One-Day Tuesday Mystery Item - Only $2.97, Was $14.95.
Click http://www.chinaberry.com to see today’s specially-discounted item.
Today (1/04/11) Only. Price goes back up tomorrow (1/05/11).
Shop Now!
We’ve heard from several customers that this year’s fall/holiday catalog has been one of their all-time favorites. I know it’s been mine. We asked everyone who works here to share their #1 favorite gift item from this year’s offerings, and here’s what they said:
Ann’s Favorite |
|
 Ann, Founder and VP Merchandising |
 15853 Tap Water Bottle |
| I know that every single person I give the Tap Water Bottle to will love it. Practical and “green,” it always gets comments when guests see it in my fridge or when I put it on the dinner table. The fact that there’s a wonderful story behind it (a portion of the proceeds goes to Water.org; watch the incredible video on Chinaberry.com) makes ME feel good about giving it, too. | |
Janet’s Favorite |
|
 Janet, Assistant Director of Merchandising |
 16668 Night Before Christmas Mug |
| I’ve been buying every parent I know (well, okay, maybe four…) our Night Before Christmas Mug. There’s really nothing like it, and anything that gets the emphasis off of “me, me, me” gets MY vote. With “Thank You, Santa” written along the inside rim of the mug, it’s really a Gratitude Mug. This year, my daughter and grandson, Tristin, are spending the night Christmas Eve, and we’ve already talked about making peppermint hot chocolate for Santa (we hear it’s his favorite, along with Wassail) to thank him for all he does. While Tristin’s sleeping, my daughter and I will hide the removable Santa on the tree. Tristin knows we won’t begin opening presents until he finds Santa. (He loves doing stuff like this, and I’m hoping it will buy me some time to get the Christmas Morning Coffee Cake in the oven!) I’m excited to add this fun new tradition to our mix. | |
Mary Jo’s Favorite |
|
 Mary Jo, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) |
 10818 Wooden Advent Calendar |
| My family has a tradition of giving advent calendars. When I saw our Wooden Advent Calendar, I thought that having a note for each day would be a fun thing to do, but I didn’t know if a child would like an Advent calendar with just notes and no presents. When I asked my niece if she would like it, she said yes, so I bought the calendar, dug out last year’s Christmas cards, and started writing notes on the back of the cards. On Thanksgiving Day, the calendar was in our dining room and my niece looked at it, looked at me, and said, “I can’t wait to start opening my calendar.” Well, she loves it so much that she has told her friends about it. Last night, my sister called to tell me that Dominique reads her card every morning, puts the card back into the calendar, and in the afternoon brings three of her friends over to read the card. All of her friends think it is the coolest Advent calendar they’ve ever seen. I will keep the tradition going and write different messages for next year. | |
Julie’s Favorite |
|
 Julie, Buyer |
 12020 Children's Room Blessing |
| I’ve lost count of how many Children’s Room Blessings I’ve bought for each new baby born in my circle of friends and family. The plaque is such a sweet reminder to continue to pray and bless the children in your home. It’s a beautiful, elegant gift, and everyone I’ve given one to is always very touched by its significance. And I love going into their homes later and seeing the plaque hung in the child’s room! | |
Nancy’s Favorite |
|
 Nancy, Manager - Human Resources |
 12734 Hand-Dipped Bayberry Tapers |
| This year, as in the past, I am purchasing bayberry tapers to give as gifts to friends and family. It has been my family’s tradition for many years to burn bayberry tapers on Solstice, Christmas or New Year’s to bring good luck in the coming year. As the saying goes, “A bayberry candle burned to the socket brings food to the larder and gold to the pocket.” | |
Leah’s Favorite |
|
 Leah, Quality Assurance Representative |
 15673 Veggichop |
| The VeggiChop is amazing! I have already given this as a gift on several occasions — multiple weddings, housewarmings, and a birthday. Everyone loves it. It is easy to use and can speed up dinnertime with a lot less chopping to do. Kids love to help with dinner preparation and it’s nice to let them help without having to supervise chopping with a knife. I am giving a few more for Christmas, including to my step-mother, who loves to cook but has mobility and motor skills issues. I can’t tell you just how cool it is. You’re going to have to try it for yourself and then give one to all of your friends and family! | |
Mary’s Favorite |
|
 Mary, Catalog Production |
 16361 Christmas with the Mousekins |
| I’ve been giving Christmas books to all the children in my large, extended family for years now, and there have been many favorites along the way. Now that I’m a grandmother — to 3-year-old Willow — it’s especially heartwarming to bring out the Christmas books and pore over them with her. Last night I brought home Christmas with the Mousekins to share with her, and Willow was enthralled! She wanted to make every project in the book right then and there! And as soon as we finished reading it, she wanted to start all over again. Though it was too late to start any projects last night, you can guess what we’ll be doing next time she’s over. This book is brimming with the warmth and coziness of family and holiday cheer. |
|
Sheila’s Favorite |
|
 Sheila, Web Marketing |
 17078 Silver Snowflake Ornaments |
| This year I decided that less is more, so when I took down my Christmas boxes, I only chose to use the decorations I really loved best. The crowning touch was hanging these delicate snowflakes on the tree, the mantle, and even over a mirror. They added such a festive touch and bit of sparkle. | |
One-Day Tuesday Mystery Item - Only $1.97
Click http://www.chinaberry.com/ to see today’s specially-discounted item.
Was $12.99, Today (11/16/10) Only $1.97.
Price goes back up tomorrow (11/17/10). Shop Now! One per customer.
One-Day Tuesday Mystery Item - Only $3.97
Click http://www.chinaberry.com/ to see today’s specially-discounted item.
Was $17.99, Today (11/09/10) Only $3.97.
Price goes back up tomorrow (11/10/10). Shop Now! One per customer.
One-Day Tuesday Mystery Item - Only $3.97
Click http://www.chinaberry.com/ to see today’s specially-discounted item.
Was $16.99, Today (10/26/10) Only $3.97.
Price goes back up tomorrow (10/27/10). Shop Now! One per customer.
Click http://www.chinaberry.com to see today’s extra-special One-Day Tuesday item.
We’ve created a Chinaberry Grab Bag just for our One-Day Tuesday customers.
Worth over $100.00, Today (9/28/10) Only $19.97! How sweet is that?!
Shop Now! One per customer.
The collection of items on our website is the result of literally thousands of hours of work by our staff. We are a small company, so those thousands of hours should say something about our commitment to offer you an intelligent and thoughtfully-selected collection of items. From games that we actually play (you wouldn’t believe how many games have unclear instructions) and toys that we kid-test (and you wouldn’t believe how many problems we find in that process) to items for the family and home that we have used and loved and books that we read cover to cover (and reject thousands), the Chinaberry catalog is a one-of-a-kind catalog.
So, what you find here is the cream of the crop. And while I can’t pass up a good game, love watching a child have fun with a cool toy, and appreciate something that will make my life better at home, there is simply nothing like a book. Books can make us wonder, astound us with what has occurred in the past, make us more compassionate, make us more able to stand up for what we believe in, make us want to get outside our comfort zones and maybe do something, and make us better people. The fact is that a game, a toy, or something for the kitchen just isn’t going to change us or change the world, but a book can light the flame that will do just that.
And this is why it is very significant and disheartening to us that we have had to decrease the number of books we are offering you in the catalog. We devote more time than you will ever know to reading books and then choosing the ones that are great read-alouds; will make you and your child laugh together, think, or talk; will ask your early teen to think about more than the typical teen in our country is thinking about; or that you, as an adult, might find to be a worthy escape when you have a moment to yourself. Unfortunately, so many of those who receive our catalog go to the giant online book source (we all know who it is) to buy the books that they’ve read about in Chinaberry, that our company can no longer continue to devote the same resources to finding great books. If the Chinaberry catalog is of value to you, we ask you to spend your dollars with us if you find a book here that you want. We know it is tempting to get a bargain, but independent booksellers like us survive only because of customers who value our service and take the extra step to support it. We ask that you take this into consideration when choosing where to buy your books. And to those of you who have loyally supported us throughout the years, we offer our heartfelt thanks — your orders are what have kept us in business and for that we are truly grateful!
Over the years here at Chinaberry, I’ve grabbed the last copy of many books when they went out of print or when we take them out of the catalog to make room for new ones. Little by little, this accumulation of books has grown to nearly 20 boxes in our warehouse. We call them “Ann’s Grandma Boxes” (for when there might be a grandchild or two to give them to) and going through them every once in a while is a sweet walk down memory lane.
Reading to my children was one of the highlights of my life, not just as a parent, but as a human being. I remember those books more than the ones I grew up with, and there’s a good story about my book experiences as a child.
I was a handful of a kid. Apparently I never stopped moving. And since my birthday fell in mid-October, I had to wait an extra year before entering Kindergarten. I can’t even imagine my mother’s relief when naptime finally rolled around, but needless to say, it was always too soon for me! The only way she could get me to settle down was to lie on the bed with me and read a picture book — one of only several that we owned. Being read to always worked like magic and within minutes, I was sound asleep. The thing is, to this day, it takes a lot to keep me awake when I read a book because (I’m assuming) the opening of a book signals some part of my brain that it is now time to sleep. Naptime (not even bedtime) was the only time I was read to. Oh wait. There was a Golden Christmas Carol book in the house that I would grab when I saw my father arrive home from work. In the dead of summer, no less. Dragging him immediately to his easy chair (not even giving him a chance to settle in), plopping on his lap, and singing our way through the book was my idea of heaven. The neighbors were probably shaking their heads at the strains of “Silent Night” coming from our house in July.
I suppose it’s strange that the founder of a company that has become known for its discerning selection of children’s books for 28 years was seldom read to as a child. Go figure. But just remembering some of those sweet and sleepy times made me think it might be fun for others to pipe in with their favorite books from childhood and the early reading years. So…let’s hear ‘em! I’ll bet you anything you’ll find some old (book) friends you’d forgotten about when you read others’ lists.
Have fun!
Ann
Site Map
Under the Chinaberry Tree is proudly powered by
WordPress
Entries (RSS)
and Comments (RSS).
