A Great Pair of Children’s Books This Holiday Season

We’re just two weeks away from Thanksgiving which you probably already know from the amount of Christmas commercials on TV. Thankfully, some brands do air ads about the joy and coziness of Thanksgiving (like this cute ad from Hobby Lobby) even though it’s not quite the treasure chest that Christmas is.

Thanksgiving in 2023 – $5.6 Billion

Projected Consumer Spending Christmas 2024 – $979.5 billion

Everyone wakes up early on Christmas but ain’t no one waking up early on Thanksgiving excited to stick their hand up a turkey’s butt! Plus, I can’t remember the last time anyone got gifts on Thanksgiving day… except for whichever team plays the Cowboys. 😉

But if you’re looking to save a little dough in the next few weeks, there are two books that make great Thanksgiving gifts (see what I did there?) for any toddler or young reader in your life… and neither one will break the bank! The first book I ever published is a paperback perfect for newborns up to ages 4 or 5. It’s called “Big and Small, God Made Them All” (order at Books-A-Million or comment below for a signed copy and pay through Venmo @BenWilder615), a rhyming comparison between big things (“He made the whale…”) and small things (“…and the snail.”). The illustrations from incredible artist Laura Watson are… well, let’s just say it’s been a few years since the book was published and I’m still an in awe of her talent. The cutest raccoon, a colorful volcano, even the mosquito looks like it has a friendly side. Amazing artwork to go along with the message that God is responsible for all these big things and small things… and the book ends with a cute line of encouragement for the reader. Here’s the book trailer…

The next book is “The Brave Bamboo,” a story for young readers. A family of cuddly puppies are their mother’s delight. But one of her pups is easily frightened. That’s Bamboo. He just wasn’t born with the same adventurous spirit as his littermates. But Bamboo has a chance to save the day, if he can only muster up the bravery to overcome his fears. It’s also available at the Books-A-Million website here or a signed copy from me directly, paid through Venmo @BenWilder615. As you turn the pages, you’ll pick up pretty quickly that another really talented artist was brought onboard for the illustrations. Teresa Ramos did such a wonderful job capturing the spirit of Bamboo and his family, her depictions have such detail and everything is just so darn cute. Take a look at the trailer for “The Brave Bamboo”…

No matter what you decide to do, happy Thanksgiving! (and merry Christmas too)

-Out of the Wilderness

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning …Another Unbelievable Hollywood Hero

The trailer for the continuation of the latest Mission: Impossible story went public today and it was then I remembered how annoyed I was after watching The Dead Reckoning. This new one is called The Final Reckoning and my guess is that I’ll be as annoyed as I was before. Before I tell you why, or if you read this post you might already know, here’s the new trailer…

Every hero has to have a setback. Every action movie has to have a low point. These two well-known film formulas are what irritates me about Mission: Impossible. At no point did I ever think Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise’s character) was in any real danger. When an obstacle arose, he and his team always had the right tool to overcome it. There was never a moment where I thought, “Uh oh, this is the end for Ethan.”

This is going to sound silly but it reminds me of something that happened in one of the Sharknado movies, as cheesy as those were. The crew was in real danger and it would’ve been their complete demise if April Wexler (played by Tara Reid) didn’t magically all of the sudden have the power to defy the laws of nature (by flying, I think, I can’t remember exactly). Something she hadn’t done ever up to that point. In other words, there’s no real setback for the characters. They can do anything.

If Ethan Hunt has the skills and tools to overcome every challenge, why are we even watching these movies? How are we supposed to root for the hero/underdog if they’re amazing at everything?

I’ll end up watching The Final Reckoning, but rest assured I’ll write about how frustrated I was and possibly even secretly rooting for the bad guys… they, in fact, have the biggest obstacles to overcome.

-Out of the Wilderness

Dick’s Christmas Commercial – The Movies They Spoofed With The Watt Family

This is the 5th Dick’s commercial I’ve written about which means one of two things must be true: 1. Dick’s is putting together some great ads (see the list below) or 2. I’m posting a blog every day and will write about almost anything. You know there’s always a secret third option, right? And yes, that means both #1 and #2 are true! Dick’s had one of the best sports commercials I’ve ever seen with this one and now they’ve come up with a less serious– dare I call it funny– commercial with a great coupling of sports equipment AND classic holiday films. Check it out to see if you can name all the movies they pay homage to with an ad they call “A Watt Holiday Classic”…

The Movies. How did you do guessing which movies are spoofed in the commercial? They stuck to the classics to make it easy for us to catch on. Here’s the list and definitely let me know if I missed any…

Home Alone.

Elf.

A Christmas Story.

Love Actually.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

I love that they included one of the best scenes in a movie ever. The scene stars the lovely Keira Knightley and “The Walking Dead” actor Andrew Lincoln. Three words (or is it two?) have never hit me this hard in a film. Enough… enough, now.

Something tells me it wouldn’t have gone over well if J.J. Watt kissed the security guard so a hug was enough… enough, now. The Dick’s commercial is a touchdown. It would’ve been a game-winning-overtime-touchdown if they had done one extra little scene as an homage to a controversial Christmas movie. This film’s inclusion on some Christmas movie lists is probably the reason kids have divorced parents. It’s THAT hot of a discussion. No, not Violent Night (great movie, by the way). I’m, of course, talking about Die Hard.

Yippee-ki-yay.

Otherwise this is a Christmas win for Dick’s Sporting Goods. I’m adding it to the list of other Dick’s ads I’ve written about, which are below:

Dick’s Commercial Does It Again – But Was The Half-Court Shot Legal??

Dick’s Commercial Was Great… Until This Happened.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Ads – The Music and More!

Dick’s Sporting Goods Holiday Commercials – The Music and the Jockstraps

-Out of the Wilderness

The Zales Christmas Commercial – The Mamacita Song and More!

We’re not overlooking Thanksgiving, right? Riiiiiight!? But in Zales’ defense, Thanksgiving isn’t a big jewelry swapping holiday so I guess they get a pass on their latest ad debuting in the second week of November. Also, it’s probably a good idea to give guys a lot of time to pick up something for their significant other. Aww who are we kidding, *stereotype forthcoming* they should just air the commercial December 24th so husbands and boyfriends can rush out last minute like every other year.

Men on Christmas Eve

Do you recognize the song from a commercial airing during the holidays last year? If you guessed the Amazon llama commercial you would be correct! Watch the Zales holiday ad then scroll down for more…

The Song. You might be surprised that this song isn’t called “Mamacita” …although that’s the part that’ll get stuck in your head all day. It’s by a young singer named Augie Rios and the title is “Dónde Está Santa Claus.” Here’s the full track from 1958.

Winner? Comment below with who used the song better, Amazon or Zales. I don’t want to influence your decision but dancing llamas, come on! I’m not sure anything beats groovy wildlife. But if you like beautiful people modeling expensive jewelry, go ahead and pick the Zales ad, it’s fine… you’re just dead to me.

-Out of the Wilderness

Hobby Lobby Thanksgiving Commercial – Like Father, Like Daughter

A friend of mine asked me if I knew of any Thanksgiving movies. He brought up Planes, Trains, and Automobiles but neither of us could think of any others. Thanksgiving is often overshadowed by Christmas– just go to your local Walmart and I betcha there are Christmas decorations up already. Soon enough there will be Boy Scouts selling Christmas trees, Hallmark Channel movies every night, and lights up on your neighbor’s house (if they ever even took them down???). Thankfully, brands don’t skip past Thanksgiving when they’re putting commercials together, though. This season Hobby Lobby is airing a really sweet commercial featuring a daughter mimicking her father in the kitchen. Take a look…

People are noticing the wholesomeness of the ad. There’s a dad. There’s a mom. There’s a daughter. All three are the same race. It’s so old-fashioned and traditional especially when a lot of what we see is every race, gender, and age packed into a 30 second commercial.

I’m just a childless dog guy but I’ve noticed with my nieces and nephews (and kids, in general) that children like to imitate their parents doing chores and tasks adults do– like my nephew with his toy lawn mower as my brother mowed their yard. Or growing up, my sister had a calculator with a printer and she’d pretend to be a cashier at a grocery store. This Hobby Lobby commercial shines a spotlight on that innocent joy. Great commercial and I hope you’re able to be with people you love this holiday (Thanksgiving) season!

-Out of the Wilderness