The Clip Trip Continues

(This is a re-post of How to Get with The Season Without Going to the Poor House, Part 2 - from November 2008... It goes along with yesterday's previously posted piece.)

The art of shopping will not be disputed by me. Not to be all braggy, but I actually think it is one of my great life skills. Oh, I know, it's shallow and meaningless compared with, say, helping starving people and educating children. But it is a necessary activity and one which we should aim to do intelligently - if not ecstatically.

My husband is intimidated by holiday shopping. He loathes it. He's afraid of stores. He's afraid to buy things for me because I do all the discretionary purchasing in our lives (and 90% of the rest of it) and he hasn't needed to develop the skill. Secretly, I enjoy being the boss of the shopping. But it doesn't bode well when I want a little treat. Note: Scott has given me some of the most lovely gifts I've ever received - from jewels to, ahem, electronics. He just only buys when the inspiration hits him. Otherwise it's just not his thing.

While it vaguely defeats the purpose, I feel so responsible to help him get through the challenge that I have a) presented him with a list of stores containing items I enjoy, b) spoken with a couple of key SA's who have kindly offered to guide him if he visits them and c) explicitly indicated the kind of items I like - and "need" - in various colour palettes that might be useful.

"Why don't you just go buy the things, wrap them and give him the bill?", said my mother good-naturedly. You see, she knows me. And she knows him. And trust me, I'm tempted to do it. But I have to let the little tadpole swim into the sea. It's times like these, I recognize my bourgeoisie is painful. But here's the thing. I don't want something cher. (Cher, of course, is relative and I'm obviously speaking only from my own economic perspective... What's affordable to me may be out of someone else's price range. Lord knows, much of what I see is out of mine.) I'd just like something lovely and thoughtful. One thing. And preferably it should smell, feel or fit nicely.

A propos of giving gifts - let's focus on the giving rather than the buying - you do not need to spend a lot to thrill someone you care about. To wit, here are some reliable stores for gifts at various price points:

• Club Monaco
  
• J Crew (US)
  
• Holt Renfrew (Canada)
  
• Ziggy's At Home (Toronto)
  
• Suite 88 Chocolatier (Montreal)
  
• The Gap (for Ts, jammies, kid's stuff, undies, skinny turtlenecks and scarves)
  
• David's Tea (Toronto)
  
• L'Occitane
  
• AGO Gift Shop (Toronto) - or any good gallery gift shop
  
• Chapters/Indigo (Canada) / Borders (US)
• NEW for 2010 posting!: Etsy Shops
  

You will note that a couple of these are rather lovely stores, selling rather lovely merchandise. But you don't have to buy the evening gown for 15K. You can buy a lipstick from the Bobbi Brown counter and have it nicely wrapped for free. You can buy the cashmere socks or a well-designed tube of hand cream and save approximately $14,970. And here are a just a few gift options for the various people in your life.

(Please remember - it's not about how much you buy or what you pay. It's about how thoughtful and sensory - and beautifully presented - your token of affection manages to be. If you wouldn't want to receive it, please don't give it.)

For your kids' teacher, housekeeper, daycare staff - and anyone else who helps you to logistically function in your life:

• Fine chocolate - the bigger the box the better.
• Hand milled soap and body products made with fine essential oils.
• Gift cards (Chapters, iTunes) - but only if you can't be more personal.
• A spa treatment - but only if you know the person fairly well.
• A book about a subject that interests the giftee.

These gifts can range in price from about $20.00 to $200.00 and up. Here's a brand I've bought, year after year, for various peeps:

Savon de Marseille

For Your Mother:

• Really the choices are endless, but how about fine leather goods (bags, wallets)
• Lovely tea pot and cups - don't forget to include some tea.
• Cashmere scarf
• Unique jewelry (it comes at all price points)
• Clothing if you are sure of her size and style

M0851 Bag

These gifts can get pretty pricey. But I've bought my mother some beautiful antiques over the years, ones that are treasured and yet cost less than $30.00.

For the Men:

Wallets and other leather goods

Gadgets (iPhone, video games, techy stuff)

Hats, scarves - preferably merino or cashmere! (Remember you can find this on sale.)

Leather gloves

DVDs

Cologne - something you know he likes

Affordable crystal wine glasses

Riedel O Wine Glass

These gifts can also range in price quite substantially. I just bought 4 Riedel cabernet glasses for my father, wrapped by the boutique in a fantastic tube to look like a Christmas cracker, for $40.00 all in. And they're "crystal".

For the Kiddies:

• Books, books, books!
• Educational toys from Chapters or Amazon and the like
• Diaries (with keys)
• The latest "kid craze" toy
  
• American Girl stuff (My daughter calls hers a Canadian Girl!). Not the least $$ on the list. So maybe leave these for the grandparents!



• Clothing from H&M Kids, Gap and other affordable stores
• Boots and slippers
• Gorgeous iced cookies
• Lip balm and hand cream - little girls love this!
• Special outing to see a musical, ballet or special Christmas movie (or other cultural event)
• Puzzles
• Art Supplies

This list really does go on and on.

The great thing about kids is that they love anything as long as it's wrapped! You can definitely find a nice child gift for $10.00. Or spend a living fortune...

Three Years Running

I'm intrigued that this is the 2nd annual re-post of my Xmas shopping guide (over 2 posts). I have to say, either I'm overstating my shopping relevance, or my suggestions are simply timeless :-) Next post up tomorrow (which should give you loads of time to make an impact and have fun!)...

You know I love to shop.

You know I love to give gifts.

So, it would stand to reason that winter holiday season is the most excellent time of the year for me.

Thing is, I hate crowds. I hate shopping with the newbies and the novices (and, heaven forfend, the shoppers who shop as professionally as I do). I hate the marketing machinery which turns us all into static-charged lemmings, running headlong for the cliff of unnecessary debt.

First rule of shopping Krissie-style (and, in case you have been wondering, Krissie is indeed my princess alter ego) is: If you really cannot afford it, really do not buy it.

There is no mystery to this. Unless - come June - you still want to be anxiously over thinking that item you bought for someone else and will probably never have the opportunity to enjoy except via the fast-fading love rush of generosity, then put it back. I assure you, your mother will adore some other thing you can afford just as much. And your 8-year old does not need an iPod Touch.

Right now you may be thinking this is rich advice coming from me. I'm not known for bramacharya. I am known for thrilling to the chase and reveling in the spoils of war. But my spoils are all, relatively speaking, within the realm of my financial solvency.

I have a lot to say about Christmas buying. So much that I'm going to say it over two posts. This post, in addition to proselytizing that overwhelming debt is entirely contrary to the spirit of the season, will discuss how best to shop the stores during a time frame actually constructed to make you crazy, and therefore spend-y.

This isn't rocket science, but it's worth repeating:

1. Inasmuch as holidays should be a joy for those receiving, it should also be a joy to give. Joyful giving depends on you having fun from the get-go. Shopping should be flanked by lunch (to protect blood sugar) and a glass of wine (or other enjoyable treat) when it's all done. Including friends can make a potentially stressful activity more pleasant. (More hands and eyes make for more efficiency.) Unless you are one of those shoppers who must be alone to find the zen.
   
   


2. If you shop on Saturday afternoon in mid-December you will want to slit your wrists within an hour. And that's if you have fortitude. If you're a wuss, you have 20 minutes tops. Go at lunch hour or - better still - Friday mornings. And, though it sounds ridiculous, start now.
   
   


3. Do not imagine, unless you're buying for 3 people and/or you are extremely fortunate and kickass, that you will get it all done in one shot. Expect to shop a number of times over the span of about 6 weeks. Then you can a) carry it all home and b) take your time in reflecting about possible options and the merits of spending on any one thing.
   
   


4. Aim to catch the pre-Xmas sales. I'm on the Club Monaco promotions-alert. When they do mid-week sales knocking 30% off the price of some cashmere scarf, I'm going to know.
   
   


5. The more you shop, the better you fare. (Notwithstanding some sort of shopping addiction, natch.) Only experience can teach you the rhythm of shopping: sale cycles, making friends with SA's who put stuff aside for you while you consider options, turnover patterns, getting special sale opps because you are a special client etc.
   
   


6. Make sure you can return it, whatever it is. And get gift receipts.
   
   


7. Shop in places that wrap for free. Generally, the fancier the store, the more likely free wrap is to be available. And the more classy it will look. Of course this is not always the case. Boutiques tend to wrap for free too. Some things are the same price wherever you buy (cologne, anyone). So if you can get it at Shopper's or Holt's, choose the latter. Unless Shopper's is offering 5000 Optimum points.
   
   


8. Keep some lovely wrapping (or gift bags) and some generic, affordable gifts on hand at work and at home. Don't go out to a holiday lunch without one stashed in your bag - just in case. (I'll go into more detail about this next post.)
   
   


9. Though it's very challenging - this one tests me tremendously - you cannot buy one for you and one for____. The time for self-shopping is after Christmas, when you don't get that thing you desperately wanted and now it's on mega-discount. (Did I mention there's a whole other system for Boxing Day shopping? This one isn't for everyone...)
   
   


10. And finally, though I could go on, bring a list. When 16 people are jostling you for a swipe at the same one remaining item, do you really think your brain is going to be able to remember the 15 other prezzies you're on the hunt to buy? Answer: No way.

Please stay tuned for my next installment, wherein I will advise about what gifts are perfect for what category of giftee. Guaranteed to please!

The Trip Continues...

(This is a re-post of How to Get with The Season Without Going to the Poor House, Part 2 - from last November...)

The art of shopping will not be disputed by me. Not to be all braggy, but I actually think it is one of my great life skills. Oh, I know, it's shallow and meaningless compared with, say, helping starving people and educating children. But it is a necessary activity and one which we should aim to do intelligently - if not ecstatically. So Xmas is coming. Geese are starting to freak out. So are most men. This year, I've advised my very generous but not-given-to-gift-buying-when-the-target-holidays-occur husband that I need a little something other than a nicely wrapped computer battery. Of course, I don't need a thing. But, when everyone else is opening those gorgeous, thoughtful gifts I've lovingly sought out with just them in mind, I'd really appreciate a bit of the same.

My husband is intimidated by holiday shopping. He loathes it. He's afraid of stores. He's afraid to buy things for me because I do all the discretionary purchasing in our lives (and 90% of the rest of it) and he hasn't needed to develop the skill. Secretly, I enjoy being the boss of the shopping. But it doesn't bode well when I want a little treat. Note: Scott has given me some of the most lovely gifts I've ever received - from jewels to, ahem, electronics. He just only buys when the inspiration hits him. Otherwise it's just not his thing.

While it vaguely defeats the purpose, I feel so responsible to help him get through the challenge that I have a) presented him with a list of stores containing items I enjoy, b) spoken with a couple of key SA's who have kindly offered to guide him if he visits them and c) explicitly indicated the kind of items I like - and "need" - in various colour palettes that might be useful.

"Why don't you just go buy the things, wrap them and give him the bill?", said my mother good-naturedly. You see, she knows me. And she knows him. And trust me, I'm tempted to do it. But I have to let the little tadpole swim into the sea. It's times like these, I recognize my bourgeoisie is painful. But here's the thing. I don't want something cher. (Cher, of course, is relative and I'm obviously speaking only from my own economic perspective... What's affordable to me may be out of someone else's price range. Lord knows, much of what I see is out of mine.) I'd just like something lovely and thoughtful. One thing. And preferably it should smell, feel or fit nicely.

A propos of giving gifts - let's focus on the giving rather than the buying - you do not need to spend a lot to thrill someone you care about. To wit, here are some reliable stores for gifts at various price points:

• Club Monaco
  
• J Crew (US)
  
• Holt Renfrew (Canada)
  
• Ziggy's At Home (Toronto)
  
• Suite 88 Chocolatier (Montreal)
  
• The Gap (for Ts, jammies, kid's stuff, undies, skinny turtlenecks and scarves)
  
• David's Tea (Toronto)
  
• L'Occitane
  
• AGO Gift Shop (Toronto) - or any good gallery gift shop
  
• Chapters/Indigo (Canada) / Borders (US)

You will note that many of these are rather lovely stores, selling rather lovely merchandise. But you don't have to buy the evening gown for 15K. You can buy a lipstick from the Bobbi Brown counter and have it nicely wrapped for free. You can buy the cashmere socks or a well-designed tube of hand cream and save approximately $14,970. And here are a just a few gift options for the various people in your life.

Please remember - it's not about how much you buy or what you pay. It's about how thoughtful and sensory - and beautifully presented - your token of affection manages to be. If you wouldn't want to receive it, please don't give it:

For your kids' teacher, housekeeper, daycare staff - and anyone else who helps you to logistically function in your life:

• Fine chocolate - the bigger the box the better.




• Hand milled soap and body products made with fine essential oils.




• Gift cards (Chapters, iTunes) - but only if you can't be more personal.




• A spa treatment - but only if you know the person fairly well.




• A book about a subject that interests the giftee.

These gifts can range in price from about $20.00 to $200.00 and up. Here are a couple I've bought for various peeps:

Savon de Marseille

For Your Mother:

• Really the choices are endless, but how about fine leather goods (bags, wallets)




• Lovely tea pot and cups - don't forget to include some tea.




• Cashmere scarf




• Unique jewelry (it comes in all price points)




• Clothing if you are sure of her size and style




• M0851 Bag

These gifts can get pretty pricey. But I've bought my mother some beautiful antiques, over the years, that are treasured and yet cost less than $30.00.

For the Men:

Wallets and other leather goods

Gadgets (iPhone, video games, techy stuff)

Hats, scarves - preferably merino or cashmere! (Remember you can find this on sale.)

Leather gloves

DVDs

Cologne - something you know he likes

Affordable crystal wine glasses

Riedel O Wine Glass

These gifts can also range in price quite substantially. I just bought 4 Riedel cabernet glasses for my father, wrapped by the boutique in a fantastic tube to look like a Christmas cracker, for $40.00 all in. And they're crystal.

For the Kiddies:

• Books, books, books!


• Educational toys from Chapters and the like


• Diaries with keys


• Webkinz


• American Girl stuff (My daughter calls hers a Canadian Girl!). Not the least $$ on the list. So maybe leave these for the grandparents!




• Clothing from H&M Kids, Gap and other affordable stores


• Boots and slippers


• Gorgeous iced cookies


• Lip balm and hand cream - little girls love this!


• Special outing to see a musical, ballet or special Christmas movie (or other cultural event)


• Puzzles


• Art SuppliesThis list really does go on and on.

The great thing about kids is that they love anything as long as it's wrapped! The price point here is often very reasonable. You can get a nice kid gift for $10.00. Or spend a living fortune...

Clip Trip

I was about to do a piece on shopping at this time of year - about staying sane and not spending too much - but then I realized it would say more or less the same thing that I wrote last November. So, I've decided to repost it now (this is a first for me): "How to Get With The Season Without Going to the Poorhouse Part 1". (Part 2 will follow.)


You know I love to shop.

You know I love to give gifts.

So, it would stand to reason that winter holiday season is the most excellent time of the year for me.

Thing is, I hate crowds. I hate shopping with the newbies and the novices (and, heaven forfend, the shoppers who shop as professionally as I do). I hate the marketing machinery which turns us all into static-charged lemmings, running headlong for the cliff of unnecessary debt.

First rule of shopping Krissie-style (and, in case you have been wondering, Krissie is indeed my princess alter ego) is: If you really cannot afford it, really do not buy it.

There is no mystery to this. Unless - come June - you still want to be anxiously over thinking that item you bought for someone else and will probably never have the opportunity to enjoy except via the fast-fading love rush of generosity, then put it back. I assure you, your mother will adore some other thing you can afford just as much. And your 8-year old does not need an iPod Touch.

Right now you may be thinking this is rich advice coming from me. I'm not known for bramacharya. I am known for thrilling to the chase and reveling in the spoils of war. But my spoils are all, relatively speaking, within the realm of my financial solvency.

I have a lot to say about Christmas buying. So much that I'm going to say it over two posts. This post, in addition to proselytizing that overwhelming debt is entirely contrary to the spirit of the season, will discuss how best to shop the stores during a time frame actually constructed to make you crazy, and therefore spend-y.

This isn't rocket science, but it's worth repeating:

1. Inasmuch as holidays should be a joy for those receiving, it should also be a joy to give. Joyful giving depends on you having fun from the get-go. Shopping should be flanked by lunch (to protect blood sugar) and a glass of wine (or other enjoyable treat) when it's all done. Including friends can make a potentially stressful activity more pleasant. (More hands and eyes make for more efficiency.) Unless you are one of those shoppers who must be alone to find the zen.
   
   


2. If you shop on Saturday afternoon in mid-December you will want to slit your wrists within an hour. And that's if you have fortitude. If you're a wuss, you have 20 minutes tops. Go at lunch hour or - better still - Friday mornings. And, though it sounds ridiculous, start now.
   
   


3. Do not imagine, unless you're buying for 3 people and/or you are extremely fortunate and kickass, that you will get it all done in one shot. Expect to shop a number of times over the span of about 6 weeks. Then you can a) carry it all home and b) take your time in reflecting about possible options and the merits of spending on any one thing.
   
   


4. Aim to catch the pre-Xmas sales. I'm on the Club Monaco promotions-alert. When they do mid-week sales knocking 30% off the price of some cashmere scarf, I'm going to know.
   
   


5. The more you shop, the better you fare. (Notwithstanding some sort of shopping addiction, natch.) Only experience can teach you the rhythm of shopping: sale cycles, making friends with SA's who put stuff aside for you while you consider options, turnover patterns, getting special sale opps because you are a special client etc.
   
   


6. Make sure you can return it, whatever it is. And get gift receipts.
   
   


7. Shop in places that wrap for free. Generally, the fancier the store, the more likely free wrap is to be available. And the more classy it will look. Of course this is not always the case. Boutiques tend to wrap for free too. Some things are the same price wherever you buy (cologne, anyone). So if you can get it at Shopper's or Holt's, choose the latter. Unless Shopper's is offering 5000 Optimum points.
   
   


8. Keep some lovely wrapping (or gift bags) and some generic, affordable gifts on hand at work and at home. Don't go out to a holiday lunch without one stashed in your bag - just in case. (I'll go into more detail about this next post.)
   
   


9. Though it's very challenging - this one tests me tremendously - you cannot buy one for you and one for____. The time for self-shopping is after Christmas, when you don't get that thing you desperately wanted and now it's on mega-discount. (Did I mention there's a whole other system for Boxing Day shopping. This one isn't for everyone...)
   
   


10. And finally, though I could go on, bring a list. When 16 people are jostling you for a swipe at the same one remaining item, do you really think your brain is going to be able to remember the 15 other prezzies you're on the hunt to buy? Answer: No way.

Please stay tuned for my next installment, wherein I will advise about what gifts are perfect for what category of giftee. Guaranteed to please!