Bella Dia

Very Last Minute Christmas Ideas

Okay, it's the day before Christmas and you still haven't finished all your shopping. Here is a list of things you can get right from your computer, at home, or your local shopping area.

Get a magazine subscription at Amazon.

Audible.com has gift certificates. This is a great gift for someone who travels a lot or commutes and spends a lot of time in the car.

I've really enjoyed having my blog on TypePad and they have a buy one get one free deal going on right now. Give someone a year subscription and get one free for yourself or someone else.

The iTunes Music Store also has gift certificates. They have over a million songs available to download, there's gotta be something in there for everyone!

A neat idea from iomoi is e-stationery. You get a year membership for only $15 and you can do it all online.

If you know someone who's a teacher or homeschooler or just enjoys doing a lot of educational activities with their kids then consider a membership in either Enchanted Learning, $20 per year, or abc teach, $25 per year. I have experience with both of these sites and recommend them for quality and value.

Another great online resource that I have enjoyed is Clipart.com. They have memberships that start at $13.95 and over 3.6 million images to download.

Other sites to try for online memberships are:
South Beach Diet
Salon.com

Some ideas that you can do locally are:
*a gift certificate to the movie theater
*a gift certificate to Blockbuster or your local video store
*buy some specialty foods in the grocery store and put them in a basket with a bow
*a gift certificate to a local spa, manicure/pedicure, or massage
*some exotic flowers like orchids or anthuriums that someone usually wouldn't buy for themselves
*a bottle, or two, of wine
*a collection of micro brewery beers

Or how about a coupon for your services? Here are some ideas: gardening, cleaning out cabinets or refrigerator, cleaning their garage, detailing their car, polishing silver, washing china, mending or ironing, or taking down their Christmas tree and lights.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and remember to take a moment in the middle of all the hustle and bustle and count your blessings! Take care!

The Cruelty of It All

Having these available in the different colors is a great marketing ploy. It makes you want to grab them by the handful, just scoop them up like penny candy. Well, they're sweet alright and a pretty penny too, but if you have someone on your list that just has to have their entire music collection with them at all times then this is the gift for you. You can find them at your local Target these days but they're always available at the Apple Store. Just cross your fingers that as soon as you buy one they won't come out with something even better, like one that could hold your entire music collection *and* your entire digital photo collection too. Nah, that won't be for a few years at least anyway.