"All I want for Christmas is YOU." -Mariah Carey's infamous Christmas song...that's played 23897394874578 times between Black Friday and Christmas Day

So it's been awhile since I've blogged. I know, it's terrible, really. But I'll tell you whats even more terrible is that I have been dying to blog and my crazy schedule with work has left me not much personal time, except to sleep...when I can!

I've decided to branch out and start talking about every day things too- however beauty/makeup will still be the MAIN topic, as it is my LIFE. I got the idea for today's blog when a boy that I'm seeing said something about giving me a watch for Christmas. I replied with "NO NO NO! Giving watches as gifts are VERY bad luck!" It is- maybe it's because I'm so superstitious, but it made me think of other gifts that are bad luck to give. With Christmas right around the corner, whens a better time to share my insight on gift-giving....

Bad luck gifts:
1. Watches. I know, I know, one would think watches can make great gifts, but giving a watch can be considered very bad luck. It symbolizes time running out- so it puts a time on your relationship with the person you give it to. My Aunt never gives watches for this reason.

2. Knives- or any other pointy, dangerous object. These symbolize the severing of a relationship. Not to mention, they are safety hazards!

3. Handkerchief. What do you do with a handkerchief? DRY your tears, WIPE your nose, or clean SWEAT from your face. Do any of those sound appealing? NO.

4. Empty wallet or purse. You can give a wallet/purse- in fact, those are my favorite gifts to receive! But, if you give this as a gift, you MUST put at least a dollar in it. Giving a wallet/purse with money in it is granting them wealth. Without money in it is granting them nothing but being broke. Yikes!

5. RE-GIFTING. Unless you are involved in some kind of joke White Elephant gift exchange, DO NOT re-gift. Could you imagine how embarrassed you'd be if the person found out you were too cheap to buy them a gift? Save your embarrassment. There's a story that I always think of when I think of re-gifting. My great-grandma once re-gifted a present, and on the bag it STILL had the "TO:/FROM:" on it, obviously to her. Now how do you play off that one?? Needless to say, none of the women in my family re-gift!

GREAT Gifts:
1. Any Apple product- iPod, iPad, iPhone, iTunes gift cards, etc. Let's face it, Apple products are top of the line and make great gifts. You can find something for your 10 year old nephew/niece to your Dad in this store.

2. Gift Cards- obviously my fav gift card to receive is from SEPHORA, but not everyone spends a small fortune a month there either, so- if you are lost on what to buy for someone, go the gift card route. You can never go wrong with these. Find out their favorite store, restaurant, movie theatre, Spa- and buy a gift card so you know they will truly like the gift.

3. A gift for something going on in your city- like a food/wine tour, cooking class, dance lessons, photography tour, art class, etc. If you are in the DC area, this is a great link for some pretty awesome ideas and has affordable prices: http://www.xperiencedays.com/prodlist.asp?idCategory=154&gclid=CNOB-K287KUCFQ975QodpW50mw

4. A cook book. I know, maybe it seems a little lame- but even people like me who barely cook/bake can use a cook book. Or if you have a friend/relative that likes to cook, buy them one in a specialized topic- like Mediterranean, Grilling or Baking. Or, if YOU love to cook/grill/bake- buy a few journals w/spirals or insertable (is that a word?) pages and print off some of your favorite recipes and put them in the first few pages. This way, they can start to keep track of their favorites, as well as have some new ones from you! Write a personalized note on the inside of the journal/booklet to tie the gift together. Sometimes personalized gifts are the best ones to give.

5. A magazine subscription. For those who are into fashion and beauty, get them a subscription to InStyle (my fav), Vogue, Glamour, or Cosmopolitan. For those who love to travel, Travel & Leisure; Time Magazine for those who like to stay up on current events and politics; and National Geographic for those interested in global issues, photography and the earth! And it's the gift that keeps on giving- they'll get it the entire year!

Random Tip: with the Holidays around the corner, this is the time for stress, emotional breakdowns, family drama, fights in the mall parking lots/toy stores and headaches from too much egg nog the morning after. But it is also the time of giving, love, joy, peace and to be thankful for what we have. Try to remember this all the time, and end each negative with something positive, like I did with the gifts above- I listed the bad luck gifts first and the GREAT gifts last. This way, the thought or conversation is always left on a positive note.

XOXO.