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This half-hour Christmas show is one of the truly lovable animated specials in TV history, a status proved by its annual network telecast since 1965. A Charlie Brown Christmas was the first, and best, of a series of programs based on the Charles M. Schulz cartoon strip “Peanuts.” Hapless hero Charlie Brown finds himself depressed at Christmastime, searching for the true meaning of the holiday amidst the glitz and commercialism of the modern age. Appointed director of the school holiday pageant, Charlie Brown ventures out with Linus to buy “a great, big, shiny aluminum Christmas tree.” Instead they bring back a miserable tree–a real one. A Charlie Brown Christmas shows off the “Peanuts” gang doing what they do best: Lucy is bossy, Snoopy is crazy, Linus is sweet, and Pig Pen is, well, filthy. Instead of using adult actors trying to sound like kids, the production features real children providing the voices, an endearing effect. The jazz music score, composed by Vince Guaraldi, has become a classic in its own right; like so much about this program, it’s an unexpected but perfectly right choice.

There really were aluminum Christmas trees back then. There were also pink frosted trees with some really psychedelic decorations, too.

I’ve watched this every year since I was a child. I used to stare up at the TV while CBS played that “SPECIAL” graphic and music and then . . . there it was: The Charlie Brown Christmas special!

Now that I’m an adult, my schedule has almost made me miss the show each Christmas season. But now that I have the video, I will never miss it! A friend of mine even gave me the cassette of Vince Guaraldi’s musical score to go along with it. Hooray!

I’m always touched by the message in the story. Christmas is too commercial. It pains me to see Christmas stuff in the stores before school starts, or to see commercials pandering to children so their parents can buy more stuff. But watching Charlie Brown and the gang reminds me of a simpler time.

Snoopy, with his gaudily decorated dog house, represents all that’s commercial and greedy about Christmas. Charlie Brown tries to overcome that with his involvement in the school play and his search for the right Christmas tree to set the mood for the play cast members.

I love this show. I heard that ABC bought the rights away from CBS for all the Charlie Brown specials. But I’m glad I have my video copy so now I don’t have to worry about whether it airs or not.

That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown! “Christmastime is here. Happiness and cheer.” And for Peanuts fans everywhere, it just wouldn’t be Christmas without this classic holiday delight. Christmas lights may be twinkling red and green, but Charlie Brown has the Yuletide blues. To get in the holiday spirit, he takes Lucy’s advice and directs the Christmas play. And what’s a Christmas play without a Christmas tree? But everyone makes fun of the short, spindly “nevergreen” Charlie Brown brings back – until the real meaning of Christmas works its magic once again in this Remastered Deluxe Edition with Improved Picture and Audio. Happy Holidays.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (Remastered Deluxe Edition)

Warner Home Video 2008, DVD, $11.36

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Cute Animal Christmas Song

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In December 2007, J.K. Rowling unveiled The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a very special book of five fairy tales illustrated by the bard herself, embellished with silver ornaments and mounted moonstones. Amazon was fortunate to come into possession of one of the original copies, and it was our privilege to share images and reviews of this incredible artifact. Now J.K. Rowling is giving millions of Harry Potter fans worldwide cause for celebration with a new edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, available December 4, 2008.

Offering the trademark wit and imagination familiar to Rowling’s legions of readers–as well as Aesop’s wisdom and the occasional darkness of the Brothers Grimm–each of these five tales reveals a lesson befitting children and parents alike: the strength gained with a trusted friendship, the redemptive power of love, and the true magic that exists in the hearts of all of us. Rowling’s new introduction also comments on the personal lessons she has taken from the Tales, noting that the characters in Beedle’s collection “take their fates into their own hands, rather than taking a prolonged nap or waiting for someone to return a lost shoe,” and “that magic causes as much trouble as it cures.”

But the true jewel of this new edition is the enlightening and comprehensive commentary (including extensive footnotes!) by Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, who brings his unique wizard’s-eye perspective to the collection. Discovered “among the many papers which Dumbledore left in his will to the Hogwarts Archives,” the venerable wizard’s ruminations on the Tales allow today’s readers to place them in the context of 16th century Muggle society, even allowing that “Beedle was somewhat out of step with his times in preaching a message of brotherly love for Muggles” during the era of witch hunts that would eventually drive the wizarding community into self-imposed exile. In fact, versions of the same stories told in wizarding households would shock many for their uncharitable treatment of their Muggle characters.

Professor Dumbledore also includes fascinating historical backstory, including tidbits such as the history and pursuit of magic wands, a brief comment on the Dark Arts and its practitioners, and the struggles with censorship that eventually led “a certain Beatrix Bloxam” to cleanse the Tales of “much of the darker themes that she found distasteful,” forever altering the meaning of the stories for their Muggle audience. Dumbledore also allows us a glimpse of his personal relationship to the Tales, remarking that it was through “Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump” that “many of us [wizards] first discovered that magic could not bring back the dead.”

Both a wise and delightful addition to the Harry Potter canon, this new translation of The Tales of Beedle the Bard is all that fans could hope for and more–and an essential volume for the libraries of Muggles, wizards, and witches, both young and old.
There is no easy way to define the experience of seeing, holding, or reading J.K. Rowling’s The Tales of Beedle the Bard, so let’s just start with one word: “Whoa.” The very fact of its existence (an artifact pulled straight out of a novel) is magical, not to mention the facts that only seven copies exist in all the world and each of the never-before-told tales is handwritten and illustrated by J.K. Rowling herself (and it’s quite clear from the first few pages that she has some skill as an artist). Rowling’s handwriting is like the familiar scrawl of a favorite aunt–it’s not hard to read, but it does require attention–allowing you to take it slow and savor the mystery of each next word.

So how do you review one of the most remarkable tomes you’ve ever had the pleasure of opening? You just turn each page and allow yourself to be swept away by each story. You soak up the simple tales that read like Aesop’s fables and echo the themes of the series; you follow every dip and curve of Rowling’s handwriting and revel in every detail that makes the book unique–a slight darkening of a letter here, a place where the writing nearly runs off the page there. You take all that and you try and bring it to life, knowing that you will never be able to do it justice. With that, let’s dig in and begin at the beginning, shall we? –Daphne Durham

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Standard Edition

J. K. Rowling. Children’s High Level Group 2008, Hardcover, 128 pages, $2.60

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Enjoy the thrill of real night vision technology with EyeClops Night Vision stealth goggles! These super stealth goggles allow kids ages eight and older to see in absolute darkness using infrared illumination so they can explore the dark landscape around them. These fun goggles are the perfect companion for slumber party sleep-overs or camp-outs.

As the product details and other reviews state, this toy actually has REAL nightvision technology! And considering most low-end NV solutions start at around $500, the $80 pricetag is fantastic.

I think my title is a pretty good description: fun but wildly impractical! But I saw night vision goggles for this price and thought that this is a toy I can’t do without.

These performed much better than I expected. The box says it’s made for ages 8 and up, but I think this is probably more suited to VERY mature kids or your older friends. An immature person could get into a lot of trouble playing pranks with a toy like this. Still, I could see this being a learning aid for kids studying nocturnal animals. I could also see this being a fun toy on a camping trip. However you use this, it’s a great gift idea and a pretty good value.

It’s actually really, exceedingly cool provided you do not attempt to use them to navigate. For example, go get a toilet paper roll. Close your left eye. Hold the roll up to your right eye and start walking around. This is identical to the experience you will have with these goggles: VERY narrow field of vision in one eye.

That said, they do what they say and the construction seems pretty rugged and kid-friendly. You’ll need a phillips head screwdriver to get the batteries in and out. The whole thing is basically made of rubber it looks like it could survive a bit of rough handling. If you look at the picture of the item, the big thing in the middle is the camera, surrounded by some high powered infra-red LEDs. Those can be switched on or off. When on, they visually glow a dull red but act as a floodlight for the camera. In front of the right eye you have another bank of lower powered LEDs which do not glow when on and act as a lower-powered light source for the camera. This lets you switch between “stealth” (no glow, lower visibility) mode and “observation” (slight glow, higher visibility) mode. The left eye is covered with a simple plastic cover which is on a hinge and can be opened for a source of “normal” vision.

The view itself, as mentioned, is very narrow, but quite good. You can certainly turn off all the lights and make out the interior of your house in great detail, although I have to say the narrow scope and false color sets you up for a real “Blair Witch” feeling. I was actually thinking you could get a great haunted house by making people wear these in a pitch black environment.

Darkness Is Your Ally…
With the EyeClops Night Vision goggles, your child can explore dark environments with advanced infrared technology. Set-up is easy. Simply insert five AA batteries into the battery pack at the back of the head-set, and slide the power switch to turn on the goggles. Once the screen display lights up inside of the right eye-piece, you can fit the goggles to your child’s head by adjusting the soft rubber straps around top and sides.

EyeClops Night Vision goggles come equipped with a hinged, flip-up eye-piece that can be opened when the goggles are turned off, or closed when the goggles are in use. Your child can choose between the maximum surveillance mode which emits a barely-visible ring of red LEDs around the eyepiece so they can see up to 50 feet in absolute darkness, or go for the stealth mode to remain completely invisible while they explore the dark landscape immediately around them. A small switch on the side of the goggle head-set allows them to switch from a black-and-white to a green screen display.

Enhance Your Nighttime Stealth Operations
The futuristic design of the durable plastic head-piece adds to the fun of these exciting night vision goggles. Soft rubber molding around the goggles and adjustable straps across the top and sides makes them comfortable and easy to wear.

While the EyeClops Night Vision goggles provide a crisp, clear image of dark landscapes, they should always be used under adult supervision. Because the display screen is small and provides limited peripheral vision, these goggles should only be used in environments that are free of potential tripping hazards. As a nice safety feature, the goggles’ handy flip-up eye-piece over the left eye provides immediate access to normal vision if your child becomes disoriented or needs to take a break from viewing through the small display screen located in the right eye-piece.

Durable and lightweight, these fun goggles work so well that you might just find yourself borrowing them from your child so you can have your turn enjoying some super stealth, covert nighttime missions of you own!

What’s in the Box
EyeClops headpiece with goggles, battery pack and adjustable straps.

Take covert operations to the dark side with this handheld unit that lets you see up to 20 feet in the dark. Powered by actual infra-red driven night vision technology, EyeClops Night Vision enables clear visibility in even complete, pitch dark environments. Become a night spy, investigate nocturnal activities in your house and take games like hide ‘n seek to a whole new level. Requires 4 “AA” batteries, not included. Measures 10″L x 12″W x 7″H.

EyeClops Night Vision Infrared Stealth Goggles

Jakks 2008, Toy, $109.00

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From Hasbro, the Nerf Dart Tag Hyperfire Deluxe 2-Player Blaster Set includes everything you need for fast-paced battles and action-packed contests. Featuring two Hyperfire blasters that hold 10 darts each for rapid firing, and two Micro Blasters for close-range sneak attacks, this set is sure to keep kids eight and up on their toes and having fun.

This game is a blast! Blasters hold lots of darts and shoot all the way across the house! Yet, the darts are safe and don’t damage anything. My boys love dart tag…way to go Nerf! Vests are actually moving scoring targets. Glasses are for safety…and their really cool looking. This is the perfect Christmas gift for any boy over 5 or so.

The price (under $20) I paid for the set at Amazon was awsome! Best value for boy’s toys for a long time. I agree with most of Amazon.com Review. My 9 year old son, his class mates, and his dad, all have lots of fun with them. They don’t use the vest much though. They just like shooting each other and stick the dart to opponents’ clothes (it sticks well to fleece). The set comes with plenty of darts but the extra darts are easy to find at the local discount store.

This toys is awesome! Got it for my son’s 10th birthday. He wanted ANOTHER set so more of his friends could play together. Now we have four guns and me and my husband play too!!! It is super fun and we’ve had them for two years now.

A Whole New Game of Tag
Getting ready for battle is quick and easy. Strap on an adjustable scoring vest and slip on your sleek, Vision Gear glasses. Then load your blaster up with foam darts and take aim at your opponent. Forget laser-tag games that burn through batteries and simpler foam dart guns that require you to reload after every shot. A Hyperfire Blaster can hold 10 darts at a time, and with an auto-advance barrel, you can get lots of shots off quickly.

Whether you play indoors with couch cushion forts offering you cover, or outdoors in an open field, there’s lots of different ways you can strategize against your opponents. Take as many shots as you can right away, or wait until your opponent is low on ammo and get in a single, perfectly aimed blow.

One really great feature is the way darts actually stick to the included vests, so you never have to argue about whether or not you’ve scored a hit. Micro Blasters that hold one dart each and offer a shorter range add to your strategic options.

Dramatic, Fast-Paced Play
It is critical to give a little thought to the field of play before a game begins. The Hyperfire Blasters have a surprising long range, and they shoot darts with an impressive amount of force. Even though the darts are made of soft foam, if you take a lot of shots at close range your opponent probably won’t want to play again. Similarly, fragile items could be broken if you hit them directly. So it’s a good idea to test your gun before the first battle so that you can estimate how much space you’ll need to play.

Let’s face it, even adults love Nerf guns. So, in addition to inspiring competitive friends and siblings to spend time together, this set provides a great way for parents and kids to play together. Our one real complaint is that, even though this set is lots of fun for older kids and adults, the safety glasses and the scoring vests are sized only for younger players.

And while the included glasses are well made with a pleasant orange tint, they aren’t very adjustable. So if they aren’t comfortable or secure, you might want to replace them with protective eyewear of your own.

Overall, it’s hard to imagine having more fun than we had with these Hyperfire Blasters. We do suspect that it would be pretty easy to lose some of the 24 included darts, especially if you play outdoors on a windy day or in a cluttered basement. Fortunately, you can buy refill packs to replace lost darts or to extend the length of game play.

What’s in the Box
Two large blasters, two micro blasters, two scoring vests, two sets of safety glasses, and 24 micro darts.

Nerf Dart Tag Hyperfire Deluxe 2 Player Blaster Set

Hasbro 2008, Toy, $82.99

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Imagine a world that’s yours to shape, build and explore. Imagine the possibilities, then jump head first into the reality. LittleBigPlanet puts the power of absolute creation into your own hands. If you can see it, you can enhance it. If you can’t see it, you can invent it.

Imagine a World with no Limits

The LittleBigPlanet experience starts with players learning about their character’s powers to interact physically with the environment. There are places to explore, creative resources to collect and puzzles to solve – all requiring a combination of brains and collaborative teamwork. As soon as players begin, their creative skills will grow and they will soon be ready to start creating and modifying their surroundings – the first step to sharing them with the whole community.

Characters have the power to move anything in this glued and stitched-together 3D landscape; they have the power to design, shape and build both objects and entire locations for others to view and play. There’s no complicated level editor; all of these skills can be learned by simply playing the game. Creativity is part of the game play experience and playing is part of the creative experience.

Fathom out ways to overcome tricky obstacles as you interact with the surrounding environment, or compose inspirational locations and objects that are totally unique to you. Immerse yourself in an organic world that’s just waiting to be personalized.

Players can make their world as open or as secretive to explore as they like. When it’s ready, they can invite anyone within the LittleBigPlanet community to come and explore their patch – or can go and explore everybody else’s.

LittleBigPlanet

Sackboy

Key Features

* Meet Sackboy, an iconic new character that you can customize to reflect your own personality

* Dive into a brand new gaming genre that unleashes the creativity in everyone

* Explore over 50 awesome levels which will inspire and teach you the skills to build your own content

* Share your creations and enjoy access to unlimited content – a new experience is waiting to happen every single time you go online

* There’s not just one way to play. Players craft their own individual experience based on their own creativity

* Unlimited possibilities for user-created content – players can customize everything: their characters, the landscape around them and their own patch on LittleBigPlanet

* Online and offline multiplayer modes – play alone, work as a team or get competitive.

* LittleBigPlanet global community for players to get involved with: includes player comments, rankings and easy communication with new and existing friends

LittleBigPlanet

Sony Computer Entertainment 2008, Video Game, $16.49

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Monopoly Here and Now: The World Edition is an exciting, contemporary update to the classic board game. Featuring the same mix of strategy and chance that has made the original Monopoly an international bestseller, this version features cities from around the world, renewable energy utilities, and electronic banking. It’s a sure bet to keep two to six players ages eight and above busy for hours.

Get Ready for a Global Financial Game

Getting ready to play is as easy as familiarizing yourself with the rules and inserting two AA batteries (not included) into the banker unit. Even though the electronic unit does all the hard work, you’ll still need to assign one player to be the banker. This person will be in charge of handling the banker unit, the title deed cards, houses, hotels, and deals throughout the game. Each player will need to pick a mover piece and a monopoly credit card before the game begins.

The rules of play are simple. On each turn, a player rolls the dice and moves that number of squares. When you land on an open property, you have the option to buy it. If another player owns the property, you’ll have to pay them rent. Special spaces allow you to draw a community chest or chance card, require you to pay taxes, or send you jail. Once you own all the properties in a color group, you can build houses and hotels on them, increasing their value. Options like mortgaging property or trading it to your creditors keep the game interesting if you start running out of cash.

Traditionally, the game continues until only one player remains. However, the instructions also offer options for speeding the game along. You may appreciate playing for a set amount of time, since the world record for the longest Monopoly is 70 days!

Unique Pieces Bring the World of Monopoly up to Speed

Here and Now: The World Edition of Monopoly features cities from around across the globe, including New York, London, Shanghai, and Istanbul. Before the game was produced, millions of people from all over the world voted on which cities should be included. Each property space is completed with a colorful photograph, which makes the board itself a unique centerpiece and conversation starter. Traditional utilities and railroads have been replaced with modern transportation options and renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power.

Monopoly Electronic Banking Edition

Six movers are chosen at random from the 24 available pieces for inclusion in each game. You might find a windmill, a soccer ball, or a kangaroo in your set. Similarly, the houses and hotels have been updated to reflect international structures. Another nice touch is the community chest and chance cards featuring quick “Did you know?” facts. These let you learn tidbits about Rio Carnival, Munich’s traditional Christmas market, the earliest British “passport,” and more while you play.

Monopoly Electronic Banking Edition

Hasbro, Toy, $15.80

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Full Auto Design Gives You a Quick-Firing Advantage

The first thing we noticed when we took the EBF-25 out of the box was how substantial it was. The gun itself was large, brightly colored in yellow and orange, and heavy enough for it to be a burden for quick missions; accessories included a tripod, ammobox, and ammobelt. The instruction booklet did a good job of describing the assembly process, which took about ten minutes. There is a handle that allows you to easily carry the gun around, but we would have appreciated a strap even more.

The darts are held inside an ammobox in a 25-shot belt, which is fed through the gun. You’ll feel like Rambo when you carry the gun, or sit it on its tripod for taking out enemies by the bucketload. After we’d installed the required six D batteries (not included), we pulled the trigger to see the gun work methodically through our belt of darts. It took only 10 seconds to blast through the included 25 darts, flinging them thirty feet across the room. We wished there were more darts included in the box since it seemed a bit silly that we needed to spend a few minutes to pick up the ammo, and then reload them onto the belt, after shooting for only about ten seconds. A refill pack can be purchased separately, which, we think, would be a wise investment if you want to effectively beat your enemies.

The gun also has a single-shot mode that lets you shoot with extra precision. Rather than battery powered, you have to pull back on a spring-loaded lever, and then use the trigger release lever to shoot the dart. In our experience, you can achieve a little bit more distance this way than with the auto-fire mode.

Tactical Rail System Allows for Fun Additions

The Vulcan EBF-25 features the Nerf Tactical Rail System, allowing it to use most N-Strike accessories, such as the night vision Tactical light accessory for night-time missions.

For those interested in Nerf-fights, the Vulcan EBF-25 should be in everyone’s artillery; the rapid-fire design gives players the advantage when engaging the enemy, and is ideal when it can be used on the back of a moving vehicle, or a stationary setting.

When firing, the Vulcan is no louder than an electric shaver, and probably quieter than many of those. On fresh batteries, it does fire ~2-3 darts per second, taking around 8 seconds to empty an entire 25-round belt of darts.

Its ranges vary pretty wildly, but 20-30 feet is about average. If you’ve used the Nerf Maverick, its ranges are comparable to the Vulcan’s. These ranges make the Vulcan well-suited to indoor fun, but rather ineffective outdoors when targets tend to be further away.

Nerf N-Strike Vulcan EBF-25 Blaster – Yellow

Hasbro 2008, Toy, $42.97

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With the world’s record for the smallest remote-controlled helicopter, the Air Hogs Havoc Heli goes where no other flying object can. Recommended for ages eight and up, this incredible little R/C heli from Spinmaster is easy and fun for kids of all ages — even grown up ones.

Realistic Helicopter Fun

The Havoc Heli has twin rotors for stability and four-way control for flying in any direction with accuracy — up, down, under, over, left, right, forward and backward. Like a real helicopter, the Havoc can hover in one spot. It even manuevers through the toughest of obstacles. Intended for indoor use, the helicopter operates outdoors with zero wind conditions, and can fly up to 100 feet high in the air. The Havoc Heli is also equipped with a flashing blue LED light for night flying.

Friendly competition

Not just for flying solo, the Havoc Heli is designed for fun with your friends. With three selectable frequencies, up to three Air Hogs helicopters can fly in the same room at the same time. Beyond flying for fun, the hook attachment on the bottom of the helicopter picks up objects for top secret racing missions — with or againsts friends.

Tough, Tiny, And Ready To Fly

Measuring six inches long and weighing only ten grams, the Havoc fits in the palm of a hand. Extraordinarily lightweight, the helicopter is built for crash resistance with a flexible, high-impact EPP foam body. The internal battery offers twice the amount of flight time as other R/C helicopters. The remote control charges the rechargeable LIPO battery in 15 minutes, providing six minutes of flight time. The remote requires 6 “AA” batteries (not included). Available in yellow, blue, and red, the Havoc Heli comes completely assembled and ready to fly.

Air Hogs Havoc Heli – Colors May Vary

Spin Master, Toy, $24.99

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