The Holiday Shopping Nightmare

Who here HATES shopping during the Christmas season. *sheepishly raises hand* I would much rather order everything off the net and ship it to them. But alas, that’s not always possible. Buying a gift for that special someone in your life can be even more trying, especially if this is your first Christmas together. So here are some ground rules:

Talk to them! Set limits as far as price is concerned and STICK to those limits. Find out what they like. If you don’t know them all that well there are a few things that will work for either gender. Lets tackle the females first:

1. I know it’s a cop-out, but gift cards are always safe, especially if you haven’t been dating very long. Make it a general gift card, like a gift card to a mall in their area, this way they can choose where to spend the money.

2. Spa Day. Unless your girl has serious issues with people touching her, this is a great way to make her feel appreciated and beautiful.

3. Stuffed animals. Places like Build-A-Bear make this traditional gift a little more personal.

4. Perfume. I stress the perfume part. Don’t get her the cheap stuff from Target. If this is out of your set price limit, then I wouldn’t suggest using this idea. This gift also takes a little bit of leg work on your part. If you find that she wears a particular scent often, ask her what it is, and then go find it.

Okay, now for the guys:

1. Again, gift cards are a fail safe for the guys. The only difference is try to make the gift card to somewhere he likes to shop, like a particular clothing store. Guys tend to feel, shall we say, intimidated by gift cards to malls and huge shopping places. Too many choices or some b.s like that. And before you guys flame me for making that over generalization, let me add that this suggestion came from my 19-year-old brother.

2. Tickets to their favorite local sports team. And give them the option to go with you or with one of their friends.

3. Cologne. Again this requires a bit of leg work. If your guy always uses the same scent, ask him what he uses. NEVER assume that you know. Trust me, I’ve gotten burned by this before. If he doesn’t wear anything, then I would suggest not using this gift idea. SOME guys tend to get rather offended if you offer them cologne when they don’t wear any on a regular basis.

Obviously this is not a conclusive list, so I encourage you to add some in the comments.

Monster Cookies

My boyfriend found this recipe here. It is AMAZING!

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup raisins, optional
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.