My friend Tracey gave me one of these last year. It's magnetic, so I stuck it on my medicine cabinet and really enjoyed tearing off a page each day and seeing my horoscope. When I didn't get one again this year, I searched for them online. Not only are they available at barnesandnoble.com
, but they're now on sale 50% off. Hurry - giving a calendar much after the new year is a tad gauche, and Aires and Scorpio are already sold out.
Thanks to my friend David at UprightAndStowed for this tip. He says "Hands down the greatest hard-bound world atlas there is. My dad gave me
an earlier version when I was 18, and I still use it. Hands down the greatest hard-bound world atlas there is. My dad gave me
an earlier version when I was 18, and I still use it. Holidays are
coming. You will make someone very VERY happy if you give them this." And maybe someone should get David a new one. The world's a very different place than it was back in the Middle Ages when he was 18. Buy it for $93.56 at Buy.com
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First, there were custom-printed M&Ms, now add Fruit Roll Ups to the roster of mass-market food products you can personalize for birthdays, celebrations and other amusements. Don't get any funny ideas -- the manufacturer reserves the right to refuse orders containing unsuitable language. About $37 for 30 rollups; Order them online at MyFruitRollups.com.
This might be the perfect grandparent gift. Not only is it an electronic frame that displays jpeg photos, but it is enabled with Wi-Fi and and e-mail address, so you can send new photos to a web-based conrtol panel, RSS feed or email! Set it up once from your PC or Mac, and the frame checks it's unique, free email address every few minutes, and immediately adds any new photos to its display rotation. You can also send text messages to display or schedule photos to display on a specific date like a birthday or anniversary. It's a perfect way to share the love. $220-270 at ThinkGeek.com.
We went to see Dina Martina last night in Provincetown. Her performance is brilliant: Stupefying, twisted, disgusting and hilarious. One of the most thoroughly entertaining nights of cabaret I've ever seen. One of her bits involves giving small gag gifts to members of the audience. These inscrutable items include things like Cheetos-flavored lip balm and various odd gummy candies. I got a strawberry-flavored gummy T-bone steak. If that sounds like the perfect gift for someone you know, it's $4.95 from mcphee.com.
I stumbled across this unique line of bags and accessories at the Holiday Market at Union Square last week. Designer Sigal de-Mayo takes original photographs of New York, customizes them digitally, prints them on leather, and crafts them into bags and accessories in a Brooklyn Navy Yard factory. They make great souvenirs or gifts for anyone who loves New York City and its iconic imagery. Find the messenger bags, gloves, belts, wallets and more online at insidersNY.com.
I was at my friend Sam's tree trimming party last night, and one of his ballerina co-workers pulled this out of her purse. We all laughed. The model available at ThinkGeek.com is a replica of the Western Electric 500 series that was standard on American phones for decades. The "Fred" phone is a little smaller, sleeker and lighter. available in multiple colors from baronbob.com or through amazon.com marketplace
If you're tired of seeing your cool pink or charcoal RAZR phone coming and going down the street, or not sure which iPod on the table is yours, it's time to customize it. Skins are custom-sized printed vinyl covers for your electronic gear that allow you to personalize it with your choice of hundreds of stock photos and logos (sports teams, colleges etc.), or your own digital images. I used Skinit.com to create this custom skin for my phone using a photo of my dog Duey. You simply upload the photo, pay about $20 bucks, and it arrives in the mail. myTego.com offers even greater customization, allowing you to place and edit your images, add text, and create skins for the inside surfaces of your flip phone as well. Templates are available for virtually every gadget, including notebook computers, PDAs, GPS and gaming devices. The skins adhere tightly, last 5 months to 2 years, and are easily removable (though not reusable), leaving no residue, so you can change them easier than you can change boyfriends.
Neiman Marcus released their annual Christmas Book today. This year's fantasy gift is truly out of this world: A trip to space on Virgin Galactic for you and 11 of your friends. Before you blanch at the $1,764,000.00 price, note that it includes a three-day prep session and a 4-night return celebration at Branson's private Necker Island, where Sir Richard himself will present you your souvenir wings.
But you don't have to be a millionaire to shop NM. In fact, it's the perfect place to purchase inexpensive gifts that speak luxury and style (overpriced, but still inexpensive, and perfect for the "person who has everything"). One of my favorites: The Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie. These cookies are so good that an urban myth about NM charging $250 for the recipe has been floating around for years. Not true. NM offers the fabled recipe online, for free. Great to bake yourself, but for easy gift-giving, buy them in store or online in a gift tin for $20 (add $7.50 for an elegant box and bow).
M&Ms have been available in custom colors for awhile now -- much to the delight of rabid sports fans and Bat Mitzvah girls everywhere. Now, they're available with custom printed messsages of up to 2 lines of 8 characters each. They're for personal use only -- no trademarked, celebrity or insitutional names, and no vulgarity. And they're pricey -- $11.25 per 8 oz bag, plus S&H, with a 4 bag minimum... but if you use this link you'll get a free bag with your order.
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