HOLIDAY CHILL

This is it! Christmas Eve… you know who will be dropping down the chimney before you know it but wait! You STILL have gifts to buy????  EEEKKKKKK

Never fear, dear heart. Those multi-taskers among us have tips to share for even the late and last minute. Use these Top 5 Last Minute Life Savers to get the shopping job done and then sit down, and ENJOY!!!

1.) Still need gifts? Put a limit on it! Choose ONE PLACE to shop. Yes, ONE PLACE and one place only. You can make it a big box like Target; or if you’re truly down to the wire, and only the 24 drugstore is open, you can make it work there, too. Walk in, grab a cart and start shopping! One of my favorties? The BOOKSTORE! Yes, your local Barnes and Noble, Borders, or local independent are a bountiful resource – and you can find a book that will appeal to every one on your list from Grandma to the paperboy.

2.) Go to the grocery, find the best bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar you can get, pair with a good pasta and a can of Italian plum tomatoes and maybe a wedge of parmsesan. Put it all in a colander or cooking pot and you have an instant Italian feast. Feeling generous? Add a good Chianti and some fava beans!

3.) Hit the drugstore, bypass the obvious perfume and put together your own spa gift – great lotion, pumice stone, bath salts, a loofa, and put it all in a fun, funky cosmetic bag

4.) Have a Target or TJ Max nearby? You are so in luck! Just open your eyes and your shopping will be done in a flash! Go for out of the ordinary, quirky and clever. Pick items in a color scheme (all lime green) or put together a tasting (all chocolate bars? hmmm.) Pair hot cocoa mix with cute mugs, peppermint sticks for stirrers, and Sting’s new Winter CD for a great ‘cozy evening at home’ gift. You’re getting the idea!

5.) All the stores are closed and you’re out of gas? Stay on the keyboard a moment or two longer, and refer back to Way #11… make your last minute gifts count by giving the gift that keeps on giving – make a donation in your giftee’s name to a cause close to their hearts.

Oh, and just one more…

6.) Remember that when it comes right down to it, it’s not the gift that counts, it’s the thought behind it. So maybe you can skip the shopping altogether and pen a good old fashioned, hand written note sharing your feelings, a story, a memory or a smile. You may find that those are the best gifts of all to give.

Merry, Merry Christmas… and in the classic words of Tiny Tim, God Bless Us, Every One!