Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
To gear up for Thanksgiving, and prepare for Chanukah and Christmas, I’ve put together a list of food and decor deals perfect for a host/hostesses, family gatherings or even a party you’re hosting (leave the centerpiece to someone else, and have it shipped too).
So enjoy these offers, feel free to post any others you know about in the comments, and look for updates and new posts as the season continues.
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.
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.
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!
So it’s been a while since my last post, I know. But this one is a doosey I can assure you and may explain my absence in part… “Entering Womanhood” means different things to different people and in different cultures and I will spare you the gory details of what it means in mine but suffice it to say it’s one to be celebrated. I meant to write this earlier in the weekend but I kept crying every time I started.
However this moment is “checked off”–as a social occasion, a rite of passage, or a biological one–it’s bound to be emotional and one you don’t want to forget. So remember the day, month and year and do something special together. The idea is to do something experiential, open the lines of communication and begin a new dialogue that hopefully will continue as she–and you–embark on this new period (pardon the pun) of her life together. Most importantly she will come away knowing she can come to you and that you’re there for her no matter what. As my husband and I say to each other: All in, as is. In my experience, that’s what love is, any way you slice it.
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.
9/11 in New York is always a little different. Even the hustle and bustle of midtown seems a bit slower, people come to work a little later as they shuffle in from memorials and by work the pace picks up a bit more but the tone is still somber. We are acutely reminded of our promise to never forget in a way that is more palpable than during the rest of the year. As a New Yorker, you only have to look at the skyline or walk past a firehouse to remember…for many of us this is a common, even daily occurrence. I recall the sky being so clear, the day having so much promise and holding my 10-month-old daughter getting ready to take her to playground and begin our day as usual. And then the world changed and I loved my city all the more.
Please consider checking out the 9/11 Memorial items, and the rest are iconic NYC items that I think you will also enjoy.
The Gifting Whisperer 