Everywhere I looked, there were so many fun details! My daughter loved picking out a nail polish color and using her Jollity & Co. + Daydream Society Nail Stickers in her gift bag! That's right, Little Holiday is now selling party kits and favors! We even have been taking requests for special themes and creating custom orders for our customers. It's so great to help bring someone's vision to life.
Check out this table setting at Little Holiday!
It has been raining here on the Monterey Peninsula like it has on most of the west coast for the last 3 weeks, but magically the skies cleared and the littles were able to enjoy a birthday party rain-free, at least for a couple hours. 😉 It was cozy inside and the kids fully enjoyed all of the activities: face painting, a tinsel hair station, a water bead pedicure station, nail sticker manicure station, cotton candy mocktails, robe and eye mask decorating stations and MORE!
Vendors:
🪩Party planning & design: Kelly at Miss Party Mama
🪩Backdrop & design: Sarah at Poptopia
🪩Tableware & favors: Michelle and Avery at Little Holiday
🪩Cookies: Vicki at Sweet Bliss Bakeshop
🪩Face Painting: Yessica at Crafty Mama Creations
🪩Photography & Bounce House: Agness at Agness Photo
✨Have a specific theme or idea in mind? Need custom party favors, party box packages or party supplies? Pop us a note and we will see if we are able to help! We'd love to curate something special for you.💕
]]>Summers at our house can get very toasty! We like to beat the heat with frozen treats and cold drinks! Sip on something very refreshing, but make it festive by adding Red, White, & Blue Ice Cubes by Larisa Braun. Your littles will enjoy making these easy ice cubes (why do kids love ice so much?!) that really elevate a summer drink. In your Patriotic Party Box you will find the silicone ice cube mold and 'Sip Sip Hooray!’ reusable straws by My Mind's Eye.
Red, White, & Blue Ice Cubes ~ Recipe by @LARISAFBRAUN
Ingredients:
Directions:
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Patriotic Mini Muffins with Whipped Cream~ Recipe by @Larisafbraun
Ingredients:
Directions:
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We have repeated this recipe by @LARISAFBRAUN over and over again! It will be a surefire hit with your littles this spring and summer. Hopefully like ours, they will ask for it daily. A mom WIN!
1 ripe banana
10 frozen strawberries
1/2 cup almond milk (more if needed)
1 medjool date, pitted
1 Tbsp hemp seeds (optional)
My daughter can easily whip up this smoothie for breakfast. She counts the strawberries and measures the milk. It's easy enough for the littlest hands! You can also pair it with a toaster waffle to make an easy breakfast on the go! ~Larisa @LARISAFBRAUN
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Larisa Braun does it again! We are so excited to make heart french toast for our littles on Valentine's morning. This easy and delicious recipe is a healthy and fun way to start the holiday. Let's get cooking!
Valentines French Toast~ Recipe by Larisa Braun @LARISAFBRAUN
6-10 slices of day-old, whole grain bread
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp orange zest
1 Tbsp coconut sugar or maple syrup
1 Tbsp + 1.5 tsp arrowroot or cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Virgin coconut oil (for cooking)
Toppings: berries, maple syrup, or powdered sugar
Happy Valentine's Day! Love, Avery & Michelle
]]>Recipe:
Healthy Holiday Sugar Cookies by Larisa Braun
lightly adapted by FlavCity
Cookies:
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
3 Tbsp arrowroot starch
1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
5 Tbsp maple syrup
4 Tbsp virgin coconut oil, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
Plant-Based Icing:
1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar
1/4 cup aquafaba (liquid from a can of garbanzo beans)
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract OR 1 tsp vanilla extract
Plant-based food coloring (optional)
P.S. How cute are these Emerson and Friends PJs? They are available in our shop!
Festive Icons Mini Cookie Cutters by Meri Meri are in our Modern Getting in the Christmas Spirit box.
We hope you have a cozy and joyful holiday season. ✨ Avery & Michelle
]]>We invite you and your littles to celebrate Christmas with Little Holiday this year!
We created Little Holiday because we understand that parents cherish the opportunity to make every day in their littles’ lives more special. We also understand that busy mommas face endless demands and long days. Limited time and energy remain to hunt for amazing gifts and decorations that can transform ordinary days into extraordinary ones. Searching for those perfect holiday gifts can be so . . . overwhelming.
At Little Holiday, our wish is that our holiday boxes can inspire your very best memories! Nothing is better than seeing your little ones light up and there is truly something extra special when that Christmas magic is in the air.
That's why we created our Getting in the Christmas Spirit boxes. To help set the tone for what is sure to be a magical Christmas season.
Here's how we envision you getting the most out of your holiday boxes - follow along to see how we used our Red, White and Green Getting in the Christmas Spirit Box . . .
When your curated box arrives, take out your North Pole Snow Card and write a message to your little one from the North Pole:
Chloe & Sadie -- it's December 1st and Christmas will be here before you know it! I'm so proud to see how well you two have been playing together. Your kindness does not go unnoticed. Keep it up and remember to think of different ways you can spread your love and kindness each and every day.
I know you girls don't get much snow out there in California, so I wanted to send along a special delivery - attached to this card, you will find magic snow straight from the North Pole! Here is the secret recipe for the magic snow as well as how to make Snow Slime.
I hope you enjoy playing with your North Pole snow!
I've also included in your package, a few postcards for you to fill out and send back to the North Pole. I would love to hear how things are going and what you are looking forward to most this Christmas (and I of course always love getting mail).
Don't forget to hang up your Elf on the Advent Calendar garland; this will help count down the days until Christmas. Each card on the garland includes a fun activity to celebrate the days and as the days progress, turn each piece over and the back will spell "Holly Jolly Christmas Day" when all twenty-five are turned!
Pick a night where you make Christmas cookies with the Santa & Reindeer Cookie Cutters, take a bath with your Frosty the Snowman bath bomb, and snuggle in to read the Christmas story I sent, The Magical Christmas Store.
This is an exciting time of year - all of us here at the North Pole are working very hard to make Christmas extra special this year; try and think of ways you can make something extra special for someone else this year too!
Sending All My Love,
Santa Claus
Once your little one opens their completed card from the North Pole with their Little Holiday box, watch and celebrate as the Christmas magic unfolds this season! And as they say, 'don't blink'.
Merry Christmas xoxo
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Making cupcakes is such a fun, albeit messy, activity with your little ones! We've partnered with Larisa Braun (@Larisafbraun) and included a recipe for these Piñata Cupcakes with Coconut Whipped Chocolate Frosting in both your Tot & Kid boxes. Making these cupcakes with the Meri Meri cupcake kits found in your Halloween Box or Boo Basket will help everyone get in the Halloween spirit! Happy baking and Happy Halloween!
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
INGREDIENTS:
Baking fun with my 2 year old. Her favorite part about baking is licking the spatula 😂 - anyone else?
Don't forget to check out our previous blog post for our No Bake Sunbutter Cup recipe because two treats are better than one!
]]>Halloween calls for treats! However, some treats can be a healthier alternative than others. That's why we partnered with our dear friend Larisa Braun (@Larisafbraun) to create these No Bake Sunbutter Cups. We used the Meri Meri cupcake kits found in your Tot Box to help makes these delicious treats perfectly festive for Halloween! These treats are nut free and great for those school Halloween parties. We hope you (and the whole class) enjoy these as much as we did!
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE BASE + CRUMBLE TOPPING
FOR THE CHOCOLATE LAYER
DIRECTIONS:
NOTE: If you'd like to forgo the top layer of sprinkles/coconut, you can create a third layer in your cups by making your base layer thinner, reserving the extra to top off your cups.
We can't wait to see pictures of your No Bake Sunbutter Cups! Tag us @littleholidaybox #littleholidaybox
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Wow! We made it through our first holiday drop, and had an absolute blast “meeting” and talking with some of you online about Little Holiday. Not only did we enjoy packaging and shipping our brand new Babe and Tot boxes to you, but we also shrieked with joy when we saw you posting pics of your littles wearing their Stars & Stripes Tees and Onesies. Thank you for your support and encouragement along the way. We are pinching ourselves as we savor how much fun we’re having in this new venture.
Our next box is HALLOWEEN. Do you love this holiday as much as we do? We have such fun things in the works for you! AND we are also excited to announce that as we grow, we’ll be including older kid items and clothing sizes in our fall releases!
After living through so much change and uncertainty the last couple of years, restrictions are loosening up in some places and many are feeling more comfortable traveling. Since you may be vacationing with family this summer, we’d like to take a minute to chat about travel with little ones. To help the process not be so daunting, we’d like to offer some tips and fun products we love to take with us on our trips. Join us for a virtual little holiday!
Our favorite airplane travel hacks:
On and off duty: If you’re traveling with a partner, take turns clocking in and out with the kids. On longer flights, it may work to have one person who is on duty sitting by littles while the other takes a mental break with eyes closed, a book or a show. Don’t forget to SWITCH!
Include littles in the process: Have your kids pack their own backpacks for the airplane. They may be really excited about what they got to choose.
New toys: Okay, this is my littles’ favorite thing. . . On one trip, I decided to make a Target run beforehand and grab a few fun surprises for their backpacks. The kids and I made a deal to wait until we were on the plane before we opened the backpack and checked out the new surprises. The anticipation and excitement cured a lot of travel monotony! For younger kids, you can keep a couple of new things in your bag to periodically give to your child during the trip—when you need it most. Trust us, you’ll know when the time is right.
Here are some of our favorite things to pack for travel entertainment:
Snacks: And lots of them! I like to pack healthy options, but I also include snacks that my littles will be excited about and look forward to. Also, I choose snacks that take some time for a little one to consume. . . tiny Cheerios that they eat one by one? Perfection.
Logistics: You can totally pee while a baby is strapped in your carrier. :)
Bring your gear: If your little one is an excellent car napper, consider taking a car seat or travel car seat onto the plane.
Travel light: Once you’re a parent, it’s so true that whether you go somewhere for one night or ten nights, it still feels like you need ALL OF THE SAME STUFF you use at home. Even though it feels great in theory to try to recreate those home setups, this isn’t always realistic. A lot of destinations have baby travel rental companies so you don’t have to haul all your gear. I’ve rented almost everything you could think of: strollers, highchairs, bouncers, toys, and baby monitors. There are also lots of apps for white noise that can be useful, rather than packing sound machines or fans. If a washer or dryer is available to you during your trip, pack enough clothes for just a few days then wash and re-wear.
Find the pods: A lot of airports have parent pods or feeding areas for parents. This saved me with my daughter who had trouble nursing with too many distractions. Once I was a parent, I also noticed how many family bathrooms there are in airports. These can be helpful when you’ve got the whole crew and need to sneak in a diaper change.
Clean: Wipe down the seat and entire area surrounding your kids really well, so germ anxiety is lower. Bring an extra swaddle blanket to lay on the ground under a tot’s seat so they have a cleaner area on which to bop around.
Roll with it: My husband really worries about the effect our crying baby will have on people around us when we are on a plane. Remember that our first concern is our children, and not the neighboring passengers. We may not be able to stop a child’s crying, but we can be present, and can soothe that little one. Let’s focus on our kids’ needs, rather than stressing about others’ opinions. It also helps to imagine supportive passengers cheering for you. Many of them are!
Screen time: You didn’t really think we were going to write a travel blog post without mentioning screen time, did you?! Here are things that have worked for us:
Save screen time for a designated time. Example: Instead of allowing your kids to watch screens in the car en route to the airport or in the airport, delay viewing until they’re seated on the plane. I’ve found this helps them enjoy their screen time more once it’s offered.
Cool it on your guilt with screen time while on a trip. Trips mess up our schedules; our normal routines or family rules tend to take a backseat. Rest assured that you will be able to get back to your comfort zone with screen time once you return home. And remember that once you arrive at your destination, you just may be having too much fun to turn on a device.
You’ve got this. I hope the destination makes all the travel so worth it.
We are headed to Washington this summer to see family. We’d love to hear what you’re up to. Head to our IG to tell us about your upcoming travel plans!
Here are some favorite travel memories I have of heading to the Pacific Northwest with little Gwyn in the summertime:
]]>Included in your 4th of July Tot Box: custom Little Holiday Stars & Stripes Tee; Mr. Boddington’s Studio Washington, DC ABCs book; a Zoku Mini Pop Mold; retro white sunglasses; two Amborella Organics seed-bearing lollipops; Land of Dough Sand & Sails playdough; and a red star cookie cutter!
Here are some fun and silly ways to learn and play with items in your curated box:
Learning about the American Flag
Show your little this picture of the American Flag and point out the following:
Colors that make up the flag: Red, White & Blue.
Number of stars on the flag: There are 50 stars on the flag, which represent the 50 states that make up the United States of America.
Number of stripes on the flag: There are 13 stripes on the flag (7 red stripes and 6 white). Have your little make 13 long stripes with your included play dough. On a roll? You can even create an entire flag with the playdough!
Looking for more ways to play “outside the box”? Read on...
Red, White & Blue Rice Sensory Bin
Firework Art
Happy 4th of July!
]]>We partnered with our dear friend, Larisa Braun (@Larisafbraun), of Model Eats to create these Red, White and Blue-berry mini popsicles. The mini pops are made with real fruit to satisfy a sweet tooth, naturally! We hope you enjoy . . . our kids definitely did!
INGREDIENTS
RED: STRAWBERRY LAYER
1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and washed
1.5 tsp cane sugar, maple syrup, or honey
BLUE: BERRY LAYER
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
1.5 tsp cane sugar, maple syrup, or honey
1 tsp lemon zest
WHITE: COCONUT LAYER
3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk, chilled overnight in the fridge
1-2 Tbsp cane sugar, maple syrup, or honey
1 tsp vanilla bean powder or extract
1 small pinch of fine sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
Each parent and each kid is unique, so there is no “right” or “best” way to celebrate a holiday with the little in your life, but here are a few ideas.
Plan
We’re big fans of planning and not "winging it" when it comes to celebrating a holiday with our kids. First, think of a few activities you want to do with them that are fun, educational, adventurous, or a mixture of all three. No need to go overboard; less is often more. Even 1-2 thoughtfully planned activities initiate the holiday spirit.
An upcoming holiday can leave us feeling like we need to do EVERYTHING. To keep things simple, choose one activity that you are excited about and that will fulfill you both. Avoid over-planning, which can lead to checking activities off a list instead of enjoying the moment.
Having trouble thinking of activities? What does your child love to do? What do you enjoy? How can you blend them? Is being in the kitchen your thing? Bake a holiday-themed treat together. If your child loves reading at bedtime, stock up on holiday-themed books. You both enjoy the outdoors? Go for a walk and look for signs of the new season.
Of course, Little Holiday can complement any of these favorite holiday activities with our themed boxes!
Prep
Set aside everything you will need for your activity and dedicate time for it so the hours and days don't get away from you (we’ve all been there before). Physically mark your calendar and anticipate fun with your family! Then hype up the event with your kids. Sometimes anticipation can be just as exciting as the activity itself!
Execute & ENJOY
You’ve planned and prepped, now it’s time to execute! But don’t forget the intent of celebrating: it’s all about sharing excitement and fun with your kids, and, in the process, having fun and making memories. Send your inner perfectionist mom to the beach while you enjoy your bonding time.
Sometimes we just need to give our kids resources for creative play. They want to mix frosting colors together for those cookies? Go with it! Who knows, they may have begun a new family tradition that you’ll always remember.
]]>Hi . . . and welcome to Little Holiday!
Avery, a small town country girl, hails from the Pacific Northwest! I grew up building forts in the woods, picking berries off the vines, taking care of animals and playing a bunch of sports.
Always a deep thinker and sensitive soul, I followed the sunshine to California where I studied psychology, joined my college volleyball and track teams, and spent every spare moment at the beach. The ocean has always drawn me, so my husband and I now live by the foggy central coast of California with our two young and vibrant kids, two goats, a cattle dog and one cat.
Pre-mom work: College Admissions Counselor and Clinical Psychotherapist.
Favorite season: Summer! Am happiest barefoot by water.
Favorite holiday: Halloween—because fall is pretty great too.
Favorite childhood holiday memory: Celebrating Christmas near Puget Sound at my great-grandparents’ house with tons of cousins. (My great-grandma ALWAYS had gum drops in a bowl, electric blankets, and fantastic breakfasts of fresh grapefruit and pancakes).
Kids’ names: Gwyneth Olivia and Beau George. I’ve loved classic old names forever.
Hardest part of new mommy life: Baby girl waking up ALL NIGHT LONG, refusing binkie and bottle. You get the picture.
Favorite things about kids: Gwyneth: Her heart, freckles and focus. Beau: His laugh, friendship and imagination.
Kids’ favorite holidays: Gwyneth? Easter (She LOVES looking for treasures!) Beau? Halloween—since he prefers inhabiting his alter egos: Hulk, Spiderman, Buzz Lightyear and dinosaurs, whenever possible.
A favorite afternoon with my kids: Pack a picnic, invite friends. Find a big patch of grass in the sun, sip rosé, and play.
Favorite Parenting Advice: Connect and empathize. The stronger our relationships, the more we work together to solve problems. See your kids as little people with their own thoughts and feelings. Try to see situations through their eyes and have empathy for their experiences.
What I want to remember about my kids: The feel of holding their little hands. The sound of their new voices. Their expressions as they looked at me. The warmth of them crawling into my lap. How they melted into me as I settled them into the carrier on my chest and packed them around for hours. Their scent as we snuggled after naps, after play, after baths, as we read.
And I want to remember the other stuff, too: when I left smoothies and breakfast burritos on top of my car as I strapped babies into car seats and drove away—too tired to notice. The hundred questions in five minutes. The uplifted arms, asking to be carried when I had a million things to do. How sleep only found them when they lay next to me. How I made it through that haze of fatigue with moments of gold I know I’ll miss one day.
Michelle, born and raised in Michigan with proud Midwestern roots! Like a good Michigan girl, my favorite childhood days happened every summer on the lake, tubing and water skiing with friends—after all those swim, tennis, and horseback riding lessons. I went to Miami University (of Ohio) for college, where I majored in business.
Since I always dreamed of owning my own company, Little Holiday is my dream come true. I met my husband on the east coast before life took us west—where we had our two girls, and where this lake girl turned beach girl!
Pre-mom work: Marketing & Sales Manager, Associate Director of Account Management & Customer Success.
Favorite season: Summer, hands down—especially any and every Michigan summer.
Favorite holiday: Fourth of July. Why? Summer. Sunshine. Michigan lake days. BBQ. Fireworks. Need I say more?
Favorite childhood holiday memory: Have I mentioned that I’m from Michigan and that there is nothing better than a summer holiday on the lake? But seriously, my Fourth of July celebrations in Michigan were something special. Since I was little, on that holiday my whole extended family gathered and spent practically every waking moment with each other on or around the lake. Fourth of July on the lake, with friends and family, will ALWAYS be home to me.
Kids’ names: Chloe Jane (after my mom) and Sadie Mariko (also a family name!).
Hardest part of new mommy life: Everything. I WAS CLUELESS.
Favorite things about kids: Chloe: Her laugh and joy, her memory and thoughtfulness, her sensitivity and love. Sadie: Her crinkle-nosed smile and expressions, her “fight” and independence, her adaptability and humor.
Kids’ favorite holidays: Honestly, at their ages, they love any holiday. Right now, it’s all about creating those moments where they know that “today is a special day”!
A favorite thing to do with my kids: Pack up the car and take a mini road trip adventure. Always complete with a stop to the beach for a picnic stowed in the back of my trunk.
Favorite parenting advice: Always listen first. Even when they are so little and you feel like they can’t fully communicate everything accurately. Even then, listen. And remember to listen when they’re not talking, too.
What I want to remember about my kids: EVERYTHING. Literally. I wish I could remember every word they said incorrectly when they first started talking (“daaper” = diaper, “peaaas” = please, “yaya” = water); every little sound they made when they were excited (high-pitched “eeeee,” “woooooow”); and the little ways they would ask for me (wrapping their arms around my legs when I’m trying to walk around the house, asking to be “uppie,” reaching their hands out to grab mine when we are walking in town). Most of all, I hope I remember the pure and innocent childhood joy that they feel so easily and freely. I know I won’t remember every detail of each holiday or special moment we share together, but in those moments, I want to remember their childhood joy. Always. There is nothing like it on this earth.
About our friendship: We (Avery and Michelle) moved to our California town around the same time—as two relatively new moms who were looking for our “people.” We instantly connected through our Mommy and Me play groups and baby classes, and since then, we haven’t looked back!
Early on, we bonded over the fact that our littles are the reason in our days, and they make our hearts whole. We wake up each day thinking about them and how we can make the moments in their lives, whether large or small, more special. We take great delight in enhancing every holiday and infusing each one with the joy, magic, and love we remember from our own childhoods.
]]>Now that they have grown and started school, we are excited to have time to share that intentionality with you! Let us explain . . .
Early in our friendship, we realized that we both speak the love language of gift-giving. Always have. As kids, we each spent long hours planning, finding and making the perfect presents for our families and friends on their special days. While we’re no longer kids, giving gifts is still written into our DNA, and we practice it often. With years of experience, we’ve developed quite a knack for it, having trained our eyes to find unique, on-trend, fun and quality gifts, perfect for the people we care about.
We created Little Holiday because we understand that parents cherish the opportunity to make every day in their littles’ lives more special. We also understand that busy mommas face endless demands and long days. Limited time and energy remain to hunt for amazing gifts and decorations that can transform ordinary days into extraordinary ones. Searching for those perfect holiday gifts can be so . . . overwhelming.
That’s where we come in. We can help. We have combined our passion for kids, for finding perfect products, and for year-round celebrations to create themed holiday packages with our littles (and yours) in mind.
Included in each box we send are unique, quality products — hand-selected to enhance your child’s experience of various holidays throughout the year. We’ll deliver them to your doorstep, saving you time, melting away stress, and freeing you to focus on making new memories with your children.
Here’s our wish: that our Little Holiday boxes can inspire your very best memories.
We would love you to….play, decorate, read, create, and celebrate with Little Holiday!
Play: Toy, toys, toys! We know you already have enough. We know that less is more, and that the last thing you need is more clutter. Still, our littles learn and grow by playing. Therefore, we choose quality educational products which enhance your child’s development and which you’ll enjoy having around. After all, a toy that keeps a child imagining and playing is the best kind there is! And since toys go straight into our littlest babes’ mouths, we seek out baby products that are non toxic.
Decorate: Hang one of our banners or set out some treats on our holiday-themed plates. Put your party clothes on! It’s a holiday!
Read: One of our favorite times of day is curling up with our littles for storytime. We’ll select holiday-focused books to help expand your experience of the current season. We bet you won’t have the ones we choose yet. We search out new releases!
Create: We admire our DIY and craft wizard friends. However, we don’t all excel in this category, right?! Let us take the thought and planning out of the equation, so you can simply open our included craft and easily create together. Watch your littles exercise their imaginations and gain independence.
Celebrate: We will always include a tee or onesie in your box that is unique to our shop. Our onesies are 100% organic with the perfect amount of stretch and comfort for your little one. Our kids’ tees are made in the USA and are super soft and durable--definitely kid-approved. We have so much fun designing these for you! School holiday dress days? We’ve got you covered. And if we find an accessory we love, we will include that, too.
BONUS! For our sweet-tooth toddlers, we will spoil you all a bit with a little treat or baking inspiration. It is a holiday, after all! Share with the grown ups, please??
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