Little luxuries are all around us if you know where to look – be it a bright red lipstick that makes you feel like a movie star on a Monday morning, a mini-facial that makes you glow inside and out, or a book that takes you to the other side of the world. These tiny everyday gems are anxiously waiting to be discovered by you and wrapped with a bow, and each chapter of the LLGG seeks to deliver a new morsel of inspiration to you and your holiday season. Fancy shmancy is out; it’s those legendary “small packages” that hold the key to a perfect season of giving.

Giving a seed or a symbol of growth is a unique way to recognize a new beginning in someone’s life. It says: the world will grow with you. Whether it’s a new home, a new job or a newfound creed to explore a greener lifestyle… these all make a lovely green followup to a Christmas tree.

1. Zen Artistry fresh flowers from Teleflora.com - starting at $49.95

Rather than sending an everyday flower bouquet, consider sending an exotic, purple  orchid arrangement that delivers a sense of calm. 

2. Podlings, available at Urban Outfitters.com - $6.00

Grow chamomile, lemon balm, basil, mint, oregano or thyme in a futuristic way right at home. 

3. Mini bud vases, available at cb2 – $1.95 each

Stocking stuffers for the minimalist decorator. 

4. Flowerhead Vase, available at ModernArtisians.com - $39.99

How cute is this! A small porcelain vase with a few garden flowers can add charm conversation to a room big or small. 

5. “Eat Your Greens” Salad Plant, available at uncommongoods.com – $25

Entertain while you entertain. Just make sure nobody mistakes the begonias for the salad dish.

Plant a spa seed – show someone the lifelong benefits of the spa lifestyle and send them for a rejuvenating treatment this holiday. SPA WEEK® Gift Cards for $100 cards are on sale for $80, $150 cards are on sale for $120, and so forth. They’re redeemable all year ’round at spas throughout North America. 

Imagine resting peacefully the morning after Thanksgiving when an alarm cuts through the dark of night. You squint at the clock only to groan when you realize it’s an hour that barely even technically counts as “morning.” Nevertheless, you hoist yourself out of bed, dress, and drive to your local mall to grapple with hordes of other, equally sleep-deprived shoppers. Ah, Black Friday!

On the day after Thanksgiving, these become bumper cars.

My family has always eschewed rousing ourselves early the day after Thanksgiving to go shopping. Since we all have the day off, we usually sleep in and spend a lazy morning in pajamas. I’ve grown so fond of this routine that I have to admit, it would take a pretty incredible deal to get me out of bed and shopping at the ungodly hours that stores open (it seems earlier and earlier every year!)

I know others enjoy the tradition, though, so do you like shopping on Black Friday? If so, what deals will you be scoping out this year?

We’d like to kick off this holiday season with a little fun dishing… of the gossipy sort.

We all know the trappings of the holidays – family, food, crowded houses, wine and eggnog, etc – can make for warm fuzzy moments, but they can also make for some embarrassing and/or hilarious situations. It’s these memorable, infamous, embarrassing holiday stories we’re interested in!

Maybe it was the Thanksgiving the turkey burned and everyone had to order takeout. Or maybe it was the Hanukkah nothing went right…or the New Year’s your aunt had a little too much champagne and put a lampshade on her head…whatever your funny or embarrassing story, we want you to leave it in the comments. We’ll post the best stories on the blog on December 16th.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Welcome to Chapter Two of the Little Luxury Gift Guide 2009.

Little luxuries are all around us if you know where to look – be it a bright red lipstick that makes you feel like a movie star on a Monday morning, a mini-facial that makes you glow inside and out, or a book that takes you to the other side of the world. These tiny everyday gems are anxiously waiting to be discovered by you and wrapped with a bow, and each chapter of the LLGG seeks to deliver a new morsel of inspiration to you and your holiday season. Fancy shmancy is out; it’s those legendary “small packages” that hold the key to a perfect season of giving.

If they mean the world to you, why not give them the world? It’s a big, beautiful place out there, and these gifts can serve as daily reminders of the greatness that awaits– or help take them there.

1. Great Escapes Mediterranean by Taschen, available at Vivre.com – $39.99

A great coffee table book that brings a slice of the world to the center of their living room.

2. Cashmere slippers with travel case by Burberry, available at Bloomingdales.com – $175

With a perfectly appointed little travel case, these little cashmere luxuries can carry a voyager across their bedroom… or across Europe.

3. Travel Kit by Ole Henriksen, available at Sephora.com – ($90 Value) $70

Relieve, cleanse, invigorate, firm, refine and balance their skin. Whether they’re heading to a friend’s house for the night or going on a 10 day tropical vacation, this little kit will have them covered… and have you covered for a great gift.

4. Illuminated Constellation Globe, available at UrbanOutfitters.com- $75

Leave them starstruck. A great way to explore the constellations and give character to a room. Good for the classroom too.

5. Erol Large Canvas Tote by hayden-hartnett, available at haydenhartnett.com – Was $155, Now $116.25

Know someone going on vacation? Here’s a bright, well-pocketed, heavy-duty, lightweight bag great for a day of exploring a summery destination. It’ll be fun to whip out again in May.

6. Set of 3 Continent Pillows, available at uncommongoods.com – $95

For the traveler or global-minded, give a set of pillows that’ll let their mind escape every time they put their head down.

Another way to give them the world and send them over the moon? Send them for a relaxing day at the spa with a SPA WEEK® Gift Card. $100 cards are on sale for $80, $150 cards are on sale for $120, and so forth. They’re redeemable all year ’round at spas throughout North America. And even more so than the slippers… these gifts travel very well.

Welcome to Crazy Watch, a new feature on the SPA WEEK® blog where we’ll be featuring some of the weirder products and services we come across. Crazy Watch: proving that perhaps there is such a thing as being too creative.

"IQ", the perfume designed from Einstein's DNA

They say picking the right perfume is a science. Thanks to pheremones and varying body temperatures, the same scent will smell differently on two different people – so when you find an aromatic note that works for you, whether it’s grapefruit, jasmine, sandalwood, musk, or something else entirely, you should seek out perfumes using that scent.

What we do not advise you do, however, is seek out perfumes that smell like dead people.

To be fair, “Antiquity”, the new fragrance line from My DNA Fragrance, doesn’t smell like dead people in the Halloween, horror-movie way you might expect. But the products in the line are engineered from the DNA of famous – and famously dead – celebrities. You can choose to draw your scent from the genes of Joan Crawford, Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Katherine Hepburn, and (are you surprised?) Michael Jackson.

 

"Blue Suede", the perfume designed from Elvis Presley's DNA

While My DNA Fragrance’s main product lines are intriguing – they claim to analyze your DNA to produce the perfect fragrance for you and you alone – we think the “Antiquity” line of products steps over the creepy cliff. That is to say, we think it takes a flying leap off it – and given how this product line draws some serious attention to the darker, perverse shadows of celebrity worship, it’s hard not to feel icky about the prospect of wearing one of these perfumes.

We suggest you let these poor famous folks rest in peace and stick with flowers and citrus for your perfumes. They’re not so boring! Really! And even if they’re boring – at least they’re not crazy.