Yes we do Santa here.  I was raised believing in Santa as a child.  There’s something about the idea and magic of Santa that just made Christmas seem that much more special.  Yes my kids know the true meaning of Christmas and we attend Christmas Eve candlelight service.  I also talk to my kids about the spirit of Santa. To me, Santa is real, but in the form of a feeling.  That giving urge people get around the holidays. That 2nd thought to dig into your purse or wallet to put change in the collection kettle or buy an extra toy to donate to Toys for Tots.

If you do Santa too you might want to check out this site.  Santawillwrite.com sends personalized letters from Santa to your child.  We did this last year and this year.  It’s a beautiful package and each year it puts a big smile on my youngest son’s face.  The letter comes in a metallic envelope, bright and shiny, addressed to your child.  My son got his package in the mail today. There are three different package sizes.  The one received is the Deluxe but there is a Magic Package which is one under and an Ultra Deluxe Package too which is the next package up.

 

My son got home from school today and I told him he got something in the mail.  This was already something special for him to get something in the mail.  When I told him it was from Santa he could hardly wait to open it.  You can see from the pic above he had a look of “come on mom, take the picture so I can see what it is” look.  I helped him open his shiny envelope.  Inside was a letter from Santa personalized for him, a letter from Rudolph signed with a hoof print, stickers, holiday tattoos, a certificate with his name on it saying he’s on the “nice” list, and a little bit of glitter to add to the magic.

I read my son his letter from both Santa and Rudolph.  He listened very intently.  I love that the letter included specific things he wanted for Christmas, that Santa named the town we were in and that he would be stopping, and even encouraged the good things he does like “helping mommy around the house”  😉

Just look how proud my son is that he is on Santa’s nice list!  I think it’s a great way to reward good behavior!

This is such an affordable way to make my son’s day AND help add to the magic of Christmas.  Just FYI, I’m sure you know but the certificate does not have a big black smudge on it, I blacked out his name for privacy for him.

If you’d like to have Santa send one of these packages to your child, grandchild, or niece/nephew I have a coupon code for you to save even more.  Use code: SantaLSM to save 15% off when you order your letter from Santa at Santawillwrite.com

Alternatively, you can also just get a postcard from Santa with code: pcSantaLSM to save you 15% off at santawillwrite.com/postcard

GIVEAWAY

1 Luv Saving Money reader will win 

A Deluxe Package from Santa personalized for your recipient

US only

 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

I received the below mentioned product at no cost, in order to complete an honest 
review. Any opinions expressed are my own.  
Giveaway is sponsored by Old Factory Candles.  
This post also contains Amazon affiliate links.

There are a lot of candle companies out there. Sometimes it’s hard to tell which ones are worth spending the money on and which ones aren’t.  What makes one candle company stand out from the crowd.

I love candles.  There are certain things I look for in a candle.  I generally prefer soy wax.  I make my own candles and choose soy wax over other wax blends.  It makes a cleaner burn (less soot).  I want it to smell good without being so strong it gives me a headache and not be so weak I don’t even realize it has a scent.  Third, I like variety.  Sure vanilla and lavender are nice but every now and then I want to smell chai tea or champagne.  Just sayin’.

Old Factory Candles are the candle type that I look for.  They are made of natural soy wax, have some unique scents, hand poured in the USA, and come in fun themed gift sets that are perfect for gift giving.

 

As you can see, I chose the Winter Wonderland gift set to review.  The Winter Wonderland gift set included: Hot Cocoa, Roasted Chestnut, and First Snow.  I tend to lean towards fresh scents and bakery scents in the winter so this definitely fit the bill.  Each candle is 2 oz. There are no color to the candles, they’re all white.  I lit the hot cocoa candle first.  After being lit for about 20 minutes the scent of chocolate started creeping across the kitchen and gradually into the dining room. After burning for an hour, the scent followed me up the steps.  Seriously I could smell it upstairs!

The next day I tried the roasted chestnut scent.  In the jar it had a woodsy scent.  You could smell the nutty scent, a little fresh, sort of reminded me of being in the woods on a rainy day.   I hoped that scent would carry as it was lit as well. This one took a little longer for the scent to creep it’s way through the house.  BUT of all three of the scents, this one was probably my favorite.

 

 

Whether I had the candles burning for 30 minutes or 2 hours they burned evenly and clean.  These are high quality candles. Old Factory Candle Gift Sets are available on Amazon.  You can choose from a number of different scent themes.  I chose the Winter Wonderland gift set because I wanted a holiday set but I wanted something different than your normal peppermint and Christmas tree. If you’d rather that, they do have a Happy Holidays gift set with those scents in it.  I was torn, there was another set I really wanted. The Romance gift set had rose petals, champagne, and dark chocolate scents.  Sounded like heaven to me.  I’ll admit, the “high as a kite” set actually intrigued me because it was so different.  Ended up venturing the way of the holiday scents though.  I’m not disappointed, nope, I just have more things added to my Amazon wish list, that’s all.

If you want to buy them as a gift, don’t forget to choose the gift wrap option for just a couple dollars more. You can have the gift sent right to your recipient already wrapped with your own personal message. :

 

So which Old Factory Candle Gift Set would you want?

GIVEAWAY

1 Luv Saving Money reader will win

an Old Factory Candle Gift Set of their choice

US residents only

MUST have an Amazon account as you will be given a coupon code to get the product for free if you win

I received the below mentioned product at no cost in order to complete this post.  Any opinions expressed are my own.  Giveaway is sponsored by World Vision.

I’m pleased to be working with World Vision again this year for Luv Saving Money’s Holiday Guide 2014.  With the holiday shopping season fast approaching it might be easy to just pick up a gift set off the shelf, order a fruit basket, or pick up a gift card.  I’m sure they’re appreciated but once the fruit is gone from the fruit basket or the balance of the gift card is used up, that’s it right?  With World Vision Gift Catalog you can not only get your loved one a high quality gift but you’ll also be helping people in the US and around the world.

When you buy a Hand Woven Thai Purse for $50 the money goes to where it’s needed most.  What’s unique about World Vision too, when you go through their gift catalog you can see just what your donations will do.  For example, when you donate $25 it can give a family 2 chickens which will help them to product food like eggs.  As the chickens multiply they will provide more food and even a source of income for families.  In the US section, your donation of $18 will feed a family in the US for a day.  In the clean water section, a donation of $200 will give a family a foot powered water pump for on-demand water.  No more long trips to the river for them.

The World Vision Handcrafted gifts section is an awesome way to donate and they’ll use the money to whatever area needs it the most and you get a high quality handcrafted gift you can’t find just anywhere.

 

One of these gifts is the Fair Trade Coffee Set. With our donation of $65 to World Vision you will received a 12 oz whole bean coffee with flavors from Ethiopia, Sumatra, and Costa Rica blended by OneCup.org.  It comes in a gift bag made of African fabric sewn by local women.  It also comes with an olivewood scoop that was hand crafted to benefit orphans of of the Kamba tribe.

Believe it or not, I’ve never made whole bean coffee at home.  I didn’t own a coffee grinder.  My sister said her husband had asked for a coffee grinder last year. She said the difference in the taste of packaged ground coffee and whole bean coffee was surprising.  I didn’t really believe her, I mean coffee is coffee right?  When I received this, I didn’t initial realize it was whole bean.  So I went out and bought a cheap grinder.  I’ll probably use it again down the road I told myself.

My one son had fun grinding the beans in the grinder.  The smell was so tempting.  Then when it was brewing, Oh my goodness.  I couldn’t wait to try it.  This coffee had a richer taste than my normal off the shelf national brand I usually buy. My husband tried it too.  He took his first few sips and said “that’s not too bad” This coffee gave me a whole new avenue of flavor.  I’m not sure if it’s the coffee blend or that fact that it was fresh ground whole bean.  Whatever it is is, I like it.  Below is a pic of my freshly brewed cup of fair trade coffee.

I’m loving the hand crafted olivewood spoon too.  It’s a smooth and solid wooden spoon I’m proud to add to my kitchen collection. I always like to add things in my kitchen that have more meaning or a story involved.

I encourage you to check out World Vision Gift Catalog for 2014. If you are considering a donation as part of your holiday routine.  Think of World Vision.  You can also find World Vision on the following social media sites:

Facebook: facebook.com/worldvision

Twitter: @WorldVisionUSA

YouTube: youtube.com/user/WorldVisionUSA

GIVEAWAY

1 US Luv Saving Money reader will win

A Fair Trade Coffee Set just like the one I received.