Gifts from the heart
It's always meaningful to choose a gift that helps improve the lives and warm the hearts of others at the same time. My pick for the gift guide that does double-duty is SickKids Holiday Giving Guide (www.sickkidsfoundation.com/holiday). This is the first year the renowned Canadian children's hospital has put together a gift guide and it's loaded with lovely things for kids -- and adults, too. The best part? Your donation or purchase helps SickKids make children healthy -- what a great gift! Here are a few of my favourite items in the guide:
• Sterling Silver Tag Necklace stamped with the word Believe. It's cool enough for a teen girl and your girlfriends will love it too. $55
• Bravery Heart Bracelet, $20, and Necklace, $25: Colourful handcrafted beads and a gorgeous Czech glass pendant heart in red make this a funky and fun accessory for any gal on your list.
• Donate. You can give $25 in someone's name to purchase a book for the children's reading room at Sick Kids; $80 buys a stethoscope. View the Giving Guide and buy products online at www.sickkidsfoundation.com/holiday.
The sale of these pretty ornaments supports Breakfast Clubs of Canada and Breakfast for Learning, $2.99 each, Wal-Mart.
Great online resources
• Check out the Canadian Toy Testing Council's annual Toy Report in Progress (TRIP). The list is continually updated, toys and games are rated, and organized in age groups. www.toy-testing.org
• The Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada puts together an annual list of Gold Star Award Winners. Review this year's list on the Canadian association's website at www.netscanada.org.
• MasterMind has an extensive list of Hot Picks for the Holidays. You can find them online at www.mastermindtoys.com.
• Learning Express, the largest toy retailer in the United States, has a list of top 20 toys for the holiday season. www.learningexpress.com.
Read more: Tips for picking clothing gifts.
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