Category: ‘holidays’

Some happy thoughts to help cure today’s food, wine, and bad gifts hangover: it might take a little effort on your part, but you can turn all those so-not-you presents into cash, store credits, other gifts or positive karma points. Read on to find out how.

Return Tactics
Do it ASAP. If you plan to return anything, do it soon. Maybe today. Prices can drop fast after Christmas, especially in this sale-crazy economic environment, and then you could be stuck with a $6 credit for your deluxe knife set.  

Keep it closed. To get the most cash or store credits back for your items, particularly electronics, make sure to keep them safely sealed in their boxes – some stores won’t accept open ones at all.

Have an open mind. And check with the store to see if you can get more bang for your bad gift if you take a store credit instead of cash.

Not your style? It’s probably someone else’s.
Re-gift…carefully. If you received lots of generic gifts from colleagues, clients and acquaintances – things like soaps, candles, and coffee table books – feel free to pass them on in similar circumstances. But it's best not re-gift personal presents – perfume, clothing, and jewelry aren't great candidates.

Hold a swapping party. This is a great money-saving way to score new stuff any time of year, but particularly useful after the holidays, when someone else's ill-fitting gift could be your new favorite sweater. Just make sure not to invite the offending gifters.

Swap virtually. Swap or sell gift cards you don’t want. Sites like certificateswap.com, swapagift.com, and cardavenue.com will connect you with other swappers or buyers.

Donate it. There are tons of charities that could use your new item. Just type the type of item and "donate" or "charity" into Google. And don't forget about the tax write-off.

Sell it. There’s eBay, of course, and Gazelle.com, a similar service that’s just for electronics. To post a free classified ad in your area, check out Craigslist or Kijiji.

We’re trying to make this easy. To keep you from being the empty-hand end of a would-be gift exchange tomorrow, you can e-mail or print something out from our Last Minute Gifts guide, or, if you’re ready to brave the cold, order online from one of the retailers below then pick up your gifts in-store.

They’re all open today (but check with your city’s location for hours), and we know you’re not at work.

Select items from Nordstrom can be picked up in-store – they’ll even e-mail you when your item is ready for pickup, usually about an hour after you order.

Order from Best Buy by 3 PM today and you’ll be able to pick it up by closing time, 5 PM in many locations.

Sears lets you pick up certain items in-store; they’ll e-mail you when your order is ready, and guarantee you’ll have it in five minutes of your arrival.

Pick up from any of Lowes more than 1,625 locations in North America.

Circuit City guarantees your local store will have your items ready 24 minutes after you order them online.

We all have that one person on our list who not only has everything she could need, but goes out and buys it for herself anyway. Before you panic, we have a couple of last minute stocking stuffer ideas that will help you cross that last one off your list.

Sephora’s Pocket Brush Set $12: This mini brush set is a must-have for touch-ups and travel bags. It has all of your essential brushes and packs them into a silvery micro-clutch that fits in the palm of your hand.

UnCommon Goods Recycled Yoga Bag $35: It’s a one-of-a-kind tote made from recycled rice bags. The proceeds from its sale benefit the disadvantaged works in Cambodia who made it so everybody can feel good.

Aveda Rosemary Mint Bath Bar $12: This moisturizing bath bar is so luxurious it’ll transform her shower into the spa. Rosemary and mint fibers gently exfoliate and their delicious scent lingers.

Sure, the holiday season is about spending time with our loved ones and sharing the spirit with those around us. But as long as Santa's going to be in the neighborhood, it doesn't hurt to drop a few hints for ourselves, right? Here are a few stylish goodies I hope there's room in the sleigh for:

Here at SheFinds, we've been gushing over J. Crew's vintage-inspired jewelry all year. It's time to enhance my necklace collection with the statement-making Karma necklace ($100) in exotic saffron tones. One bold way to do gold jewelry, this chunky design on a delicate chain is such a pretty balance of feminine charm and in-your-face glamour.

OK, so practical isn't the first word that came to mind when I first saw these Puma Berlin boots ($140). But I love that they're in a category all their own—Athleisure—and that they're not quite white, but "white asparagus" (seriously, there's a Puma copywriter out there who's after my own heart). Snow, ice, and slush would be no match for me if I could run around town in these superhero-meets-country clubber kicks.

I don't know anyone who stashes her perfume bottles in a makeup drawer. Those bottles are designed to be seen, and I can't think of a vanity-top accessory more artsy and funky than Pucci's Vivara perfume bottle ($85). Forget that the scent inside is deliciously bright and floral and romantic. That's just an added bonus for the dazzling bottle, inspired by Pucci's iconic Vivara prints.