Last Minute Holiday Gifts for Your Boyfriend or Girlfriend
It???s the most dreaded of all romantic pitfalls: The ultra-awkward holiday gift exchange. Looming just around the corner, behind every Salvation Army Santa, is a potential relationship minefield. Give something impersonal, like a gift certificate or a CD, and you???re bound to put a screeching halt to the relationship momentum you???ve got going. Give something overly mushy or romantic, and you???ll send the message you???re desperate or clingy. Or that you???re a stalker with a wedding planner on permanent retainer.
The bottom line: Women usually are hoping for something romantic, while guys are hoping for something techie or cool. Outside the usual gift certificates and CDs, the goal is to find a gift that is fun, personal and romantic without sending the wrong message.
How much should you spend on a new relationship? Use this handy guide:
* $50 and under for less than two months
* $100 and under for four months and under
* $200 and under for six months and under
* $300 and under for up to nine months
* up to $500 for up to a year (higher indicates you’re filthy rich or proposing — not that that’s a bad thing)
Read on, merry daters. Below you???ll find some fabulous holiday gifts sure to keep your new relationship right on track.
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For Women:
The Man-Magnet Parfum Glac??
Studies have shown men associate the scents of cinnamon and vanilla with love. This warm and sensuous cinnamon and vanilla parfum solid was specially created for us based on recent studies. Created by renowned aromatherapy expert Laura Davimes, the Man-Magnet Glac?? is a man-snagging combination of cinnamon, vanilla and other select pure essences chosen for their ability to stir passion in the hearts of men. The result ??? a completely unique , fun, heady scent that works like catnip for men. As seen in HOW TO DATE LIKE A GROWN-UP.
The .5 oz. Parfum Glac?? (perfume solid) is packaged in a petite tin nestled in a romantic red velvet bag. $24.95 Herban Avenues
The sparkly gifts:
Deborah Marie Fehrenbach is my new favorite jewelry designer. Of all the sparkly gifts his year, these are my absolute favs. Plus, they have the added benefit of looking a lot more expensive than they actually are. My picks: The Eclipse necklace (left), which looks fantastic with 
everything from a t-shirt to a little black dress ($395) and the Sea Fan bracelet (right), sterling silver with teal topaz. ($368) Available at www.fehrenbachjewelry.com
The Cha Cha Bella “Mechelle” Ring and Blue and Green Crystal Awareness Earrings
Doing Good Never Looked So Good.
The St. Baldrick???s Foundation raises funds for childhood cancer research by hosting worldwide head-shaving events, where volunteers shave their heads to stand in solidarity with the kids who typically lose their hair during cancer treatments. Cha Cha Bella Jewelry designer Myra Hopper designed gorgeous Swarovski crystal earrings and a friendship ring to her exclusive line of unique, handmade custom jewelry – 50 percent of the proceeds from the earrings and $15 from the sale of each ring go to the St. Baldrick???s Foundation.
The earrings and ring are designed with a colorful array of Swarovski Austrian crystals, including peridot, emerald, aquamarine and teal blue. The “Mechelle” Ring sells for $67.00 and the Blue and Green Crystal Awareness Earrings sell for $38.00.
1 O.A.K. by Sara ‘Agate & Quartz necklace’
Chakra collection
Everywhere I look I see celebs sporting these fun, fabulous necklaces — so if your girl is a regular reader of People or US Weekly, this will be right up her alley. 1 O.A.K. by Sara is handcrafted jewelry created by mixing crystals with base metals, beads and vintage pieces. Prices range from $80 to $300.
Bare Leaf Earrings
These are bargain-priced and absolutely fabulous. The Bare Leaf earrings are handmade with vermeil French hook ear wires, gold-plated leaf, and green amethyst briolettes. $37 www.thejewelrybar.esty.com
Rayban Wayfarer
These are iconic sunglasses, the same style worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Pair it with a DVD of the film, for an ultra girly gift. $135, available at sfoptics.com
The Voice Quilt
This very romantic gift is a beautifully crafted keepsake box you can personalize with photos and personalized recorded messages of your voice, “your” song, and anything else you can think of. Whenever the recipient lifts the lid, the recordings will play. Very, very romantic.
$55 to $179, available at voicequilt.com
Margaritaville Battery-Powered Frozen Concoction Maker
If your girl loves those frozen girly drinks, this is the gift for her. This machine makes the best margaritas, daquiris and smoothies you’ve ever had. (And bonus! This year???s model is battery operated so you can take it anywhere!) Just fill up the ice reservoir, mix your ingredients in the pitcher, select your number of drinks and push the magic button. This is the kind of gift most people wouldn’t consider buying for themselves, but they’ll love it all year long. And if it’s your guy who loves the frozen drinks, he can make them in the privacy of his own home, without having to bear the humiliation of sliding up to the bar and saying “Two Pina Coladas, please, extra pineapple.” (Available at Sur la Table $299) Team it with a fab bottle of Partida Tequila or Grand Marnier for a party that’s ready to roll.
Scene It? Twilight Edition
Whether she’s Team Edward or Team Jacob, she’ll completely adore the latest Scene It game. This game features clips, questions and puzzlers from the wildly popular Twilight franchise. Available at retailers everywhere. $29.99
HoMedics Therapist Select??? Shiatsu Foot Massager
I LOOOVE this gift. Seriously. The tester unit they sent me has gotten a serious workout (am using under my desk right now as I type!) The unit features advanced deep kneading Shiatsu massage through the benefit of dual sets of counter rotating massage heads, which simulate true ???thumb pressure??? for unmatched relaxation. Add heat with an easy-to-use, LED-illuminated toe touch control for further pampering. $39.99, available at retailers nationwide.
Personalized Stationery
No matter how much we love email, there???s just something special about writing to friends the old fashioned way ??? especially for the girly-girl! Give her a beautiful bundle of personalized stationery or thank you note cards. Select from hundreds of customizable card designs by more than 60 artists at Cardstore.com. We like Raven Pony Personalized Stationery and Hot Pink and Lime Personalized Cards Prices range from $0.79 to $2.79 each.
Sweets for the Sweet.
Treats are always popular with the ladies, especially when you haven???t known each other long. I LOVE the treats from Beautiful Sweets Organic Bakery. Hell-o have you ever seen cuter cookies in your life?
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Gifts for Guys:
This year’s big, big, big gift:
The Team Grill
Is there anything men love more than sports, meat and fire? Of course not! Now, thanks to modern man technology, you can give your guy a grill emblazoned with his favorite sports team logo. Seriously.
If anything will make him weep, this will do the trick. Available at www.teamgrill.com $1,499
Kingman Training Player’s Pack
The perfect holiday gift for the man who still likes to play outside. The Kingman Training Player’s Pack includes everything your paintball assassin could possibly need –top of the line paintball gun (CHASER), helmet, and of course, lots of extra paintballs. The crown jewel in this man-pleasing pack is the the new paintball marker called the CHASER, created using a revolutionary technology backed up with more than three years of research and design by the top engineers and designers in the field for a paintball experience like no other imaginable. Retails for $299, available at Kingman.com and select retailers
EyeClops Mini Projector
What do guys love more than TV? Not much. Your guy can watch the big game outside while he working the grill, or enjoy his favorite movies while camping. The EyeClops Mini Projector is a big screen TV experience as small as the palm of your hand. Not only is it extremely portable (you can fit it in your pocket!) and uses high powered LED illumination to project movies, television shows, video games and more up to 60 inches in size from any multi-media device: DVD players, MP3 and video players, digital cameras, video game consoles. $99.99
The Peak Starpex Guitar
Your guy can rock out to the hottest games around — Guitar Hero and Rock Star with the PEAK Starpex Full-size Wood Guitar Controller for PS2/PS3, which has all the buzz of the must-have holiday gift. Why? Unlike other guitar controllers on the market, the PEAK guitar feels as close to playing the real thing as it gets. According to the PS3Fanboy.com site, ???The solid wood finish looks fantastic, and feels absolutely great to the touch.” Screaming fans not included. (Well, except for you, of course.) Available everywhere and at www.go-peak.com, $179
Vusix AV310 Widescreen Personal Media Viewer
They may look like sunglasses, but they feel like a movie theater. Or at least a really nice widescreen TV. Vusix has just released the first-ever true widescreen personal media viewer. (a 16:9 ratio for those of you who you???re your televisions) Now your guy won???t have to squint to see all the action on his iPod, iPhone or portable DVD player ??? these super-cool video goggles will give your guy a true big-screen viewing experience comparable to seeing a 52??? screen from nine feet away, with big theater sound to match (thank you, ear buds.) let your guy be the first on his block to get one. This is the kind of gift that makes grown men weep, and will surely cement your place in girlfriend history. ($249.95 www.vusix.com.)
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 4vi
The perfect gift for audiophiles, these sound isolating earphone monitors offer professional studio quality sound that music professionals and stars like Van Halen and The Police swear by. The SUPER.Fi 4vi marks the first time its proprietary speaker technology is offered in an ultra compact, lightweight aluminum body that works with iPhone, iPod, MP3, CD, DVD and computers. Sounds like a winner to us. (Available at select retailers, $149.99)
Vintage T-shirts
From vintage rock t-shirts (we like the Beatles: Let it Be, vintage Capitol Records logo, vintage Delicious logo and Pearl Jam: Gas Mask) to vintage comics (Flash Gordon!) and vintage TV (Planet of the Apes), your retro-loving guy will drool all over the box.
www.awesomeavenue.com ($15 and up)
Booze, Glorious Booze
Every year spirits gifts become more popular, here are some of the best picks of the season.
Partida Tequila, a premium, estate-grown tequila from the heart of Mexico???s Amatitan village (and my personal favorite.) Could be the fact that they created a margarita in my honor.
Averna Amaro, is Italy’s favorite Amaro. Averna is a delicious after-dinner stomach-settling drink full of rich botanicals and ingredients that are healthy and natural. This famous Italian digestivo is perfect on the rocks or in a cocktail.
Grand Marnier has a fabulous, stylish red holiday lacquer bottle that is a limited edition, only about 150 bottles) and will be available for $64.99. Pair it with the Frozen Concoction Maker for Grand Marnier slushies. Seriously, the greatest drink ever.
Glenlivet is a smooth, velvety whiskey that has its own groupies. The new limited-edition single malt from The Glenlivet, N??durra Triumph 1991, is one of the reasons why. Created using a single-source grain Triumph barley, the whisky was distilled and casked in Speyside in 1991. N??durra Triumph 1991 has been aged 18 years, and is non-chill-filtered so the final product retains all of its natural flavors. $85
Stocking Stuffers:
2009 Romantic Comedy of the Year — Fifteen Minutes of Shame by Lisa Daily
Yes, I admit this is a bit of blatant self-promotion, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t tell you about the funniest, most romantic book you’ll read all year? Publishers’ Weekly said, “surprising depth and a heroine with heart to root for.” Plus, Amazon has it on sale for like, $5. It really is a holiday miracle.
Eco chic Leakey Collection Zulugrass necklaces, hand made by the Maasai women and men of Kenya from environmentally sustainable materials. It has an organic look and feel but is completely modern. The best part? a zulugrass single strand sells for only $12.95. Available nationwide, or at http://www.leakeycollection.com
Wet Together Pleasure Gels for Couples is the perfect gift for couples looking to heighten intimacy and spice up this holiday season.
Rapala rolls-To Shad and Trolls-To-Minnow are the perfect lure for anglers of all levels, and they come in two sizes to reach different depths. The lures come in 12 proven color patterns from attractor, dirty water patterns to natural forage matches. And, each features strong VMC?? black nickel treble hooks.
$8.99, available www.rapala.com or outdoor retailers stores.
The Racktrap is a new one-size-fits-all bra pocket that holds all your essentials (cash, credit card and drivers license) safely and conveniently in your bra!
Betty Boop crystal decals and cell phone faceplates for her iPod or laptop from Lux Mobile ($10 – $49)
Cool Style Hair Dryer and Straightener available in leopard, pink dots, plaid and pink floral prints, Target $19.99
Lisa
Lisa appears every week on Daytime, check your local TV listings for times and stations.
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Dating Coach and Relationships Expert Lisa Daily is the bestselling author of two dating books, Stop Getting Dumped!, How to Date Like a Grownup and the totally funny novel Fifteen Minutes of Shame. You???ve seen her everywhere from Entertainment Tonight to the HITCH movie DVD.
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