Holiday Gift Ideas

[Denise Mattia]

How To Whittle Down Your Holiday Gift List

By Denise Mattia

We all know that shopping online is easy and convenient. Here are ideas that will fit your budget and delight those impossible-to-please friends and loved ones. They include eco products, fashion accessories, gadgets, electronics and specialty gift items.

For Fashionistas

In an emerging brand that consists of luxurious fabrics and
attention to detail, April Marin creates classic functional fashion at an affordable price. The collection easily lends itself to day or night, season after season and will never go out of style. The simple little scarves make a gigantic statement. Visit [e-mail].

Janska® -- Clothing that Comforts® -- is the perfect gift for everyone on

your list bringing incredibly soft, thoughtfully designed garments your way. Ideal for home, office, and travel, Janksa delivers cozy comfort from head to toe with hats & scarves, capes, wraps & MocSocks®. Many styles are “one size fits most.” Made & produced in the U.S.A. For more about Janska, visit www.janksa.com.

The unique Pelcor© natural eco-friendly quality cork accessories are known worldwide. Already featured in Moda Pure in London, GoGreen L.A. and in Dubai’s Eco-Luxury Event, Pelcor© was chosen recently by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Some items include a waterproof umbrella, wallets and a gorgeous tote bag. Visit www.pelcornorthamerica.com.

Hannon Group has introduced a new reusable and cost-efficient Sachi®

Messenger Bag that is sure to be a hit for general use, travelers, commuters and students. The multi-purpose Messenger Bags complement Hannon Group’s popular line of over 40 Insulated Sachi® Lunch Totes.

Unlike the Sachi® Lunch Totes that are fashion geared to the female market, the new stylishly designed Messenger Bags have a more ‘gender neutral’ look that appeals to the broad male and female market of all ages. The Messenger Bags will initially be available in a solid black or brown pattern. Suggested retail price of $29.00 is well below competitive bags from other manufacturers. (Visit www.sachi-bags.com)

For Techies

The perfect gift for anyone that loves photography -- finally there’s a place to organize, save and view all your photos on the road. Picture Porter 35 is a high capacity 250GB-500GB portable photo manager for professional and

amateur photographers to take while traveling, on vacation, or on photo shoots. Picture Porter 35 features a 3.5-inch color LCD, multi-format memory card reader, and pro photography features not found on other storage devices, such as RAW, EXIF data, IPTC and histogram support. Picture Porter 35 instantly and securely lets you store and view digital photos, music and video wherever you go. Pricing: $399 for 250GB, $499 for 500GB (Visit www.digitalfoci.com)

Another leader in technology “stuff” is the ever-popular SanDisk (visit www.sandisk.com). Verbatim allows you to share, store and stream with the MediaShareTM, Verbatim’s new home-based network storage solution. MediaShare offers up to 1TB of storage and allows users to share photos, save and protect files, and stream media (videos, music and more) as well as access their home network—from anywhere (visit www.verbatim.com).

Combining superior sound, style and comfort with healthy listening, dB Logic today announced the world’s first family of no-battery-required, ultra-low

distortion sound pressure level limiting headphones and earphones for teens and adults. dB Logic’s headphones and earphones with SPL2TM technology help protect users from long-term hearing damage. In addition, the company is also launching “dB Logic for Kids,” the first family of high-sound quality headphones with SPL2 technology designed for children. (visit dBLogic.com)

CanvasPop.com will take any photo (even Facebook and iPhone pictures) and enlarge them to virtually any size on canvas. The company offers dozens of artistic effects, size options and the ability to split a single image into multiple panels. You can get your own personal designer assigned to you and digital proofs at no extra charge. Prices start at just $30. Visit www.canvaspop.com.

SPI Lapdesks combine function, quality construction, design, fabric and color, while keeping consumer budgets in mind! The Lapdesk features adjustable LED lamps, extended workspace for mouse use, built-in speakers, wood craftsmanship and stylish, bold prints. SPI Lapdesks are ideal for computer use, reading, writing and crafting as well. View www.spistyle.com.

Officially licensed MLB USB Drives are perfect accessories for
the avid baseball fan. These MLB drives are both a stylish keychain - sporting your favorite team-and a convenient way to store your data. Access to your files will be easy when you store them in your DataStick Keychain USB drive. Visit www.centon.com/cmp.

SensoGlove, the world’s first golf glove, has built-in digital sensors that continuously read the user’s grip pressure to ensure a consistently accurate, smooth and powerful golf swing. Made of the highest quality cabretta leather, SensoGlove is the perfect gift for the holidays for golfers of all levels. With SensoGlove, golfers can quickly learn how to hold the club, avoiding bad habits and improving every part of their game, from backswing, downswing, impact, follow-through, to driving, putting, and chipping. Pricing: $89 (Visit www.sensoglove.com)

The only gift that saves you money and keeps your loved ones safe on the road is CarMD, the Vehicle Health System. This useful gadget includes everything you need to diagnose vehicles made from 1996 to the present, catch hidden problems and suggest how much the repairs will cost – before seeing a mechanic! It’s never been easier to solve engine problems, double check repair estimates, see recalls, and more. Visit www.CarMD.com

Culinary delights

Welcome to the wonderful world of Divine Chocolate, owned by cocoa

farmers, made for chocolate lovers. The brand was launched in 1998 and is co-owned by a cooperative of thousands of small holder farmers in Ghana who supply the finest quality cocoa beans for the chocolate. These farmers receive a fair trade price for the cocoa as well as a social premium to invest in their communities. As co-owners of Divine Chocolate, the farmers share in the profits, too. (visit www.divinechocolateusa.com)

The carefully sourced ultra healthy ingredients in Nicobella vegan dark chocolate truffles are enrobed in 70% dark organic and Fair Trade Theo

Chocolate. Packaging is produced from FSC (Forest Stewardship Certified) materials. The products are available at the Theo Chocolate Factory located at 3400 Phinney Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98103 and online at www.nicobellaorganics.com.

Food lovers will enjoy buying products from RegionalBest.com, an online food marketplace offering some of the best local, handcrafted, artisan foods and gifts from across the country. Buy direct from artisans, cheese makers, chocolatiers, bakers and other small, family-owned companies. There are hundreds of unique and hard to find goodies at all prices and packaged special for gift giving.

You'll fall for these gourmet organic fruit and nut baskets by EcoExpress Gifts. Indoor Herbs are a wonderful way to add zest to your festive meals and create a fresh smelling kitchen your family will love to gather around. Check out their selection of mini herb gardening kits by EcoForms and our variety of Italian herbs from Eco Culture/Seracon. Join the World of Green Community and enter daily for a chance to win a free eco-friendly holiday gift in our 30 Days of Free Giveaways November 17 through December 16.

A special Holiday gift package from Belle Chevre includes a four ounce Chevre de Provence and a four-ounce Tuscan Chevre. These marinated goat cheeses are highly celebrated by critics and also by those hungry for something easy and elegant to serve or those in need of a great hostess gift. (Visit www.bellechevre.com.)

For more than 30 years the father and son team John and Doug Shafer of Shafer Vineyards has been producing wine in the Stags Leap District, one of the most highly-regarded winegrowing regions within Napa Valley and the source for Shafer’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah. (Visit www.shafervineyards.com/store)

The fresh Alaska seafood from Alaska Smoked Fish and Big Blue Fisheries (alaskasmokedfish.com) come from the clean and cold North Pacific waters near Sitka on the coast of Alaska's southeast panhandle. The fish are not farmed. There are no antibiotics used. The process of cleaning and packing fish is within 48 hours of the catch...often sooner. The International Marine Stewardship Council has certified that the Alaska commercial salmon fishery is sustainable. This means you can purchase and use Alaska commercially caught salmon with the assurance that the fishery is conducted in an environmentally sound manner. (Visit also www.visitanchorage.net)

You can start the holidays (or any time of the year) with the new Mikasa “Cheers” Martini Set. The set, which includes a cocktail shaker and two martini glasses, features the signature “Cheers” etched designs of dots, stripes and swirls. The Mikasa Cheers Martini Set has a retail price of $39.99. Visit www.lifetimebrands.com.

The four patented portable electric garlic roasters by Todco-Brand Portable Roasted Garlic Express® lets consumers roast three bulbs of garlic in 27 minutes, which saves time and energy. The garlic bulb-shaped roasters are compact, easy to operate and fit into any home or kitchen décor. Visit www.hannongroup.com.

For Men

4VOO distinct man™, is a Canada-made product line specifically
formulated for a man. Active ingredients have been combined with botanical extracts, essential oils and vitamins to work with a man’s skin to provide optimum visible results. The products include cleansers, repairing aftershave balm, exfoliating scrubs and rejuvenating gels. Visit www.4voo.com.

Green is Good

Ecosystem, is a smart new line of notebooks and planners with sleek modern design and bold colors, size and type combinations for everyday life and inspired living. Made entirely in the U.S. From 100% post-consumer recycled paper using low impact processes, the owner can learn the origin of every component of the book. If lost, registered ID numbers allow the ecosystem to be returned to the owner. Visit www.ecosystemlife.com.

The Love Bottle is a reusable water bottle that’s good for you and good for the planet. The colorful bottles are designed to fit neatly in the palm of your hand, and you’ll feel good knowing that using a Love Bottle reduces the staggering number of plastic bottles going into landfills. Part of the proceeds goes toward clean water projects around the world. Visit www.lovebottle.net.

The “Write-It-Down!” series from Journals Unlimited, Inc. offers the world’s largest collection of guided/themed journals, all with their trademark easy to fill-in format. The organization offers 60+ titles with unique page prompts to get the writer started. They help organize thoughts, hold precious memories and they make wonderful keepsakes. The journals are printed in the USA on acid-free recycled paper using soy-based ink and feature a durable hardcover design and handcrafted look. They’re gifts for all ages, and keepsakes for all time. Visit www.journalsunlimited.com

Think about donating

Network For Good promotes the gift that gives back with The Good Card®- a gift card for charity. The Good Card® has a stored value that can be redeemed as a donation to ANY of more than 1.2 million charities. Quick to buy, easy to give - The Good Card® spreads the joy of feeling good by doing good! Visit www.networkforgood.org/goodcard.

Tide Loads of Hope vintage tees are holiday gifts that give back. By
purchasing tee, you can help provide aid to families in need of disaster
relief. Launched in response to Hurricane Katrina, “Loads of Hope” provides
clean clothes through free laundry service after a natural disaster strikes. Tees can be purchased for $20 and all profits benefit families affected by the disaster.