelties and small tinker toys, and a small STEAM (Science Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) project to get kids excited about learning. We love that each box is developed with educators and tailored to specific age groups (2-4 years, 5-7 years, and 8+ years) for maximum fun and minimum frustration. Plus shipping across Canada is always free!
Be sure to check out Curiosity Box’s special edition holiday boxes bursting with Christmas cheer. The Christmas Countdown box shown above includes everything you’ll need for 7 separate crafts to create all week as kids count down to the big day.
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Ivy the Bloom Bright Unicorn is a new interactive robot friend from VTech. Children can use Ivy’s magic wand to change the colour of her eyes, wings, hair, horn, or the flower in her printed fabric hair. She spreads her wings and sparkles with light when she talks and sings one of eight different songs. Play music and Ivy will dance and glow, or tuck her into bed and she’ll ask for a lullaby. Ivy will be a magical holiday gift for any unicorn-lover!
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The Hot Wheels Monster Trucks T-Rex Volcano Arena playset is the ultimate destination for monster truck fans! It’s an awesome combination of fantasy and classic arena with a giant volcano, a T-Rex nemesis, two massive loops, launchers, and multiple zones for crashing, stunting, smashing, and backflips. This set comes with one 1:64 scale Hot Wheels Race Ace monster truck and one 1:64 scale Hot Wheels car so they can start playing right away. We love that the arena “seats” create storage for more vehicles!
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Wireless Yowu Cat Ear Headphones use virtual 7.1 channels for a full range of sound sources and 360-degree noise cancellation for audiophiles and gamers alike. Connect to your phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop via Bluetooth 5.0. These rechargeable headphones can go for 48 hours (without lights), but the coolest part is you can use the app to customize the ears to light up in any colour you choose!
Beyblade fans will love this first motorized Beystadium in the Beyblade Burst line! At the centre of the battle arena is the Motor Vortex, a motorized disc that spins left or right to supercharge every battle by redirecting tops and giving them a boost for high-speed attacks. Includes everything needed to battle right out of the box on Christmas morning: Speedstorm Motor Strike Beystadium, 2 right/left spin launchers, and right-spin battling tops Evo Lucius Endbringer L6 D12/TSP22 (defense type) and Evo Hyperion Flamebringer H6 D49/TSP21 (attack type).
Do the Care Bears Countdown – 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!
We have so many fond memories of the Care Bears when we were kids, and now they’re BACK! That’s right – when the world needs them the most, the Care Bears have returned – bringing sharing and caring to everyone. Each 14″ soft, huggable plush has a special belly badge and heart-shaped paw pads, and comes with a collectible Care Coin.
Gift Ideas for Mom
Celebrate your relationship and show your appreciation with a subscription to Melt Couples Massage! Denis Merkas is an experienced massage therapist with 16 years of expertise teaching 50,000+ couples basic and advanced massage techniques. High-quality instructional videos make it easy to follow along and copy the techniques to give your partner amazing massages without hurting your hands. It’s a gift of physical touch, quality time, and connection, but best of all, it’s a gift you can share with each other!
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In celebration of 30 magical years, Magic Bags has released brand new limited edition items sure to be a relaxing holiday hit. The 30th anniversary “A Touch of Comfort” gift set features an extended Magic Bag compress you can heat in the microwave or chill in the freezer plus a matching mug, both decorated with freehand drawings of the classic moon and star motif and other drawings related to a touch of love, friendship, and family.
Magic Bag’s new Spa Chic collection gives mom some badly needed relaxation in the comfort of her own home. Check out the premium satin extended compress scented with lavender essential oil, or a relaxing mask with either eucalyptus or lavender essential oils. The matching satin slippers can also be heated or chilled for full-body relaxation.
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The Instax Mini Link Smartphone Printer is a fun, compact, interactive wireless printer that lets users print photos instantly on INSTAX mini film, from any smartphone or tablet. By connecting via Bluetooth to your smartphone, the Mini Link closes the gap between memories and physical prints AND fun and functionality. With fun features like the print from video function, sketch and edit, filters and more, this little printer is packed full of exciting features and functions. Comes in Ash White, Dark Denim, and Dusty Pink.
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Scentuals has been making aromatherapy and skin and body care products with natural, cruelty-free, and ethically sourced ingredients since 2008. The Sleep Well Gift Set is ideal for anyone in need of a restful sleep. (Hint: moms everywhere!) This gift set includes pillow and room mist, hand and body lotion, and aromatherapy roll-on, all formulated with soothing chamomile, lavender, ylang ylang, and jasmine essential oils to help reduce anxiety and stress.
Or for those mornings when she needs to get moving, the Invigorating Gift Set contains Grapefruit Turmeric hand repair cream, grapefruit bar soap and grapefruit lip conditioner, perfect to revive her senses while nourishing her skin. 100% natural, paraben and sulfate-free, these are formulated with shea butter, organic aloe, and coconut oils to hydrate, soothe, and cleanse without stripping away natural moisture.
Get 15% off any purchase on scentuals.com with code WESTCOASTMOMMY (expires December 30, 2021).
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Ever wondered what to do with all the artwork the kids keep bringing home? Turn their artwork into a keepsake work of art! Collage.com can transform any drawings and photos into a gift-worthy mug, canvas, or blanket that Mom will treasure forever. We recommend the Sherpa blanket because it’s so darn soft!
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Master tea blenders Harney & Sons have been blending unique and distinctive teas for close to 40 years. Now they’ve taken tea to a whole new celestial level with their new Zodiac Collection! Perfect for holiday gift-giving and get togethers, each of the 12 unique tea blends is represented by an astrological sign. Current favourites include Leo’s bestselling Hot Cinnamon Spice (black tea with three types of cinnamon, orange peel, and sweet cloves), Scorpio’s African Autumn (caffeine-free rooibos tea with cranberry and citrus), and Cancer’s Victorian London Fog (black tea with bergamot, lavender, and vanilla).
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The Vintage Pearl (clockwise from bottom left) – Skinny Message Name Rings, Gold Little Loves Necklace, Birthstone Spinner Ring, Rectangle Names with Love Necklace
The Vintage Pearl specializes in personalized jewelry, accessories, and ornaments for all the special people in your life. Pictured above are just a few of the beautiful hand stamped pieces we love. Personalized with a child or spouse’s name, a birthstone, a meaningful word, or an important date, Mom will treasure any of these forever! For even more meaningful gift ideas, be sure to check out The Vintage Pearl’s Holiday Gift Guide.
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Gift Ideas for Dad
The Men’s Invigorate Facial Care Kit from Scentuals combines their bestselling Facial Cleanser and Facial Cream for the gift of luxurious skin care. Each is made with a moisturizing and enriching ingredients hand picked to hydrate and protect while softening and strengthening his skin: shea butter, organic aloe juice, and organic argan, sweet almond, and avocado oils. It smells wonderful too!
Get 15% off any purchase on scentuals.com with code WESTCOASTMOMMY (expires December 30, 2021).
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Looking for a unique gift for that that hard-to-shop-for person? Historic Mail is a subscription service that delivers curated reproductions of letters of historical note to their doorstep every week so they can journey through the annals of time. Each purchase comes with an instantly downloadable and personalized gift certificate, along with a tree planting so the world can feel as good as you will after giving this Gift of History.
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This personalized, wooden cutting board makes a great gift for any grill lover! Each cutting board is made from 3/4-inch solid, natural wood and laser-engraved with a custom personalization. The other side of the board is plain for practical use. Choose your personalization, size, and type of wood to create the perfect gift.
This series of limited edition steelbook editions of anime classics from Studio Ghibli is perfect for movie nights at home! At last count, Shout! Factory has released 15 favourite titles from legendary director Hayao Miyazaki, each packaged in a colourful collector’s edition steelbook case. Each steelbook includes both DVD and Blu-ray editions and a mini booklet containing an introduction to the film and a statement from Miyazaki himself about his vision for the movie.
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This elegant, handblown whiskey decanter features an etched globe design and antique ship in the bottle that will make a bold impression. This set includes the whiskey decanter with two matching old-fashioned whiskey glasses fitted onto a custom mahogany stained tray. The gold stopper adds a touch of class while keeping your spirits sealed.
This beard care gift box from Black Ribbon Gifts contains everything your guy could need to keep his beard looking good! Includes beard balm (sandalwood scent), beard oil (sandalwood scent), beard brush, beard scissors, beard comb, and beard shaping and styling tool. Mornings will be a little bit more special with the bonus single-serving French press, personalized mug, and chocolate treat.
Gift Ideas for the Home & Family
Drinkmate’s specially engineered carbonation system lets you carbonate any kind of beverage, not just water, safely and quickly. Add tasty sparkle to water, juice, iced tea, cocktails, wine, and more. This sleek machine can even re-carbonate flat soda or beer! The whole family will love creating their own signature drink or delicious mix, and the refillable CO2 cartridge is compatible with any other systems that use a 60-liter cartridge. We love Drinkmate’s new soft and breezy Arctic Blue colour for 2021. Also available in black, red, and white.
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This holiday season, Asmodee has everyone covered with the best titles in board games for family, kids, and parties! Give the gift of endless fun this holiday! With Asmodee games, you can give every family member or friend the gift that allows for family fun year after year.
Get the details for each game and enter our giveaway for a chance to win some games of your own!
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Tea-lovers know that not all teas are made the same. Too high temperatures can cause more delicate teas to turn bitter. This Hamilton Beach stainless steel electric kettle has 6 one-touch temperature settings that allow you to heat water to precisely the best temperature for a perfect cup of green tea, white tea, oolong, black tea, French press coffee, or hot cocoa. The kettle also includes a keep warm function to keep water hot for up to 30 minutes in case you forget or you need a refill. 1.7 liter capacity with auto shut-off and boil-dry protection.
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Move beyond the limitations of a mouse with a Wacom drawing tablet. With so many of us doing online classes and/or working from home this year, the One by Wacom pen tablet is a simple and useful tool for students and families alike. Ideal for anyone seeking a digital pen to write, sketch, draw, edit photos, express ideas, and interact in online classes in a natural way, the battery-free, pressure-sensitive pen is comfortable, sturdy, accurate, and feels like pen on paper. We love the fun red back too! Comes in two sizes and compatible with many educational and creative apps.
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Give the gift of wellness this holiday with the SafeHandles holiday gift box. Spread the joy, not the germs with a self-cleaning portable shopping cart handle, 10 self-cleaning pens that kill germs no matter how many people touch them, and a 32 oz. bottle of EPA-approved covid-killing disinfectant all beautifully packaged in a ready for gifting, frosted ivory drawstring bag. This holiday gift box is available for $49.99 (an $80.00 value) and ships for free! All items are EPA-approved.
What’s in the bundle:
- PURE Hard Surface: 32 oz. bottle of EPA approved, covid-killing disinfectant
- CLIP-N-GRIP: Portable, reusable, and self-cleaning shopping cart handle that clips onto carts when you shop
- SELF-CLEANING PENS: 10 pens that kill germs instantly no matter how many people touch them
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These smart lamps from Yeelight are a fun and versatile way to customize your bedroom or workspace lighting! Choose from over 16 million colours and easily adjust the brightness either in the app or using the touch sliders on the unit. You can also select up to 4 colours to flow between, or sync up with your favourite music, movies, or video games. The timer and schedule functions allow you to wake up, wind down, and go to sleep with preset light scenes (or program and save your own!). Yeelight Smart Lamps are compatible with HomeKit, Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and SmartThings for both voice and app control.
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If you’re looking for a thoughtful, eye-catching, and practical gift for the holidays, it’s hard to go wrong with a Nixplay digital photo frame. Nixplay frames allow you to safely display and send your personal photos and videos to a friend or family member’s frame, as well as invite others to share their pictures on your own frame. It’s a wonderful way to keep family and friends close no matter where they live! Nixplay’s newest 10.1″ Touch Screen Smart Photo Frame boasts a touch panel and new slick frame and stand design.
Keep an eye out for your chance to win a 10.1″ Smart Photo Frame on our Facebook page!
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Looking for a fun way to decorate your home? Mini neon signs are the perfect solution! They’re small, but they pack a punch. These little guys are just as bright as any other neon sign out there. Each sign come with everything you need to get started – including batteries and an easy-to-follow set up guide. All it takes is a few minutes of time from start to finish, and voila! Your new sign will be shining brightly outside your window or inside your living room. It doesn’t matter if it’s day or night – these mini neon signs always look great no matter what time of day it is.
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This set of 3 LED candles from IKEA are a safe alternative for homes with small children and pets. They give off a cozy, flickering light like a real candle, but without the risk of fire. The built-in timer can be set to automatically turn on the candle at the same time every day and shine for up to 6 hours.
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Stocking Stuffers
Scentuals carries a wide range of aromatherapy and natural skincare products perfect as stocking stuffers for the whole family. Our favourites include:
- Rich and rapid-absorbing hand repair cream deeply nourishes hardworking hands with shea butter, cocoa butter, organic argan oil, sweet almond oil, and aloe. Hand creams come in grapefruit turmeric, rosemary mint, coconut cocoa, and unscented.
- Scentuals’ 100% natural lip conditioners contain cocoa and shea butters to nourish and protect delicate lips from environmental elements, free-radical formation, and UV. These come in 6 delicious scents as well as an unscented version.
- A little bottle of muscle pain roll-on helps ease muscular and joint aches, pain, and strains with a natural pain relief blend of juniper berry, rosemary, and thyme oils, all in a convenient roll-on applicator.
- Handcrafted bar soaps are made from nourishing oils, aromatic herbs and spices, and essential oils for a 100% natural and cruelty free soap suitable for everyday use. Soaps come in 7 scents and an unscented version, but our favourite is invigorating rosemary mint.
Get 15% off any purchase on scentuals.com with code WESTCOASTMOMMY (expires December 30, 2021).
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New from Jelly Belly! Now you can get sugar-free gum in fan favourite Jelly Belly flavors Watermelon, Berry Blue, Island Punch, and Very Cherry. It’s a perfect stuffing stuffer for kids, teens, and the young at heart! Look for Jelly Belly gum at Party City, Dollar General, Speedway, and Amazon.
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Don’t let the little box fool you. This quick and easy-to-learn card game for 2-4 players is fantastic fun for the whole family! Each player chooses one of four iconic Dungeons & Dragons classes: Paladin, Wizard, Barbarian, or Rogue, then unleashes wild combos and mighty powers to smash and bash in this lighthearted free-for-all. Games are fast, lasting 5-10 minutes. The last adventurer standing wins!
Push bubble sensory fidget toys can help relieve anxiety and stress in both adults and children. Made from high-quality, washable silicone, the portable keychain design is ideal for stress relief on the go!
The original magic 8 ball just got smaller, classic, and collectible. Ask any question, turn it over, and get your answer!
Scen-Ties are a fun, new twist on hair ties, headbands, and scrunchies. Inspired by the scratch n sniff stickers we all collected back in the day, Scen-Ties come in 7 delicious scents: Cotton Candy, Bubblegum, Vanilla Cupcake, Strawberry, Sour Apple, Watermelon, and Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Just stretch (to activate the encapsulated fragrance) and sniff these unique hair accessories for the same scented fun! What’s more, Scen-Ties donates 5% of proceeds to the Child Mind Institute which helps raise awareness for children’s mental health. Kids will love finding these in their stockings!
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Slimygloop is ready right out of the package for your child to add sparkles and two kinds of bead embellishments for fun mixing and sensory textures. Comes with a reusable storage container to keep it from drying out.