Just in time for the Halloween season, Disney Gravity Falls, is now on DVD! “Six Strange Tales” is about Dipper and his twin sister, Mabel, who are sent to spend their summer vacation with their great uncle in Gravity Falls. Perfect for this time of year, the six episodes are full of riddling situations such as silly gnomes pretending to be zombies, Mable in search for her perfect vampire, and little old men creating scary “legends” just to gain the town’s attention. The annoying uncle, Grunkle Stan, who runs The Mystery Shack tourist shop, is the biggest mystery of all!

Although not happy with their parent’s summer plans for them, Dipper is always ready for a little adventure. He is quickly distracted by his lucky find of a puzzling and intriguing old journal full of the town’s secrets. Mabel’s company adds humor to every adventure they take together.

Diego was excited to follow along with the exclusive Mystery Book: Journal #3 included in the DVD. The set includes over two hours of the very funny problem-solving duo in action. AND Gravity Falls can be enjoyed  by many with its French and Spanish subtitle options too!

The Giveaway!

We’re giving away one copy of Gravity Falls to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave us a comment letting us know who you’d like to share this DVD with. Then, enter the Rafflecopter below.

Ends October 31st 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I recently attended an all-expenses paid meeting at The J. M. Smucker Company on behalf of SpanglishBaby to learn more about Smucker’s Brand Products and  helpful holiday tips. I want to share some of the fun and easy recipes I learned using Smucker’s Brand Products that will surely add some love to your holiday fiestas.

During my visit I learned how to make delicious tasting treats and dishes that would make family gatherings for the holidays extra special. My family is big and when we get together there are so many different foods to enjoy. It’s great to have our traditional dishes, but occasionally it’s fun to surprise the kids with some yummy treats.

I tried these recipes at Smucker’s Headquarters and they were delicious, so putting my kids to the test when I got home was a must — my kids enjoyed both! Here are the two recipes I will definitely be sharing and making with my family this holiday.

Caramel Apple Popcorn by Pillsbury

Yields 4 servings(refer to site recipe for larger servings)

Ingredients:

1/2 container of Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Caramel Apple Flavored Frosting

1 bag of microwave popcorn

1 cup of pecans

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

2 cups of apple chips (freezer dry works too)

pinch of salt

Directions:

•Preheat oven at 250°F and prepare a baking sheet. Either line with parchment paper or coat with Crisco cooking spray.

•Microwave frosting in separate bowl for approximately 20 seconds.  (If making large serving where a whole container is called for, remove all foil and lid before microwaving. Pour over popped popcorn.

•Add pecans and mix until fully coated. Bake for at least 2o minutes or until crunchy. Remove from oven and toss in cinnamon, salt, and apple chips.

Popcorn stores for up to a week in an airtight container.

Cran Raspberry Snowball Punch by Smuckers

Yields 6- 1 cup servings

Ingredients:

16oz or 2 cups of cranberry juice

6oz of Smucker’s Seedless Red Raspberry Jam

1 liter of lemon lime soda, chilled

at least 4 scoops of vanilla bean ice cream(you can add one to each cup to make it a super snowball punch!

Directions:

•In a pitcher or punch bowl, mix in cranberry juice, raspberry jam and lemon lime soda.

•Add scoops of ice cream and stir until frothy.

•Top with ice cream scoops forming snowballs.

Serve and enjoy! ¡Qué rico!

Can you believe Christmas is less than three weeks away? I can’t — especially because I haven’t done ANY shopping at all. ¡Auxilio! If you’re anything like me, then you’ll like what I’m about to tell you…

For a couple of years now, we’ve been wanting to put together a gift guide and I’m happy to announce we’ve finally done it! The thing with our Ultimate Gift Guide for Bilingual Kids is that it’s really not only to get gift giving ideas during the holidays. It’s really for any time of the year when you’re looking for that special something to give to a bilingual kid or family.

In our gift guide, you’ll find our favorite picks in terms of book, music, clothing, toys and a few other things we love and feel they best represent our Latino culture or are worth having if your child is growing up bilingual. I must say I’m very happy with how much things have change and how much we have available today in comparison to when we first launched SpanglishBaby four years ago. This is particularly true when it comes to book choices, but others are noticing the need to have products that speak to Latinos and I love that!

So head on over to our Ultimate Gift Guide for Bilingual Kids and take a peek! We hope you too will love what we’ve picked, that you find the perfect gift for #BilingualKids and that you share the guide with others!

¡Felices Fiestas!

{Photo by asenat29}

Last week my family and I were lucky enough to be invited to see for ourselves the transformation the Disneyland Resort goes through to celebrate the holidays. Simply put, it’s magical and the festive holiday feeling is all around you. In true Disney style, no detail is spared and the result is the feeling that the holidays are here.

We were there just for one day, so we focused on seeing and doing as much of the special holiday attractions and shows at both Disneyland and California Adventure as we could, but it’s definitely not easy to do in one day. Even so, we took in as much as possible and even got some beautiful family pictures with our PhotoPass.

If you’re planning on checking out Disneyland Resort during the holidays, here are 5 must-do’s you should plan for your visit before Jan. 6, 2013.

1. “A Christmas Fantasy Parade” – Children just adore the Disneyland parades and this one is extra special because it features Santa Claus and many special holiday characters like tin soldiers, snowflake faries, dancing reindeers and more. Of course, all the favorite Disney Princesses, Mickey, Minnie and other characters make an appearance as well.

2. “Believe…In Holiday Magic” fireworks show happens every night during the holiday season and it’s the grandest spectacle of them all, culminating with a swirling snowfall. The show bursts with holiday magic and celebrates the best of this season in true splendor.

3. Cars Land in California Adventure has been decorated to the T with fun holiday details all along Route 66. Tires hang as wreaths all throughout Radiator Springs and each address along Route 66 has been decorated with whimsical and very unique touches.

4. “it’s a small world” holiday will have you singing-out-loud to Jingle Bells while you visit with the children of many nations as they celebrate their special holiday traditions. Our favorite, of course, was the area that features Mexico and Latin America because it was just bursting with color and life.

5. A lazy stroll down Buena Vista Street in California Adventure will allow you to take in all the many holiday details that have been added to this street that was inspired by the 1920′s Los Angeles that Walt Disney arrived to. It’s adorned by a 50-foot tall Christmas tree that’s decorated with vintage ornaments and beautiful lights.

Aside from those attractions, you should also make sure you get a free PhotoPass and take advantage of the many opportunities you’ll get to have a high-quality picture taken of you and your whole family with many fabulous backgrounds. You never know if that could end up being your favorite holiday picture!

We’re also very excited that Disneyland will once again celebrate Three Kings Day/Día de los Reyes Magos next year from Jan, 4-6 in Fronteirland. This is such a special occasion to show your child the foods, special decor, and traditions surrounding this Latino holiday we love to embrace.

Read: Disneyland Celebrates Three Kings Day…and we were there!

To check out a slideshow of our favorite Disneyland Resort holiday activities, go here.

For more information and details about the holidays at Disneyland Resort, visit www.Disneyland.com

Have you gone out on your Fall Nature Hike?  If you haven’t I highly recommend some familia time with the kiddos and enjoying nature.  If you don’t have a bosque near you then go out to a craft store and purchase some pine cones.

Our boys enjoyed making this with, not me, but get this their papi.  I came downstairs and I see all of my men crafting! It was simply maravilloso!  This happened mostly because our 5 year old loves to craft and initiated it and papi couldn’t say no.  My husband tries to be involved in their hobbies even if they don’t interest him.  What a lindo papi they have!

1. Collect your pine cones or as mentioned above purchase them.

2. You will need: feathers, google eyes, pine cones, construction paper and glue.

3. Start creating. Glue feathers to the back of the turkey. Use the construction paper to make the face and glue googly eyes.

In the picture above, for the middle turkey we used eucalyptus bud for the face instead of construction paper.

I wanted to write this days ago, but time has been flying by so quickly during our stay in El Salvador. Well, quickly and not, since the days here feel longer because of the slower overall pace and the lackadaisical “la vida es playa” attitude with which life is lived here.

Christmas was all we wanted it to be: familia, amigos, warmth and great comida.

My sister’s husband–mi cuñado–has a very, very large family; he has 10 uncles and aunts and tons of cousins. Their tradition is for the whole family to meet early on Christmas Eve for a lunch and a visit from Santa Claus so that everyone can have the option to head out to their other Noche Buena dinners.

They invited us to be part of this and it was an amazing experience for Camila. I did have to explain why Santa Claus came early and brought her a gift she hadn´t asked for.

Later we changed to more formal clothes–as tradition dictates here–and headed back to my mom´s house for a much smaller gathering to have a traditional Noche Buena dinner of glazed ham, Salvadoran-style turkey, delicious layered rice (with creme and cheese!), yams and more.

The day before Camila had helped her abuelita put the finishing touches to the nativity scene while abuelita told her the story of the birth of baby Jesus. It was so beautiful to see them sharing that moment together and hear Camila asking her so many questions about the real meaning of Christmas.

On Christmas day one of my sisters (the other one is in NYC and was greatly missed!) and her family came over after we had all opened our Santa Claus gifts so we could all open the family gifts together. The tree was brimming with regalos for the kids and for each other, so the house soon became a chaos of wrapping paper and kids desperately trying to get their new toys out of their boxes.

Check out the slideshow below for some pictures from our first week and Navidad in El Salvador. It´s been everything I wanted it to be for Camila and I´m sure these moments will leave a lasting imprint in her cultural identity.

[cincopa AgCAJy6Ata4I]

Click on the image above for a printable version.

Teach children Spanish through Cultural Activities

The Poinsettia with its beautiful red flowers and shiny green leaves has become a symbol of Christmas to many people all over the world.  The legend of the Poinsettia is a beautiful Christmas story about a young Mexican girl and the gift that she presented to Baby Jesus.

Practice Vocabulary

la flor- flower las manos- hands

rojo- red las tijeras-  scissors

verde- green el pegamento- glue

amarillo- yellow la Navidad- Christmas

Craft

Supplies needed:

• A paper plate
• Red, green and yellow construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue (or a stapler)

Steps:

1.  Trace the child’s hand various times on green and red paper.

2. Cut out hands and glue the green the outer portion of plate with fingers pointing out.

3. Place 2 layers of red hands on plate.

4. Cut a small yellow circle and place in the center of the plate.

*this is a great fine motor skill activity!

Visit  www.enchantedlearning.com for more details and crafts!

Story

Share the beautiful story of The Legend of the Poinsettia ( La Leyenda de la flor de noche Buena) by Tommie de Paola. Kids will love hearing this beautiful Christmas story!

Thanks to The Bilingual Fun Company for providing this activity. You can follow them on Twitter and Like their Facebook page which is always bustling with information.

Tell us, are you using and enjoying these activities? We´d love to know!

Today, we’re hosting our biggest, hugest, grandísimo, enorme giveaway ever! So big, we had to use a word such as “Extravaganza” for it.  We’ve put together close to $600 in prizes of some of the products that we think would look divinos under any kid’s Holiday tree.

The best part?  Only ONE person will take it all. Sí, ¡TODO! How’s that for holiday joy?

Wait!  There’s another best part.  We’re partnering up with Turning Leaves Foundation to encourage donations to their charity as an option to get additional entries to the giveaway. To learn more about the TLF mission and vision, please visit their brand new website.

I’ll stop right here, and just let the Extravaganza begin!

Barbie Toy Story 3 Made For Each Other Gift Set A close second to Spanish Buzz, or El Buzzo, as the funniest characters on Toy Story 3 are Barbie and Ken. Adding Ken to the Toy Story equation was close to genius and an ideal way to revive him through the mom´s memories of those all-day sagas we used to create featuring Barbie and Ken. Now, my girl sleeps with both of them in her bed. A classic couple that has come back as part of the cast of this year´s best film is sure to be a hot item on many kids wishlist this season. Find it in La Tiendita starting at $58.00 ~Ana L.

Disney Epic Mickey for Wii I have to admit it is a bit odd for us to have a game in the house that features Mickey and it’s being hidden away from our 3 year old girl. She’s definitely too young for the actual video game, and might be freaked out by the darker images of the Mouse who’s usually chirpy and in colorful Playhouses. As soon as she’s in bed, we’ve been sneaking out to grab the Wii controllers, turned magical paint brushes with the power to create or destroy, to get into this magical adventure of Epic proportions and artistic imagery. In Disney Epic Mickey for Nintendo Wii, Disney’s Interactive Studios take you in an adventure with a story that depends on completely on your actions. You will visit The Wasteland where you will run into characters from Disney’s early years, setting a tone of nostalgia to the game. All along, your magic paintbrush will set your game into play. Epic Mickey for Nintendo Wii is available via La Tiendita, starting at $43.99. ~Ana L.

Disney Sing It Family Hits I had no idea my family of three could throw such a rocking karaoke party by ourselves in our living room. Yet, that´s exactly what happens every time my 3 year old girl requests to play Disney Sing It Family Hits. The three of us end up singing and dancing up a storm. The video game, available for Wii and Playstation 3, comes with a microphone so your kid can instantly feel like a singing sensation. Your budding singer has a choice of songs from both classic and contemporary Disney hit movies, such as “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Little Mermaid,” “Cars,” “Toy Story,” “Aladdin,” and many more. We do have a wishlist of songs we would have loved to see here, but, nevertheless, it’s been a hit. Available at La Tiendita, starting at $38.99. ~Ana L.

Fisher Price iXL Learning System for Preschoolers My daughter’s just at the border of the recommended age of 3-7 for use of the iXL 6-in-1 Learning System from Fisher Price, and she’s been having a blast with it.  She will clearly be able to use and learn with it for years to come, thanks to how easy it is to customize the experience by uploading photos, songs, games and new software that transform the iXL into a new digital learning tool in my girl’s hands.  Since we received it, it has been Camila’s go-to entertainment in the car.  Because of the comfortable size and the use of a stylus pen for the touchscreen, she was able to quickly grasp how to use it on her own. Now, we love hearing her talk to it, giggle and sing when she’s playing with it.  It has surely freed up my smartphone in the car for more useful things like Google Maps to get us to our destination! Available in three colors: Pink, Blue and Silver. Find it in La Tiendita, starting at $112.41. ~Ana L.

Muy Bueno Calendar Even if you’re like me and you lack culinary skills  - to put it nicely – (or maybe especially if you’re like me), you’ll want to get your hands on this delicioso calendar which gathers a sample of Yvette Marquez Sharpnack’s authentic Mexican recipes, all featured on her Muy Bueno Cookbook blog, that have been passed along for over three generations.This 12-month calendar features mouth-watering photographs by Jeanine Thurston and the recipes selected will be featured in Yvette’s upcoming Muy Bueno Cook Book. The best part is that a portion of the proceeds from the sales of the calendar (at $18.00 each) will be donated to The Denver Foundation.  Go here to stock up for those on your list. ~Roxana S.

Elmo’s A to Zoo Adventure + Cookie’s Counting Carnival I don’t think I’ve ever met a child who doesn’t like Sesame Street. Now there’s two fun and educational videogames with awesome graphics too! There are seventeen different games to entertain and challenge your child in Elmo’s A to Zoo Adventure videogame. The popular Sesame Street characters Elmo and Zoe give the directions and guide the play. I particularly liked the educational aspect of the games. The skills practiced range from letter identification, the learning of upper and lower case letters, the sounds of letters and even the formation of words. The games also targeted skills such as rhyming, color, and shape identification. You will have a chance to win both Elmo’s A to Zoo Adventure and Cookie’s Counting Carnival, in your choice of Wii, Nintendo DS or PC.  You can also find them at La Tiendita for $29.99 each. ~Susan S.

2010 Holiday Barbie Collector’s Doll em>Bellísima is what I thought when I first saw the 2010 Holiday Barbie Collector Doll. Her dress, a snowy white gown with a red and gold bodice, is absolutely stunning. She also comes dressed with a red wrap, a gorgeous headpiece and chandelier earrings! In other words, she’s ready para las fiestas!  Seeing her made me feel like playing with Barbies again, although I’m not too sure I’d actually play with this one. Whether you want to surprise your little girl with the most magnificent of dolls or you want to add this one to your collection – or maybe even get your collection started – this will surely make any doll-lover on your list incredibly happy!  Grab her at La Tiendita for $40.95. ~Roxana S.

Hallmark Recordable Storybooks I absolutely love this idea of Recordable Storybooks from Hallmark and I think it works especially well for those of you who don’t have your extended family nearby. My sister, who is also my daughter’s godmother, travels a whole lot so she’s barely ever in town – and when she is, she lives in the mountains so it’s not like she can come over and read my daughter a bedtime story any night of the week. So when we got the recordable storybook from Hallmark, I immediately thought of her. She came over, recorded the story (she actually translated the text to Spanish in keeping with our mL@H method) and then gave it to my daughter who couldn’t hide her surprise when she heard her Tata’s (that’s what she calls my sister) voice reading a beautiful personalized book about a princess to her! The winner of this giveaway will be able to choose one of the 15 stories in the collection, including “The Night Before Christmas,” “The Very First Christmas,” “Guess How Much I Love You,” amongst others.  At La Tiendita you’ll find them starting at $20.00. ~Roxana S.

Scholastic Treasury of 100 Storybook Classics #2 100 award-winning and classic children’s stories are faithfully adapted and brought to rich life in The Scholastic Treasury of 100 Storybook Classics #2, a comprehensive 17-DVD collection, the follow-up to the original best-selling treasury.  There’s a story in here to match my daughter’s mood every day. The most-requested one has been Corduroy, followed by Giggle, Gigge Quack. Nine of the 100 stories come in Spanish, including Curious George Rides a Bike, Stone Soup and Where the Wild Things Are, a detail your bilingual niño will love because he will be able to understand every single story in the collection!  This is one of those holiday gifts that will instantly become a favorite and will stay around for a while.  The read-along feature helps these videos grow along with our kid´s abilities.  The retail price of the set is $99.99, but La Tiendita has them starting at $48.49.~Ana L.

Fix-It and Forget-It Kids’ Cookbook It had never occurred to me that a perfect way to get kids safely in the kitchen–with no open flames or burning stoves–was to use the slow cooker.  I recently discovered Fix-It and Forget-It Kids’ Cookbook: 50 Favorite Recipes to Make in a Slow Cooker by Phyllis Pellman Good.  This simple and colorful cookbook offers kids the direction and encouragement they need to prepare easy-to-make, tasty meals—everything from main courses to snacks and even desserts.  With full-page pictures to inspire your sight, and step-by-step format of the recipes, it is easy to be encourage to get together in the kitchen with the little ones.With recipes such as Easy Taco Filing , Tempting Tortilla Casserole and Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake, the budding chef on your list will be back in the kitchen cooking up a storm.  Get it at La Tiendita for $13.59.~Ana L.

Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook I´ve been driving my friends crazy asking them for slow cooker recipes because I really need to learn to rely on the thing.  With the Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook: 600 Slow Cooker Holiday Recipes, by Phyllis Pellman Good, I got what I asked for, and too much more! The book is packed with 600 holiday recipes, but lacks in the pictures department.  I always prefer my cookbooks to have good visuals, but what this one lacks in looks, it gives in content. Her Christmas recipes will fill your head with menu ideas, give you gentle guidance with each recipe, and deliver dishes that your friends and family will crave. The Fix-It and Forget It cookbooks have sold nearly 10 million copies. Fans credit the popularity of the cookbooks to their accessible recipes, geared to those with little time or confidence to cook….like me.  Only $10.85 at La Tiendita.~Ana L.

Piñata Party Music CD Moona Luna is one band I want to see perform live. Yes, I did say I want to see a kid’s band because I am sure I would enjoy this music and live performance as much as my girl will. In fact, I would be such the groupie since I’d probably be singing all the songs out loud.  I already do every time Moona Luna’s debut album “Piñata Party” is requested by my girl.  She calls it “La Vaca” because of the colorful cow on the album’s cover. Moona Luna is led by singer-songwriter Sandra Velasquez, who’s better known as the lead of Latin-alternative band, Pistolera.  Her bilingual CD for children, inspired after the birth of her daughter, has that alt-indie vibe to it but with a playfulness and energy level that instantly traps kids of any language or cultural heritage.  Moona Luna’s CD fits perfectly in any stocking and can be found at La Tiendita for $9.87.~Ana L.

Music With Sara: Canciones en Español is extra special to us. Sara Quintanar is a Los Angeles musician and mom of two bilingual girls who leads very popular children’s music classes in the L.A. area.  She’s also the bi-weekly music teacher at my daughter’s family daycare, where she takes her instruments and canciones en español for a preschooler rocking concert.  This year, Sara recorded a CD, “Canciones en Español. Music With Sara.” with the help of kids in the Franklin Elementary Spanish Dual Language Immersion program.  I can honestly say, it has been the most-played CD Camila has ever had. It got to the point where that was all she would let us play for her; even so, we never got bored of it. Sarah´s voice is captivating and her energy is released in every song. Go here to listen to the playlist and you will immediately recognize the talent the kids have no trouble adoring.~Ana L.

Rin, Rin, Rin, Do, Re, Mi Bilingual Book and CD Well-known and respected bilingual educator and children’s performer, Jose Luis Orozco, shares music that is meant to connect children with their heritage.  Rin, Rin, Rin, Do, Re, Mi is perfect for kids 2-7 years old and those just learning to read both words and music.  The book has gorgeous illustrations, the lyrics to the song, as well as a music sheet.  It is all meant to be used in conjunction for a rich learning-language-through-music experience.  Get both the book and the CD via La Tiendita.~Ana L.

World Christmas Party In classic Putumayo tradition, the World Christmas Party brings the sounds from around the globe to you in one CD.  These 12 tracks of traditional Christmas songs are injected with sabor thanks to the collaborations of stars such as Poncho Sanchez, Ed Calle with Arturo Sandoval, María de Baroos and José Conde, amongst others.  Picture yourself and your kids swaying hips and singing-out-loud while you blast these tunes and bring the fiesta to the Holiday celebrations.  With a $12.86 price tag at La Tiendita, you want to snatch it now!~Ana L.

CROSSWORD BLOCKS A favorito from awesome bilingual toy maker, Ingenio. This one is basically a combination of blocks and crossword puzzles. Each of the 20 blocks has two letters and things that start with those particular letters in both Spanish and English. The blocks are pretty sturdy, the images on them colorful and the letters simple and legible. The game comes with six bilingual crossword puzzles in the following categories: el transporte, los animales de la granja, las mascotas, las frutas, la casa and el cuerpo all of which you can hopefully use to start teaching your niños how to spell. The blocks can also be used for what they are: building towers, in this case, word towers. One of the best things about Ingenio toys is that they are intended to grow with our children. We’ve had our for over a year and Vanessa still likes to play with it – especially know that she recognizes almost every letter in the alphabet!  ind it at La Tiendita for $12.99. ~Roxana S.

MATH-O-MATIC Numbers are really not my thing, but my daughter – like most kids her age – seems to be intrigued by them. She’s been attracted to this particular bilingual game by Ingenio ever since we got it last year, but now that she recognizes the numbers, she likes it even more. The game comes with individual cards with the numbers from 1-20. They’re all two-sided and bilingual. On one side there’s just a large, colorful number. On the flip side is the word for that number in both English and Spanish as well as objects that correspond to each particular number.Once your child is ready to start learning basic math concepts you can introduce the 22 math cards which are basically a rectangle with an equation that’s missing one number or sign.  Your child needs to use her budding math skills to “fill in the blank.” In the process, she’ll be learning number sequencing, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. My 4-year-old daughter has already started with the addition and subtraction and she thinks it’s super fun! I hope she always feels like that. Find it at La Tiendita for $12.99. ~Roxana S.

Witty Planet DVD The Bubba interactive DVDs are ideal to fostering the little ones’ intellectual and sensory development and to expose non-spanish speaking children to the Spanish language in a  fun way.  All of Bubba’s DVDs, as well as the rest of the line, have been created by specialists in early childhood development.  What Línea Descubriendo gets right is that the best way to engage children into learning language or any concepts through the use of media is to get them involved with what they are watching and listening. The images, the puppets, the short sequences and the songs  make it all come to life and, in our case, got my girl dancing and repeating what she was hearing.  The winner will get to pick one of the five DVDs in the catalog.  A perfect gift to foster the love of Spanish on a child. Find it for $16.99 at the Witty Planet store.~Ana L.

Thomas the Tank Engine Party Package Thomas the Tank Engine has just been nominated for Toy Property of the Year. The 2011 winner will be announced at an awards ceremony to be held before the start of American International Toy Fair on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.  This is the first time voting for TIA’s “Toy of the Year” categories will be open to the public. You can vote for Thomas the Tank Engine by visiting www.toyawards.org.

THE HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA!

Update:  We have a winner!!! Congratulations to KALEN, who won with comment #99! We are excited that one of our most loyal readers won such a huge giveaway, and that her winning comment was from a donation to Turning Leaves Foundation. It all comes full circle. Thanks to all who participated!

We have one item of each of the products we reviewed on this post to give away to one winner. Yes, ONE person will take them ALL. A retail value of almost $600 of crazy, cool holiday gifts. To enter, please leave a comment telling us how you inject your culture and traditions into your Holiday celebrations.

That’s all you have to do to enter this giveaway. If you want to up your chances at winning, and support a charity this holiday season, then this is how you can get additional entries (only after you’ve completed the step above): **Please leave a separate comment for each so we can count them and avoid mistakes.

1.Donate a minimum of $5 to Turning Leaves Foundation and help give children and their families the educational and emotional group support needed to cope with the demands that chronic illness imposes.  Just click on the PayPal button below and it will take you to their donations page.  You will get THREE additional entries for the donation. You must leave three different comments saying you did so.

2. Follow us on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway including a link to the post and @SpanglishBaby. Copy the link to the tweet in an additional comment on the giveaway’s post.

This giveaway ends Sunday, December 12 at midnight EST and you must have a valid US address to enter.

Disclosure: We received a sample of the products to review.  All opinions reflected are our own.

Check out the Giveaway Rules.

López boys watching the snow fall

Keeping traditions alive in the Familia López poses a unique challenge. I am an Anglo-American, born and raised in the United States with both my father’s Jewish traditions and my mother’s Protestant ones. My husband is Latino, raised in a muy Católico household in El Salvador.

As a result, our niños play dreidel on Hanukkah, sing Las Mañanitas to the Virgin of Guadalupe accompanied by Mariachi, and always make sure to leave cookies for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

But even with a mutual respect and love for each others culture, language, and traditions, there are still times when we find ourselves in a pickle when deciding which traditions to pass onto our children. Christmas time is a particularly complex dance between worlds.

Do we attend midnight Spanish language Catholic mass on Christmas Eve or English language Christmas Day sunrise service at a Protestant church? (Or both while consuming mass quantities of caffeine to stay awake?) For Christmas dinner do we eat ham or tamales? (Maybe tamales de puerco?)

Over the years we have had to learn to compromise, appreciate, love, (and yes, sometimes laugh at), each others traditions as we share them with our children.

For example, last year we participated in the uniquely Latin American tradition of Las Posadas with the local Latino community. The kids had fun escorting a statue of Maria and José door-to-door asking for lodging but it reminded me of the fairy tale of the Three Little Pigs, except Mary and Joseph didn’t threaten to “huff and puff and blow your house down” like the Big Bad Wolf. (Sacrilegious, I know.)

And my Salvadoran husband has always been baffled by the carrots the children leave out on the patio for Santa’s reindeer on Christmas Eve. (As if that weren’t bad enough, he has to then watch his peculiar gringa wife run outside into the snow in her bare feet after putting the children to bed, to nibble the carrots and make them look half-eaten.)

Many traditions can seem strange if they aren’t the ones you grew up with. The blessing of this lifestyle is that trying to give your children the best of both worlds teaches them to be adventurous, curious, and eager to try new things. These are great qualities! (Until they’re teenagers, then perhaps you’ll feel differently.)

For others finding themselves trying to straddle two different cultures, here are a few tips to guarantee your familia is in a harmonious holiday spirit.

#1. Sit down with your spouse and make a list of traditions that are important to each of you.

#2. If any of the traditions directly conflicts with another, talk it out to find a compromise or agree to alternate each year.

#3. Don’t forget the specialness that can be found in making new traditions! Some ideas: Build a snowman as a family, volunteer at a soup kitchen, go sledding, decorate the tree together, drive around and look at the lights in the neighborhood, do a puzzle on Christmas Eve, have cinnamon rolls or another special breakfast on Christmas morning, buy a family ornament to add to the tree, and/or try a new cookie recipe each year along with the traditional favorites.

And here is one tradition my husband and I definitely agree on: Kissing under the mistletoe.

iBesos!
Señora López

Señora López is an (as of yet unpublished), American writer of multicultural fiction. When she’s not writing, she’s reading or getting into some sort of I Love Lucy-esque trouble. Her other passions include human rights, travel, and Hawaiian pizza with curry powder. She and her husband are both bilingual and proud to be bringing up two Spanglish speaking boys. Feel free to visit her at Latina-ish.

Now it’s your turn. How do you merge two or more cultures into your holiday traditions? Any tips?

Your Bicultural Holiday Traditions continues tomorrow with a story from Melissa, Mis Hijos También, who reminisces about Christmas time spent visiting her abuela in Puerto Rico, and how she’s keeping her alive through the foods and traditions she lovingly passed down.  Make sure you’re subscribed to our feed either by RSS or email so you don’t miss a beat.

Just a quick search on Etsy.com with the keyword “Navidad”  delivers pages full of beautiful hand-made objects reflecting the spirit en español. One of my favorites was this simple, yet elegantly gorgeous boxed set of ten cards with the phrase “Feliz Navidad” laser printed on the front.  When you open it you read:  “that means Merry Christmas in Spanish.”  The artist behind this Sweet Perversion Designs shop will also personalize the cards if you request it.  There’s only one set in stock right now ($16.00).  I would hurry to get it!

The oral tradition of villancicos, or Christmas carols, is a huge part of all Christmas celebrations along Latin America and Spain.  This book, Merry Navidad: Christmas Carols in Spanish and English, does a beautiful job at preserving 19 of these verses and translating them to English.  There’s also nine brief descriptions of how the holiday is celebrated in many countries including Perú, Chile, México, Puerto Rico and Argentina. ($12.23)

Of course Dora the Explorer wouldn´t miss out on the holiday celebrations! Dora´s Christmas is a CD with 16 classic holiday songs with a Dora/Latino twist. If your young child is a Dora fan, this is a great CD to introduce them to the songs which make our Navidad celebrations special. Our favorite song is “La Nochebuena!” ($10.99)

Part of the Putumayo Kids Presents collection, the Christmas Around the World CD is a collection of Christmas songs performed by artists from around the globe. The 12 songs in this CD are sure to give an eclectic mix to your holiday playlist. I had never danced to “Joy to the World” before, but this version from Cuban musicians sure got me salsa-ing to it!

Photo by A30 Tsitsika

Many Latin American nations celebrate both Noche Buena and, two weeks later, Reyes Magos. One of the traditions on Reyes Magos is to eat together a sweet bread know as Rosca de Reyes. The fun part is that someone will get a little plastic baby Jesus in their portion, which means they get to have the whole family over to their house weeks later on el Día de la Candelaria for tamales and atole. I´ve stood in long lines in Mexican bakeries in Los Angeles waiting to get my hands on one of these roscas. Now, I found I can actually order one online. How convenient! I found them here and here.

Kids are all about “mine, mine,” so anything with their name on it is sure to be a hit. Frecklebox is in the business of creating cool designs on puzzles, placemats, stickers, coloring books, etc that you can personalize with your child’s name. They have several holiday-themed objects, including this hanukkah puzzle and snow stickers.

Why should we create another guide when our friends at Latin Baby have it covered with the Latino Family Gift Guide? They’ve put together a great collection of gifts for la familia, los niños, los amigos, and a separate category for gifts under $20. They´ve included today´s hottest bilingual and affordable toy line, Ingenio. Check out the guide here.

Tis the season to give. Donor´s Choose is a great option if you´re looking for a charity to support this season. This site connects you to classrooms around the nation that are in need of funds for different reasons. We know how much our classrooms have suffered during the last years and this is a great way to support the efforts of teachers leading the way to educate our children. Browse around the site and you´ll find several bilingual classrooms in need of books and such. The best part is that you really do connect with the classroom you help and can see for yourself how your donation was put to use.