Five on Friday - Our Top Five Favorite Gifts from Christmas 2023

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Happy Friday, y’all!  We got some great stuff for Christmas, so today I thought I’d share our Top Five favorites…

O N E – Stanley Nameplate

Is this the most unnecessary gift of all-time?  Probably.  Is it over-the-top bougie?  Yes.  Does it make me soooo happy every time I look at it, though?  Also, yes.  Of all of the gifts I received for Christmas this year, I think this one was my favorite.  It’s so simple, yet so fun!  And since I have my Stanley with me every second of every day and I’m constantly sipping from it and, therefore, looking at it, I have gotten so much joy from this silly little nameplate.  It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

The nameplate is well-made, easy to put in place, and it stays in place and doesn’t swing around like I was worried it would.  It’s easy to remove and wash, and the quality is fantastic.  This would make a great gift for, well, pretty much anyone who carries a Stanley cup, and these days, it seems like that’s everyone.  Haha.

T W O – Vuori Joggers

Brian asked for some new athletic pants that he could work out in or also wear out in public on casual days, and I was able to tell him right away – I got you, fam.  I’ve seen these Vuori joggers everywhere in blogland, so I knew exactly which ones to get.  They are pricey, but they are super high-end, durable, crazy soft, and comfortable. 

Brian has worn these no less than ten times since he got them for Christmas, so I know they’re winners!  They come in several different colors – black, dark grey, light grey, and navy – and they look great for an hour at the gym or a day out running errands.

 

T H R E E – Stuffy Bean Bags

Both kids have quite the stuffed animal collection, and neither of them are willing to part with any of them – even Jacob who has graduated from most toys and stuffed animals.  Both of their rooms were overflowing with stuffies and it was just getting ridiculous, so when I came across these on Amazon Prime Day, I couldn’t snatch them up fast enough.

These bean bag chairs arrive at your door empty.  They have a HUGE zipper, and then you can fill them with stuffed animals, blankets, costumes, clothes, etc. to turn them into very large bean bag chairs.  The fabric is very thick and super durable, and the zipper is long, so you can open the bean bag very wide to toss multiple items in at a time.  The zipper is excellent quality, and the bag also has a giant sturdy handle for easy transport. 

The kids’ stuffed animals are no longer strewn all over their rooms, and they both now have the coolest bean bag chairs to sit on when they play video games.  This item solved a HUGE problem and created a super fun spot for the kids to hang, so these are a win-win!  They are 100% my favorite things that the kids received.

They are highly rated on Amazon, and they come in tons of colors and patterns if you don’t like the colors and patterns we chose.  I cannot recommend these enough!

F O U R – Echo Dot for Kids

Both kids also received Echo Dots for Christmas, and they have spent more time interacting with them than they have with any other gift they were given.  They are both listening to music nonstop, Olivia loves to play lullabies at bedtime, and they are constantly asking Alexa to tell jokes, tell them what the weather is for the day, etc. 

Since these were designed specifically for kids, they automatically filter explicit content, and I have a parent dashboard to control them from my phone.  I can see everything they’ve done for the day, I can set time limits, and I can turn them on and off right from my phone.  I can also drop in to their rooms to tell them it’s time for dinner since we have an Echo in the kitchen.  The kids can also call Brian’s phone and my phone right from their Alexa if they ever need us since they don’t have cell phones yet.  They don’t stay home alone yet, but I will occasionally go for a run around our neighborhood and leave them for a bit.

These were a great purchase. 

F I V E – Clip-in Hair Extensions

The item that Olivia has used the most (aside from her Echo and this Taylor Swift magazine – LOL) are these colorful clip-in hair extensions.  This pack came with every color of the rainbow and there are tons of them.  They clip-in to hair easily to add a little pop of color… Olivia wore a different color every day during Christmas break.  Each extension is really long, and you can just snip the end off to match your hair length.  They are so fun!

Friday Funnies

On the Blog This Week

 What I Wore – December 2023

Our Week – The One with Cleaning Out the House, Going Back to School, and the Aladdin Broadway Show

2024 House Cleanout – Mid-January Update

Happy Friday, y’all!

*Linking up with A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites.