Tweezerman has added a bejeweled holiday tweezer to its line of tweezers. The Polka Dot Swarovski Crystal Slant Tweezer contains encrusted Swarovski crystals. They retail for $40 and can be purchased here.
The Hermes online store has a few games available in addition to its wonderful bags and scarves. The attractive games could make a good gift for someone who is hard to buy for. They include a set of memory playing cards, which include drawings from the Emile Hermes Collection, for $215. Sets of Poker and Bridge cards are available for $80 each. Hermes also sells a wood dominoes set, which comes in a leather case, for $445.00. To get to the games section on Hermes website click on the Leisure section on the top menu bar and then click on games on the left menu bar.
Laduree, a French luxury pastries brand, has partnered with designers to make fabulous gift boxes for its macaroons. Italian luxury brand Marni created a gold colored macroon box with polka dots and a golden flower for Laduree. Christian Louboutin and Laduree worked together for a box covered with shoes and fashion accessories.
Neiman Marcus has unveiled its 2009 Christmas Book. The 83rd edition includes some unusual, lavish gifts as it does each year. Last year, one of the unusual gifts were lift-sized His and Hers Lego Sculptures. One of the most unusual gifts this year is the Cupcake Car (pictured above), which costs $25,000. Some of the other unique items available this year include a His and Hers Icon A5 Sports Aircraft, a sustainable design art chandelier, the Algonquin Round Table Experience and Mission One, the world's fastest electric sport bike. You can see photos of all the gifts here. This year's featured car is the 2010 Jaguar XJL Supercharged Neiman Marcus Edition.
"Our annual tradition of fantasy gifts allows our devoted customers to give a gift or gift experience that will create wonderful memories to last both the giver and recipients a lifetime," said Gerald Barnes, President and CEO of Neiman Marcus Direct. "This year's array of gifts has raised the bar to new heights, featuring items at the highest levels of quality and technology."
You can see more of the unusual items in the 2009 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book here.
The Chicago Sun-Timesreports that Sears Holding Corp is launching a Christmas Club card that can be used at Kmart and Sears stores. The cards has no fees and no expiration date. The card will provide a 3% reward (up to a maximum of $100) on purchases customers make before October 31st. Sears is trying to motive and reward shoppers that buy their holiday gifts and decorations early at Sears and Kmart stores. Sears also launched Christmas early at its bricks-and-mortar stores and online.
The L.A. Timesreports that Hershey's is shutting down its online gift store. Hershey's Gifts will be closing its catalog and web business effective July 31, 2009.
"Hershey's is making the strategic decision to exit the online retail business," said Hershey spokesman Kirk Saville. "The current business model is not sustainable."
Saville said that the company was looking into other e-commerce options, including strategic partnerships and licensing agreements. He declined to say how much revenue the online service was bringing in or if it was losing money.
The Hershey's Gifts website says Hershey's Gifts items are now 25% off until the site closes on July 31st.
Iomoi, a gifts, stationery and e-stationery store, carries these little matchbook-sized Pink Petito mini notepads. Each mini-notepad approx 20 printed sheets measures 1 3/4 x 2. A set of eight can be purchased here for $12.00.
The Yellow Owl Workshop sells LCD wrapping paper that lets you write your own messges on it. The LCD wrapping paper is made with 100% PCW recycled paper. It sells for $19.50 for five sheets. They also sell LCD cards ($5 each) that you can write your own message with.
Sock Grams is celebrating its first anniversary this month. A Sock Gram is a gift-wrapped package containing a card, personal greeting, pair of novelty socks and an added treat. Sock Gram shoppers pair a greeting card for any occasion with pretty, fuzzy or silly socks for anyone. Sock Grams start at $9.95 including shipping.
Sock Grams founder Heather McGee says, "Everyone is being impacted by the recession. I'm just glad that I can help send smiles in a fun and inexpensive way."
Nearly seven out of ten women admit to regifting according to a study from Money Management International study. It could be even more popular this year as people don't want good gifts to go to waste just because it is something they didn't want or can't use. Care must be taken to ensure that you don't offend the original gift giver. You don't want the original gift giver to learn that you gifted their present and you also can't exactly give a gift with restrictions as the Chicago Tribune's Amy Nathan explains.
Six degrees of gift-giving. Consider all the degrees of separation in your life before you regift. You cannot give a gift with a caveat-"I'd love you to have this scarf, but please don't wear it around Aunt Agnes"-takes a bit of the joy out of giving.
Some have turned the regifting ideas into a clever charity drive this year - see this post about PayPal's regiftable virtual fruitcake. It's sort of viral regiftable gift. UPS also has a virtual regifting website this year called UPS Regifter (via Regiftable Blog)
Susan Koeppen recently shared some regifting tips with Maggie Rodriguez at CBS. She says books, wine, champagne, candles and picture frames are frequently regifted. Susan Koeppen suggests making modifications to gifts so they are a little more personal and no longer the same gift. Regifting gift bags can also be acceptable and practical - just remember to remove the old gift tag. See what Susan has to say in the clip below. You can read more thoughts and ideas on regifting here in a post we wrote about the subject in 2006.
Budget Travel has compiled a list of 20 museum gifts from around the World. All of the items on the list are unique and cost under $50. Some of the items include a Semyonov Matryoshka Doll from the Museum of Russian Art, a Castle Soft Sculpture Toy from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and a Solar Flashlight from the Museum of Modern Art. Because it is getting late you will have to splurge for expedited shipping if you are buying a gift that you want to get there in time for Christmas. Below is a video from CNN about some of the items on the list. Take a look:
Amy Palanjian from Hallmark Magazine offers some last-minute gift wrapping tips in the video below. These tips are great even if you forgot to purchase any wrapping paper. Some of Amy's clever ideas make use of products you can find in your house like duct tape, coffe canisters, magazines and old piano books.
For more ideas take a look at this post which offers expert gift wrapping tips from Martha Stewart.
A London gadget retailer has started offering a messy gift wrapping service called CrapWrap. The idea is that if a gift is wrapped terribly then wives and girlfriends will think the wrapping was done by hand.
It's perhaps not surprising that presented with an immaculately wrapped gift, many women become suspicious that it may not have received the personal touch.
But one UK retailer is providing a wrapping service so shoddy the recipient will be left in no doubt her partner did it.
Firebox.com is paying 20 of its male forklift truck drivers and warehouse assistants to wrap presents as quickly as possible, using ugly brown duct tape and very little care.
Are people really so lazy that they can't wrap a present badly themselves? Apparently, they are. The AP says in the clip below that 500 people have already used the $9 service.
DVDs are a great, inexpensive holiday gift. There are a wide range of movies that are recently out on DVD: there's something here for every taste. Some are blockbusters and some are movies or TV shows that may have slipped under your radar.
Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Definitive Collection DVD Box Set: Fans of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective who solves crimes using his little grey cells, will adore this new boxed set of the BBC series which starred the brilliant David Suchet.
The Bank Job: A compelling true story of a bank heist gone wrong. Jason Statham shines in this underrated gem.
Chuck - The Complete First Season: Chuck is one of our favorite tv shows. Catch up on this insanely funny, yet heartwarming series with the new DVD set. The nerd who's forced to become a spy has stolen our hearts.
Cloverfield: J.J. Abram's heart-thumping monster movie is a non-stop thrill ride. Guaranteed to scare – but in a good way – even the most jaded teen. When the giant head of the Statue of Liberty rolls down the street, you know something bad is coming. Be sure to pay close attention to the right of the screen in the last shot for a clue as to what's really going on.
The Dark Knight: Christian Bale is perfectly cast in this very dark entry in the Batman series. This was one of the best films of the year, as well as one of the best best superhero films to date. Heath Ledger gave a brilliant final performance in the film.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog: If you love comics, musicals or you were a fan of Buffy then you will absolutely love this original musical starring Neil Patrick Harris. It's funny, brilliant and the music is just fantastic. Dr. Horrible just wants to take over the world and find true love, not necessarily in that order. This one's family friendly.
Enchanted: Released on DVD in March, 2008, this one's an instant classic. It's must-watch for any fan of Disney movies. Everyman Patrick Dempsey is the perfect foil for a Disney princess (Amy Adams) transported out of cartoon land into New York City. This is one of our favorite Disney movies.
The Forbidden Kingdom: The film starring Jet Li and Jackie Chan is a whole lot of fun. It's a good family film with plenty of martial arts action for parents as well. Stars Jet Li and Jackie Chan seemed to enjoy sharing the stage.
Horton Hears a Who: Jim Carrey (Horton) and Steve Carrell (Mayor of Whoville) help bring this lovable Dr. Seuss book to life without losing the magic of the children's classic.
The House Bunny: Plenty of fun to be had here as an ex-Playboy Bunny (Anna Faris) ends up as the house mother for a struggling sorority. Anna Faris is a scream and the dialogue is snappy and smart.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: We loved seeing Harrison Ford back again as Indiana Jones. Karen Allen is back and Shia LaBeouf does a surprisingly decent turn, as well despite his awful 50s biker hairstyle. Let's hope Indy and crew will ride again, soon.
Iron Man: Robert Downey, Jr. sent his career into the stratosphere with his brilliant portrayal of Tony Stark, the weapons dealer turned superhero. Iron Man was another one of the great films of 2008.
Journey to the Center of the Earth: This movie was a pleasant surprise. There's plenty of action and some of the scenes from the center of the Earth are really unbelievable. This one's family friendly: no steamy love scenes to embarrass everyone as you watch a movie with Grandma and the pre-teens.
Mad Men - Season One: The Award-winning show about advertising executives in the early 1960s is a compelling drama which also shows how much progress we have made since the 1960s. The period clothing, sets and brilliant acting -- especially by Jon Hamm as the tortured Don Draper -- make this one of the best shows on tv now.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: Maria Bello steps in for Rachel Weiss as Evelyn O'Connell, wife to swashbuckling Rick O'Connell. They head off to China where their little boy – who's all grown up – gets in big trouble. Fantastic scenery and CGI bring thousands of terra cotta Chinese warriors to life. Brendan Fraser has a gift for comical adventure films. Be sure to also see Fraser in Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Narnia: Prince Caspian: This second in the filmed versions of the C.S. Lewis Narnia classics takes a few liberties with the plot of the book, but generally stays true to the story. Fantastic scenery, lots of action, the likeable Pevensie children and dashing Ben Barnes as Caspian make this a must-own for Narnia fans. The three disc collector's edition in Blu-ray also offers a digital download so you can burn your own copy on a disc. The DVD has lots of extras, such as deleted scenes, interviews, commentary and lots of fun Easter Eggs.
National Treasure 2 - Book of Secrets: Helen Mirren, Nicolas Cage and Mount Rushmore combine to make a lighthearted sequel to the incredibly popular first film. It's over the top, family fun. We look forward to another adventure chasing mysteries from America's past.
Primeval: The Complete Series 1 and 2: This BBC sf adventure series simply cannot be missed. Prehistoric creatures come through breaches in time and enter our world. The acting and writing in Primeval are terrific.
Rambo: It's ultra-violent, so you've been warned. John Rambo is back in the jungle and he's helping rescue American missionaries in war-torn Burma. Julie Benz plays the most attractive of the missionaries; Angel fans will remember her as the vampire Darla. If you have someone on your list who loves this kind of movie, this is just the ticket.
The Spiderwick Chronicles: The adaptation of the book by the same name was a hit. The CGI monsters are much too terrifying for younger children, but older kids and teens will love it.
10,000 B.C.: This one's worth seeing for the scenery and cgi alone. Woolly mammoths and saber-tooth tigers abound, not to mention the giant sloths. Primitive man didn't have it easy, that's for sure.
Tropic Thunder: One of the best comedies of 2008. Robert Downey Jr.'s intense thespian refuses to break character no matter what happens and Tom Cruise is insanely funny as a dancing and swearing studio head. Both Cruise and Downey are up for Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor. Lots of swearing, not family friendly.
Wanted: Wanted should be on your want list if you like action and/or you are stuck in a cubicle all day and hate your job. Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and lots and lots of violence make this perfect for thriller fans.
For more DVD gift ideas check our lists from 2007 and 2006.
Elmo says giving books is cool because it's the kind of gift that keeps on giving. We agree with Elmo. Elmo's message is part a video series of messages from authors and celebrities explaining why books make great gifts. You can see a longer video here that has comments about why books make great gifts from Jon Stewart, Martha Stewart, Barbara Walters, Alec Baldwin, Rachael Ray, Dean Koontz and Dan Brown.
The L.A. Times 
A London gadget retailer has 
DVDs are a great, inexpensive holiday gift. There are a wide range of movies that are recently out on DVD: there's something here for every taste. Some are blockbusters and some are movies or TV shows that may have slipped under your radar.
