Momma Told Me: Xbox One

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free

Momma Told Me: I lost your father to the store!

Shopping for everyone can be a pain. I refuse to set foot in the mall after December 1st, and I try to have all my gift buying done before Thanksgiving. Thankfully, most of my family members can agree on entertainment and tech as gifts. Whether it's a karaoke machine for Sabrina (12), a new home theater system for my grandfather, the hottest video game for my brother in law, or that new tablet for Momma, Best Buy has an extensive hands on showroom and sales floor to explore it all. Think I'm pulling your leg? One store can't possibly make everyone happy? That's not what my father said when I presented him with his holiday gift; a brand new Lenovo Yoga Pro 2 with Geek Squad protection and extended warranty through Best Buy. That's one gift I receive thanks for non-stop.

But he's not the only one who will be enjoying the hottest tech, thanks to the elves in blue and Santa's secret. Okay, so Best Buy's price matching isn't exactly a secret- but it's just one more way I know I'm getting a great value when I choose to shop there for all my holiday needs. And, remember that interactive sales floor? That's exactly where we found an extensive selection of the hottest XBOX ONE games and accessories, complete with a demo station.

What is Xbox One?

Xbox One was built by gamers, for gamers. With the best exclusive titles (Halo, Sunset Overdrive), the biggest blockbusters (Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty) the hottest sports franchises (Madden 15, FIFA 15, NBA 2K15) and top family titles (Fantasia: Music Evolved, Just Dance 15, Skylanders) Xbox One takes gaming to a whole new level.

In addition to being a great gaming console, Xbox one connects consumers unlike any other device. Xbox One enables access to the latest TV shows and movies through your favorite apps. With Xbox One all of your media is at your fingertips when you want it. Gift this to one individual and watch the entire family enjoy it throughout the year! If you're anything like us, your gaming center is THE hub of your house!

Of course, sometimes, Santa can't always hear all of our wish list requests- so it's important that you identify a few special treats to fill your own stocking with as well. I have an older (2000s) car that seems like it's the last without built in GPS. Right now I use my smartphone on a vent clip mount, and it can be very distracting and unreliable when calls and texts try to peek through my map navigation. So I've had my eye on a brand new GPS like one of the several Garmin and TomTom units sold at Best Buy. The hottest units this year feature bluetooth connectivity for hands-free calling, traffic and weather updates as well as Lane assist, Lifetime traffic and map updates, Voice Recognition Technology, and more.

I've been particularly eying the TomTom Go 50s with:

Lifetime TomTom Traffic: Drive with TomTom Traffic for the lifetime of your device
Lifetime Maps (US, Canada, Mexico): Always drive with the latest map
3D Maps. See buildings and landmarks in stunning 3D
5" touchscreen with advanced lane guidance

Naturally Best Buy has thousands of Blu-Rays, CDs, Video Games and more; but you may have a hard time picking out something so specific for the techie in your life. No fear, wireless audio is super hot this year and Best Buy has the latest from JBL Audio including;

JBL Charge 2- Between the twin passive radiators for deep bass, the massive 6000mAh battery and the hands-free conference speakerphone the key benefit is the Bluetooth Social Mode which allows up to three different users to take their turns to play their own playlists on a single speaker.

JBL Flip 2- Aside from the dual performance-tuned JBL drivers and a built-in bass port, the key benefit of the JBL Flip 2 is the SoundClear echo and noise cancellation combined with the state-of the art microphone system to pick up calls on the speaker.

JBL Reflect Earbud headphones- Sweat proof ergonomic design. With a 5 hour rechargeable battery and a reach of about 40 feet, the JBL Reflect BT’s key benefit is the design of the ergonomic eartips along with the built-in magnets which keep your buds on standby without loose cables.

But, personally, I'm crushing on the JBL Pulse speaker which emits hundreds of multi-colored light patterns in a visual display that is as unique as the audio streaming from it. There truly is a JBL speaker for everyone at Best Buy!

Of course, if you can't quite decide who will love what most, you can always give the gift of choice with a Best Buy Gift Card and know there's something perfect to discover down every aisle. I know I hope to find one in my stocking this year- the only problem? I can never decide what I want most! Thank goodness for Valentine's Day and my birthday! We love shopping at Best Buy all year round, but especially this time of year when I can get so many people crossed off my list in just one place. What electronics or entertainment finds are on your holiday wish list this year?

What Daughter Says: Leave the men at home, get all of your shopping done in one place with Best Buy's amazing entertainment and tech selection.

Momma Told Me: You're going to get chocolate all over that controller!

I love video games. If there is one thing I love more than video games, it's chocolate. When I can enjoy them both, together, it is truly a version of nirvana for me, I am in my element. And that's why gaming is better with M.

Not only have countless late night video game battles been waged and won, #FuelledByMM, but these candy coated chocolates hold memories as far back as my first Atari console. With dozens of flavors, and seasonal varieties, it's not hard to spot the party sized Ziplocs or the fun sized M&M pouches stashed by the gaming station in our home. Occasionally we'll throw a few in a bowl with some pretzels and Chex for a crunchy sweet and salty gaming mix that is always bragged about in online chat rooms. Yea, we're a gaming household, but we're also an M&M family, and that means every new release party, every console unboxing, and every midnight Just Dance-off is paired with a helping of our favorite rainbow chocolates.

I've shared before the sentimental tale of a toddler in pig-tails clutching her father's pant legs as she nods off to sleep, The Legend Of Zelda (1987) theme music looping as her lullaby in the background. It's no secret I grew up attached to consoles, and the painted stories of fantasy and role-playing captured within them. I even attended the Art Institute of Los Angeles, straight out of high school in hopes of becoming a famous female programmer. And, while it turns out making video games is a lot more match and science than this starry-eyed fan anticipated, I still hold a romantic candle to the notion today. If there wasn't the practical, type A, side of me constantly nagging at my sense of reason and responsibility, I would happily resign to my couch with a bowl of M&Ms and the latest console release.

So, when I heard my favorite candy coated chocolate was teaming up with the newest, Xbox One, console release in an exclusive Buy, Snap, Redeem promotion with Forza Motorsport 5, I was understandably excited. My very first Xbox console had been bundled with this state of the art, realistic, racing game that at the time has pushed physics boundaries with realistic damage rendering and over 230 playable cars. When it came to placing the player into the driver's seat, the Forza franchise had it all; and I can't wait to experience modern day graphics engines paired with the Xbox One and Forza franchise. That's why I'll be heading to my local Walmart to pick up my copy for Forza Motorsport 5, and 2 participating packages of M&M's to Buy, Snap, and Redeem for an instant $10 eCode good at Walmart.com. It's as easy as making the purchase, snapping a photo of your receipt by 12/31/2013, and texting the image to 811811 with the text code: M&M by 1/1/2014. Participating products and complete Buy, Snap, Redeem information can be found here.

But these two brands haven't stopped the Xbox One and Forza Motorsport 5 buzz there, they are also launching an incredible interactive sweepstakes where customers are encouraged to actually play with their food. That's right, let your geek flag fly with the Gaming With M Pixel Art Contest, where one lucky pixel artist will take home a new Xbox One console and Gaming Is Better With M prize pack featuring Forza Motorsport 5, or the cash equivalent to $600! How's that for a chance at a little extra holiday cheer? The sweepstakes will run from December 4, 2013 to December 18th, with the winner being drawn at random from all eligible entries. Pick your favorite video game character, icon, or logo, and turn them into M&M pixel art, then snap a photo and Instagram or Tweet your image with the hashtags #FueledByMM AND #Contest to get entered to win. Each person may enter up to 3 times during the entry period, to maximize their chances. Follow the #FueledByMM Pixel Art contest online to see all of the creative entries!

I was a little more than enthusiastic when I got wind of this exciting Gaming Is Better With M Pixel Art Contest, and quickly hurried to my local Walmart shelf to pick up some art supplies. Here there were many options for suitable mediums, from pretzel and holiday exclusive gingerbread, to minis and dark. I found the simplest to 'build' with were Original and Dark M&M's that could be found in holiday colors (Red and Green only) that would work well to give you many candies of the same color for larger pixel art creations. I also learned quickly that Dark M&M's, though my favorite, were not the best pick for Yellow candies to make my favorite character, Pikachu, featured above. For those looking to have some real fun, and go big with their pixel art creations, I suggest investing in the ziploc Party Size packages of Plain M&M's, which seemed to have the most uniform distribution of colors.

There aren't many candies you can actually play with and keep clean hands, after all M&M's melt in your mouth, not in your hand, right? That colorful candy coated shell is what has made these brand a natural companion for hungry gamers worldwide, since Atari. And, now you have more reason than ever to pick up a bag and play with M, as you relive your childhood video game favorites and enter to win an amazing Xbox One and Gaming With M bundle in the #FueledByMM Pixel Art Contest. Check out my stop motion video below for some sweet inspiration; can you name all of the video games represented?

What Daughter Says: I can snack into the wee hours of the morning, while fighting zombies, thanks to melt-free M&M's.