holiday gift

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

This Year's Toy Mantra: 'Soft Sells'

Demand for stuffed animals is up 4% in an otherwise 'soft' toy sales season

(Newser) - The buzz word in the stuffed animal world these days is "soft," with toymakers scrambling to make their offerings to stand out as the plushest stuffies in the biz. And despite toy sales being soft as well (down by 8%), the Wall Street Journal reports that stuffed animals...

Don't Buy Anything New This Holiday Season
Don't Buy Anything
New This Holiday Season
OPINION roundup
Nov 8, 2021 11:05 AM CST

Don't Buy Anything New This Holiday Season

Columnist says shopping secondhand is better for the world, and more fun

(Newser) - We may be barely a week past Halloween, but the holiday shopping season is already upon us—and in the New York Times , Annaliese Griffin suggests you don't purchase any new presents this year. The reasons for buying secondhand gifts are numerous: the global supply-chain delays are causing shortages...

12 Fun Things From Oprah's, Gwyneth's Holiday Gift Guides

It's that time of year, when the world falls in love ... with $88 bath salts

(Newser) - It's the season of giving ... really, really, really fancy things. At least according to Oprah Winfrey and Gwyneth Paltrow, who are out with their 2019 holiday gift guides. If you were to buy all of Oprah's Favorite Things , which number about 80 this year, it would set you...

Got $5K at Your Disposal? This Doll Can Be Yours

Three of these American Girl dolls are available, decked out in 5,000 Swarovski crystals and beads

(Newser) - Don't know what to get for the girl who has everything? How about a doll decked out in thousands of dollars worth of bling? If you've got $5,000 lying around and can make arrangements with an American Girl flagship store in Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago,...

This Year's Goop Gift Guide Includes an Entire Village

But it's only $173K

(Newser) - It's the most wonderful time of the year: That's right, time for Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop to release its holiday gift guide . This year's guide includes an entire Spanish village that is for sale for $172,910, though, to be fair, that item is included in the...

Hot Under the Tree: Fancy Crock Pots, Monkeys, Velvet

The AP takes a look at the hottest gifts for Christmas 2017

(Newser) - Multi-use cookers, toy monkeys, and lots of velvet. The AP takes a look at some of the most popular items this holiday season:
  • Toys: Fingerlings, the $15 colorful monkeys that wrap around a finger, have been hard to find. Other hot items were the LOL Surprise ball, which hides small
...

Black Friday Sales to Watch Out For
Black Friday Sales
to Watch Out For
Nov 8, 2017 11:28 AM CST

Black Friday Sales to Watch Out For

Including $99 laptops and a $190 PS4

(Newser) - Retailers including Sears, Kmart, and Target are kicking off holiday sales early this year as a report finds more shoppers plan to spread out their purchases, reports USA Today . Then there are those hoping to draw the Black Friday crowds. Though Nov. 24 is still weeks away, these retailers are...

Oprah's 2017 'Favorite Things' Include Really Pricey Tequila

More than 100 items show up on this year's holiday list

(Newser) - Oprah Winfrey is back with her longest holiday gift list ever at 102 of her favorite things. Ranging in price from free (downloads of her SuperSoul Conversations podcast) to $2,000 (for a 55-inch TV that morphs into a painting), Winfrey's annual list will be featured in the December...

One State's Top Holiday Gift for 2017: Duct Tape

A look at what's projected to be the hottest gift in each state

(Newser) - Will the holiday season's biggest seller this year be an electronics item, a hot toy, or duct tape? Depends on which state you live in, per a 24/7 Wall St. analysis. The site checked out both the most popular gift items on Amazon.com and projected Google keyword searches...

Average Cost of Gwyneth's Holiday-Guide Gift: $511

But lots of them are close to $100

(Newser) - Gwyneth Paltrow's 2014 holiday gift guide is out, and it's about as ridiculous as you'd expect. E! and ETOnline both added up the total cost of all the items in it (not including those listed as "price upon request"), and E! came up with $109,...

Urban Outfitters' Latest Offering: Hillary Nutcrackers

Some are calling toy 'sexist,' 'misogynistic'

(Newser) - Urban Outfitters is no stranger to controversy , and with the midterm elections finally over, the retailer has decided to jump thigh-first into politics—using Hillary Clinton's thighs, specifically. It's offering a Hillary-themed nutcracker for $60, with all the requisite jokes you'd expect to accompany such an item....

Stop Giving 'Disgusting' Grapefruit as a Holiday Gift

This terrible tradition needs to die: Katy Waldman

(Newser) - It's the holidays, which means some clueless older relative is sure to force a grapefruit or 12 upon you. Giving grapefruit as a holiday gift started up during the Great Depression, because people wanted their gifts to be "nourishing" during such tough times. But the tradition—the absolute...

Hot Christmas Gifts: Ferrari, $45K Ping-Pong Table
Hot Christmas Gifts: Ferrari, $45K Ping-Pong Table
NEIMAN MARCUS LIST
Oct 19, 2011 10:20 AM CDT

Hot Christmas Gifts: Ferrari, $45K Ping-Pong Table

Fantasy gifts for 2011 unveiled in 'Christmas Book'

(Newser) - It’s that time of year again: time for Neiman Marcus to say, “Recession? What recession?” and urge you to purchase a $250,000 mahogany speedboat for your beloved this Christmas. Yes, the Christmas Book was unveiled yesterday. To really get into the holiday spirit, read on for the...

5 Things to Buy Your Cat for Christmas

What cat wouldn't want a $118 cat scratcher?

(Newser) - A recent survey found that dog owners are more likely to give their pet a Christmas present than cat owners, and that made Brittny Drye sad. On The Stir , she lists five gifts you should consider for your kitty companion this year:
  • Cat Genie: The litter box is "self-flushing
...

Why Lousy Gifts Are Good
 Why Lousy 
 Gifts Are Good 
OPINION
Nov 30, 2010 12:48 PM CST

Why Lousy Gifts Are Good

Opinion: They're downright good for humanity

(Newser) - Amazon plans to unveil a "gift conversion" gizmo designed to protect people from getting bad gifts. If the website detects a stinker coming your way (based on how you set up your profile) it converts that neon orange necktie into a gift certificate, with the sender being none the...

This Holiday's Worthy 3rd-World Charities
 This Holiday's Worthy 
 3rd-World Charities 
NICHOLAS KRISTOF
Dec 24, 2009 11:22 AM CST

This Holiday's Worthy 3rd-World Charities

Nicholas Kristof's annual list focuses on little-known aid groups

(Newser) - “Tired of celebrating spiritual holidays with crass commercialism?” writes Nicholas D. Kristof, in full pitchman mode. Have no fear: “Nothing says ‘happy holidays’ like donating in Aunt Tilda’s name to build a composting toilet in Haiti.” A sampling of the New York Times columnist’s...

Beware These Horrific Holiday Mishaps

From common slips to exploding lights and eyelids stuck in zippers

(Newser) - Work enough Christmases in the ER, and you’ll see every manner of bizarre holiday accident—some of them more than once. One UK doctor shares with the Telegraph the injuries his hospital sees "without fail" every year:
  • Exploding tree lights burn eyelids and eyeballs, so keep a safe
...

You'll Never Use That Fancy Waffle Maker
 You'll Never Use 
 That Fancy 
 Waffle Maker 
HERE'S A SHOCKER
Dec 21, 2009 1:17 AM CST

You'll Never Use That Fancy Waffle Maker

Gift desires dissolve when confronted with complicated gizmos

(Newser) - Hard as it may be to believe, many people ask for fancy holiday gifts and then barely use them, a shocking new study reveals. “Sometimes the reality of owning an object doesn’t quite measure up to our expectations,” explains a psychologist. Some 59% of gifts in the...

UK's Hottest Holiday Gift: Divorce Voucher

Inquiries for London law firm's coupons are pouring in

(Newser) - Debating whether to give a holiday gift to your cheating spouse? Try a divorce voucher—they’re all the rage in London. A law firm is offering discounted vouchers for divorce advice, just in time for the merriest of all seasons, and so far, they’re selling quite well. “...

Obamas' Favorite Gifts Are ...
 Obamas' Favorite Gifts Are ... 
oprah christmas special
Dec 12, 2009 11:40 AM CST

Obamas' Favorite Gifts Are ...

A bike and a basketball for him, doll house for her

(Newser) - Oprah's Christmas special at the White House airs tomorrow night, in which we learn the first couple's favorite holiday presents. For those who just can't wait: The president picks a 10-speed bike and Michelle a doll house. ("I remember I really didn't know how to set up a house...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser