We’ve come up with 4 Ways to Rock the Holiday Season!
Disclaimer – This post was written in partnership with TELUS. All thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are my own.
It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is almost upon us. For me, the holidays are Rockwellian. With the freshly fallen snow, the turkey and all the fixings for Christmas dinner, and the sound of Christmas carols in the background, it’s the perfect setting for a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting.
Each year, we find new ways to rock the holiday season. Sooner than we can believe you’ll have:
- Baked cookies for your mail carrier.
- Volunteered and have made donations to charities and causes you hold near and dear to your heart.
- You’ll have shovelled your elderly neighbour’s front steps and driveway.
- Planned and prepared every little detail for the feast you will have with your family and friends.
Here are four ways to rock the holiday season that you may not have thought of!
Help from your assistant — Your Google Home Assistant!
I always say I am in dire need of an assistant…especially during the holidays! I have lists and Post-It notes all over the place reminding me of last-minute details and things I need to check off before guests arrive. You can have hands-free help from your Google Home Assistant. You can get answers, play songs, tackle your day, enjoy your entertainment, and control your smart home with just your voice. Need a recipe for some festive cocktails or mocktails? Just say, “OK Google, give me some festive mocktail recipes.” Presto!
Need some Christmas music? “OK Google, play Christmas music”. Can you see where I’m going with this? I love having an assistant! You can even find out what the weather is like. Get the latest on weather and traffic, and let your guests know if they need to pack pajamas in case the weather is too nasty to drive in! How convenient is that? Get details about Google Home over on the TELUS site.
Find Some “Me Time” with the Use of Personal Headphones
While the Christmas music is playing, and everyone is chatting, the little ones may want to watch a movie, Netflix, YouTube, or perhaps they might want to play Mine Craft or whatever other games they are into these days. Easy and safe listening with Buddyphones! Instead of them blasting the volume on their iPad, Buddyphones is a great solution to having the kids’ apps on their devices competing with the sounds of Christmas carols and conversation. 
“12.5% of kids between the ages of 6 and 19 suffer from hearing loss as a result of using earphones turned to a high volume.”
– Journal of Pediatrics –
Buddyphones are award-winning, volume-safe headphones for kids that are fun to use. TELUS has a great selection of headphones and speakers to choose from.
Speaking of headphones, I know my husband sometimes likes to retreat to a quiet place if things get too loud. Let’s face it, I come from a very loud Filipino family. I get that it can sometimes get a bit overwhelming when everyone is talking excitedly. I’m okay with my husband retreating to the office and listening to a podcast or watching a YouTube video on machinery or farm equipment. I get it.
This is why Beats Solo 3 is the perfect gift for my husband. It’s wireless, it has up to 40 hours of battery life, and the comfort-cushion ear cups buffer outside noise for immersive sound so you can experience music the way it was meant to be heard.
Give the Gift of Tech this Year
My husband and I decided to give our daughter experiences au lieu of “things”. We all have enough “stuff” and I’m in constant purge mode. I’m failing miserably at my goal of becoming a minimalist. I just want to be zen. I saw this post on Facebook that was a minimalist’s guide to gift giving. Basically, you give your child four things:
- Something they want
- Something they need
- Something to read
- Something to wear
No doubt all things tech and all things STEM-related are high on the list of many kids these days. TELUS has a variety of tech gifts for everyone.
There are tech gifts for kids (both little and big kids)! Little One’s Top 5 are:
Peace of Mind with a Smart Home
With all the holiday parties and visiting loved ones this season, make sure to not let your home look as though you’re not at home! Lighting schedules are a great way to make it look like you’re home. Set vacation or evening schedules to match your lifestyle. Have peace of mind with a motion detector timer. With the Sengled Element Classic A19 Kit, you can set the length of time light remains on after motion is detected. Another great feature is the energy efficient LED light bulbs are rated for 25,000 hours. That’s 20 years!
It’s also home assistant compatible, so you can use it with your Google Home Assistant. If you’re going away during the holidays and don’t have the luxury of having a housesitter or someone who can check in on your house while you’re gone, this is a great option. You can set lighting schedules to match your lifestyle using the app, from anywhere you are. There are so many ways you can rock this holiday season! Check out the TELUS site for some gift inspiration.
GIVEAWAY!
In the spirit of the holidays, Life on Manitoulin is partnering with TELUS to give one lucky reader a little something to help rock the holiday season. How would you like to WIN a Sengled Element Classic Starter Kit A19? This Smart bulb starter kit helps you stay connected to your home, no matter where you are.
Light up your home the way you want. Create schedules. Sengled works with most Apple and Android devices.
Giveaway open to residents of Canada only (excluding the Province of Quebec). Giveaway begins November 26th, 2018 at 12:01 am ET and ends December 10th, 2018 at 11:59 pm ET.
To enter, complete the Rafflecopter form below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tell us how you rock the holiday season!
Hopefully, we will be making special memories as all 9 grandchildren will be spending their first Christmas together.
Wow! That is so special! The first Christmas together is going to be amazing!
always love our big family dinners we have each year. We have 3 new little additions this time 😀
That’s so awesome!
I am going to make one heck of a meal
I think making it special is to spend quality time with all of those that you love over the holidays.
by having big dinner and inviting all the family not sure how many will come as I live so far away but I will starting baking for the big feast
Visiting all the extended family and making memories for my kids.
we will spends lots of quality time together and have fun!
I am making dinner for everyone this year, that is about 18 to 20 people we will be feeding.
Going to visit more family that I don’t see normally.
Christmas Day will be celebrated at my house this year and I am really looking forward to it. I hope to make it extra special with lots of delicious food and baked goods that everyone can enjoy.
We are planning to participate in some holiday events around our town that we have never experienced before.
money is tight with daycare costs so I plan to try to make more memories by doing things hands on. well will have a baking session, a night driving around town looking at the lights, and stuff like that
I am paying off some of my son’s bills so him and his family don’t have to worry about them and can just worry about Christmas.
We are getting togeather with family for the first time in years. Cannot wait. I am sure it will be memorable!
I plan on having my whole family over on Boxing Day for a big meal and lots love and laughs!
I will be visiting family as my mom will be spending Christmas in hospital. The family will have to spend as much time as possible to make Christmas cheery for her. Going to be weird and sad staying in her home without her.
I don’t have any plan….
one family member is quite ill so we’re all getting together to make sure it’s the best Christmas yet. just getting together makes all the difference. thanks
I have already been doing a lot of Christmas activities with my kids and will continue to do so until family is visiting!
I love that! Admittedly, I had to restrain myself from starting Christmas activities before the 1st of December! I think I put our tree up on November 30th though. I couldn’t help it!
First Grandbaby, 6mths old, First Christmas! It will be memorable no matter …everything 🙂 We are overjoyed to spend Christmas with him.
Oh! First grandbaby! That is so special! Have an amazing and memorable Christmas with him!
We are trying to have a get together with all the family, my brothers & sisters and my husbands too.
That will be fun! Have a wonderful time with your family!
We will be having all the cousins for a sleep over during the Holidays which will be fun, noisy and maybe lose a few sleep, too but most importantly the kids will be making good memories.
That is the BEST way to celebrate! I LOVE a big, loud, fun, noisy holiday with my family! That’s really what good memories are made of, right?
we are doing our best to squeeze in as many holiday family activities as we can! usually we are in california around christmas and miss out on all of the local fun!
Christmas in California?! Ooooh! That sounds deamy!
my son and his fiance got engaged 2 Christmases ago in my livingroom. The year after they had a baby girl on Christmas morning. We will be at my home this Christmas for my granddaughters first birthday and Christmas. Usually we go to other family. Both her family and mine will be together for the first time. I’ll be taking lots of pics
Angela, this made me so happy! Christmas definitely is a special time for you and your family!
LOTS of family get togethers will make it special! Celebrations galore this year 🙂
I love it! That’s what I love most! Time with family!
(Sorry if this is a duplicate comment, the power just went out and I can’t remember if I posted it or not!)
Our Christmas plans are up in the air this year, but I’ll be baking, cooking and DIYing wherever we end up spending Christmas 🙂 We’re also hoping to do our Christmas song challenge again this year (each family makes a music video) So much fun and a good way for us to feel like we’re together (we’re all in different provinces.)
I love that so much! For us too! Our family is scattered all over the place, so it’s great when we can all be together that one time of the year! Time with family and making memories are really important to me.
we have another new addition to the family! more kids! yay!
Yay! We had four new babies recently, so our extended family now has 14 little ones in total. Gotta love growing families!
wow!! that’s awesome!!!
this holiday we will be celebrating with a new grandson
Going to help host Christmas Eve at my sister’s house.
My family and I are planning to sing together for our local Christmas play.
i dont really have any plans as im supposed to be moving right after
We’re having a big family Christmas with a lot of extended family 🙂
I am going to stay out of everyone’s way and help where I can.
I am making surprise gifts for everyone
I am going to help my mom host for all the family
Baking mom’s Xmas cake this year.
We will decorate the tree together and share stories of Christmas years that have been.
Was able to get time off work so we are headed across the country to visit family! I’m planning on bringing a few special treats and surprises!
This Christmas will be an unforgettable one because family we haven’t seen in a long time is flying in to visit.
Best part of Christmas is being with family and friends
I agree with you 100%!
I’m singing in the local Christmas Cantata with my Dad, which will be nice.
Oh! That is really special! What a beautiful experience to share with your Dad!
Being present and always available
Love this, Brandy! That really is the best gift of all…Being present and available. <3
Best part of Christmas…just having everyone together. There will be cookies baking and music playing….it will rock! Merry Christmas!
LOVE THIS! That’s how I feel about Christmas too, Linda!
I’m honestly not sure how I’ll rock it this year – we’re moving to our first home right before Christmas! I have searched some neat recipes and found a cool cookie Christmas tree i think I’ll try as a surprise centerpiece. Thank you Christinw & Telus for this contest!
Oooh! Janine, I’d love to see the cookies you bake for Christmas!! Congrats on your first Christmas in your first home! That is amazing! xo