Holiday Gift Guide: Hallmark Recordable Storybooks {Review & Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, sherylssg!}

When asked for gift ideas for my kids, I'm usually at a loss.

Well, what do they like? Is typically the follow-up question... which tends to be met with a shrug.

My problem isn't that they are so particular that it's difficult to come up with something, it's more that they tend to like pretty much everything. Makes it a bit hard to shop, doesn't it?

However, when I'm stuck coming up with something to suggest, the go-to category that I mention time and time again is always books. Both girls have adored books from infancy and there's almost nothing that they enjoy more than having one read to them or flipping through the pages on their own to get lost in the adventure.

The only thing that can make that better? Hallmark's Recordable Storybooks and the way that they provide the experience of having a wonderful book read no matter how large the distance between loved ones.

Having spent the last 100 years helping people stay connected and best express their feelings, there is so much more available from Hallmark than just the greeting cards that are most commonly associated with this brand.

Whether you're stepping foot inside a Hallmark Gold Crown Store or searching their easy-to-browse website, finding the next gift, wrapping paper, Keepsake Ornament, album, card and more couldn't be easier and you know that you're going to find a gift to help make the holidays a special occasion.

This year, Hallmark has introduced Holiday Recordable Storybooks that not only record a reader's voice directly into the book; they now feature music! People can read or sing one of six holiday classics — including three new titles —and participate in holiday story time with loved ones, even if distance causes them to be apart.

As soon as All the Ways I Love You and Santa Claus is Coming to Town arrived in Recordable Storybook form, I knew that they were going to be the perfect gifts for my daughters to share with those that we love.

From the outside, these appear to be beautiful hardcover copies of children's books that we've all known and loved for years. But one look inside the front or back cover, and there are simple step-by-step instructions as to how to turn them into something that can be cherished for a lifetime.

Recording each page really couldn't be much easier. With only two buttons (record and stop) you simply turn to the chosen page, press record and wait for it to verbally cue you to begin, read the page through slowly and clearly, and press stop. After a quick pause, your words begin to repeat back, allowing you to decide if you approve or would like to give that page another try.

After you've repeated the steps throughout the rest of the book, voilà! To be sure that little fingers don't accidentally press the record button and negate your work, there is even a switch inside the battery compartment that can be moved to the locked position to keep your words safe for the future.

Both Big Sister E and Little Sister B adore the fact that they have a way to hear the voices of Daddy or Grandma read them a book even when they aren't here and I continually find them flipping the pages over and over to listen to the story.

Plus, as the Holiday Recordable Storybooks also feature music in the background, they not only are thrilled to listen to the words, but they get into the head-nodding and toe-tapping that goes along with the holiday tune as well!

I have loved the concept of these Recordable Storybooks from the beginning and can't wait to add more to our collection. By taking a list of great "any day" literary favorites as well as original Hallmark stories and including the recordable aspect, these books are just such a great gift idea to be enjoyed all year long.

From family members living far away to a parent being deployed to a token of affection perfect for the holidays, these high quality, colorful and unique Recordable Storybooks are found in your nearest Hallmark Gold Crown store with a retail price of $29.95. Although you may live hundreds of miles away, you can still be "together" for the holidays with your loved ones and stay connected - your reading lasts even if the batteries are changed!

Thanks to the generosity of Hallmark, one person will be able to give a gift that will keep on giving any day of the year, because...

One lucky person will win one Holiday Recordable Storybook AND one Any Day Recordable Storybook from Hallmark!

To enter to win: Visit Hallmark and tell me which of their Recordable Storybooks you think the child in your life would love the most.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry if you enter the Hallmark Recordable Storybook giveaway at A Nut in a Nutshell!
1 Extra Entry if you follow Hallmark on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook.
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

WIN 2 Hallmark Recordable Storybooks (total ARV $60) to hear the voice and love in person! http://bit.ly/ufz1xw @thxmailcarrier #giveaway #win

1 Extra Entry (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email, become a fan on Facebook or add Thanks, Mail Carrier to your blogroll.
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Giveaway will end on December 12th at 11:59pm CST. By entering this sweepstakes, you are agreeing to these official rules. No purchase necessary, void where prohibited by law. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and must be 18 years of age or older.

A big thank you to Hallmark for providing two Recordable Storybooks for me to review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.