Rogers Santa Clause Parade (Dec 1)

It's the Rogers Santa Claus Parade this Sunday, December 1st starting at 1pm! The parade will start at West Georgia and Broughton and wind through Downtown, ending at Howe and Davie. Bring your family to see Santa! The Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society will also be there to collect monetary or non-perishable food donations. Click here for more details about the parade.

Black Friday Deals on Nintendo Games and Consoles

Attention gamers! There are a ton of great deals on Nintendo products starting on Black Friday and running through the weekend (some throughout the week!). It's the perfect time to Christmas shop! Here are a list of the deals being offered:

Nintendo 2DS - $99 @ Walmart

Wii U - $269.99 + $50 gift card @ Futureshop and Best Buy

Nintendo 3DS with Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon - $149.99 @ Futureshop, Best Buy and Toys R Us

3DS games: Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Animal Crossing: New Leaf - $24.99ea @ Futureshop and Best Buy

3DS games: Mario Kart 7 $24.97; Donkey Kong Country Returns $19.97 @ Toys R Us

Disney's Frozen - A Perfect Holiday Movie!

I had the opportunity to go to an advanced screening of Frozen last week, and I absolutely loved the movie! I brought my whole family and they all immensely enjoyed it. I think it's another hit for Disney! It's a perfect movie to take your kids to this holiday season. 

Here are some details about Frozen:

Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio behind “Tangled” and “Wreck-It Ralph,” presents “Frozen,” a stunning big-screen comedy adventure. Fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) sets off on an epic journey – teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven – to find her sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls, and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. 

 

The film is directed by Chris Buck (“Tarzan,” “Surf’s Up”) and Jennifer Lee (screenwriter, “Wreck-It Ralph”), and produced by Peter Del Vecho (“Winnie the Pooh,” “The Princess and the Frog”). Featuring music from Tony®-winner Robert Lopez (“The Book of Mormon,” “Avenue Q”) and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (“In Transit”), “Frozen” is in theatres in 3D on November 27, 2013.

 

In “Frozen,” fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) teams up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf in a race to find Anna’s sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. 

Frozen is now out in theatres on November 27th! Make sure to go see it!

Help send me to Sochi - Vote for my video! #BringItHome

I'm a huge fan of the Olympics and would love the chance to cheer on Team Canada in Sochi Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympics! I've entered myself into a contest from Samsung, who is sending two lucky winners to experience Sochi and share their experience with the world. I think I would be perfect for the job, and I need your help! I need to get as many votes as I can for my video!

Just click HERE to go to Youtube and click on the "Vote for This" button on the bottom left corner.

And viola, you're done! You can vote everyday until November 27th, when Samsung will judge the videos with the most votes. You can take a look at how the video looks like below, if you are having trouble finding it.

I would really appreciate it if you can spare a second to vote for my video! Fingers crossed I will be seeing you in Sochi!

Vancouver Christmas Market (Nov 22 - Dec 24)

The annual Vancouver Christmas Market is back at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza in Downtown Vancouver! Running from November 22 to December 24, 2013, this German Christmas Market is the perfect place to do some Christmas shopping! Bundle up and head on down with the family! There are over 45 booths to visit, with great selections of artisan crafts and delicious German foods and Christmas decorations to get you in the holiday mood! There will also be traditional European choirs and dance performances, kids activities, and a favourite – the carousel ride.

Tickets are available online, but make sure to check out the various coupon deals floating around. Many include half priced entry tickets and a carousel ride!

Free Sample Packs of Van Houtte K-Cups Coffee

One of my favourite coffee brands, Van Houtte, is giving away 20,000 free samples packs of K-Cups! You need to sign into Facebook to take advantage of this offer, but act fast as the samples usually go quickly. Get your free sample here.

Buy One Plushie, Get One for $1 @ The Disney Store

Right now the Disney  Store is running a pretty great promotion on almost all plush toys (excluding Christmas ones). Buy one plushie at full price and get a second one for $1! This includes plush toys of all sizes, even the really big ones! This offer is happening in-stores and online. I was going to buy the Peas-in-a-pod from Toy Story 3 and Kermit the Frog but decided I didn't need anymore toys. But this sale is definitely worth checking out, especially with Christmas just around the corner!

Candytown in Yaletown (Nov 23)

Get into the Christmas mood by visiting Candytown in Yaletown! Happening this Saturday, November 23, from noon to 9pm, this outdoor Christmas festival will be sure to help you kick off the holidays. Mainland Street will be transformed into a winter wonderland and local merchants and specialty markets will be selling unique gifts and treats. There will also be street performers and live music. Admission to this event is free so bring the whole family!

These are the featured activities:

•  “All I Want for Christmas” Gift Market
• Free Horse Carriage Rides
• Live Music
• Ice Carving Demo
• Visits with Santa
• Candy Making
• Yaletown Rotary Club Xmas Tree Lot
• CandyTown Cocktail Tour

For more details about the event, check out the Yaletown site here.

Cineplex $40 Gift Pack with Purchase of $40 Gift Card

It's that time of year again - the holidays are almost upon us, which means retailers are having some great offers for purchasing gift cards to their store or restaurant. The one I look forward to is from Cineplex, as I often go to the movies. This year isn't as great, but it would still be a good stocking stuff for the cinephile in your life!

Purchase a $40 Cineplex gift card at your local theatre and get a coupon pack that is worth $40. The coupons include:

• One 2-for-1 General Admission
valid from January 1, 2014-March 31, 2014 excluding Tuesdays – Redeem online

• One 2-for-1 Admission to Classic Film Series
valid from January 1, 2014-March 31, 2014 – Redeem online

• One free Upgrade to UltraAVX® (also accepted as an upgrade to 3D for theatres with no UltraAVX)
valid from January 1, 2014-March 31, 2014 – Redeem online

• One free small popcorn (upgradeable to regular for $0.50)
valid from January 1, 2014-March 31, 2014 – Redeem in theatre

• One half price nachos or poutine
valid from January 1, 2014-March 31, 2014 – Redeem in theatre

• One free 120g bag of M&M’s with the purchase of a large drink and large popcorn
valid from January 1, 2014-March 31, 2014 – Redeem in theatre

• $1 (plus tax) SD digital movie rental at cineplexstore.com (offer not valid in Quebec)
valid from January 1, 2014-March 31, 2014 – Redeem online at cineplexstore.com.

• PIN Code for 100 SCENE® points
valid from January 1, 2014-March 31, 2014 – Redeem online


You will only receive the coupon pack if you purchase a physical gift card. If you opt to do it online, you can get a bonus $5 gift card for a $50 gift card purchase. Don't wait to purchase your gift card because this is always a very popular deal and sells out fast. The offer is only good while quantities last. Details about this promotion here.

LEGO Brick Friday Promotion

"Brick Friday" is almost upon us, and LEGO will be having a 4-day promotion with an exclusive limited edition holiday set with a purchase of $99 or more. This is set 2 of 2 of the holiday series. The first one - Christmas Tree Farm - came out in October with the same minimum purchase. Make sure to head to your LEGO store early on November 29th to ensure you get your hands on this set. As well, there is a free holiday pick-a-brick box with a $75 purchase. I'm not sure if the staff will let you stack promotions, so you'll have to see at your store. As well, you will receive the chance to win an on-the-spot shopping spree of up to $1,000! I'd be in LEGO heaven for sure!

Earn More PC Points with the PC Plus Program!

Superstore has stepped up their game by introducing the PC Plus Program! You can now earn additional PC points when you shop at Loblaw owned stores, in addition to the 10 PC points per $1 you spend when you use your PC Mastercard or debit card. Offers are tailored to you that you can load onto your card for the bonus points. There are flyer offers and in-store offers as well. More PC points means more free groceries. And it's free to join! What's not to like? Find out more about the PC Points program here.

Disney's PLANES Flies Into Stores November 19!

Disney's PLANES is coming to Blu-ray and DVD on November 19 so now you can enjoy Dusty Crophopper and his friend's adventure. I really enjoyed the movie in theatres so I am very excited to add this to my collection.

“PLANES” is propelled by a star-studded voice cast that includes Dane Cook (“Louie,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Dan in Real Life”) as Dusty, Stacy Keach (“The Bourne Legacy,” “Nebraska”) as Navy Corsair Skipper, Teri Hatcher (ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” “Coraline”) as say-it-like-it-is mechanic Dottie, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “Seinfeld”) as Rochelle, Priyanka Chopra (“Barfi!”) as Ishani, John Cleese (Monty Python, “A Fish Called Wanda”) as Bulldog, Carlos Alazraqui (James Garcia on Comedy Central’s “Reno 911”) as El Chupacabra, Roger Craig Smith (Captain America in Disney XD’s “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble,” voice of Sonic The Hedgehog in “Wreck-It Ralph”) as the world champion racer Ripslinger, Val Kilmer (“Batman Forever,” “Top Gun”) as Bravo and Anthony Edwards (TV’s “ER,” “Top Gun”) as Echo.

The Blu-ray combo pack is full of bonus features including:

- Deleted Scenes
- Exclusive - Franz's Song
- Top Ten Flyers - Count down the world's most famous aviators with host Colin Cowherd
- Meet the Racers
- Klay's Flight Plan

For any fans of the Cars franchise, Planes would be the perfect companion movie! Check out this extended sneak peek of the DVD below!

Pick up Planes in stores on November 19th!

Disclaimer: The product mentioned above was provided by the company for review. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Savvy Shopping, Deals and Reviews and have not been influenced in any other way.