Making a List and Checking It Twice…

The holidays are upon us.  Are you almost ready? 

Christmas cards are all out.  The stockings are all hanging.  Presents are all wrapped.  Packages are still coming in.  And a little more shopping left to do.

Here are a few things I’ll be picking up…

1.  BirchBox.  I’ve been hearing all of the fashionistas talking about BirchBox for the last few months.  I didn’t know what it was about.  I asked around…is it worth it?  Every lady I’ve spoken to says…YES, IT IS WORTH THE $10 SUBSCRIPTION.

For as little as $10/month you can give the gift of a BirchBox to one of your fashion/cosmetics loving friend, sister or mother.  Or better yet, why not order a subscription for yourself?  I plan on ordering one for myself.

What do you get?  Deluxe Samples to try every single month.  You can go back to the site to buy any full sized products you like.  For me, I know that I’ll be hitting up the TOCCA laundry products because they come in very handy while traveling.

What’s also nice is that for every friend that you refer, you get $10 towards future purchases at BirchBox.  That, to me, is probably worth the subscription.

For Brides-To-Be and Bridesmaids…this is also a great gift to give and get.

2.  For the Gamer in Your Life.  This is probably the hardest person to shop for…especially if he’s the kind of guy that stands in line for the midnight sale of a game.  Yes, that is my brother. 

The best gift for him is always a Best Buy gift card to stuff into his stocking.  But I’m going to try and grab Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and pray that he doesn’t own this game yet. 

Another great gift idea…NINTENDO.  Once upon a time, that’s what started the whole gaming experience for my brother.  So picking up a few childhood games like Mario or Pokemon could do the trick.  After all, there’s a Nintendo store half a block from the office.

3.  To Kindle or Not To Kindle.  I have been trying to decide whether to pick up the iPad2 for my brother for Christmas or something else.  He’s a gamer and a tech person.  Yes, he owns it all…but not the iPad2.  I contemplated whether to pick up the iPad2 for Christmas this year for myself, but then realized it would be pointless because it’s not like I could use it in Morocco.  But as far as the brother is concerned…maybe the Kindle Fire (retails at $199) would be a good gift for him.  Considering the Kindle is more compatible with other devices (including iPhones and iPods, unlike the iPad, which is only compatible with Apple devices), this device seems more up his alley for the compatibility reasons alone.

I may have to get him that Amazon.com gift card while I’m at it.

4.  For the Frequent Traveler.  This is the number 1 item on my list.  The DVF (Diane von Furstenberg) Travel Adapter. 

I also like the Henri Bendel adapter.  And then there’s the uber chic Mulberry adapter with a pretty little pricetag attached to it.

I like this little adapter because it’s ONE ADAPTER versus the 5 that I usually take with me when I country hop.  It’s also less clutter in my suitcase.

This DVF adapter was also listed in Oprah’s Favorite Things!

I also plan on purchasing this little duffle bag that was featured in O Magazine’s June issue.  Makes for a nice carry-on bag when I’m off to a short weekend away burning the hockey trails.

5.  For the Girls.  Yes, the girls know that I’m obsessed with Bauble Bar.  So why not give the girls that constantly talk about how they love my Bauble Bar jewelry, their very own baubles?  No one chica is getting the same thing.  But each one is getting something very beautiful. 

For the friends who enjoy books, I plan on gifting either “The Tiger’s Wife” or a teen fantasy book I’ve come to enjoy like Percy Jackson or the Kane Chronicles.  Yes, we love our books just as much as we love our baubles.

[Bracelet: $28 at Bauble Bar.]