Christmas Shopping
Christmas shopping is yet another evolving tradition of the season. And it is harder to do it well than ever.

Prime Day Christmas
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What Prime Day Means for Christmas

Amazon's Prime Day falls on Father's Day weekend this year. It could mean a lot for Christmas shoppers in 2021. There are already warnings in the media about two major events affecting the world of shopping: inflation and suffering supply chains. If…
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New Realities of Christmas Shopping

Covid-19 is rewriting the rules of Christmas shopping. With each passing day the usual reminder of “only X shopping days until Christmas” is more relevant than ever. Let's face it: there are some new realities of Christmas shopping we need…
Sears
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What Sears Meant to Christmas

The news has been decades in the making: iconic retailer Sears is closing its doors for good this year. The effect of their loss, like that of Toys R Us, will not matter one bit to consumers. But the loss of Sears to Christmas history is worthy…
Christmas gifts in the 1970s
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Great Christmas Gifts in the 1970s

Christmas gifts in the 1970s were very different than the decades before. It was an age before computers yet an age when technology affected nearly everything in gift giving. You could give Dad a tie for Christmas. But why would you when you…
Organized Christmas
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The One Secret to a More Organized Christmas

If there is a common wish for Christmas that goes unanswered every year it would have to be celebrating an organized Christmas. From the food to the decorations to managing all the parties and events it seems that no matter what efforts are…
Prime Day

Five Things the Christmas Shopper Should Know About Prime Day

The Internet has changed so many things when it comes to how we spend money. Amazon hopes that is true as it touts Prime Day, the third year in a row of what they are hoping is an annual shopping event that rivals Black Friday. That is their…
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Facebook Knows What You Want for Christmas

Facebook knows better than Santa what everyone in your house wants for Christmas – and they are going to make sure you will know what’s on their wish list. It’s a whole new world of creepy advertising. And you made it all possible.…
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Christmas Shipping Charges to Cost More

Attention Christmas shoppers – your Black Friday and December shipping expenses are going up. UPS has declared that a peak-season surcharge will be added to all shipped items during traditional Christmas shopping events such as Black Friday,…
Christmas Cards
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10 Ways to Make Your Christmas Card Unique This Year

We all tend to see the same Christmas cards year after year — a Christmas greeting in traditional red and green, perhaps with a festive family photo. But what if you tried something new and different this year? From cheap Christmas cards with…
gift cards

The Economy and Etiquette of Gift Cards for Christmas

There seems to be a love/hate relationship many have with gift cards. Some call such items impersonal while others embrace gift cards as quite the thoughtful gift. Like them or not, gift cards have become one of the most popularly exchanged…
Christmas Shopping

Five Things to Buy for Christmas in the Summer

It’s blazing hot outside – not a snowball in sight – and it’s time to buy for Christmas. No, we’re not talking big screen TVs or a hot video game system. We’re talking the nuts and bolts of Christmas you can and should shop for…
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Why I Boycotted All Stores This Christmas

I cut my teeth in retailing back in the 1970s. I literally grew up in a retail environment. I have memories of spending nights in the store on an office floor in a sleeping bag while my parents worked the sales floor to get it ready for the…
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Book Review: The Midwife of Bethlehem

For many the story of the Nativity is told simply enough in the 2nd Chapter of Luke in the New Testament. But lacking in that telling are illustrations that children love to see when hearing a story. Also missing is an eye-witness account of…
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Cashing in on Santa

The commercialization of Christmas is reaching ever new heights as retailers and marketers continue to try to cash in on Santa. From movies to music this has always been the case but the presence of Santa in the marketplace has usually been…
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Welcome to Walmart, Santa

You might see a different Walmart this Christmas. Uncle Wally is going all in for Christmas. There will be more Christmas music played in the stores. Festive decorations will be everywhere and not just for sale. And Santa will be there, with…