WHAT WOMEN WANT!

After plenty of research and consideration, I present, for your review, the first half of my 10 picks for holiday gifts for women, and all for under $100 each! Drum roll, please!!!

1. I kid you not when I say I would not be the cook I am today if it weren't for Victoria Taylor seasonings. Simply the best at taking out the guessing and time consumption of arriving at the perfect seasoning blends for any dish. I first found these seasonings on periodic trips to T.J. Maxx. But I've recently discovered the website, and in so doing, also learned a little about the company. It was started in 1988 by Victoria Taylor, who had tired of working in corporate America and wanted to use her food marketing background in a different way. She started out by using her husband for her initial taste testings. Her painstaking efforts paid off. My salmon is amazing because of her ginger citrus blend. My potato/golden beet/carrot soup gets the perfect amount of kick from her smoky paprika chipotle. And now, I'm thrilled to learn about her holiday offerings. What a pretty and useful gift, at just $17.99 for the 3-tin set, including holiday seasonings, and mulling and pie spices. And free shipping on all orders over $49! Visit http://www.vgourmet.com/.

2. Fruitcake, schmootcake! The last thing any self-respecting woman wants is that caloric, sugar-laden brick, no matter how "gourmet" a particular brand is advertised to be. Instead, for approximately the same amount of money, you can splurge on a 5-pound container (7-12 pears) of Harry and David's perennial favorite. These pears are organically grown, in the U.S., and will come to your door (free delivery!) for $34.95. They are a healthy and intensely juicy treat. For more information or to order, visit http://www.harryanddavid.com/.

3. Speaking of taste treats, I've been enjoying herbal coffees from Teeccino, out of Santa Barbara, for years. It brews just like traditional coffee, so I still have the comforting sound of my percolator and the delightful aroma in the morning.

The taste? Far superior to any coffee I've tasted, and without the caffeine jitters or acidic aftertaste. And now, they even come in "Tee" bags, as well. I never would have thought I'd like those individually brewed cups nearly as much, but I was wrong. My daily flavor of choice is the hazelnut blend, but the Amaretto blend makes a great dessert coffee. Why not try a variety gift basket, for $40.99? Visit: http://teeccino.com/.

4. Forget the Uggs and other pricey foreign-made slippers. For $75.00, you can purchase these high quality Colorado Moccasin Sheepskin Slippers, from Sundance Sheepskin & Leather, a 40-year-old, family-based company, located in the mountain town of Guffey, Colorado. These unisex slippers are handmade in the United States, using sheepskin from cold climate Colorado and New Mexico sheep, which, states the company, results in a warmer, more comfortable and durable product. Sundance also states that the American techniques and standards for tanning produce a much higher quality of sheepskin and leather, and conform to strict EPA guidelines that help protect the environment. The double leather sole is durable enough for outdoor use, although the company now also offers a rubber-soled version. The slippers are offered in unisex sizes, but if you have any qualms about fit, you'll be pleased to learn that because all of Sundance's products are handmade, the company can make slight adjustments to its patterns to accommodate for variations in width, if customers advise them of same. All of Sundance's products are washable in cold water, with mild soap, after which they can be formed and air dried. All of its products carry a satisfaction guarantee and a 1-year warranty on materials and workmanship. While I have chosen this particular style, in keeping with my $100 or under price point, the company also offers a 10" high, boot-style slipper for $105.00. For more information, or to order, go to: http://www.sundanceleather.com/html/sheepskin_slippers.html.

5. Another must-have for chilly weather is a pair of attractive, well-made gloves. My choice in this regard is the Cascadia Glove, the most popular model from Sullivan Glove Co., a 70-year-old company with a truly American heritage. It was first established in San Francisco, turning out gloves for ship builders during World War II. After the war, Ed Sullivan moved his company to its current headquarters of Bend, Oregon. It was purchased in 1975 by Dave and JoAnn Dewey, who continued and expanded the original line of gloves and slippers. In 1999, David and Terri Hayes purchased the company and carried on its tradition of producing high quality, comfortable and durable products.

I particularly like this supple and durable deerskin glove because, depending on the color, it could be dressed up or down. The black and dark brown would work well for a classic look, while the light and dark tan versions could be "rocked" with a Southwestern look. The biggest fear I'd have with these glove is simply misplacing them, because they otherwise appear to be part of a woman's wardrobe for a lifetime. A great investment at $39.00 a pair (with free shipping for all domestic orders over $35!). Incidentally, Sullivan Glove Co. also does custom orders, and its gloves have been sported by celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone, Willie Nelson, and Kevin Costner. For more information or to order: http://www.sullivanglove.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=217.

Really want to save money, live better? Buy a book!

This week’s edition of G.R.A.C.E. is about patronizing your local independent bookstore, but first a discussion of the not so attractive side of American consumerism. I recall chuckling at an episode of “The Simpsons” where a sign over the local market stated “In honor of the birth of our savior, Try-N-Save is open all day Christmas.” However, in light of grim accounts of violently maniacal behavior on Black Friday at superstores throughout the U.S., it is difficult to find any humor in that show’s commentary on the human condition. The truth of what the holiday season means to millions of people is, instead, just plain sad.

Not to be outdone by previous years’ displays of inhumanity, this year saw the following:

· A screaming mob fighting over two-dollar waffle makers at a Wal-Mart near Little Rock, Arkansas.
· A woman pepper-spraying others vying for a gaming console at a Los Angeles Wal-Mart. Incidentally, I do not even know what a gaming console is, and I lose no sleep over this fact.
· A grandfather knocked unconscious by police and left lying in a pool of his own blood in an Arizona Wal-Mart, because he was assumed to be shoplifting when he was reportedly trying to guard a video game he had selected for his grandson, from the avaricious crowd around him (the attack was witnessed by a CNN reporter).
· Two women requiring hospitalization after being kicked and shoved in their attempts to get a deal on a smart phone in a Wal-Mart in Rome, New York.
· Shoppers being held up and shot in parking lots outside Wal-Mart stores in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and San Leandro, California.

Kind of puts a whole new spin on Wal-Mart’s slogan: “Save Money. Live Better.”

But Wal-Mart does not have complete dibs on shocking behavior demonstrated by this year’s deal seekers. A 61-year-old pharmacist collapsed, from a heart attack, onto the floor of a Target store in West Virginia, while shoppers, undaunted by the obstacle, simply stepped over the man who later died at an area hospital. While there were reports of at least one nurse eventually coming to the man’s aid, this story still made me wonder about all of those other people … whether any of them considered that this could happen to their own father or grandfather.

Target was the same “thoughtful” company that opted to open at midnight on November 25th this year, to “accommodate” Black Friday shoppers (as in, help spur the public into a physical and psychological frenzy). This move on Target’s part required employees to arrive an hour early to prepare for opening the doors, which meant that those same people – if they had the unmitigated gall to try to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner with family – were exhausted by the end of Friday, so much so, that one of them drove her vehicle into a 20-foot canal when she got off work in Palm Beach County, Florida.

And so, I must also muse at Target’s slogan: “Expect more. Pay less.” I’m sure that Walter Vance’s family expected more than how he was treated in that store.

Enough about that. The good news is that in the midst of that horrific madness, there is still some sanity and humanity in our country when it comes to shopping local, and for a present that has never gone out of style. Saturday marked the first anniversary of "Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day." And, I've been pleased to learn that this is not just wishful thinking on the part of bookstores. Indeed, people have been following President Obama's lead ... or perhaps he is following theirs, and frequenting their local, independent bookstores to purchase children's books. According to a recent report of Publisher's Weekly: Several stores have been so encouraged by sales this year that they are planning to expand to fill the void left by Borders. “We’ve had an excellent year,” says Gladin Scott, manager of Maple Street Books in New Orleans. “Our sales are up tremendously, and we anticipate that continuing over the next year. I would say that we’re at least 15% over last year, because our business increased about 30% over the summer.” In September, Maple Street opened a store on the other side of the French Quarter; on Saturday it will open a third store in a mid-city location.

When I think back to the portentous demise of Kathleen Kelly's delightful bookstore in "You've Got Mail," back in 1998, I'm especially encouraged to see that the indies are thriving, even though at least one behemoth (Border's) has fallen on hard times. As I've said from the start when developing this blog, my criteria for selecting American-made items were strict. Products had to be, among others, durable and attractive. And I just don't know what item fits that description more perfectly than does a children's classic book. (And still under $100 -- thus keeping with my price point). What's more, I doubt you will ever see people breaking out the pepper spray or getting into bare knuckle boxing in an independent bookstore, no matter how precious the prize.

What's more, a book is sometimes even better than a band-aid. This morning, I had just started my pre-school ballerinas on their beginning exercise of flexing and pointing their feet when a late arrival was carried in by her mother. Little Ella was so excited about coming to class today, new pink tights and all, that she pitched, full body, into the sidewalk, scraping her arms, knees and chin. She was a mournful little mess and I was not sure that even with hugs from me and her classmates, we could arrest her tears. Then I remembered what was in my bag and quickly retrieved a copy of My First Ballet Class. Classroom work was put aside for a few minutes as my tiny dancers gathered close and read the book with me. Soon, all was well with Ella, with the added benefit of a special few minutes of bonding with all of my pupils. Thank you, Angelina Ballerina!