Black Friday Schmiday

It's Black Friday, and you can sit comfortably at home and do your shopping by computer today with some of these ideas -- It's early enough to get things delivered without rush fees -- even for Hannukah!

Kicking off the Great Gifts Countdown are some of my top ten best please-all gifts. This first one is one of those that delivers amazing quality for the price. Almost everyone can use them -- if not literally, then by hanging on the wall as art. Because they are wood and utilitarian they appeal to the most basic of tastes and yet they are crafted with such beauty, that the hoitiest of your toitiest will oooh and aah. This is also a great wedding gift!

Simon Pearce cutting boards:

http://www.simonpearce.com/navSearchResults.aspx?Search=cutting+board

So smooth (you have to touch them to believe it), with rounded edges, these come in cherry and birds eye maple (to die for), and are made in several shapes and sizes. Get one or three. S.P. will wrap these in tissue

and their boxes with ribbon and include a little flier about the artist who makes them and their care. These will look great if they're kept pristine or beaten up by a carving knife. On the link above you can search by price range-- they have them as low as $35! These above are in the $95 range. I have several and guests rave over mine.

The first Simon Pearce shop originated in Vermont, where their glassware is hand blown right next to a natural river waterfall in the middle of the forest. They also have extraordinary salad bowls, another thing everyone can use. If you go on their general website you can find many gift items for under $55, holiday specials, things that can be personalized, corporate gifts -- or something for YOU maybe?

A Whole Smoked Turkey: YUM! Every year my father sent each of us a spiral cut ham and a smoked turkey around the holidays. At a time when so much entertaining goes on, and so much family comes home, these come in so handy for ANYONE on your list (but a vegetarian/vegan). You can pull them out on a night you don't want to cook, take them to a potluck, dipslay them on your own party table and have sandwiches for the kids and visiting relatives for days.

http://www.cliftyfarm.com/purchase.htm

I especially recommend the 10-12 lb. hickory smoked turkey for just $55.80 (plus tax and shipping, it's still under $100). Scroll down the list to find it about mid way. Prices on this site for products are as low as $22. Do it soon as they get busy this time of year!

Go Green -- literally

You can buy a tree --or many trees-- for a dollar each in a person's name, and even choose the region of the country or the world that you'd like them to be planted (At times they offer places

you can plant them where they are trying to come back from a natural disaster). Your friends will receive a nice announcement about it too. And you will get a charitable tax deduction, the planet will get oxygen producing air filters, the animals will get shade, a food source and shelter, and the soil will get nutrients and be secured by their roots. Pretty good for a dollar! Just press where it says is this a gift for someone. And you can play around on the site's menus before choosing what you want to do.

http://www.americanforests.org/planttrees/

I will do more of these kinds of places you can give that help the world and it's peoples. For now, I have to have breakfast with my sister who is leaving in a few hours. I'll do another post on this shortly, and will be posting something every day. Happy shopping!