By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
It is one of those ” wish I had thought of that!” products. One of my favorite serving bowls is a sugar bowl because it has a nice lip around the top (for the lid to sit on) that helps prevent the dip from spilling over the edge as you try to scoop it onto a cracker. It is way too small to be really practical for parties but I still bring it out knowing I will have to refill it more often. Then someone told me about the CaliBowls.
Jeff Bollengier, a native from California [...]

Where do you start with these folks? They already have everything, they don’t want anything, they’re difficult and picky… We have some in our family too. What to do? Ignoring them is not a sensible option, whether the “impossible” person in question is the mother-in-law or the boss. So, then, we thought that these types should probably be receiving virtual gifts. No, not a virtual Facebook cupcake, but rather something that is meaningful, of interest to them and that, more importantly, won’t gather dust.
Let us know what you think of these ideas…

Catalog Choice Unlisting [...]

This is the third annual Free Shipping Day. It’s an online event where a 1000+ merchants offer free shipping for a delivery by Christmas eve. It’s a “universal” one day agreement by some of the top (and some serious favorite) online merchants around. This year it’s taking place coming Friday, December 17.
See the whole list of participating merchants here and should you already be planning to shop with these retailers, make sure to take advantage of this free shipping offer on Friday.
The merchants include the expected big box stores (everything from Kmart to Neiman Marcus), chain stores (Ulta, Apple Store, [...]

As animal lovers we must, bien sûr, propose a gift guide for (wo)man’s best friends. For all the unconditional love and comfort that they provide us, we think they deserve their holiday treats too.
Here then are some great finds that Fido and Fluffy are going to love (well, the owners will anyway).

FOR DOGS

Humunga Tongue – Winner of the Editor’s Choice Award and Best New Product is an all-in-one ball and tongue. Reserved for dogs with a good sense of humor. Buy on Amazon for approx. $8.99.

Bark n Bag – Carry your pup in grand style [...]

Are women hard to buy for? We certainly don’t think so.
Gentlemen, listen up! Know that we always love a little – relative term – bling (check out our compelling Jewelry Gift Guide! ), and should you need further inspiration, here are some other great gift ideas that any woman would love to receive. We could almost offer a guarantee.
 

Vintage Starlet Robe -  This gorgeous robe is reminiscent of a glamorous era and is certain to make  her feel like a princess. A royal feeling for $128.95! Buy at SoftSurroundings.com.

UNII Makeup Organizer – UNII palette stores multiple [...]

What an adorably romantic story! The Twitten® has been 40 years in the making. Connie Kaiserman knit her first Twitten for Steve Robinson so they could hold hands during college football games. It seems to have worked as the couple is still together.
What’s a Twitten? It’s, as you guessed, a “couple’s” mitten that allows for hand holding. How adorable is that? The Twitten is available as the Twitten alone or as a three- piece set which includes the Twitten and the matching mitten for each.
Besides the supercute story and the great colorways, it’s even more endearing when we find out [...]

Here are some definitely original and playful finds to fill the stockings of pretty much everyone in the family.
We have attempted to classify the gift ideas by the logical recipient type (for lil’ kids, for t(w)eens, for her and for him), but please feel free to cross boundaries!
Have fun!

FOR THE LITTLE ONES

Smens – My girls love these “smelly”pens! Fun scents like Creamsicle and Pink Lemonade. Buy a set of 10 here for $24.95. Enough to distribute through a few stockings.

Eco Crayons – Crayons made from recycled leftover crayons. But much more fun and perfect for little fingers to hold. Buy [...]

There are moments when it’s most appropriate (and simple) to give a single but thoughtful gift to the family rather than to each individual member. Perhaps the gift is from one family to another, or it’s to say thank you for watching your home/pets/lawn/shoveling/getting the mail while you were away during the year or simply because you are being hosted.
Whatever the reason, we hope that the following will get you started on thinking up some great family-centric gift ideas.

DNA Ancestry Portraits – Get your genetic lineage is encoded to create a one-of-a-kind canvas art piece. The “portrait” is in fact [...]

We found this artisan design company, Village Designs, at a trade show earlier this year. We’ve been waiting for the appropriate season to roll in again to mention their unique take on holiday decorations. Their wire designs are what caught our attention and we like the modern, abstract renditions on the classic Christmas wreaths, snowmen and poinsettias.  I want a collection of “wired” snowmen for my Christmas centerpiece.  Or maybe the springy wire trees? Hummmm…

If the men in your life (husband, boyfriend, dad, brother, older son…) are anything like mine,  I know that I can forget about getting a Christmas list from them. After 24 years of marriage I have finally stopped asking for one from my husband. I just need to be really creative…
Here is a list of some of our favorite gifts ideas for men this year. We’ve put it together just so that you don’t head out aimlessly as you head to the stores (or like me, the internets).

Speak-er – Speak-er are high-quality multimedia speakers that plug directly into [...]