There you are, happily and cozily ensconced in your house, playing your new PS4 (as long as it’s not a piece of wood) to your heart’s delight, warm with the Christmas spirit that brought you this shiny new toy. But if you want to keep your new pricy electronics and nice clothing, it’s not a good idea to tip off any would-be thieves of what’s hiding in your home by advertising it with empty boxes. [More]
presents
Reminder: You Might Not Want To Display Empty Christmas Present Boxes Prominently On The Curb
By 12.29.15 — Updated: 12.23.16
How To Be A Good Regifter, Because Sometimes You Just Have To Pass Along All Those Scented Candles & Picture Frames
By 12.23.15
It’s inevitable around the holidays: your anticipation when opening a beautifully wrapped gift from a friend or loved one turns into bafflement in a matter of seconds. Instead of appearing ungrateful, you smile and graciously thank the gift-giver while your mind is quickly churning out ways to keep that item from ever reaching some box in the back of your attic. [More]
18 Times Our Readers Got The Absolute Best Gift Ever
By 12.24.14
There’s nothing like the moment when you realize that you’ve just received your heart’s desire in the form of a gift from someone else. Not only does it mean adding something wonderful to your life — whether it’s that prized toy you’ve been coveting, freedom from tyranny or a new fuzzy friend. Speaking of fuzzy, we asked you, our wonderful, giving readers a few weeks ago to tell us about the best gift you’ve ever gotten, whether it was Christmas, Hanukkah or just a regular day. [More]
Which Popular Holiday Gifts Are The Worst To Get?
By 12.12.14
The moment of dread has arrived: You have to open gifts in front of your loved ones, and pretend you like what they’ve given you, no matter if it’s a bottle of peppermint schnapps or a candle shaped like a Christmas tree that smells like a car air freshener. But this year, perhaps if we reflect upon the gifts people hate getting the most, we can avoid those items and bring more cheer than fear. [More]
Michigan Cops Playing Sneaky Santa Pull Over People To Give Them Gifts Instead Of Tickets
By 12.10.14
What’s the worst thing you can see in the rearview mirror? Police lights flashing as a cop tells you to pull over (that or an avalanche/tornado/mob of goblins chasing you). So for Michigan drivers who stopped for the long arm of the law realized they were getting a treat instead of a ticket from sneaky Santa police, Christmas came extra early. [More]
What To Do With All Those Gifts You Hate
By 12.28.11
The blur of the past couple weeks may have littered your home with useless trinkets others gave you in exchange for the equally useless stuff you gave them. If you had wanted any of these things you would have bought them yourself, but you’re stuck with them until you manage to simplify and declutter. [More]
Presents For Your Kids That Are Really For You
By 12.12.11
If you buy your kids presents that you don’t feel the need to steal back for yourself, you’re doing it wrong. Clever toy manufacturers make their products just as enjoyable for parents, so avoid all the fluff and look for the good stuff. [More]
Instead Of Buying These Gifts, Opt For More Useful Alternatives
By 12.8.11
Sometimes people want things for the wrong reasons, setting their sights on items while failing to realize alternatives that will fill their needs just as well, if not better. The problem often pops up in gift-giving, when givers seek to impress recipients with flashy, well-known products, disregarding their usefulness. [More]
How To Make A Present Looked Like It Was Wrapped By An Adult
By 11.28.11
When you were 5, everyone told you your slapdash method of wrapping presents was adorable. But if you’ve grown up and haven’t improved your technique, your subpar wrapping efforts are just embarrassing. Maybe it’s time you sat down and learned how to wrap your presents decently. [More]
TSA Warns Passengers: Wrapped Gifts May Need To Be Unwrapped
By 11.14.11
If you have to fly this holiday season and you were planning on wrapping any presents before you get on the plane, the folks at the TSA have issued their annual word of caution on the matter: They may need to unwrap those carefully packed gifts. [More]
Walmart Will Open At 10pm On Thanksgiving
By 11.10.11
The arms race of hours is on. Determined to top retailers like Target, Macy’s, Kohl’s and Best Buy who are all opening at midnight on Black Friday, Walmart has announced it will be opening at 10 pm on Thanksgiving night. [More]
Beat These Deadlines To Ship Your Gifts On Time
By 12.14.10
If you’re shipping out gifts to friends and family, you may have to start sending out packages this week if you want to get them to their destinations by Christmas. Here are links to domestic shipping deadlines for some of the more popular shipping services: [More]
How To Buy The Right Gift Of Underthings For Your Special Lady
By 2.12.10
Valentine’s Day is soon approaching. Whatever your feelings about the day, the cold capitalist fact remains: this is a holiday when people who are not women venture into stores and attempt to purchase underthings for women. This can sometimes end badly. Fortunately, blogger Treacle over at Wisebread has broken down the essentials of lingerie-buying into four simple steps that even the most fashion-impaired gentleman can use to find a suitable gift. [More]
Guess What's In This Package?
By 12.25.09
No, really. Guess.
Are you entitled to a refund if your wrapping paper doesn’t sufficiently conceal a package’s contents? Megan thinks so. Last week when she wrapped her fiance’s Christmas present, he got an unexpected surprise. He could tell exactly what the gift was through the opaque wrapping paper.
Is It Ever Okay To Buy Gifts At A Thrift Store?
By 12.24.09
Tacky, incompetent regifting is one thing, but Mrs. Money over at the Ultimate Money Blog raises another question: when is it appropriate to give people gifts that you’ve purchased at a thrift or consignment store? [More]
Tales Of Epic Re-Gifting Fail
By 12.23.09
Mainstreet.com asked their readers to recount the worst re-gifting experiences they’ve had. People really, really seem to like re-gifting unwanted wedding gifts without removing the original cards first. But the real winner in the categories of both cheapness and stupidity has to be the person who checked a book out from the library, then gave it to a friend as a gift. [More]
Parking Lot Safety Tips
By 12.22.09
You’re not done with your holiday shopping when you swipe your credit card at the cash register. You’ve often got to navigate a potentially treacherous parking lot and get the goods home. The personal finance blog Finance for a Freelance Life offers some common yet helpful tips on how to avoid parking lot robbers. [More]
