My Merry Christmas

By Andrew Wilkins


Christmas might be a season of goodwill and peace on earth but it is not without its controversies. Real versus artificial trees, opening presents on Christmas Eve versus Christmas morning or Santa versus No Santa are nothing to debate compared to the practice of regifting. Simply put, there are no greater minefields at Christmas than those presented by regifting.

What is regifting?

Regifting is the giving of an item that was originally given to you…as a gift.... [Read More]

By Brad Wilcox

New concerns over privacy for Christmas shoppers have been raised as a test is implemented at a mall in Southern California and at a mall in Virginia that will use cell phone tracking technology to monitor shopper's movements between Black Friday and the end of December.

According to CNN, a system sold by FootPath Technologies involving a series of antennas strategically placed in malls and stores will tap into mobile devices seeking out a unique identifier and then tra... [Read More]

By B. Francis Morlan

Black Friday has become as big a part of Thanksgiving weekend as turkey. In many home across America a tradition has been born of searching ads, surfing Black Friday websites and mapping out a shopping strategy for the wee hours of the Friday after Thanksgiving. While the pies bake and the turkey trimmings are prepared many make it a habit to look forward with a little jingle in their pocket to begin the holiday season.

To the savvy shopper we advise: stop. Sleep... [Read More]

By B. Francis Morlan


There is a romantic notion many have about Christmas shopping. It centers around the thought that it can actually be fun.

A mind fills with images of snow-covered streets with the sound of jingling bells in the air as snow softly falls on the light-covered trees between the buildings with magical windows dressed in holiday merriment. In such a world every gift buy is magical, affordable, pre-wrapped and easily transported to the car.

I never seem to find suc... [Read More]

By Kate Mulinix

Homemade gifts from the heart are often the most loved, especially if you put some thought into them and match the gift to the receiver's personality and enjoyments.

It's easy, however, for costs to spiral out of control if you need a lot of specialty items. The other drawback can be that many require special skills or special tools. If you don't have the tools, you'll have to buy them, and if you don't have the skills, you're out of luck if it's getting too close to C... [Read More]

By Kate Mulinix

We've already covered a pretty good list of non-food mostly homemade gifts, but food items--and related gifts like compilations of recipes--are an entire category all their own. Food is one of the easiest and most diverse catagories for homemade.

As we said before, it's easy, however, for costs to spiral out of control if you need a lot of specialty items. The other drawback can be that many require special skills or special tools. If you don't have the tools, you'll h... [Read More]

By B. Francis Morlan


"The year was 1931, I was 7 years old and I had the best Christmas," Charles Barsdale says. As he nears age 87, his wide open grey eyes appear to twikle. The memory touches him deeply. "My father walked me to the store and spent fifteen cents on my Christmas present."

The sparkle in his eye turns to a tear. His nose turns read and he stops for just a second, pulling a neatly folded hankerchief from a pocket to wipe his eyes. "He bought me... [Read More]