ShareThisBy HELEN MALANI
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Admit it. You're guilty, as am I, of waiting until the last minute to do your holiday shopping. And let's face it, sometimes it shows in the gifts we wind up giving. We're not fooling anyone with that set of matching hat, scarf and gloves that was conveniently displayed in the center aisle or that cheese and sausage basket that we thought anyone could enjoy. Nothing says, "Happy Holidays Aunty Maude" more than a personalized blanket or throw that says, "Happy Holidays Aunty Maude."
I love the selection for kids at www.personalcreations.com. The name puzzles ($16.95) are a great way to introduce letters to the littlest one on your gift list. Give a boost to a kid's independent streak with a personalized "Danger Keep Out" sign ($19.95) for his or her door. Allow three to four weeks for delivery for some personalized items.
Another company that specializes in customized gifts is www.personalizationmall.com . They have a great selection of holiday ornaments that can be personalized at no extra charge and most ship quickly within two days of ordering.
In this age of e-mail, encourage the hobby of stamp collecting or use personalized stamps to mail your holiday cards by creating your own USPS approved stamps at www.zazzle.com, which also allows you to create fun T-shirts and mugs.
At www.signaturewines.com you can find a selection of fine wines and you need not buy a whole case. Upload your own photo or create a customized label on their Web site. Be sure to call their customer service number to check on shipping cost and time before you place your order as they vary widely from state to state due to local laws. For example, it costs twice as much and takes twice as long to ship to New York as it does to Texas.
For something that will last longer than wine, look to Tiffany & Co. at www.Tiffany.com . For him, sterling silver oval cuff links are classic and won't break the bank at $115 plus a machine engraving charge of $16 or $50 by hand. Should you prefer 18k gold, the cufflinks will set you back $1050. For her, a lovely bracelet in sterling silver with the signature Tiffany heart tag ($175) is sure to charm her. If you are in the market for something more extravagant, rumor is Tiffany has some nice rings, too. In addition to standard ground shipping of four to five 5 days, add on two weeks for hand engraved items and five days for machine engraved.
Customized fortune cookies are a surefire hit for a client or office gift. Fancy Fortune Cookie (www.fancyfortunecookie.com) makes unique flavors and inserts up to five different personalized fortunes. Flavored cookies start out at $45.00 for a minimum order of 100 cookies. Ship time is only two to five days in the 48 contiguous states, six to seven for Alaska and Hawaii. My fortune says, "Those who shop early can avoid last minute boring gift sets".
(Helen Malani is the chief shopping expert for Shopzilla.com, an E.W. Scripps company, and the largest comparison shopping search engine on the Web. For more columns visit www.scrippsnews.com.)
