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Holiday Gift Guide

There are some things a girl always needs. The ideal dress pumps. The omnipresent to-die-for tote bag. Luxurious face cream which actually delivers results. And the Holy Grail of all shopping excursions--the perfect pair of jeans. These girly requirements necessitate the need for serious, world class shopping. And when it comes to shopping, there are certain equations which are a given in this life. There is the universal Girl + Shopping = Happy Girl. (And as we all know, happy girls are the prettiest girls!) Then there is the ubiquitous Girl + Successful Holiday Shopping = Ecstatically Happy Girl Who Is Much Appreciated By All Who Love Her.

This is where the all powerful Thanksgiving weekend shopping extravaganza comes into play. While it is true that the origin of the holiday is Thanksgiving = food + family, the day after Thanksgiving = the pinnacle of a World Class Shopper's year. For a specified few precious hours, department stores and boutiques open their doors to wild-eyed shoppers and offer the Sale of the Season, thus ensuring said shopper the pleasure of knowing they achieved the ultimate more-product-per-dollar spent.

And here's the best part: though those early holiday sales are short-lived, the ensuing 29 days before Christmas happily becomes an entire month-long excuse to shop! For the serious shopper, however, this prized allotment of time requires more than an excuse, and more than ambition: it requires mastery of an art; an art I call SALE-ING. It is an art requiring skill, patience, assertiveness and the ability to distract competing shoppers during the crucial final decision phase, and while I do not have the time to do proper justice to the Art of Sale-ing, I will leave you with six often quoted words of wisdom--the early bird gets the worm. Be there when the doors open. Okay, a few more words: preparation is the key: know your sales; know products, prices and proximity. The end.

So on to my proper and preordained purpose: gift suggestions for the slow-to-decide shopper. Girls in their twirties know that the slow-to-decide shopper quickly becomes the sucky-gift-giver, as all the best gifts are snatched up by the already knowledgeable and organized (not to mention entirely experienced) masses. The guidelines below are just that: guidelines. They are meant to give suggestions and hopefully solve gifting woes while shelves are still stocked to the ceilings and before the greatest sales become a mere memory.

For Mom, Sisters and Various Female In-laws:

Mother knows best, so don't attempt to pull the wool over her eyes (unless, of course, the gift is hi-tech, in which case you may just pull it off).

• A stylish handbag in either a trendy nylon or classic leather is a sure hit.
• A cashmere scarf adds instant class to any ensemble.
• Girls love anything and everything related to beauty. And, as we all know, it is bonus time at the makeup counters! Purchase a makeup basic and you will receive a free cosmetic bag/makeup kit/beauty gift pack etc.as a free bonus. Word to the wise: DO NOT attempt to use these free bonus items as gifts to others--they are meant for YOU! A reward for thoughtful and timely holiday shopping. (And we girly girls will recognize said bonus gifts as such--it ranks right up there with re-gifting.)
• Every girl loves a new fragrance.
• Rule of thumb: Anything from Sephora is a hit.

For Dad, Brothers and the other Men in your life:

• An exercise punching bag on stand with gloves. A great way to work off all those holiday meals, as well as any excess holiday stress!
• A time projecting clock provides hours of enjoyment simply lying in bed and watching the minutes pass by on the ceiling. (Guys love gadgets!)
• An old fashioned Art of Shaving compact shave kit.
• Great smelling after shave or cologne.
• Leather accessories: fashionable belt, wallet, cashmere lined driving gloves.

For the Main Man (hubby, boyfriend):

• You will attain goddess status with this one gift: season tickets! (Take advantage of the opportunity to spend this quality time with your guy.)
• Your main man will appreciate the media center that is the Xbox 360 . As my guy reminds me every 30 seconds, this baby can do basically anything. And I hear we girls can find uses for it as well. Plus, he'll enjoy the break from the regular gifts of neck ties, dress shirts and cologne.
• The ultimate gadget: The P-4000 Multimedia Storage Drive and Viewer. Holds more than 75,000 images, 25,000 songs and up to 300 hours of video.
• A snuggly warm robe for weekend lounging--with you! (Which would require a matching warm, snuggly robe--for you!)

Friends:

• Give your best girlfriend some gorgeous jewelry to compliment her eyes. Or something lovely and neutral she can wear every day. Jewelry is always a well-accepted and appreciated gift.
• This darling brocade purse is great for a girl's night out.
• Comfy flannel pj's with chic style.
• The holidays would not be complete without new days-of-the-week underwear. These luscious boyshorts are just the ticket.

Happy shopping and happy holidays! Resist the urge to draw a deficit this season.

Until next month,

Girly

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