Welcome to The Little Style File's FIFTH annual holiday guide! This year we are doing things a little different. The 2015 Holiday Handbook is still jam packed with the best gifts for everyone on your holiday shopping list. It's also filled with recipes, crafts and ideas on how to make the most of the holidays as a family. We've done our best to highlight brands that give back and products that are handmade. If you see a * by the name of a product, that indicates that the item is handmade. If you notice a +, that means the company or product is giving back this holiday season. As always, this holiday guide is interactive. If you see something you like, click the link and you will be taken directly to buy the product. Also this year we have included links to reviews and videos of the products so you can get even more information before you make your purchase. So grab a red cup or your favorite holiday cocktail, sit back, relax and with a few clicks accomplish all of your holiday shopping!
Happy Holidays from our families to yours!
Thanks to Children's Place, Target for providing accessories for our cover shoot and Minted for designing our holiday card cover! Images by Gina Cristine Photography.
How to Storytell Your Holidays 22-23
Gifts for Kids 4-5, 8, 9, 12 Holiday Hair 6-7 Baking with American Girl 10-11 Stocking Stuffers 14 Gifts for Teens & Tweens 15
Homemade Gifts 13, 29
Best Books 16 Holiday Style with the Children's Place 17 Gifts for New Parents 18 Recipes for Holiday Cheer 19 Teacher Gifts 21 Gifts for Her 24
Gifts for Grandparents 20
Gifts for Him 26 Hostess Gifts 28 25 Days of Joy 31
This year our cover is a real Minted holiday card! We love that Minted supports indie artists and that with the help of their wonderful design team, you can create a holiday card that's truly your own. See more of the style from the cover shoot on page 17.
Bitty Baby Starter Set Wooden Pram Dance & Move BeatBo
Gearation Fridge Magnets Wonder Bib
Lovie Blanket
Kid O Tip Truck
Click and Pop Links
Bath Fun Octopus
Owl Wobbles
Mini Boden Jacket
MC2 Project
Watch our video review!
Kidizoom Action Cam
Osmo Genius Kit Gaming System
Brackitz Master Builder
Isotta Discovery Car
Makeblock Robot Kit
Deluxe Roominate
Kids GPS Tracker Watch
SPRK Robot
Read our review!
Dash and Dot Robot Pack
Ogobild Studio Kit
Rainbow Cabin Doll House
PBK Retro Kitchen
Electronic Lightsaber
Cash Register Road Rug
Picnic Basket
FurReal Friends Pug
Fairyland
See our review! Spaceship Center
Girls Only Secret Message Lab
American Girl Maryellen Doll +
Easel
NY Fashion Design Set
Plush Craft
Make Your Own Puppets Airbrush Set
Creature Your Own Creature Kit
See our review!
Easy Weaving Loom
Williams-Sonoma American Girl Baking Set
Play Doh Tool Set
The girls invited a few friends over and we cooked up great memories with the American Girl by Williams-Sonoma Cupcake Set and Madeline Set. There's no better way to get in the holiday spirit than baking with friends and sharing the results!
Toboggan Electric Scooter
Ride-on Tractor
Push Plane
Electric Scooter Unicycle
Balance Bike
3-in-1 Scooter
EzyRoller
Dune Racer
1) Create or trace your design on paper. Put paper over foam board and trace your design with a pencil.
4) Remove the foam and let your design dry completely.
2) Remove the paper and color on the foam around the lines you created.
3) Spray your design on the foam gently. Carefully press the design onto your notecard.
5) Tie a set of notecards together to give as a gift or attach to gifts or mail to Click for printables and family and friends. more craft ideas!
Holiday Twitter Party on Dec. 2nd!
Monogram Key Chain
SoCozy Gift Set
Toddler Infinity Scarf * Star Wars Tattoos
UNICEF Kid Power Band +
Wind Up Bath Toy
iPhone Charger Sticker Face Set
Hotel Key Necklaces
Mini Pinball
Kidzbop Tooth Tunes Toothbrush Emoji Socks
Lokai Bracelet +
Game of Phones Mobile Printer
Puffer Vest
Key Chain Pouch
Vans Sneakers
PB Teen Sleepover Set
Funny Socks Vineyard Vines Hat
Sail Duffle Bag
Giving Key Necklace +
Jelly Belly Dispenser
Infinity Nursing Scarf
Brass Bar Necklace
Rockabye Baby Music
Formula Maker
Bunting Bag
Newlie Diaper Bag Set
See our review!
First Year Journal
See our review! Stroller Blanket Keurig
BabyBjorn ONE Carrier
Coffee Mug
Minted Foil Custom Child's Artwork
Custom House Ornament *
What A Difference A Day Makes Custom Art *
Minted Custom Calendar
Chinese Checkers
Personalized Mugs *
Custom Cutting Board *
Grandchild Silhoutte Custom Print *
Custom Push Pin Travel Map *
Family Tree Necklace *
Gina Sandrzyk Gina Cristine Photography
We all love the candid and documentary style images we see on Pinterest and Instagram from professional photographers. But did you know YOU can also document your family's holidays in a storytelling manner with just a few easy tips? Cookie baking, gift wrapping, hot cocoa drinking, holiday tree decorating, crafts, and gingerbread house decorating, are all fun things to do as a family while you tell the story of your holidays with your camera. You and your family will love looking back at the images and remembering the details of your holidays for years to come. Grab your DSLR, point and shoot, or even cell phone (yes, I said cell phone) and follow along below! 1.Use natural light if possible. Natural light is the most flattering and easy light to photograph. When photographing your family, if possible set up the activity near natural light. Have your back to the light source while your family faces you and the light. You will not have to worry about funky skin tones, and your subjects will have a little added sparkle in their eyes! 2.Clear the clutter in the background. Take a few minutes before you get started and look at the space you will be using through the lens of your camera. Do you notice anything distracting in the background? Something as far away or small as your daughter’s pink lunch bag on the counter may not seem distracting at first. But as you start shooting, the pink bag may draw your eye from your family over to the bag. What makes many professional documentary style photos more interesting, is how simple and non distracting the background is. 3. It’s all about the details! Photograph the gingerbread houses and bowls of candy before you get started. Then photograph faces of excitement and concentration as your children begin. Move your body to be on the same level as the table, and photograph little hands putting candy on the houses. Get close and photograph just those little hands holding a handful of candy. Think of those little details that will not be the same next year. You will love looking back and remembering how tiny their hands were compared to a handful of gumdrops. 4. Let kids be themselves (they will eventually forget the camera is there!) Do not worry about the mess, or how the end result may not look like the way it is supposed to. How adorable will it be to look back at the gingerbread house they made all by themselves when they were 5! Imagine how proud they will be! Your kids will eventually be making the perfect gingerbread houses when they are older. While they are young, worry about the clean up after, let them put the snowman wherever they want, and just enjoy their laughter, happy faces, and creativity. Your photos will be more authentic and natural, and that is what storytelling is all about. 5.Get your memories off your computer and phone! This is the best part. What about making a beautiful soft cover album of your images to keep out on the coffee table through the holiday season, and to bring out next year to enjoy? I adore Artifact Uprising's soft cover books to make for each of our fun activities throughout the year. You can add wording to describe the way you felt, quotes of things your children said, or just let the images tell the story. If an album is not your thing, print your favorites and display them in order. Do not forget to print the details! For prints I love Mpix.Com and for square prints I love Artifact Uprising. Looking for more photo display ideas, Artifact Uprising’s blog is always inspiring. Remember, you do not need a professional camera to take beautiful photographs. The beauty in a photograph comes from the emotion you are capturing, and the memories you will have from the images for years to come. Think of your children’s children looking back at the photo book or images of your family laughing and enjoying the small details of cookie baking or ice skating for the first time. Keep things authentic and true to the moment, and your family and you will be filled with joy with the results. Thanks to Carrie from Little Punky for letting me share her family’s images I took from a holiday session we did a couple years ago.
with
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Girls' Night Out Collection
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Includes: Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes+, Moodstruck Opulence Lipstick, Moodstruck Precision Pencil, Moodstruck Minerals, Pressed Blusher, Touch Mineral Pressed Powder or Cream Foundation, Splurge Cream Shadow, Precision Brow Gel or Liner, Younique makeup bag $145
Wall Art Kate Spade Watch Poncho
Purse Pouf Ball
Swell Bottle
Younique Makeup Collection +
Leather Clutch Silhoutte Necklace
Learn more!
Marc Jacobs Perfume
Joules Boots
Cocktail Ring
See our review!
Blanket Scarf *
Beard Oil
Monogrammed Leather Briefcase
Dart Set Smart Watch
Smoker
Drone and GoPro Set
Star Wars Boxed Set
Personalized Growler and Flight Set Cocktail Kit
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Dish Towel
Bath Salts
Ice Maker
Candle
Wine Bag Cooler Bag
State Cheese Board
Corkpop Wine Opener
Every year we set out to slow down and enjoy the holidays. And each year life gets hectic and they seem to blow by in a flash. We've compiled 25 different activites - some small and some large - to find joy in each day in December. Encouraging genorosity in our children and remembering that spending time together as a family is the greatest gift of the holiday season. If you have any ideas to add to this list, please tweet us @lilstylefile so we can share with our friends and readers! We wish you the happiest of holidays!