Wednesday, December 12, 2007

DECEMBER 12, 2007

HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS FOR CO-WORKERS
Whether you're unwillingly thrown into your office's secret Santa gift exchange, or you just want to be nice... here are some holiday gift ideas for your co-workers...

1) ENVIRONMENTALISTS. For people who are all into saving the planet, get them something like a journal made out of recycled products, a reusable fabric shopping bag or even an offer to carpool with them to work for a couple of weeks.

2) COOKS. For people who like to cook, you could give them a really good family recipe or a cookbook you think they'll like.

3) FASHION-TYPES. People who are obnoxiously into fashion will probably like a gift card to their favorite store or a fashion magazine.

4) SPORTS FANS. A pretty simple gift is something like office supplies with their team's logo on it, a stadium seat cushion... or if you want to be REALLY nice... tickets to a game.

5) PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO READ. Bookmarks, clip-on lights and books on CD are all good ideas.

PARTY CONVERSATION ETIQUETTE
Event planner Eugene Remm gives us a couple conversation tips for all the parties you'll be attending this month...

1. Pick a place. Always stand by the bar -- it's the heart of the action. Then, open with a compliment. Tell a woman you like her dress or a man you like his tie. Talk to someone at least for five minutes to show you're committed to the conversation (and not just full of it).

2. Quick escape. Ready to move on? Say, "It was such a pleasure speaking to you. Avoid excuses like, "I need a new drink." The person thinks you're coming back -- or not polite enough to offer them one."

SAVE AN EXTRA $40 FOR AFTER CHRISTMAS
Something is going to break at your house this Christmas. Something breaks at your house EVERY Christmas. And that doesn't just happen to you... it happens to everyone.

According to a survey by a British insurance price comparison company, SO MUCH stuff gets broken during Christmas that, when you break it down, every single household has an average of $40 worth of damage.

The most common damage is a carpet getting stained by spilled wine.

A broken refrigerator or freezer is second most common. Lights catching on fire is third... broken windows from fallen Christmas trees is fourth... and someone breaking a piece of furniture is fifth.

Clogged toilets... which don't count as damage but do usually cost money to fix... will happen in several million households, too.