Happy Monday, my friends! I’m so excited — Sasquatch Books/Little Bigfoot contacted me last week to see if I would be interested in hosting a holiday giveaway, and I jumped at the chance.
‘Tis the season for giving! Sasquatch Books has generously offered 20 copies to give away in celebration of the festive season: 10 winners will receive a signed copy of Little Kunoichi, The Ninja Girl and 5 winners will get the GRAND PRIZE: a signed copy of both Little Kunoichi and Chibi Samurai Wants a Pet.
And that’s not all! I’m including some watercolor holiday tags that I painted, which I think are quite charming, if I may be bold enough to say so myself. They’re based loosely on the 12 Days of Christmas song, and there are a few other holiday motifs as well (it’ll be a surprise!).
We’ll try to get the parcels shipped in time for Christmas, though they may land on doorsteps a few days after. These would make great gifts any time of the year if you’ve already got a copy of either or both books!
To enter, please leave any comment below, though if you’d like some ideas, I would love to know what your favorite holiday tradition is. I started making K an advent calendar six years ago and hands-down, it’s the loveliest part of the holidays for the entire family. I challenge myself to come up with something different every year, K has something to look forward to almost every day of December, I include activities for family bonding, and it does double-duty as holiday decor. This year, I asked her to write down something she’s grateful for every day, and her growing gratitude list is so sweet! Here’s a little shot of this year’s advent calendar.
You can see past calendars here and here and here and here and here.
I’ll also post this giveaway later today on Instagram and if you’d like to comment there as well, it might up your chances of winning! The giveaway will be open until Thursday, December 14th and the randomly selected 15 winners will be contacted by the end of day Friday, December 15th. Good luck!
Important note: this giveaway is limited to US residents.
Christmas morning with homemade Danish Puff Pastry and lottery scratch off tickets that Santa brings.
Holiday decorating is my favorite tradition. My mom collects Santa figures and seeing them all around her house makes me feel like a little kid again!
Every year our daughter gets to choose the theme for our holiday celebrations (so far we’ve done foxes, monkeys, birds and dinosaurs, and I’m excited to hear what she comes up with this year). She and I run to the fabric store, where she gets to choose a piece of fabric that reflects that year’s theme, and then we make bunting out of it- one for us, and one for her class. We have all of our banners from past years displayed, and it’s the most wonderful walk down memory lane for me, and the happiest time of year for her. We make a couple of little stuffed animals to leave in clever spots for people to find and take home (our library is a favourite spot), and then she and I write and illustrate a book to add to her classroom library. She says her favourite part of the whole thing is getting to read her book to her class. My favourite tradition is probably the bonfire we have, but the new dresses I get to make for her come a close second. Ah, celebratory traditions may just be the sweetest part of motherhood…
We usually travel to the Midwest for the holidays but we aren’t doing it this year, so I’m actually struggling as I realize we don’t necessarily have a lot of traditions that are just on our own. That is actually a bit sobering. Listening and singing music and crafting decorations for the home are on my list. Maybe they will stick year after year?
My mom always made ornaments for the tree by hand, so I’ve carried on the tradition. My daughter knew the holidays were here when the Christmas mugs came out and the holiday NSYNC CD was playing.
During the holidays I miss my family terribly. Seems like during the year I can push off the missing but during the holidays it seems impossible. My favorite part of the holidays (aside from things for my kids, cause yep that is really #1) is choosing presents for my parents and sending them. I try to imagine their faces when they open them and always hope they love them. Beautiful advent calendar and ideas Sanae!
My favorite holiday tradition as a child was taking the train into Chicago to see the department store window decorations, hearing the harpsichord being played at Marshall Fields and seeing their larger than life Christmas tree, and then going to lunch at Berghoff’s with my dad. Great memories!
I wish that I could get my act together and do an advent calendar for our son. The only thing I can think of that I try to do every year for our son is to give him a present from his make-believe friends. I made up a couple stories when he was very young and sent him a gift from the main characters. He was soooo excited the first time he got a present from them that I’ve been giving him a small present from them every year since then.
Yay, a give away…. My best holiday tradition? I make an advent calendar every year, with a little or bigger activity to do every day. My husband is German, there it’s tradition to have an advent calendar with chocolates and little presents. But as we live in the Netherlands, there is already Sinterklaas on dec 5th. With lots of presents and sweets to eat and get. Our kids don’t need more things to get every day leading up to Christmas. Instead we do something together as a family and they are excited to read what’s on the menu…..
I love baking Christmas cookies (and eating them!) but most of all I love picking out ornaments with my girls. Every year they pick out one ornament each to buy. We label them with a name and year and when they are adults they’ll have all their ornaments to decorate their trees and hopefully fond memories to go with them as well. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!
We always go to Pike Place Market on the 23rd to get fresh seafood for our Christmas Eve dinner. It’s always super busy and bustling but also crazy and fun! I am excited that this year my daughter is finally old enough to be aware of the tradition and notice everything going on around her!
One of our holiday traditions is to gift the kids with a new ornament. Basically, something that represents the year. When they move out, they will receive these ornaments for their tree.
I’m always so excited to see what you come up with for your yearly advent calendar. On Christmas Eve, we always have a big sushi dinner at home, then go out delivering gifts to our neighbors. When we get home, the elves have left new jammies for the kids beside the Christmas tree.
Please enter me for this great giveaway.! Thanks!
So many wonderful ideas here! We always cut and decorate a tree together, and then my toddler redecorates it daily. Almost every year we take a trip to the smoky mountains and Dollywood, which is all decked out in lights. I’ve been using my daughter’s watercolors (from her easel scroll of paper) to wrap gifts. Oh and we must watch White Christmas and read the Velveteen Rabbit!
Love your books!
Midnight Mass with homemade cinnamon rolls after.
My dad gave my daughter a copy of little Kunoichi when she was born. 🙂 it was the first book we read our ninja girl. This will be her first Christmas and we are excited to start new traditions with our growing family. 🙂
My favourite tradition that I learned while living in a small mountain community in Canada is to give something hand made. For me this is Christmas baking – shortbreads, ginger bread people, Austrian walnut biscuit s dusted in icing sugar etc. The value of the gift is that you have given your time and love to show your appreciation of others. And time is a rare thing before Christmas.
My other favourite tradition is choosing books for children of family and friends – a special treat because you get to read and choose from your local bookstore
When my son was young I made a holiday book Advent calendar. I wrapped the books (some from the library) and we opened and read one each night. Now we like to reserve a Saturday for cookie decorating 🙂
My granddaughters and I have declared the Friday after Thanks giving Day of Thinking of Others, or DOTOO. Each year we scamper away from the rest of the family to make our presents for all the grandparents and greats- usually a craft project that has been preselected after weeks of debate. Then, we treat ourselves to lunch and write our DOTOO letter, thanking them for all they have done. It has been a favorite tradition for many years now and the girls start planning earlier and earlier.
I’m looking forward to making mince pies using my Mom’s recipe, and eating them with a mulled wine in front of a Christmas film. I also love decorating the tree – and making decorations for it. One of these years I am finally going to knit a tree-worth of baubles, but this year I might make a fairy for the top of the tree.
We pick an ornament to represent the year, and have Christmas Eve got out with my side of the family. On Christmas, my husband’s birthday, we spend the day at my in laws and always get Christmas cake! I have to admit I delved into the comments to enter for the books for my daughter but I’m loving reading everyone else’s holiday traditions! I’ll have to cut back later to read all of them.
A sweet swap. It’s a great way to spend time with friends and family, and a dessert party. Some of my favorite things.
Thank you for the opportunity.
My favorite holiday tradition is baking cookies and giving them to people who would not expect them. This is a very generous and lovely giveaway. I know two little girls who would love the books.