A shopping blog of cool gift ideas

We’re kicking off this Holiday Season by giving away a great gift in the first installment of the Gifts.com Great Gift Giveaway Series.

The first gift we’re giving away is the new 16GB iPod Nano. The new Nano is an exceptional update of an already great iPod. The highlight of the 5th generation Nano?  It now has the ability to shoot video! How cool is that to be able to shoot video clips anywhere you go with this pocket-sized powerhouse. Throw in the new FM tuner and nine new glossy metallic shades to choose from, and I just might enter myself (don’t worry I can’t…and won’t!). 

Click here to enter for a chance to win this baby. 

Win it to gift it or win it to get it!

The Fall Classic is underway and regardless of whom you’re pulling for, you’ll want take this time to do a gear upgrade.  Fortunately, we have team gear stores with the sweetest team products around.  Whether you’re looking for fan apparel, team memorabilia, or team home and office décor, we have a great selection to suit any fan. Since I’m a huge Yankees fan, two products I really like are the Yankees coaster set (with real dirt from Yankee Stadium inside!) or for the real die-hard fan, a bag of Yankees outfield grass seed (the same grass grown at the stadium).

But the classic fan gear that every fan of a World Series team should get is the commemorative World Series authentic cap- the same one worn by the players on the field.

New York Yankees Authentic On-Field Cap starting at $35.99.

Our electronics and gadgets have taken over every room in the house, the kitchen is no exception. A fun product out there is the Talking Coffee Maker. 

Activate the machine and it will ask you, “Would you like to set the coffee brewing time?” and will then proceed to prompt questions that will set your machine.  Based on your responses, the Talking Coffee Maker will have up to 10 cups of your morning joe ready for you exactly when you want it. I’m not great in the morning, so I tend to be a little light on the AM conversation, but a quick chat with a Talking Coffee Maker might be worth it.

Talking Coffee Maker starting at $99.95.

For the first part of 2009, Littlest Pet Shop for Wii was glued into our console. My daughter (7 years old) was addicted to unlocking all the LPS animals and conquering every mini-game. So you could imagine her reaction when I told her that a second LPS game for Wii was coming out.  Needless to say, in anticipation to the game’s arrival, I’ve seen a big improvement in her listening skills and her room has been quite clean.

She’s going to fall in love all over again with “Littlest Pet Shop: Friends” for Wii. The game is all new yet quite familiar. This time the game revolves around a party planning and preparation narrative.  Think about it, party planning with decorations, cake and ice cream combined with adorable LPS pets, the game’s a sure-fire hit. The game includes all new customizable pets, new mini-games and brand new LPS worlds that will keep her in LPS heaven for the foreseeable future. Now that may not seem like a good thing, but if used responsibly, “LPS Friends” could mean continued good listening and a clean room!

Littlest Pet Shop Friends starting at $36.99.

A few days ago the Entertainment & Devices Division of Microsoft hosted their first annual “Open House” in NYC. Microsoft’s latest and greatest products for the home, office and car were on display as was their signature entertainment products- Xbox 360 and the Zune. Of all the products at the event, I was probably most excited and curious to see the new(ish) Zune HD.  Luckily, for event attendees, there was a brand new Zune HD in our gift bags, so I’ve had the player for a few days to test drive. Here are some of my impressions.

For starters, the Zune HD is aesthetically gorgeous. The sleek design is highlighted by a brilliant 3.3 inch OLED HD touch screen. The crispness and clarity of the screen are impressive. The touch screen works smoothly and is intuitive. My videos and music look and sound great. The player has an FM tuner, but a real highlight is it also has an HD radio, which is a huge bonus. HD radio allows for clear digital broadcast of your favorite FM stations plus you can tag songs you hear on the radio for easy purchase. Zune HD is a Wi-Fi device too so, amongst other Wi-Fi applications, it’s quite easy to buy and stream content from the Zune Marketplace when you’re away from home.

Speaking of which, the Zune Marketplace allows for purchase of the Zune Pass (subscription). So, for example, for about $15 a month, you can (essentially) rent as much music as you’d like to your Zune and permanently keep 10 of these downloads.  That allows for an unbelievable opportunity to explore and try (or buy) new music. The Zune comes in 16GB and 32GB versions. I’m lovin’ the Zune HD and I’m pretty sure any music nut and/or gadget fanatic will love the abundant style and versatility the Zune HD offers.

Zune HD 16GB Digital Media Player starting at $219.97.

It can be tricky when picking a gift for the higher up's, but it's safe to say most people won't turn down a basket filled with gourmet chocolate. Gift Baskets make great last minute gifts for when you're in a pinch and range from various prices depending if you're splitting the cost with the whole office. 

This basket is overflowing with chocolate caramel apples, truffles, and chocolate covered pretzels all tied around with a "Great Job" ribbon. Because your boss deserves a pat on the back just like the rest of us. Check out our special selection of Boss's Day gifts and cross your fingers for that bonus you've been waiting for. 

Mrs.Prindables Great Job Gift Basket starting at $49.95.

Set the Outlook calendar! Boss’s Day is October 16. Sure, as holidays go, it’s no Christmas or Valentine’s Day, but Boss’s Day offers an opportunity to acknowledge the check-signer. 

You can go sincere with flowers or gift basket, or if you willing to step out a bit, a gag gift might hit the spot. My pick for a gag gift is this Personalized Executive Decision Maker desk toy. You might be thinking your boss probably already uses one of these, but you can erase all doubt with this fun gift. This one’s great for the boss with a sense of humor.

Personalized Decision Maker Desk Toy starting at $40.00.

The ipod Nano has been my media player of choice for the past few years. I love its size and its versatility. So you know I’m very excited about Apple’s newly released update of the Nano. 

The biggest attention-grabbing addition to the new Nano is the player’s built-in video camera.  So now the ability to take quality video is as portable as you are. Another addition, which I love, is the Nano now has an FM radio! But it’s a little more than an FM tuner. With FM on the Nano, the songs and artists you’re listening to will show up on the Nano screen and you’ll also have the ability to pause the radio play and resume it if you have to take a break from the music action (kinda like pausing your TV w/ your DVD). And to top it off, you can tag a song you hear on the radio. So if you tag a song, once you re-connect your Nano, iTunes will remember the song you tagged so you can easily preview and/or purchase the track. Sprinkle in nine updated colors options in either 8GB or 16GB capacities, and I think you’ll agree, that many a music and media lover will find themselves the owner a new Nano come sometime in December.

Apple iPod Nano 8GB (5th Generation) starting at $139.99.

Fall is here and our gifting sights turn towards…Boss’s Day. Okay, it might be a stretch to figure most people have October 16th circled on their calendar, but observing Boss’s Day is probably a decent move. Here’s why. 

First, it’s not a bad thing to be in the good graces of the check signer. Second, any type of Boss’s Day “celebration” will most likely cut in to some work you’d rather not be doing. And lastly, if you (and a few co-workers) pick up the boss a little something, like these AMAZING cookies from Dancing Deer, you’ll all probably end up sharing the goodies. It’s a win-win-win. Here are some other gift ideas for Boss’s Day.

Dancing Deer Party Cookies starting at $79.95. 

Every so often you see something and you say to yourself, “Why didn’t I think of that?”  The new Samsung TL220 is one of those things. The TL220 has most of the features you’ll find on a point and shoot digital camera- 12 megapixels, 3 inch touch screen LCD, image stabilization, face detection etc..  But what makes the TL220 a really unique camera is the additional one inch LCD on the front of the camera!  

What the added screen on the front of the camera allows you to do is to take the guess work out of those self-portrait shots. All you have to do is just frame the image with what you see on the front screen and presto the perfect self-shot. Parents of babies and youngsters will really love this camera because you can program a smiley face image or an animated clown to appear on the front screen, which will be the perfect attention grabber for the little ones. Not only will the munchkins be looking at the camera (which is a feat in itself), but they’ll be smiling! You gotta love that.

Samsung TL220 Digital Compact Camera starting at $262.95.