Do Not Open Until Christmas!

Being the season of giving I thought I'd share some of my favorite holiday gifts. I'm not materialistic about Christmas at all but I do love to buy gifts for other people so I always find it fun to browse various flyers or sites for ideas even if the products are way out of my price range. Maybe it will spark an idea for a particularly hard person to buy for or maybe you'll just kill a few minutes amusing yourself with something to do. Either way here are some of my favorite "must have" gifts.

1.)FOR THE TECH GEEK= iMac: Between $1300-$2100 is what this computer will run you. I'm not computer savy myself but I love that they're coming out with computers that aren't as clunky looking and can actually add luxury to the decor in your office or wherever your computer resides. Because this computer is a sleek beauty I think it would be a perfect gift to replace the outdated dust magnet computer you already have. Other great tech options are the iPod touch (which I bought my fella last year) or the new HP Pavillion All In One Touch Screen which is basically a larger scale iPod touch.



2.)FOR THE MUSIC LOVER= Stereo Box Set: The Beatles: Everyone knows at least one Beatles fan so what better gift than this digitally remastered 17 disc box set containing all 14 original Beatles albums released between 1963 and 1970 plus the two CD Past Masters collection of non-album tracks and a bonus DVD containing all the mini documentaries that can be found as enhanced tracks on each of the individual CD releases. Who wouldn't be pleased to open up this little box of some of the best music ever made? More great music options recently out are the Susan Boyle CD I Dreamed A Dream or the new Lady Gaga The Fame Monster.



3.)FOR THE BOOKWORM- The Time Of My Life: The auto-biography of Patrick Swayze has become a bestseller fast I'm sure in no small part to the fact that he was so widely loved. I don't know a single woman who has seen Dirty Dancing and didn't fall in love with Johnny the rough edged sexy dance instructor. This book would be a great gift for any of those women or maybe even a little present to yourself for all the work you put in to making Christmas great! Some other great books to consider are Michael J Fox's "Always Looking Up" or the new Stephen King novel "Under The Dome."



4.)FOR THE JOKESTER= The Office Season Five: For the clown in the family I think this would be a perfect gift. I was skeptical of this show in the beginning but as I began to watch it quickly moved into my "favorite TV show" spot. It's not your typical humor yet it promises belly laughs even Santa would covet. Some other hilarious shows you might consider are Corner Gas and Fawlty Towers. If dramas are more your thing, I personally can never get enough of House or Medium.



5.)FOR THE KIDDIES= Even though it's been out for quite some time now and it was the most wanted item during last year's Christmas rush, the Nintendo Wii is still very high on the "Dear Santa" list for kids who have yet to get one. In reality a kid will love absolutely any game system you buy them though so if this one is out of your price range there is also the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS which come in at a lower price range and require less extras.


6.) FOR THE MOTHER IN LAW= Monogram Cashmere Robe: You cannot fail with anything cashmere. Although it can be pricey it is worth every cent spent to make the mother in law pleased. When she slips on the cloud like robe with her initials on it don't be surprised if she finally admits you are good enough for her son! I found these great robes at restoration hardware for $249 on sale from $299 but if that's too much for you they also offer throws, pillows covers, scarves, slippers and hot water bottle covers all in cashmere. All of these choices range in price from $39-$250.



7.)FOR THE ATHLETE= Lance Armstrong Comeback 2.0: A great story about Lance Armstrong's battles and victories from winning 7 Tour De France races and beating testicular cancer. This book would be very inspiring to anyone that aspires to be an athlete. Some other great gifts for sports lovers could be the Wayne Gretzky book "Gretzky's Tears" or one thing my brother the sports fan loves in particular is his PVR so he can record games he misses when he is at work then watch them when he gets home. Not a typical gift but they will be singing your praises when their sports season starts up.



8.)FOR THE ASPIRING INTERIOR DESIGNER= Domino The Book Of Decorating: Although I do not have this book myself, everywhere I look people who love design such as myself are raving about this must have item when renovating or decorating. It's made it onto my Christmas list this year because if that many people say it's fabulous I'm willing to bet that it probably is. If you check out amazon they will give you a little sneak peak inside the book. Some other great ideas for the decorator in your home could be some of the amazing software they have out now to digitally draw up your rooms and re-design them before you ever have to touch a paint can or hit the stores. What you spend on the software will no doubt be cheaper than the possible blunders that occur without proper planning. One good place to start is with the Better Homes and Gardens software you can find on amazon but if you just go to the software department and look up interior design it will give you several options.



I hope you enjoyed my take on some of the hot ticket items this seasons and got some ideas. All of these items seen here can be found at amazon.com except the cashmere gifts which can be found at the Restoration Hardware website.