INSPIRATION TO FIND THE PERFECT GIFTS… KICK OFF THE SHOPPING SEASON WITH ANNA DE SOUZA

Tech, Lifestyle Journalist Shares Gifting Strategies & How to Find Cool Gifts During This Stressful Holiday Shopping Season
 
This year, the shopping season will be very different than in years past. Tech and lifestyle journalist Anna De Souza provides insight in to some of the challenges of the holidays , while also taking the time to share timely tips to get your viewers and listeners ready for what is traditionally the biggest shopping weekend of the year. This year, the experts are advising consumers to make their purchases early and send your gifts in plenty of time for the holidays.  That doesn’t mean you can get some deals and steals from retailers and small businesses that are eager to earn your business.
 
UNIQUE GIFT OR GADGET YOU RECOMMEND
The holidays are about toys, of course, and Squeakee the balloon dog is a dog like you’ve never met before. Squeakee is a one-of-a-kind toy, the first-ever robotic balloon dog popping with personality. He’s part dog, part balloon with lots of play value which parents, like me, love! He responds to your voice, has 60 sounds and movements and comes with a number of accessories for you to interact and play with. He can bark, sit, and scoot just like a real dog with his multiple touch sensors. You can rub his belly and he’ll roll over. You can use his Squeaker Toy to train him and his pin and pump even allow you to "pop" and "reinflate" him – he has so many magical features and I love that he doubles as a work of art, too. For more information, visit www.moosetoys.com

FAVORITE PLACE FOR GIFTS
You can never go wrong with gifts from The Body Shop. There’s such a sense of nostalgia for most of us – and it makes me so happy I can now share their high-quality and naturally inspired products with my twin toddlers, so many beautiful lotions and scents that help you disconnect with some pampering. The Body Shop is a global beauty brand that offers products produced ethically and sustainably and this holiday season they have gift offerings for everyone on your list. And what’s better – this holiday, every gift gives back. The brand is donating $1 for every holiday gift sold to “NO MORE” to help end domestic abuse and sexual assault in the US by increasing awareness and activism in homes, schools, businesses, and communities across the country. For more information, visit www.thebodyshop.com

COOL GIFTS FOR THE HOME
Here is a hot smart home item you must have—and give! You can customize your décor and transform any room into a more dynamic, colorful space with the ‘C’ by GE Full Color Smart Light Strip. It’s great for kitchen cabinets and islands, even behind your headboard or on top of your mantle, these light strips are also very popular with teens who use them to customize and decorate their bedrooms to give them that dorm room feel. The strips have literally millions of colors to choose from—including warm and cool whites, and the length can be customized too, and of course since it’s a C by GE product it’s easy to install and use. You can set schedules and scenes, like a custom movie theater mode, change colors, dim and more all from the C by GE app on your smart phone or even connect to your Alexa or Google Assistant for out of home and voice control. This can be found at Target.

TECH GADGET FOR ENTERTAINMENT
This year, gift the unexpected, but make sure to get the GE LED+ Speaker Bulb. It gives energy-saving premium light plus sound from your light bulb. It is a speaker, so you can listen to music, audiobooks, podcasts and more from a Bluetooth enabled device, like your smart phone. Better yet, you can pair up to 10 bulbs together for across-the-room, high-quality surround sound. What I absolutely love about this is that you don’t need to download a special app, just screw in the bulb and a phone easily links. Installation really is as easy as screwing in a light bulb. Be sure to also check out other GE LED+ bulbs that include color, motion, timer and more. This can be found at Target.