'Gift Guide'
Plastic is fantastic: More folks want gift cards for Christmas
By M.S. Enkoji McClatchy Newspapers “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.” — 1944 novelty Christmas song These days, more than half of adults actually want gift cards, those colorful slivers of plastic that can buy everything from a Grand Slam breakfast at Denny’s, to a shotgun at BassPro Shops to an [...]
Make surprise last-minute gifts
By Sara Noel Frugal Village The first tip is a creative way to wrap and give a gift. You could easily replace crepe paper with yarn. These work well for Secret Santa gifts for co-workers or to have on hand for any emergency last-minute gifts. You can embellish the outside with a jingle bell, silk [...]
Vandemark Jewelers… A convenient place to shop
With all the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping one of the things we all hate is overcrowded parking lots and overcrowded stores. Vandemark Jewelers is happy to be conveniently located at 244 East Broad Street in Elyria. With plenty of easy parking and a friendly staff, we are ready to serve your holiday shopping [...]
A homemade cookbook: A gift from the hearth
By Marialisa Calta If your personal economy is still in recovery, you may be looking for ways to dial back the holiday budget. This do-more-with-less routine may be wearing a little thin these days, but it actually has some emotional resonance at holiday time. Well, before the most recent economic downtown/recession/depression, you may have entertained [...]
Gifts that give experiences
By Barbara Quinn The Monterey County Herald My daughter and I were talking Christmas present ideas. “I want to give you something different than just a sweater or something,” she said. (I could use a new pair of pajamas, I thought.) “Something that will be more of an experience,” she continued. (I’d like to experience [...]
Put a sparkle in her eye with a gift from Village Jewelry
GRAFTON – For local jeweler Scot Kuhns, there is nothing more rewarding than being a part of an engaged or married couple’s life. And that alone is one of the main reasons he opened Village Jewelry and Repair at 585 North Main Street, Grafton. Despite the current economic slump, couples will still get married and [...]
Tasty holidays start at Jeanie’s Party Cakes & Supplies…
Candy and cake making is fun, and easy, too…IF you have the quality ingredients and friendly assistance it takes to create your tasty treasures. Jeanie’s Party Cakes and Supplies is just such a place. The warm, friendly (and deliciously tantalizing) atmosphere makes the beginning candy/cake maker feel comfortable and confident. Experienced confectioners will appreciate the [...]
Teacher appreciation can be tricky business
By Heidi Stevns Chicago Tribune Back away from that mug display, parents. Put down the porcelain figurine. And whatever you do, avoid anything with the dreaded apple on it. Your kids’ teachers have a new spokesman, and he’s here to stop the gifting madness that engulfs his fellow educators this time of year. Phillip Done, [...]
City Wide collecting blankets for area needy
This winter is sure to be a cold one with record low temperatures soon approaching. Meanwhile, needy families in and around Elyria will have to take extra steps to ensure their safety from catching a cold and surviving the nights’ chilling temperatures. The City Wide Food Drive is looking at fighting that issue this year [...]
Gift ideas for every foodie on your list
by Jill Wendholt Silva McClatchy Newspapers Are you a Type A personality? Or a Type H? You know, someone who overachieves, racks her brain and tests her shopping stamina in an effort to get just the right holiday gift for every person on her list. Holiday shopping can be stressful. Or it can be playful. [...]
Holiday choices to please anybody with a green thumb
By Renee Enna Chicago Tribune ALL DECKED OUT OK, not technically a book but close enough: “P. Allen Smith’s Container Gardens: 50 Recipes for Year-Round Gardening” (Potter Style, $14.99) puts a year’s worth of blooming ideas, divided by season, into a nifty little package. Smith’s wonderful combinations will instruct those who are befuddled by containers, [...]
Bottles for Santa’s sack
By Fred Tasker McClatchy Newspapers Wine’s a great holiday gift. But it must be given properly. The first thing you have to think about is price. Give your father-in-law too cheap a bottle and he’ll think you’re miserly; pay too much and he’ll think you’re trying to soap him up. It’s not hard. Just plan [...]
Trade gold, platinum & diamonds for holiday cash at Elyria Jewelers
Bill Piorkowski, owner of Elyria Jewelers and Repair, would like to offer the public the opportunity to bring in Gold, Platinum and Diamonds. The commodities market is at record levels, now is the time to sell! If you have unwanted gold, platinum and diamonds, you can turn them into cash. It is also a good [...]
Dog pens his own memoir
PRNewswire – Just in time for the holiday season the pawfect book for pet lovers, “Bad to the Bone: Memoir of a Rebel Doggie Blogger”. It’s the first memoir ever written by a dog published in non-fiction, and is a laugh-out-loud look at how a canine and two seemingly normal people wreak havoc on an [...]