Gift Guide

Books are my favorite thing to give as gifts and when my nieces and nephews were young it never failed that they would get a book under the tree from Aunt Karen. I tried very hard to match books with their interests but I learned an important lesson in gift giving through the years -- books will be better received by even reluctant readers if you pair it with something else. Here's a gift guide with 10 books that teens will enjoy and a little something extra to wrap up with them.  Read more >

Ideas are all around you. Sure, all this browsing might not uncover the one perfect gift, but all you need is a little jolt of inspiration. That's all it takes sometimes for a good idea to spring from your mind.  Read more >

It was not a ring, you guys. Not an electronic gadget. Nothing warm and UGGly to put on my toes. In fact, it was a godawful Woolrich sweater. A purchase I suspect he made at the hardware store the morning before. I can't be certain, but I still suspect my boyfriend at the time thought I was actually a lumberjack. Now, over ten years later, I can't remember a single other thing that sweater-guy bought me during our years-long relationship. Because that ugly sweater? It trumps all, you guys. So why not learn from my heartache and let this serve as a warning to you this holiday season. There are certain gifts you simply do not want to give. Or, rather, there are certain gifts that us women simply do not want to receive.  Read more >

With the holidays arriving, even some of the most career-minded among us look forward to some time off (or at least more fun between workdays.) With a little thought, it's possible to send the worker bees in your life back to the office after the holiday with a thoughtful gift or two. And while it's nice to snag the shiniest new digital tablet, it's also possible to think beyond the iPad. (Although please Santa bring me one? Thanks.)  Read more >