Tag: Christmas

Black Friday Weekend Deals

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Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

UPDATED 12:30PM 11/24. The turkey is eaten and the guests have gone home, now it’s time to focus on the time honored tradition of trying to help retailers meet their fourth quarter numbers. To be honest, I prefer to shop in the solace of my living room…on my laptop or iPad, but every once in a while I will venture into mallville on Black Friday and go for broke (pardon the pun). Below are some online sales to check out this Black Friday weekend–and I’m continuing to update them, so check back if you like and feel free to post your own in the Comments section below.

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What I’m Wishing For

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As parents, we always gather lists from our children, nieces and nephews but when do we get to put together a wish list of our own?  When we start our own blog, that’s when!  This is the ultimate indulgence, agreed, but it’s also potentially a service to you, the reader, to see what items I’m currently obsessed with.  Fair warning…I’m dreaming big this holiday (not like world peace dreaming big) but I am putting it all out there.

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50 Unique Stocking Stuffer Ideas

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Image courtesy of Stewart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you’re anything like me, you believe the best gifts come in small packages. That’s why I LOVE buying stocking stuffers. When I was a youngster, every year I knew that there would be one very special gift in my stocking among the little fun things that were also there and it was always so much fun anticipating where it would be–under the chocolate Santa…after the silly putty…before the socks? Below are some fun and unique stocking stuffer ideas (some links are also available to see some of my picks for each) meant to inspire and delight your recipients…and feel free to add your ideas in the comments below.

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Holiday Hostess Gifts

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Image courtesy of Ron Bird / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Despite my passion for gift-giving and shopping (it’s kind of the whole premise for this blog) when it comes to the holidays, hosting and feeding my family and friends takes the cake–literally and figuatively. I love preparing the menu, decorating our house with my husband and kids–well, he watches and directs while we decorate but it’s still really fun–finding a fun activity for guests to break the ice and then pulling it all together. That said, I also visiting family and friends: our annual tradition of going to my aunt’s for Christmas Day, celebrating New Years Eve with my husband at “our” restaurant where we had our wedding reception, watching all the kids and grown-up men get sweaty and hungry playing soccer (or maybe it’s football) on Thanksgiving at my in-law’s.

Whether it’s an established tradition or a new invitation that finds you celebrating in someone else’s home, it’s customary to bring a token of thanks. I’ve written about hostess gifts before, and my “rules of the road” (a bunch of them will work for the holidays too so feel free to check them out again, particularly this one and this one) but these gift ideas focus on unexpected and holiday specific ideas to warm the hearts and homes of your hosts.

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The Santa Dance

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Santa Hat

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.

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10 Ideas For Holiday Cards

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20121103-212712.jpgGetting 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).

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What I’m Giving: Electronics & Appliances

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gift_boxes.jpgOne 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.

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October Top Toys: Get Holiday Gifting Ready

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20121029-212904.jpgRemember 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!

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September’s Top Toys: Hot Picks For Fall

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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!

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First Time Gifts: Buying for a New Boyfriend or Girlfriend

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We’ve all agonized over this one at one point in our lives. The first gift. You don’t want it to be too casual or utilitarian (socks is a no-no), but it also can’t be too serious either (a watch or expensive jewelry may be too much right now too). You also may not know enough about the person to be able to really nail this gift, like if their birthday, Valentines Day or the holidays are two weeks after you’ve started dating, well, that’s a tough one, but not all is lost. Here are some ideas–from, me, the Gifting Whisperer, AND my hubby–so you’re not totally hanging out there with your downtown area exposed. This also marks my mans’ debut on giftingwhisperer.com, and I hope it’s the first of many…or at least the first of a few. Hope you enjoy his romanticism, wit and humor as much as I do.

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