A shopping blog of cool gift ideas

Roald Dahl is one of my favorite children's book authors. It's no wonder that his fantastic stories were perfect for the big screen. There was, The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, I could go on and on. That's why I'm super excited for the latest Dahl book to hit theaters, The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Directed by indie darling, Wes Anderson, Mr.Fox includes a star-studded cast of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Jason Schwartzman. The preview already looks amazing, using stop motion animation just like the Nightmare Before Christmas. This is the perfect flick that both parents and kids will enjoy. Fall in love with Dahl's classics all over again with this Roald Dahl Gift Set. It's the perfect gift for little bookworms with big imaginations. 

Roald Dahl Gift Set starting at $24.96.

Looking for a hot gadget gift this holiday season? Our very own Gift Guru Dan T. breaks down the hottest holiday gadgets on the Digital Trends podcast. There's unique tech gifts for the whole family.

If you’re curious to know the coolest gadget gifts under $150 listen in on Dan’s podcast and check out his list too!  

So what is a Whatnot? A Whatnot is one of the zany-looking Muppet extras you have seen in Muppet productions for years. And thanks to the Muppet Whatnot Workshop, exclusively at FAO Schwarz, you can design and produce a custom-made, one-of-a-kind, Muppet Whatnot of your very own.

For so many years, Muppets have entertained, inspired and taught both young and young-at-heart alike. Now with a Whatnot, you can have a little Muppet magic in your own home. Bottom line: A Muppet Whatnot is a unique and creative gift certain to be a hit. Win it to gift it or win it to get it!

Visit our Gift Giveaway page to enter and view official rules. And check out the Muppet Whatnot video here. 

It's finally November, and you know what that means? It's officially toy shopping season. While most of us are busy preparing for Thanksgiving and putting off our Christmas shopping, your kids are getting googly-eyed over all the toy catalogs arriving in the mail. Lucky for you, toy retailers are waging an all out price war and you and I get to reap the benefits. 

Shopping for toys can get overwhelming very quickly, and you want to find the perfect gift that won't get left on the shelf after Christmas morning. Look no further than our Holiday Toy Guide for the hottest toys of the season.  You can search by age, interest, price, you name it. Also check out our Award-Winning Toys Guide, for products that have been given the gold seal of approval by parents, kids and industry experts. And while we all love to procrastinate, toys will be flying off the shelves faster than you can say Tickle Me Elmo. Why not spend Christmas Eve with your family than panicking at Walmart, and let the Gift Guru's help you wrap up all your holiday shopping needs. 

Just like most folks these days, the Gift Guru's are total suckers for sales. Whether you're treating yourself to a new winter coat or starting your holiday shopping early, it always feels good to score something on sale. But what's even more feel good is when that sale goes towards a good cause. That's where the "Big Warm-Up" comes in.

For the next 22 days, Lands End will be offering 20% of any outerwear purchase, when you donate a gently used coat. So far, over a 5,000 coats have been collected to help the homeless this winter. Check out their video to see how the project works and how and where you can donate. And help everyone warm-up this winter. 

Last year EA Games and Hasbro teamed up to release Hasbro Game Night to bring classic games to video game platforms. So it’s exciting to see the release the follow up, Hasbro Family Game Night 2.

Fans of the first edition will love the updates and the new selection of classic games. One to four players can compete in both classic versions and fun updates to games we all know and love such as “Operation”, “Bop-It”, Connect 4×4, Pictureka, and my favorite Jenga. Play to compete and play to design your own virtual game room to be filled with awards and décor earned through HFGN2 game play. While game night may have moved from the kitchen table to in front of the Wii, the time spent playing as a family is a timeless tradition that will be remembered for years to come.

Want win a copy of Hasbro Family Game Night 2?  Become a fan Gifts.com on Facebook and leave a comment with your favorite game featured on Hasbro Family Game Night 2 by 6:00 p.m EST, Friday, November 13. One comment per person please, multiple comments will be discarded. Click here to read the official rules.

We’re kicking off this Holiday Season by giving away a great gift in the first installment of the Gifts.com Great Gift Giveaway Series.

The first gift we’re giving away is the new 16GB iPod Nano. The new Nano is an exceptional update of an already great iPod. The highlight of the 5th generation Nano?  It now has the ability to shoot video! How cool is that to be able to shoot video clips anywhere you go with this pocket-sized powerhouse. Throw in the new FM tuner and nine new glossy metallic shades to choose from, and I just might enter myself (don’t worry I can’t…and won’t!). 

Click here to enter for a chance to win this baby. 

Win it to gift it or win it to get it!

Yes I will admit it – I am a certified “Gleek.”  The show is cheesy, unrealistic and cheesy (worth saying twice.) And I love every minute of each episode!  Any show where the underdog gets to win AND sing is a show I have to watch. 

They all sound great in the soundtrack – better than they did at the World Series. But who cares about that because Glee doesn’t belong in the real world – it’s where we go to escape from the real world. And this new soundtrack does the trick in between episodes! It's a great little gift to surprise the music lover on your list. 

Glee: The Music Soundtrack starting at $11.55. 

I figured since Gift Guru Dan T,  already showed his love for the Yankees, I'd share some of my favorite Phillies fan gear gifts. Now that things are heating up with the World Series, us Phillies fans like to find every opportunity to show off our hometown pride.

Being a Phillies fan in New York is no easy task but at least I can take comfort in staying warm while I watch the game with this Phillies Therma Base Knit Hat. It's even thick enough to drown out the boo's I'll be hearing all night. Besides awesome fan apparel, if you really want to surprise him/her, send them a special bag of Custom Philadelphia Phillies M&M's.  They come in a variety of colors and even a special edition World Series Edition for the big win. Check out our Phillies Ultimate Fan Shop to deck out your loved ones in Red and White! 

MLB My Team M&M's Candies starting at $10.99.

When it comes to kids' entertainment, there's only a handful of shows that both kids and parents can enjoy. So when you find a show like Yo Gabba Gabba, there's never a need to change the channel. This highly addictive and entertaining show combines teaching lessons to kids and hit music for adults. Gone are the days of Raffii and Barney, Gabba Gabba features the hottest musical acts in each episode so you won't mind it so much when your kid starts reciting all the songs. If you're already a fan of the show, then I have some great news for you. Yo Gabba Gabba just released their first soundtrack CD featuring all of their hit songs and favorite musical guests. 

The name says it all, "Yo Gabba Gabb: Music is Awesome", and I must say it was a big hit at the office. With catchy tracks by The Roots, Chromeo, and The Shins, adults will be pressing repeat as they sing along in the car. Daily chores like brushing your teeth and washing your hands get the funk treatment and will have your kids clamoring for the bathroom.  To kick off their fall, country-wide live tour, we're giving away two copies of this newly released CD to two of of lucky Giftrap readers. 

Want to Win? First become our Fan on Facebook, and post a comment telling us what your favorite Yo Gabba Gabba song is.  The contest period runs through 9:30 am on Saturday, October 31 through Tuesday, November 3 at 11:59 pm. One comment per person, multiple comments will be discarded. Click here to read the official rules.

Check here for the complete tour schedule, and click here to listen to one of our favorite songs, "Get the Sillies Out".