Carefully packed in a keepsake box, the Roaming Reindeer set
arrived at our home earlier this fall. The box itself has a lovely simplicity
to it and holds not only the story book, but the accompanying plush reindeer as
well.
After getting a glimpse of the package, my youngest son
decided he had to hear the story. We sat down together and I read it out loud.
To my delight, the illustrations and sing-song verses caught his attention and
he listened carefully to the soon to be Norris family Christmas tradition.
Watching him as I read, I could see he really enjoyed the story and the idea
behind the Roaming Reindeer.
When asked about how the author's family uses Roaming Reindeer, Angela Meju responded, "Well, my children were exposed to “Gus” and
“Sam” (that’s what our Reindeer 1 and 2 are named) very early on—long before
Christmas. Our Reindeer 1 and 2 do a lot of travelling, so we have a lot of
pictures of them in various (and sometimes random) locations. My children LOVE
to play with the reindeer but we officially start our Reindeer countdown after
Thanksgiving."
She also noted that, "Roaming Reindeer is not a tool for punishment, it is an activity to help promote positive behavior. My hope is that children have fun playing with the reindeer and see them as friends that want to stick together."
Similar to Elf on the Shelf™, Roaming Reindeer’s premise
allows families who have heard about the Elf tradition, but for one reason or
another, never tried it out or discovered it wasn’t quite what they were
looking for, to have a unique experience for their children. Featuring two
reindeer, Sam and Gus, who help Santa with his Naughty and Nice List, the
Roaming Reindeer story takes children on a magical adventure where Sam and Gus
turn themselves into toys to watch over the behavior of boys and girls all over
the world. Reindeer 1 reports back to Santa while Reindeer 2 stays to watch.
However, along the way, they get behind in their work and enlist more reindeer
to help.
Included in the gift set are two plush reindeer with shirts
labeled 1 and 2. Your family can personalize them by giving them names – we
have Fred and George at our home. (I imagine our reindeer might be a little
mischievous considering their namesakes – the Weasley brothers.
We have not used the Elf on the
Shelf™ product line in the past because it scared my youngest. After reading
the story of the Roaming Reindeer and naming his 1 and 2, he asked, “Mom, when
can we put them out?”
In addition to the story book
set, Roaming Reindeer has tips and suggestions online at their homepage,
Facebook page and Twitter feed. You can order the Roaming Reindeer set online;
the set costs $34.95. However, through November 27th, you can use code ROAM2014 for a $5.00 coupon making the price $29.95.
I will also be holding an online
contest for a chance to win an additional Roaming Reindeer set.
Roaming Reindeer is written by Angela Meju. She and her
family currently live in Austin, Texas. Angela was inspired to write Roaming
Reindeer by her children’s excitement and anticipation of Santa’s arrival.
The book is illustrated by the Gau Family Studio™, an
illustration service for independent authors, publishers and educators.
{Disclaimer: I received this product for free from PR by the Book for review.}
{Disclaimer: I received this product for free from PR by the Book for review.}
This is such a precious idea, shared! ~ The Go To Mommy
ReplyDeleteMy kids are grown, but looking for new ideas with a grandbaby on the way.
ReplyDeleteI've never done Elf on the shelf, but my boys are young and I would love to incorporate a new tradition into our Christmas!
ReplyDeleteWe were matching pj's on Christmas morning
ReplyDeleteLove new Christmas traditions ~~
ReplyDeleteafter thanksgiving we decorate the christmas tree and the house drink hot chocolate and have movienight with a christmas movie. on christmas the kids usually wake up before us they get to open there stockings then we wake up and they get to open there presents then we get ready and go to grammies house
ReplyDeleteWe currently read The Night Before Christmas and bake cookies for Santa.
ReplyDeleteWe bake cookies and listen to Christmas music all month long. We read Christmas stories on Christmas Eve and go look at Christmas lights. We watch a Christmas Story on Christmas morning while opening presents.
ReplyDeleteWe do a countdown to Christmas advent calendar each day and we do have a little elf--but not the traditional Elf on the shelf. We sure would love to have Gus and Sam part of our family Christmas tradition, too. Thank you for the chance!
ReplyDeleteYou all have wonderful traditions! Thank you for sharing! I'll be posting the winner later today! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAfter using Rafflecopter's random drawing algorithm, congratulations to K. Buchanek, you are the proud owner of a Roaming Reindeer set!
ReplyDelete- Michelle