Tis the Season to Go Shopping Now AND Later!

Good deals abound now and AFTER Christmas Day - click for details. And here! Where have you found great deals? Share in the comments!

Yeah! The Trees are Done!

Yippee! I FINALLY have the Christmas tree(s) decorated (lights, keepsake ornaments, handmade treasures, beads, and tinsel) and with a week to spare! Woohoo! (the pic is our Charlie Brown tree - it followed us home - how could we say no?). Our big tree sat naked in the corner of the living room for nearly a week before it was adorned with anything but dust. With 14 boxes of Christmas decorations you'd think I'd have moved faster, but I'm in slow-mo this year. Maybe it's because the sooner it's up and glistening, the sooner the gifts arrive underneath and the sooner the whole thing is over in a cyclone of paper, ribbons and giggles. The older I get the more I want Christmas to linger just a little longer. I cherish the season, the time with my family and friends, and how everyone seems a just little bit nicer all around (unless, of course, you are challenging them for a parking spot at the mall - vicious!) I'm just hoping I can stop for a moment and absorb a little bit of it this year.

Best Ideas for Teacher Gifts??

They teach your children to navigate life, cultivate social skills, and basically, to tackle the world. Without them, our children would grow up half-full, never knowing the joy of alegbra or the revolutionary war. They are invaluable!! But, how to do say "THANK YOU!" without adding to a reluctantly growing collection of "Teachers Rule" coffee mugs, "A+ Teacher" keychains, and quaintly inscribed apple-shaped products? In the past, I've expressed my gratitude to our children's teachers with spa certificates, grocery and dining gift cards, cutesy trinkets, and things for the classroom. The kids have made special gifts, too. But what's most appreciated? Do teachers have nightmares about sweatshirts emblazoned with apples and chalkboard designs? Is homemade better than store bought?

Teachers - weigh in! What's the strangest gift you ever received? The most meaningful?