Last Christmas my daughter begged, pleaded actually, you know that - pleeease Mummy I must have him. I really want him, I don’t want anything else just TJ Bear pleeease. My six year old had seen him on TV and was besotted with this funny, animated talking teddy bear.

So TJ Bear was bought for Christmas to the delight of a little girl who carried him around for the Christmas holidays, talked to him, played with him and listened to all of his stories. She was very happy with TJ and he was exactly how she had imagined him to be. His ears, eyes, mouth and nose move, and his arms even gesture as he tells his story. He is a story telling friend that sings songs and asks you questions while he is telling you about one of his latest adventures.

Of course in true child like style each story aims to help build life skills by teaching a lesson. It may be about your first day at school, being scared of the dark or how to deal with a little brother or sister.

Simply play the cartridges in TJ’s backpack and read along. Each cartridge comes with a fully illustrated and easy to follow book and some with accessories like a torch and a camera. Kids can take the cartridges in and out themselves without fear of damage as TJ is very robust and has a good rating for durability on Amazon.

You can add to TJ’s story telling time by buying additional 24 page storybooks which are sold separately. TJ would definitely be a great gift for a child over the age of three, so they can carry him around, as he is a little heavier than normal teddy bears.

T J Bear would be a welcome addition to anyone’s family.

Product: T J Bear

Available: Toy World Farmers

  Do you want to know what Santa Claus does? How exactly does he manage it?

I am often asked questions by my two daughters, how does Santa manage to get to all the girls and boys around the world? How can they make so many toys and who are the special people that help Santa? Why can’t we see him?

Well I have found the book, to answer all those important questions and then some. All you ever wanted to know about Santa and how he actually does it.

What is Christmas day like at the North Pole and what is it that Santa and Mrs Claus do when the Christmas party at the North Pole is finally in full swing? Where does the name Saint Nicholas come from?

Delve into the enchantment of Christmas to discover some of Santa’s best kept secrets, from his hidden house at the North Pole to his amazing sleigh and the power of magic that really can help reindeer learn to fly. Meet the most important person in Santa’s life - Mrs Claus - and the army of elves who work so hard to make Christmas such a special time of year.

Did you know that Santa’s sleigh is fully equipped with Stealth Shock Absorbers and Silencer Skids that allow Santa to make quiet and gentle roof top landings where necessary?

The pictures are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen and the writing is just a delight. Also included are useful pieces of information about the North Pole and the Arctic, why we have Christmas trees and how is real snow made.

This is truly a magical book which will remain on my bookshelf for the rest of my life and I am very certain it is one you will never tire of pulling out year after year.

Santa Claus includes:

holiday gift tags

an authentic naughty but nice list

Mrs Claus’s very own cookie recipe

a double gatefold look inside Santa’s workshop

Santa’s route map ………and much much more

Product: Santa Claus written by Rod Green

Available: all major bookstores

Price: $34.99

  It is my daughter’s ninth birthday and and I’ve been given the hard word to make sure its a cool party. The loot bags are always a big deal. In the past we have bought all sorts of bags an boxes from various party shops and web sites. I’ve never spent so much money on boxes and paper bags. This year, while searching for goodies to go in the bags, I stumbled across these very cool little handbags at the 1 2 3 Dollar Store. For a girls party, they are way classier than any paper bag or box and the added bonus is that the cost much less. For the miniscule outlay of $3 per bag we have the coolest loot bags in the class.

Product: Handbag aka Birthday Party Loot Bags

Price: $3

Where from: The 1 2 3 Dollar Store

Rating: 4 stars