Last year, I started the 12 Days of Holiday Giveaways as a way to say thank you to you, my awesome readers and I’ve decided to continue the tradition this year. I hope that in this time of busyness (and sometimes stress), this can be something light and fun to give.The most popular giveaway last year was on the day I entitled “My Favourite Things”. This year, I decided to make that the theme for every day. I can’t wait to share them with you!
My Favourite Things 2021
I’ve chosen 12 things that I love or are special to me in some way to share with you.
You can enter each day until midnight pacific time on December 12th. I’ll be adding one new prize each day.
Enter to win just one or all 12 and you can come back again each day until the contest closes.
Winners will be notified personally via email the day after the contest ends, so be sure to use an email where I can reach out. Good luck!
(Please Note: Some giveaways are open to anyone worldwide, while others are only open to those in the U.S. and Canada due to shipping. Please note that as you enter the various giveaways).
Another Gift for You
In addition, as a thank you, you can also save 30% off anything in my shop for the duration of the giveaway by using the coupon code HOLIDAY2021.
Day #1 – Click & Grow Smart Indoor Herb Garden (3 slot size)
I’ve had my Click & Grow Herb Garden for just over 2 years now and I love it! I’ve grown many things in mine (lettuce, wild mini strawberries, cilantro, dill, basil, chives, rosemary, and mint). With practise, I now have it down to a science of a rotation of the herbs we use the most.
When I first add the pods, I like to mix them up so I don’t know which is which. Then I have fun guessing what they are as they begin to grow. I’ll admit that I even sometimes talk to them in the morning!
“Oh hello my little cilantro!”
The things I love most about my herb garden:
- it’s a way to bring some life and greenery into my house, especially in these cold Canadian winters!
- it’s so easy to use (the grow lights are one a timer – all I need to do is add water when it gets low)
- adding fresh dill to perogies or potatoes, fresh basil to pastas, fresh mint to sparkling water or salads, fresh rosemary to gravy, chives to eggs and dips, cilantro to homemade guacamole or to top our dinners
Day #2 – You Are Special Today Celebration Plate
One of the best gifts we’ve ever received was a red plate. This plate says “You are Special Today” and it has become a treasured family tradition in our home.
We received this gift after bringing two of our kids home from Ethiopia twelve years ago. Since that time, our entire family has used it to celebrate each other.
You Are Special Today Red Plate
On birthdays, the birthday person has this plate set out for them at their birthday supper. We have also put it out to honour special days such as one of our kids getting their first job, getting their driver’s license, graduating, or even for facing hard things and overcoming.
The red plate symbolizes being cherished and being part of a family who is there to celebrate you in the good times and support you through the bad.
My hope is that the winner of the red plate giveaway uses it to start their own family tradition of making each member of the family feel seen and celebrated.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Day #3 – Cup of Té London Luxe Silver Starter Kit
I discovered Cup of Té last year during the holidays. The company was featured on Oprah’s Favourite Things last year and I was intrigued by their backstory and impressed by their founder so I ordered some of their tea to try.
I start every day with a mug of hot tea (with sugar), but I’m pretty picky about my tea. After trying many of their selections, London Calling is my favourite of theirs. I’ve chosen that as one of the teas I’m including in the giveaway.
Their founder, Taylor Lindsay-Noel was a former competitive gymnast who was paralyzed in an accident on the high bar. Her mission to find a new dream and to pursue that is very inspiring.
Cup of Té donates $1 from each starter kit to mental health initiatives. Mental health has been something that has dramatically shaped our family, so that is all the more reason for me to love this company!
What’s in the Luxe Silver Starter Kit?
- tea infuser
- luxe tin
- luxe spoon
- 100 g loose leaf London Calling tea
- 100 g loose leaf Cream of Earl Grey
Day #4 – Multiplication Pop It Math Fidget
Pop Its are a great fidget for kids or adults. If you’re not familiar with them, they are essentially a reusable, quiet version of bubble wrap!
What I like about this Multiplication Pop It is that it gives older kids an excuse to use a fidget in a practical way and still get the sensory benefits from it.
Sensory play is so important for older kids and teens, but isn’t always as easy to accomplish for that age group. That’s why this math fidget gets my vote this year as one of my favourite things.
Multiplication Pop It Math Fidget
Enter the giveaway below.
Day #5 – Bliss Collections Daily Planner Tear Off Pad
As a disorganized, wish-I-was-more-organized person who lives by lists, I love these Bliss Collections Daily Planner Tear Off Sheets. I use one for every weekday and in busy seasons, even use them for the weekend days as well.
By the end of each day, mine are a mess of additional notes, random thoughts, and being able to check things off the list! But that’s just evidence of how useful I find them.
Bliss Collections Daily Planner with 50 Undated 8.5 x 11 Tear-Off Sheets
What I love about them:
- the appointments clock where I can shade in not only the time of the appointments, but the driving time so that I can see at a glance how much time will realistically be left in the day
- the “must get done today” section which helps me prioritize
- a slot to add in what I’m grateful for to give me perspective
- meal plan section which helps me plan what I’m serving for dinners and remember to eat lunch!
- “today’s achievements” – this has helped shift my focus from how much I didn’t get done to what I was able to accomplish
Enter to win a set of your own below.
Day #6 – Lift As You Climb – The Story of Ella Baker
I love reading. I love books. I love my children. And I love inspiring, enlightening, world changing children’s books the very best!
Lift As You Climb, The Story of Ella Baker fits that criteria.
Lift as You Climb: The Story of Ella Baker
It was hard to pick a favourite book this year, but in honour of my youngest daughter who is fearlessly facing some adversities of her own this year and my wish for her right at this moment is to believe she can change the world. Plus, it’s a great anti-racism book for kids and that’s another topic close to my heart.
Day #7 – 24 piece Copper Box of Chocolates from Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut
My guilty pleasure is chocolate. I’m also going to admit that I’m a total chocolate snob. I buy these amazing quality chocolates, but in my defence, I only eat one or two every few days so that they last a long time.
Cococo, the company that makes this chocolate is a Canadian owned company that is Rainforest Alliance Certified™, certified sustainable, and fair trade.
Enter below to win a 24 piece Copper Box of Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut chocolates. Please note: Due to shipping considerations, this giveaway is only open to residents of Canada and the United States.
Day #8 – Holiday Guide to Sensory Overload PDF (3 Winners)
Now I know it may sound like I’m tooting my own horn to say that something I wrote is one of my favourite things of the year, but I’m really proud of this new resource that Heather and I wrote this year.
I know how much the holidays used to be a struggle in our family and it warms my heart to know that those struggles led to something good…the ability to help other families avoid some of that same struggle.
Today, I’m giving away The Holiday Guide to Sensory Overload (PDF) to 3 winners. Enter below.
Day #9 – Hallmark Christmas Movie Watching Shirt
This time of year, my “guilty pleasure” is watching those super cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies. (If you like them too, you might enjoy our Christmas Movie Bingo).
Last year, I got myself a shirt to fully embrace this holiday tradition.
Hallmark Christmas Movie Watching Shirt
Enter below to win a shirt for yourself to wear while you snuggle under a blanket with a mug of hot cocoa and have a holiday movie marathon. (Due to shipping, today’s giveaway is only open to residents of Canada and the United States.)
Day #10 – Encouraging Mug
Since we’ve already established that I like to start my mornings with a nice cup of tea, I chose an inspirational mug as today’s giveaway. I have a collection of mugs, all with either a word or a phrase on them and I choose one each morning according to what I feel like I’m needing that day.
Let Your Faith Be Bigger Than Your Fear Mug
Enter to win a mug that will hopefully help you start the day with a bit of extra encouragement. (Due to shipping considerations, only residents of Canada and the United States are eligible for this prize.)
Day #11 – Discussion Napkins
I love, love, love these! They make a great hostess gift or you can keep them for yourself. Set out these cloth napkins, each of with a different discussion question on it and break the ice at your next family gathering or dinner party.
I’m someone who finds small talk torturous, so questions like these help move the conversation past the weather and into things of real substance. This builds or deepens relationships.
Enter below to win a set of Discussion Napkins. (Due to shipping considerations, today’s prize is only available for residents of the USA and Canada)
Day #12 – Freezer Meals 101 Membership Master Level ($97 value!)
Freezer meals save my sanity so they are of course one of my favourite things. The winner of today’s draw will win a Master Level Freezer Meals 101 Membership. The coolest part? The doors aren’t even open yet so the winner will be the first!
The membership includes things like being able to create your own customized meal plans with printable shopping lists and exclusive videos to help you take the stress out of dinner. This prize is open to anyone worldwide.
Interested in more information? Sign up to get an email when the membership community is open.
***Don’t forget that you can get 30% off EVERYTHING in our shop with the coupon code HOLIDAY2021 from now until the end of the giveaway!***
Oh what a fun thing to have in the kitchen especially during the winter months!! I would grow cilantro, basil and mint.
This looks amazing
Rosemary, basil
I love herbs! When stressed, I like to pick a basil leaf to sniff.
I would grow a pizza herb garden, then switch it up for a Greek food herb garden, then Mexican. I love to use herbs in food, so with each food having different flavors, I would grow the ones I needed most often, then dry them to use through the winter, then grow others. I love fresh herbs, so fresh as they grow would also be so lovely.
This looks awesome. What herbs would I grow? Definitely cilantro and globe basil, and the third would be a toss up between dill, chives, or another basil like a thai basil.
I always start them outside and use briefly. I cannot keep cilantro alive to save my life but would love to have the smell of lavender growing in my house.
I would love to grow basil!!
I love having fresh herbs growing in my kitchen! I’ve been eyeing something like this for a long time. 🙂
This looks FUN & FABULOUS!!! I’d love to grow my own herbs 🌿
I would grow basil for homemade pizza and mint for mint tea.
Definitely basil!
It would be awesome to grow basil, parsley, & mint in a Click & Grow Herb Garden.
I would grow parsley!
I would love to grow basil and rosemary!
I would LOVE to grow fresh cilantro for my homemade salsa, dill for anything and everything and basil for sauces. Mmmmmmm!
That would be so much fun to grow herbs as a family!
The plate is beautiful and such a wonderful tradition. It would be exciting to start this tradition for special days for family members.
Basil and Parsley
Basil to use in my homemade vegan pesto.
I would use the plate for accomplishments with school/work/sports ect..
I live in the high desert so I grow herbs outside. I actually have a huge Rosemary bush by our pool. They use it as a ground cover here
I would definitly grow basil. We love fresh basil and put it on so many different foods at breakfast and dinner.
I would use the plate on days when a family needed a pick me up or reminder of how special they are
The red plate is such a neat family tradition!
I’d like to try basil and parsley
I am more of a coffee person but I’d like to try some tea once in a while
I would grow basil in a click and grow for sure.
I would use this plate for Christmas and Valentines Day and just bc your special day!
It is lovely. Would make a great birthday or other special occasion treat even more special. It could also be used just to have a “just-because day.”
Love it! celebrate the little accomplishments as well as the big ones
I would grow cilantro!
My favorite tea is mint.
I actually prefer hot chocolate but family likes tea😉
I love coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon and evenings. I like a variety of teas but my favorites involve cinnamon! I use Sleepy Time teas at night to help me sleep.
I love that Cup of Te donates money towards mental health.
Tea is so soothing.
I love spicy fruity tea best, but there are so many good teas. Coffee is my love language, though!
My favorite cold tea is black tea w/ lemonade & hot tea is raspberry or chamomile.
My fave cup of tea is orange pekoe, but also enjoy chamomile & mint tea.
Though coffee is my every day choice I love a good cup of English Breakfast tea.
I’d have to grow basil or garlic….both smell amazing and taste great. As for the tea, not my cup but a favorite of my coworker’s.
Looks like an amazing company. I would love to try their product, and would definitely continue to purchase to help the cause.
love red
I love tea and my favorite types are Oolong tea and black tea.
I have two cats who love fresh greens. I would devote at least one pot to one of their favorites. I live in assisted living, fresh herbs would be a great addition to my sometimes yucky meals. I’d probably start with basil and rosemary.
The red plate would be an excellent item to begin a tradition w/ family, class, etc. I wasn’t allowed to save the pin, as there wasn’t an image.
I’d grow basil, rosemary and chives.
Oooo I love tea! I would love to try London Calling. 🙂
I enjoy both tea and coffee and always looking forward to trying new flavors!
I love tea!! So many favorites– Irish breakfast tea, vanilla almond, blackberry sage, Chai….yummy.
Love that math fidget! We use fidgets every day during read aloud time.
Such amazing gifts/prizes. All of them are great! Would love any! A cup of tea sounds lovely.
Thank you.
My favorite fidget/sensory toy is a 3-way tie between my calmios, spiral ball (for desk), & my creative idea/find of an iron skillet scrubber.
PS-I wasn’t able to Pin the picture again, as it doesn’t show anything when I click on Pin icon)
I would grow basil and cilantro in a click and grow.
My favorite tea is a tie between early grey and jasmine.
My kids love the pop its. I find it relaxing too.
I’d grow cilantro and dill for sure in the click and grow planters.
For fidget/sensory toys, my kids love the pop it’s and also cuddle swings. I think we’d live in more of a mad house if we didn’t have these. Hahaha
My grandson enjoys playing with the Pop Fidget Toy.
My favorite tea of choice is Vanilla Chai, but I’m a sucker for a big mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top!
I’m also a disorganized, wish I was more organized person who lives by lists! 🙋🏼♀️
I think my biggest problem with getting organized is lack of consistency. I have a planner for work but not for home. I have sheets similar to this but I make copies and I don’t have it in easily accessible locations so end up using scrap paper which I often use. My work desk is a hot mess with papers I need to file but can’t figure out which file title best suits the item so I can find it again! Help me! LOL
This daily organizer is just the thing I need. I am constantly making notes in the mornings!
My biggest struggle with getting organized is having so much on my plate! It is sometimes hard for me to determine what to do next!
My biggest struggle with organizing is thinking I might need something later, so I am hesitant to get rid of anything!
We have a birthday plate we use for each of our family members on their birthday. I would enjoy using the red special plate for other special celebrations/accomplishments in each of our family lives! Even as adults, these traditions still speak God’s love for each of us!
what a wonderful gift to organize yourself in the new year
My kids love the unicorn fidget!
My challenges with organization are too much stuff!
I struggle with too much clutter
My favorite new children’s book this year is Change Sings
I’d love to get the popper. I saw a video on using them for counting with kiddos to combine math and sensory in one act – I definitely want to try this with my PreK kiddos.
I haven’t read that book yet! I definitely check it out!
love all the designs of the pop its
I would grow basil!
Thank you so much for your posts! They are truly helpful!
My kids love the pop it’s, but I prefer the spinners
I would grow basil and parsley. They are easy to grow and I use them often in my cooking.
I’d like to grow oregano and basil!
The pop its have kept the grandchildren very busy on our drives in our RV. I think adding the “addition” factor was brilliant.
My organization struggle is mostly remembering what I have to do. I get started on one thing and something else comes up, and then something else.
I would grow cilantro, oregano and basil!
I love using a fidget spinner!
I have ADHD and poor organization skills so that’s the hardest!
I would grow basil and cilantro in my Click and Grow.
I would use the red celebration plate for birthdays. I think it’s made for it.
My favourite kind of tea is herbal. I like peppermint.
I would love to have fresh basil in the middle of winter!
I have ADHD, so I have trouble staying on task. The notepad should really help!
I would love to grow herbs
I do a great job organizing when I first get my planner, but I struggle with maintaining!
I would use the You are Special plate every day to remind myself how special I am. I often forget!
My students would love the pop fidget math square. (And I would too!)
i like tea.
I love all the giveaways. Thank you for the chance to win. Thank you for sharing with us
Holiday time is very exciting to my grandson — and he can’t seem to stop going from one thing to another.
You came up with some nice things.
I like the story of the gymnast and how she started her business and to support mental health is wonderful.
I need to do freezer meals. I will watch more. I’ve been wanting to do this. I have the cookbook Once-A-Month Cooking but haven’t read it yet. Watching it will work more quickly. Thanks
I’m not sure what I’d grow in it yet. It looks like a nice way to grow them in the kitchen.
Biggest challenge is being off routine
I would grow Cilantro and Basil for sure!
I like English and Irish Breakfast Tea. I like tea more than coffee!
My children’s biggest struggle is the crowds at family gatherings, noise level, and routines being changed
My kids struggle with the changes in routines and managing big emotions when they don’t get everything they wish they had as presents
I will grow basil in all 3 because I have the hardest time keeping basil alive in my house. It lives for a month then dies instantly.
I would grow Cilantro, it’s the one thing I love to have around the house but just never last in the fridge
My favourite holiday movie is A Christmas Carol 1951 version with Alastair Sim
Love the shirt
We like bendy animals for fidget toys.
The best book I read this year was The Alchemist.
I love Love Actually for holiday watching.
We love figit toys on our house! I would have to say that I really enjoy using the popits with my youngest and my older boys love the ones you can shape different. Thank you for the giveaway!
Enough time in the morning to fill my tank is the best way to start my day: exercise and devotional/quiet time while I drink a cup of coffee before the rest of the house wakes up.
The Hallmark movie shirt and the mug would be great together. Relax with a hot coffee on a wintery afternoon
What starts my day off best is a nice hot cup of coffee and about 15 minutes of quiet reflection!
Year Without a Santa Claus is my favorite holiday movie! I watch it multiple times every year
My favorite Christmas movie is all of them!!! 😍 I like to watch the Hallmark Christmas movies throughout the whole year 😂😊
You are MY favourite!! This is awesome!
My biggest struggle is keeping both of my kids’ speech, OT therapy, and other appointments all organized. It would be nice to have one spot where all the information is at.
My fave holiday movie is home alone
Both of my children struggle with sensory overload. They both love Christmas but the change in schedules really frustrates them.
Enjoyed the short video on the Christmas sensory kit from the FB website. And the mug is beautiful!
A big smile from my daughter starts my day off best.
Wow, so many great giveaways! I would grow cilantro, chives and dill… then lavender, sage and thyme. Oh goodness, then parsley, rosemary and basil.
My wife and I are slowly working through Die Hard 20 minutes at a time between our kids being primitive heathens at home. It is our new favorite and we aren’t even half-way through.
OMG im so excited to find this blog all those videos on the youtube man im never gonna get thru them all i can always use quik meal ideas my family comes home in different shifts eat different meals have different food allegies some days i cook 6-7 different things or more if my eldest daughter or son visit this site is awesome thank you oh and your christmas giveaways are pretty cool too 🙂
now to follow the giveaway rules and answer each comment
id grow rosemary in the click and grow ,i tried once but my dogs ate it and got sick this would be outta their reach
id use the red plate on those uky feelin days so id see im special
the only tea ill drink is a hottie tottie more of a coffee fan
i like those stress squeezie things where their faces are silly
when organizing i tend to spread my focus lol ill start a closet empty it out find an item belonging in another room empty that drawer find something else etc etc ive learned to clean in 1 area at a time otherwise ive worked all day my husband gets home house is total disaster but 1 or 2 drawers are organized
phantom stallions by robert a shaw
night before christmas
my starts best when my husband calls to wake me and says i love you
i hope i did this correctly and 1 comment box is ok
That mug is beautiful!
My day starts best if I do not hit the snooze
I’ve seen disposable napkins like that, but having cloth ones would be nice so you could use them over and over.
I’d grow cilantro, parsley, and basil in the Click and Grow
I’d use the red plate for birthdays.
My favorite kind of tea is peppermint.
My favorite sensory tool is the metal “spider” that you rub on your scalp.
I’ve never seen conversation napkins like those before! Fun!
A good morning greeting starts up my day 👋🏼
My all-time favourite Holiday movie is It’s A Wonderful Life.
A couple of my favourite things are a hot cup of tea and buttery scones.
I love body socks for my sensory kids. We also have noise reduction headphones. All my kids of course love pop its.
my favourite things
when my son comes home after a motorcycle ride
when my daughter visits from college
cuddles from my two great pyrenese
when my pigs interact clyde says me mama,miss missy she eats off a spoon ,prissy wearing headbands soooooo cute
my husband says baby you worked hard enuf today i love you ill go get dinner
my yorkies killing a snake rat toad mouse lizard occasional leaf anything they can hunt and catch and proudly bringing it to me
My favorite holiday movie is Elf
Some of my favorite things are new crayons, nice candles, pretty fabrics, great ideas to try, cuddling with the kids, playing outside
The red plate is sweet. I would use it on special days such as Valentine’s, birthdays, and those days that you say, “has anyone told you today?” and the answer is that “you are special to me.”
I had never heard of Ella Baker, so I had to go research her…the book sounds so interesting. You did a great job finding wonderful items for you 12 Days!
Preparing for my day with some faith building reading, most mornings I try to read one to a few chapters of my old beat up Bible.
Cloth napkins, very nice. The questions are interesting and ought to provide some thought provoking answers.
My favorite movie is The Grinch
What’s your biggest struggle when it comes to getting organized?
I often have too many things going on at once. It is hard to plan and it is hard with all the paper clutter.
My favorite Holiday movie is The Holiday.
A cup of tea starts my day off good.
I struggle with timing out things.
Best Holiday movie is Elf.
My day starts out good if it is quiet and I can enjoy my coffee.
My favorite things are good food and a good movie to watch
Spending time with my cats is one of my favorite things!
The best book I’ve read this year was The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.