CasaSugar

Gift Guide: Gift Cards

CasaSugar — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 10:36:16 -0800

If you've been reading our holiday gift guides and are still stumped over what to buy for your friends and family, or you're just getting down to the wire, a gift card is the next best thing. I don't mean a prepaid Visa gift card or an envelope with a few bucks slipped in (although I wouldn't complain about that). Go for a gift card to one of the sweetest shops around. A gift that says, "I may have dropped the ball a bit, but I do want the best for you and your home." Or "I love this store! Have fun with this!" I've rounded up a handful of choices, and you choose the price point!

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Gift Guide: White Elephant Gift Exchange

CasaSugar — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 08:00:04 -0800

If you're not familiar with this fun custom, I insist that you try a white-elephant gift exchange in the future! In this gift exchange, guests bring anonymous gifts to a pile, and then determine a random order in which to grab presents from the pile. Guests can then steal other guests' gifts, or take another wrapped gift from the pile.

My friends always have a white-elephant book exchange during the holidays, and other people I know specify dollar amounts for white-elephant presents to make things fair. I've rounded up gifts at low-price points that would appeal to a variety of folks at a white-elephant party. Let the stealing begin!

Gift Guide: The Newlyweds

CasaSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 06:45:27 -0800

Newlyweds are generally the easiest people to shop for because they want anything and everything for their homes. Having a registry to shop from doesn't hurt either. But, I try to stay away from the registries and get a little more creative with my newlywed gifts. In general, try to choose something with a little color and charm that'll keep their new home together from looking and feeling plain vanilla. No white serving platters allowed! But remember, you're not shopping for your own tastes. So, you may have to go with some salt-glazed stoneware for your more traditional friends. I've rounded up a few gifts at various price points that will be sure to please even the most boring newlyweds you know.

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Gift Guide: The Neighbor

CasaSugar — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:16:57 -0800

My neighbor listens to The Postal Service, likes to run, and hails from Wisconsin. Other than that, as far I know, he has no other interests or qualities. That's often how neighbors work. Unless you know your neighbors personally, you probably know very little about them. That is, if you even know their names. So what to give to these mystery people? Give them something you yourself would enjoy owning that's useful, and suggests you actually know something about these people, even though you don't. Be sure to write something to the effect of "I thought of you when I saw this because . . ." and then finish with a generic phrase.
Or, take the one thing you do know about this person, and run with it. For the guy who walks his Daschund by your house each morning, this pillow is a good choice. I've rounded up several items at various price points that will be sure to please that nice person next door.

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Gift Guide: The Beloved Boss

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 06:44:34 -0800

Having a great boss can make a so-so job seem fantastic, and having a bad boss can make a great job unbearable. That's why, this holiday season, if you've been blessed with having a smart, capable, and caring person to oversee your workplace, celebrate that individual by telling her or him thanks with a thoughtful gift. I've rounded up some presents at various price points that will help convey your gratitude to the wonderful boss in your life.

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Gift Guide: Cozy Coworker

CasaSugar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:00:12 -0800

We all spend a lot of time getting to our jobs, working hard at our jobs, and even just thinking about our jobs. That's why it's such a relief to return to a welcoming and comfortable home at the end of a hard day's work. Keeping our home environments organized, cozy, and beautiful is an excellent way to relax at the end of a work day. I've rounded up some great home-cozying gifts at various price points that will make excellent presents for your coworkers.

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Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers

CasaSugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 05:45:41 -0800

To be honest, pulling out stocking stuffers is probably my favorite part of Christmas. I think it's the surprise factor. Unless you're extraordinarily demanding and a huge brat, I doubt you send your family wish lists for your stocking stuffers. Right? So whether it's a fresh Chapstick, some sweetly scented soaps, or a classic Slinky, you never know what you're going to get. My stockings were always filled halfway with things I needed (socks, bobby pins, etc.) and the other half with goofy gags or gifts I'd probably never think to buy myself. To help you make the most of the stockings you'll be filling this year, I've rounded up a number of stocking stuffers that are either essentials, gags, or gifts that are just nice to have for the home.

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Gift Guide: The Minimalist

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 07:15:34 -0800

A true minimalist is a tough person to shop for, but not impossible. He or she really may not want anything at all, but there are some things no functioning being can live without. You're probably thinking: food, water, shelter, right? Well, I'm thinking more along the lines of crucial homewares like discreet clocks and bookshelves, and home entertainment items like books on minimalism and a dock that hides all your unsightly charger cords. So for all of those bizarre non-consumer minimalists in your life, I've rounded up some gifts that will give them maximum pleasure. Just make sure you don't go crazy on the bows: they like their gift wrap stark.

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Gift Guide: The Closet Sentimentalist

CasaSugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 06:41:59 -0800

You never know about those big, burly, tough-guy types. They may be all macho in public, but get them into a good tearjerker of a movie, and they'll be reaching for the box of tissues. I'm related to several men like this (and I'm marrying another), so I have a big soft spot in my heart for the closet sentimentalist boys out there. They're the ones that are often found operating power tools and changing their own oil, but behind closed doors, they're equally adept talking about deep emotions and changing their kids' diapers.

So, for all of those sweetheart closet sentimentalist guys in your life, I've rounded up some gifts that will thrill them. Hopefully, they just won't cry when they open them though. That would really crack that tough, manly exterior.

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Gift Guide: Green Thumb

CasaSugar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 05:04:49 -0800

There's something incredibly sexy about a guy who knows his way around a wheelbarrow and gardening spade (or maybe that's the farm girl in me talking). Still, a pair of grass-stained Carhartts and some dirty work boots never hurt anyone's sex appeal, if you ask me.

So if you have a gardener, landscape architect, farm boy, or other obsessed green thumb guy in your life, I've got the gifts to help him scratch that itch (and hopefully it's not from some poisonous plant, but just in case I've got something for that, too). I've gathered green thumb-related presents at various price points in the hopes that one of these will strike your green guy's fancy-and maybe he'll grow you some gorgeous flowers as a thank you!

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