image courtesy of Luigi Diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
My post today isn’t going to be a gift list or guide. Sorry in advance, although it IS slightly gifting related.
Before you continue reading any further, make sure there are only adults present–no children (or inner children) peeking behind you or reading over your shoulder. There are some “holiday spoilers” in this post, if you catch my drift. Alright, now that you’ve done that, I can share the rest of this with you.
Getting my first holiday card usually does one of two things depending on how organized I have managed to get myself:
1. Makes me so excited that the holiday season is in full-swing
2. Gets me panic-stricken that I am already behind in getting my cards out the door (or in some cases ordered at all).
One of my very favorite parts of the holidays is (no surprise) the gift shopping. I like to start picking and choosing few months in advance and I’m happy to say I’ve already got a few socked away. Most gifts I purchase are things I already have, love or want…things I can get behind, so to speak. The following are some electronic and appliance items I’m thinking about for this holiday season and I’d love to hear about what you’re pondering in the comments below.
Remember when Holiday shopping started AFTER Thanksgiving? Me too! This year I started getting catalogs and emails after my kids went back to school. Then the panic started–have I been asleep at the shopping wheel, should I be more prepared? Every year it seems we get inundated with Christmas promotions and Chanukah sales earlier and earlier but what this also means is that ultimately people ARE shopping so there is more competition for selection so starting to think about your gift list now is prudent. That’s why I’m dedicating my regular end-of-month toy feature to gifting ideas and thought starters, as always from Amazon.com. Enjoy!
Whether you’re going to a Halloween party, hosting one of your own and need favors or want some Halloween themed gifts for a birthday or other fun event, this is a fabulous time to get thematic with spook-tackular treats, accessories and more. I’ve selected confections, hostess ideas, personal accessories, books and movies that incorporate one (sometimes more) of my favorite Halloween themes: spiders, skulls, black cats and pumpkins. I’m still not sure how we are going to celebrate–house party, trick or treating or going to a local block party–but you’ll be one of the first to know, of course, and would love to know about your Halloween traditions in the comments.
It’s no secret, I love skulls. In fact, my aunt–the cool one I wrote this post about–surprised me with a cutting board the other week that had a sugar scull carved into the front an its almost too pretty to use.
Halloween is a special time of year for me because it’s when I can indulge my bizarre passion for skulls and its also the birthday of my beloved husband so when I’ve had birthday parties and dinners for him I go a little nutty with the thematic elements. Here are a few picks for Halloween-y gifts and party accents you that are more hip than haunted house (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
It’s week two of having sick kids in the house and as any working mom who is trying to multi-task, playing mommy-nurse, tele-commuting, doctor appointments, and making sure everyone (yourself included) doesn’t go insane in the process is a tall order. These are devices and services that will make your sick days, rainy days and even family movie nights so much easier to navigate so if you know a new-mom, mommy-to-be (or Dad) or know of a home-bound family in need of some respite, these are my recommendations to bring-on a smile (or induce a nap).
If you’re anything like me, you start holiday shopping in October so get ready for tomorrow…because it is ON. As luck would have it and as I do at the end of every month, I’m rounding up the the top toys — by popularity and rating as tracked by Amazon.com — across a number of categories and I’ve already earmarked a few ideas for my Christmas and Chanukah shopping lists. Featured below are selections from: action & toy figures, dolls and doll accessories, construction & blocks, arts & craft, outdoor gym & swing sets, learning & educational toys, play vehicles and games. Bear in mind, the prices listed are “List Prices” however, on Amazon you can often find items deeply discounted (many of these featured items are), so make sure to check.
PS – Stay tuned for special Halloween posts coming soon too. Happy Fall!
The Voice and X-Factors debuted their season this week and presumably Idol will soon follow. Other than the singing, what do they all have in common? Former pop star queens making up part of the the judging panels (did anyone notice Britney get announced AFTER Simon last night as the “headliner” and X-F clearly became the Britney Show)–and as a fan I’m hoping they deliver and rule the roost. I’m speaking of course of all of them: Christina Aguilera, Demi Lovato, Britney Spears and Mariah Carey (and perhaps one more TBD). Now full disclosure, a couple years back my husband got this thirtysomething tickets to see Ms. Spears in concert during her Circus Tour so I never lost and all of my teeny-booper mojo– I also feel her Blackout album may be her most brilliant one. Ever. And Ms. Mariah…don’t even get me started. Love her. So I am not a pop hater. Not at all. This list is in reverence and hopefully useful for you and your pop loving recipients.
This is really more of a sidebar, but if you can get your hands on David Cook’s cover of Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby” you’ll be glad you did. Trust.
Nothing is stinkier than a cloudy holiday weekend… But what parts those grey clouds (for me) is some retail therapy and luckily there are some fantastic sales going on. The catch? Some are one day only so check ’em out fast. The other bonus… Stock up on gifts for birthdays, even Christmas and Chanukah now and you’ll breathe a big sigh of relief later I promise.
I’m adding more as the day progresses so check back!
The Gifting Whisperer 