While you’re getting ready for all the fun, be sure to check out these Great Discounts on All Your Holiday Needs at Amazon’s Christmas Corner!

Amazon has done it again – bringing together all the best holiday items at great savings! From trees to ornaments, tableware to lights and music, they even have special discounts on cookie cutters, baking pans, crafting books and linens…

Whatever your need, Amazon has all the holiday trimmings on sale now, so be sure to check out their their great Christmas Corner today!

If you need to be told what a great Christmas gift idea is for a particular person, then it’s not a great idea – it has to be figured out – studied – considered…

This is the first capacity required in order to accomplish the goal of a great Christmas gift idea. This is what is needed in order to be able to give a great Christmas gift.

It is an art form, really. But it can be learned. And it can be very spontaneous and whimsical as well. It is not always serious or deep thinking – sometimes the best ideas are for things that have a particular, different or quirky meaning between you and the other person – sort of like your own inside joke – and these ideas make for excellent fun.

So how do you do it? You pay close attention. You observe the people you care about and notice what matters to them. And then you think of cool ways to surprise them with something that you know is already something they are really going to be excited about -

You give your friend who is a great cook a kitchenaid mixer with lots of cool attachments (this may require a group collaboration – they aren’t cheap) – or you give your green thumb mom a cool new sprinkler that is more of a veritable water dancing fountain than a sprinkler, because you know she has an eye for things like the sparkle of water droplets dancing in sunlight as well as thriving plants.  You have to actually think for a while about the person – and plot – and connive and ponder…

You don’t have great Christmas present plans just hatch out of your head all unawares: unless you have, at least at first, spent a little time pondering – enjoying the thought of the person for whom the gift is intended, testing your mind for ideas to get you moving…

After that, it IS time to let it be and see what hatches. That is how it is done according to all the great thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries…

Trick is to do that first step. Put some real attention to the ‘problem’ and mull it over.

Once you do, you will have serious potential for becoming a great gift giver – not just at Christmas, but all the time.  It will also give you the added benefit of pondering the things you really cherish and appreciate in the people around you. But the truly great news is, the more you do it, the better you will get and the more you will naturally notice the good qualities in the people in your life.

So go ahead – have a GREAT Christmas gift idea – Think on it today – sleep on it – and discover it tomorrow!

Good Luck!

Whatever you do, PLEASE don’t give mom a vaccuum cleaner for christmas! Trust me, this has been done. And it’s really NOT a good idea. “Hey mom, here you go – get to work!” says the new vaccuum cleaner “present”… Save the vaccuum cleaner for those necessary home purchases not made into “gifts”.

Even if you know that’s what she really needs – just get it for her and don’t use Christmas as the excuse.

Instead, consider the romance of aromatherapy scented candles, bath oils, or a seriously decadant Kashwere Throw Blanket or robe

The softest robes and slippers in the world, I do believe – and so snuggly and cozy that she want to spend all her relaxing time snuggled in their cozy comfort.

The first time we ever came across these snuggle happy Kashwere goodies, it was love at first touch, and we’ve never looked back. There is just something about Kashwere that is that soft – that is that amazing – that is that cuddly… pure heaven.

And on those chilly winter nights, there is nothing that reminds a mom how much she is adored like her own personal cozy refuge – a warm cozy item of pure luxury.
And best of all – for all it’s amazing microfiber softness it is so easy to care for she won’t need to worry – no special care needed – now that’s really amazing!

Just remember, whatever you do, whether it’s aromatherapy candles, soothing bath oils or a super soft cloud of cozy heaven, moms deserve romance at Christmas!

So go ahead, and give it to her. She deserves it!!

How many paperweights can one mom use? How many sets of Christmasy pot holders and dish towels really can fit in her linen closet??? And, please, how many kerchiefs, or scarves can one mom own?

This Christmas, break out of the mold and go bold and creative! Let’s see – what about giving mom a little inspiration for self expression???

What about a little FUN?

Sure, moms are busy – but they are also very creative people – they manage to juggle more in one day than many people might have to figure out in a week – and they are often master artisans in disquise – so why not indulge mom’s creative streak this year?

After all, who can resist a Gloriously Riotous set of Colored Pencils and new clean crisp Sketch Book
or notebook? Or maybe real watercolor paints are her secret longing -

Whether its art supplies, musical instruments, or fabulously gawdy markers, give mom and chance to express herself this Christmas!

It used to be the only kind of Christmas Gift Baskets were fruits, or chocolates – sometimes a mixture of the two – or some fancy cheeses and meats – but pretty strictly, they were limited to foods… And many great Christmas Gift Basket ideas are still in the main food areas – exotic wine baskets, Italian Deluxe Gourmet Food baskets, Exotic Fruit Baskets – the expansion of gift basket ideas has not missed the culinary department!

Ah, but nowadays Christmas Gift Basket ideas have expanded to include such yummies as Aromatherapy Orange Ginger Gift Basket
, or even Organic Spa Basket!

So, this Christmas, don’t be shy when it comes to choosing a creative Christmas Gift Basket for mom – after all, the ideas for new and spectacular Christmas Gift Baskets are all around you!

Christmas gift baskets can range from simple fruits to a selection of wines, and even cheeses. I even found an entire basket full of candy from the 1960’s. What a great way to bring back childhood memories. With such interesting Christmas gift basket ideas there is no telling what sort of gift basket you will be able to find for your mother.

And to give the basket a more personal touch, many companies offer customized gift cards with the basket. Show your mother how well you know her by giving her a basket full of whatever it that she loves, and include a personal card that will make it unique.

State officials now say that funds for cleaning and rehabilitating
oil saoked birds cannot be diverted to help in caring for birds in the
Monterey Bay incident because the source of the problem is not petroleum
oil but some sort of protein formed in the red tide algae bloom currently
affecting the bay.

Some 600 birds have been rescued and transported to care facilities
for cleaning, drying and feeding, but State funds now may not be used
to offst the cost of their care.

If you are a bird lover, or just want to do something great this holiday
season, consider making a donation to the International Bird Rescue Resource
Institute where these birds have been being cared for and treated for release.

You’ll find them here: http://www.ibrrc.org/donate.html

Just so you know, even without any additional support or State funding, the
many local volunteer groups who have been rescuing and caring for these birds
continue to do the work of capturing, cleaning, feeding and saving birds who have
been washing up on Monterey Bay area beaches with no water proofiing since
November 8th.

I found the most gorgeous hand made blanket there! All kinds
of bright colors on a black background. And nice and big for
curling up on the couch with a good book…

And it got me to thinking of the things I love most…
Hand made blankeets and quilts, great linens… I LOVE
the fine table cloths and runners from Germany, you know.
The ones with all the hand embroidery and such beautiful
fabrics!

And I love sweaters… Cashmere, lambs wool, fleece,
angora, you name it… I love them all. And one of the best
places to find these kinds of things, at INCREDIBLE prices, is
the local thrift store.

Now, I’m not going to say Salvation Army and GoodWill aren’t
great, but that’s really just not the place to look. Look in the
little out of the way locally operated places like Grey Bears, or the
local hospital zuxiliary thrift stores… MUCH better selections, and
much higher quality items with BETTER prices! Amazingly, my
oversized hand made wool throw blanket purchase today was only
$12.00. You just can’t beat that…

So if your mom loves sweaters, great old linens, quirky dishware
or any of those things that you just can’t find at the local Mall ,
head over to your locally operated non profit thrift store and you’ll
be thrilled with the finds you come across. AND you’ll be doing some
good for the community at the same time!

You just can’t beat that.

Yesterday the fog was so thick I didn’t dare let
Doodle Boy off his leash. He just doodles off, and in
that thick fog there was no way I was goint to chance
having to spend the rest of the walk looking for him!

On our way home we again encountered our English
Setter friends, who were sporting their new Pet Blinkies
in White and Blue and Pink and Green. Very showy!

So we became DETERMINED to find these delightful and
clever LEDs with such power that you can spot them
even way down the beach…

And find them we did! Here they are! Pet BLinkies

I am getting a couple for each of the dogs, so they
can flash in different colors and really show off.

Pluse, that way, with my not so great vision, I’ll see them
no matter where on the beach they wander.

Man they are too cool!

Now it’s time to curl up by the fire and sip some nice tea
while we wait for the rain to subside.. no beach walking today!