It looks like the Holidays are upon us and it’s time to start shopping.  I don’t know about you but I have a love-hate relationship with the holidays.  I love the holidays because I get to spend time with people I normally don’t see regularly; aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and sometimes out-laws.  It is a time to gather and watch “Christmas Vacation” and hope no looks at me and calls me “Eddie”.  It is a time to shop.  Let me start by saying that I am a man and I hate shopping.  I hate crowds and I hate that fact that I have not listened to anything my wife has said all year long to gather clues about something she would want for Christmas.  I usually get her something she takes back, but I make it large enough in value so she can get what she wants.  I have tried to listen but I have not been able to glean clues from her conversations.  It is the old men are from mars and women are from somewhere else thing.  So after twelve years of marriage we have a system that has evolved, she sends me an email with a list of suggested items and sizes and I will call her sister in Tampa to see which one she wants the most.  The problem I have with that is that I usually stray from the list trying to get her something special she didn’t expect.  It hasn’t worked and she takes the item(s) back.  Part of the problem could be that I wait until Christmas Eve to do all of my shopping.  I start the day off by going to pub of some type eating, drinking and generally being merry.  You know getting into the spirit of the holidays.  This usually helps because once I get to the mall I am surrounded by other guys who are in the same predicament – waiting until the last minute to their shopping done.  I know this has nothing to do with technology but I wanted to use this as a platform to talk about HOT items for Christmas 2008.

  So for the coming weeks I am going to talk about hot items people are discussing.  Today I want to provide links to places you can get ideas from.  The first one is http://www.gifts.com, what a great URL.  Here are the top items I found for:

Men - 35mm-to-digital Film Converter
http://www.gifts.com/giftlists/our-top-10-gifts-for-him?listID=4331

Women - Pottery Barn Graphic Rudolph Square Appetizer Plates
http://www.gifts.com/giftlists/our-favorite-gifts-for-her?listID=4268

Boys - D-REX Interactive Dinosaur
http://www.gifts.com/giftlists/top-10-gifts-for-boys?listID=4334

Girls - Pottery Barn Kids Electric Guitars
http://www.gifts.com/giftlists/top-10-gifts-for-girls?listID=4335

Teen Boys - New York Giants Snack Helmet
http://www.gifts.com/giftlists/our-favorite-gifts-for-teen-guys?listID=4320

Teen Girls - Harajuku Lovers Love 1 oz
http://www.gifts.com/giftlists/our-favorite-gifts-for-teen-gals?listID=4345

Babies - Cloud B Twilight Turtle
http://www.gifts.com/giftlists/top-10-baby-gifts?listID=534

Pets - Tick Tock Teaser Cat Toy
http://www.gifts.com/giftlists/top-toys-for-pets?listID=59258

I posted the top items for each page and I am not sure about the items I have listed.  If my wife opened a Pottery Barn Graphic Rudolph Square Appetizer Plate she would look at me lovingly and politely say “nice”.  She would quietly look through the box to make sure the receipt is there so she can take it back.  I am not judging so if you get your wife a Pottery Barn Graphic Rudolph Square Appetizer Plate and she really likes it I am happy for you.  Isn’t technology great, with a click of a mouse you can do all of the shopping you need.  The internet has helped people’s decision making process when it comes to shopping because most people find the item online.  They will do the research, look at viewers’ reviews and find out where to get the item locally.  If it can’t be had locally then they will buy online.  Research shows that over 90% of people purchasing a car look at car dealer’s web sites before ever walking on the lot.  Here is a breakdown of what people shopped for in the past year in Kentucky:

Below are some more links to the HOT items for 2008. 

http:// mywishlist.amexnetwork.com/

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=0&pid=_GoogleAds_Gifts_Christmas_christmas_gifts_2008

http://shopping.msn.com/content/shp/?ctId=8511&ptnrId=178&ptnrData=5651925

Send in any links to other gift guides you find.  I look forward to seeing them.