gift guide

Holiday Shopping Guide: Inspirational DVDs

Some of my favorite gifts over the years have been the educational ones. The holidays give us much needed down time. It's the perfect excuse to picking up a new skill such as cooking, taking a journey of our planet with Oprah Winfrey, or exploring the history of our solar system. Here are the top new releases this season for some truly inspirational gifts.

Cooking From A to Zest

While we love to watch cooking classes on Food Network as much as the next person, we can't remember one instance of actually going off and baking that 7-layer meringue cake. Finally, a box-set that takes cooking from entertainment to instructional. The perfect present for the newlyweds or college grad on your shopping list, "Cooking From A to Zest" ($59.99) covers the basics and beyond. Your lucky gift recipient will perfect their knife skills and build an arsenal of sauce recipes. Here's hoping you'll be on the receiving end of a great meal well past the holidays.

Tags: dvds, gift guide, holiday shopping, holiday shopping guide

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Holiday Shopping Guide: Gifts that Give Back

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity

End of year marks a great time to pull out your checkbooks and give to your favorite charities. But even when going through your holiday shopping list, there's always room for more giving. Here are a few gifts that are sure to please anyone on your list, from fashion to electronics, and more importantly allow you to help out a few more charities before the year is up. Here's are roundup of the top gifts that give back in 2010:

FEED x UNICEF Guatamala Bags

Handwoven tribal fabrics continue to make waves this season, with a new line of bags and wallets just released by Proenza Schouler. But to really make a dent this holiday season, go for the latest bag from FEED Projects. The new design made from traditional Guatemalan Ikat fabrics both celebrates women artisans and helps support UNICEF's nutrition programs in Guatemala. Available for $45 at Lord & Taylor stores and online.

Tags: charity gifts, gift guide, gifts that give back, holiday shopping guide

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The Luxist Top Ten Under the Radar Jewelry Designers for the Holidays 2010

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Holiday Guides

Giving jewelry as gifts for the holidays is something we highly encourage at Luxist. We love all that sparkles. One of our favorite regular features is jewelry design -- we love to showcase the up-and-comers who aren't yet as famous as, say, Tiffany and Harry Winston. Still, finding the right designer with the right price range for you can be difficult, as there's a sea of new designers every year to sift through. Here's our guide to the best of the best under-the-radar jewelry designers whose collections we recommend for the 2010 holidays. Each designer has fresh, enchanting pieces with that timeless je ne sais qoui which will last a lifetime.

The Luxist Top Ten Up and Coming Jewelry Designers for the Holidays 2010

1. Anna Hu (above)

We covered Anna Hu in January after meeting her in her Plaza boutique (Anna Hu, Custom Jeweler to the Lucky). It was one of our most exciting interviews of the year as we learned about her history as a cello prodigy and her penchant for lucky symbols and numbers. Anna Hu makes breathtaking custom pieces you should seek out either at The Plaza Hotel or in Tainan, Taiwan. A few select pieces are available online from Kabiri in the UK.

Tags: Anna Hu, best of, Carla Amorim, DANNIJO, gift guide, gift guide 2010, Hassan Bounkit, holiday shopping, jewelry, jewelry 2010, jewelry designers, Johnny Brookheart, Lois Hill, Raquelle Bianco, slane slane, Susie Fox, The Great Frog, top ten

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Holiday Shopping Guide: 10 Gifts for Wine Lovers

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Wine drinkers come in all shapes and sizes with preferences ranging from classic to trendy and casual to serious and here at Luxist we love them all. Wine and the holidays go together like bread and butter so whether you're looking for a hostess gift or something for a wine-loving boss or family member you can't go wrong. Need inspiration? Here are some of our favorite holiday gift ideas for the grape nut on your shopping list.

Parrot Corkscrew Waiter's Friend, $60
Wine openers are a no fail gift option for any wine lover as they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and price ranges and are something every wine drinker uses. Steer away from plain and boring and opt instead for an opener that has plenty personality, like this Parrot Corkscrew designed by Alessandro Mendini for Alessi.

Tags: gift guide, gift guide 2010, gift guides, gifts for wine lovers, holiday gifts, holiday shopping, holiday shopping guide, wine

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Luxist Holiday Guide: The Gentleman's Gift Guide

by Matthew Collins (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Decor, Gadgets, Events, Holiday Guides

What to get the guy who has everything? Sure, it may sound cliched, but this year, why not actually find something unique and original instead of the old reliables. The following is a list of gift ideas that are sure to surprise and leave a lasting impression. To tell the truth, these are actually things I'm hoping to find under the tree myself, but the odds aren't in my favor of that happening.

See what's under the tree after the jump.

Tags: gift guide, GiftGuide, holiday

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