Holiday Shopping

I was going about my merry way yesterday, getting a drink from my favorite fast food establishment, while my mind was wandering about all the last minute gift ideas and when I was going to find time to get them. I was so deep in thought that I didn't even realize what was happening around me...

When you think of holiday shopping, the least enjoyable is getting bumped by crowds of people, right? Brett A.S. Martin, a professor at Queensland University of Technology Business School in Australia, definitely knows this, since he believes congestion is actually caused by store owners filling their aisles to the brim with as many products as possible.

Traditionally, people think the perfect gift is the one you’ve spent months thinking about and searching for, or the one you spent a month’s salary on, but new research shows that gift recipients are just as happy, if not more, with less expensive gifts, or the ones they picked out themselves.

Christmas shopping can be a little stressful. Crowds, lines, shopping lists... How about making the experience more fun with fake shopping lists?

If you’re anything like us, the classic comedy ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ is required viewing during the holiday season. So, imagine how thrilled we were to discover these awesome moose mugs, just like the ones that Clark Griswold and Cousin Eddie drank egg nog from in the movie.

Ok, I know how to shop for Christmas presents. And I know how to open them! But the whole gift wrapping... with the wrapping paper and scissors and tape... confuses me. My gifts always look like a 3 year old wrapped them!

Cyber Monday may not be as infamous as Black Friday, but often times there are better deals to be found. Plus, there's no crowds of shoppers pushing and shoving to get there first. If you'll be doing your shopping online, here are some things to keep in mind to ensure you get the best deals you can — and stay safe doing it. ...

Black Friday sales. To my mother and sister, it's about grabbing good deals and specials. To me, it's more about people watching. But to one San Fernando woman, it was about using pepper spray to make sure she got the Doorbuster deals!

For those of you who preferred sleeping in to sleeping outside of Best Buy — we feel you! Thankfully, there are just as good Black Friday deals online as there are if you’d wait on line for hours just to get in — and a lot of PopCrush favorites are on sale!

According to a Harris Interactive survey of adults planning to buy children’s presents this holiday season, the most popular kid’s gift items — more popular than video games, board games and dolls — are books.

Twenty-four percent of Americans plan to brave the crowds and take advantage of seductive Black Friday savings, according to a survey of 1,168 adults by Poll Position.

You have your Black Friday ads. You know when the stores open. You even know the most dangerous toys being sold this year. You, sir or madam, are ready to shop. Or are you? Here are a few more suggestions to make your Black Friday buying excursions go as smoothly as possible