A shopping blog of cool gift ideas

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".

Almost every kid has owned a set of LEGO's at some point, but how many can boast they built a world monument overnight? Lego recently released their specialty "Sculptures Line" for the more ambitious Lego builders. The line includes world famous buildings like the Taj Mahal, the Empire State Building, and my personal favorite, the Guggenheim Museum.

Each set is extremely detailed and true-to-life, so once you're done building it, they almost become mini works of art. These sets are greater for older kids and even design loving adults. This is just one of the toys I'm really excited about this holiday season. 

LEGO Scupltures: Solomon R. Guggenheim Building Set starting at $39.99.

Alright, if you’re like me then you may or may not have bought a pumpkin already, but you definitely have not carved one. Seeing that Halloween is this Saturday, I’d say it’s time to get to work. Every year my friends and I get together and try to out-do each other with our crazy pumpkin carvings. 

It’s easier than you think when you have the right tools like this Extreme Pumpkins Carving Book from the popular website Extremepumpkins.com and the Williams-Sonoma Pumpkin Carving Kit.  Together this dynamic duo will have you slashing out the best pumpkin in your neighborhood!

Extreme Pumpkins Carving Book starting at $13.95.

We say “treat” and you will too when you see these fa-boo-lous hand-dipped scary berries. A dozen fresh strawberries have been dipped in nuts and Halloween colored icing for a festive finish. And some are even made to look like mini jack-o-lanterns. 

Add festive luxury and spook up any table and send them as a Halloween gift or buy them for your own family. These berries aren't so scary after all.

Hand-Dipped Scary Berries starting at $34.98.

For the first part of 2009, Littlest Pet Shop for Wii was glued into our console. My daughter (7 years old) was addicted to unlocking all the LPS animals and conquering every mini-game. So you could imagine her reaction when I told her that a second LPS game for Wii was coming out.  Needless to say, in anticipation to the game’s arrival, I’ve seen a big improvement in her listening skills and her room has been quite clean.

She’s going to fall in love all over again with “Littlest Pet Shop: Friends” for Wii. The game is all new yet quite familiar. This time the game revolves around a party planning and preparation narrative.  Think about it, party planning with decorations, cake and ice cream combined with adorable LPS pets, the game’s a sure-fire hit. The game includes all new customizable pets, new mini-games and brand new LPS worlds that will keep her in LPS heaven for the foreseeable future. Now that may not seem like a good thing, but if used responsibly, “LPS Friends” could mean continued good listening and a clean room!

Littlest Pet Shop Friends starting at $36.99.

If you’re super organized, you’re probably starting to plan your holiday shopping. What will you do for all of those amazing people who help you out all year like your babysitter, mail man, hair stylist or even your kids’ teachers? 

We know how frustrating and confusing it can be so we did some research and came up with our Holiday Tipping Guide that explains appropriate gift etiquette by profession. This is one part of your holiday shopping list that you can cross off early no matter what!  See all of our helpful gift guides.  

Last week, we were lucky enough to attend the Time to Play holiday toy showcase and needless to say, there is some pretty exciting stuff coming out for Christmas this year. One of my favorite things at the show was the Crayola Crayon Maker.

What household doesn't have a million half-broken crayons lying around? This ingenious toy let's kids melt together their broken crayons to create all new ones with crazy swirly designs. Not only is this a great toy for creative kids, but it's eco-friendly too because you don't have to constantly buy new crayons. Kick off your doodling activities with this special code from Crayola that allows you to print out your favorite family photos and turn them into instant coloring pages! We printed out our Yankees game group shot for the office.

For all our loyal GiftRap readers, go to crayola.com/colorme, sign up, and use the code PR24QCHT for free print-outs for 24 hours. You can also add tons of fun clip art and backgrounds for more coloring possibilities. Also check the back of any Crayola boxes you buy for additional codes and let the coloring begin!

Crayola Crayon Maker starting at $29.97.