Holidays can be stressful so my advice is to break down the to do list down so it will be manageable and pleasurable. It is the holiday season, so have fun!
The first order of business is create a nice atmosphere for you and your family.
Set short term goals: Buy a couple of things for your home to add a festive feeling when you and your guests walk in the door.
1) Find a basket for the front door and throw some shearling slippers in them from Restoration Hardware. They are inexpensive faux fur slippers that look pretty and you can keep your floors clean and give them to guests when they walk in or just have them for yourself.
2) Restoration Hardware also has some pretty table ornaments that brighten up a room or some nice candles. That or an orchid will put a smile on your face when you walk in the door,
3) Lastly, faux fur throws get better and better. I hate to be redundant but Restoration Hardware has some great new throws for the couch and pillows that won’t break the bank and in one store you can brighten up your house.
4) Another one of my favorite gifts for myself and for others is Ralph Lauren’s Holiday candles. The scent is so beautiful and they come in very pretty glass or silver containers.
5) Another pretty accent for the home if you have a dog is classic LLBean dog bed. Put it near the fire place or in the family room for a warm and cozy atmosphere.
Gift ideas
First I would advise everyone to make a budget and then a list of who they are buying for. If you are not methodical it can be overwhelming and stressful.
1) Let’s start with kids over 10 . Amazon
and Itunes is always a good gift. They will always use them and kids these days get more excited when the boxes are smaller because they know it is either a new phone or itunes or a gift card they can order the latest game on. For girls, they can order a new case or the latest pair of uggs.
2) Another great destination for gifts is J.Crew. The gifts get better each year. They have everything from cool trendy jewelry, ray bans, scarves, make up, lip stick, iphone cases and they all come in really pretty packaging. What’s great about J.Crew is they have their own label and then for specialty items they have ” In Good Company” which are other designers that design for J.Crew. In addition you can shop for men and women and the holiday deals are really good!!
3) If you get to Ralph Lauren from now until Christmas, they have really great deals on accessories such as candles and frames to scarves and their classic cashmere sweaters. The half zip for men are my favorite and the cable cashmere crew for women are always a safe bet. Depending on the store they have vintage jewelry and RRL which is a specialty brand for Ralph and then there is Denim and Supply, which is a great line for the younger hip crowd. Take a look on line before you hit the store. They can always order it for you there or you can do it at home. Get it done now!!
