holidays

Holiday Luxury Spending Tumbles

The numbers are in from Christmas 2008 and bleak doesn't even begin to cover it. The Wall Street Journal reports that total retail sales, excluding automobiles, fell over the year-earlier period by 5.5% in November and 8% in December through Christmas Eve, according to MasterCard Inc.'s SpendingPulse unit. If you take out gasoline sales the overall percentages work out to a 2.5% drop in November and a 4% decline in December (the drop in gas prices contributed to overall lower sales).

The luxury market was the worst hit with sales falling over 21%; add in jewelry sales and that number goes up to 34.5% The grim numbers have forced retailers to increase their savings offers moving up the typical January clearance sales to huge post-Chrstmas sales this weekend. It doesn't seem to have worked too well from what I saw out there today though. Part of the reason may be that this holiday season shoppers spent less on gift cards as presents so there is less of an immediate incentive for people to rush back into the stores.

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Tags: holidays, luxury, sales, spending

Same-day Flowers to 150 Countries

by Meg Massie (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

If you're like me, you might have had a panic attack when you finally realized that it's already the middle of December and you haven't done any holiday shopping yet. If you're even more like me, then you're hopeless when it comes to picking out gifts for friends and family. Thankfully, there are some classic standbys out there to help you get through your holiday shopping with as little stress as possible.

In this season of extreme home decorating, everyone can appreciate a lovely flower arrangement. Flora2000 is a high-end flower delivery service offering same-day deliveries to 150 countries, and I'm in love with their bouquets. Even if you've put off your holiday shopping until the last minute, you can still get gorgeous gifts sent out ahead of Santa's sleigh. Whether you're ordering flowers for local delivery or overseas shipment, you'll be amazed by Flora2000's speedy service, and the arrangements are top-of-the-line.

In addition to over 3,000 floral arrangements, Flora2000 offers a wide selection of gourmet gift boxes and chocolates.

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Tags: chocolates, christmas, flora2000, floral-arrangements, flowers, gift-baskets, gifts, holidays, roses

...of the Month, Gifts That Last All Year Long

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

We all have one on our lists, the person who seems to have everything. I think it was for exactly these sort of people that gift of the month clubs were invented. Because something small gains new weight and significance when it comes every month for a year. These days you can find a gift of the month for nearly everything. There are hundreds of food clubs as well as enthusiast clubs offering everything from knitting yarn to fishing flies. The classic is of course the wine or beer club. Wine.com offers a couple of excellent clubs such as the Wines of the World Club which costs $595 for two bottles of well-rated wine a month but you can spend far less or far more elsewhere depending on your wine inclination.

For ten more of the month ideas that are a little further off the beaten path check out the gallery below.

Gallery: Gift of the Month Clubs

Tags: gifts, holidash, holidays, luxgifts

Great Places To Order Holiday Cookies Online

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Sure, you could bake, but in this rushed holiday season you might not have time. If you aren't feeling culinary inspiration this season there are a variety of great places to order online. We've rounded up ten top choices from small Etsy boutiques to the bigger cookie empires offering options for every budget.

Dean & DeLuca is offering this box from Amy's Cookies. The assortment includes four raspberry and four apricot thumbprints, eight chocolate stars, four pecan butter balls, four each of raspberry and apricot star window cookies, four Viennese crescents, five gingerbread girls and five gingerbread boys. Packaged in a white tin and tied with a red ribbon, it sells for $50.

Gallery: Ten Christmas Cookie Options

Toy Solidiers From Rolling Pin Productions

Moravian Spice Cookies from Williams-Sonoma

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Tags: christmas cookies, ChristmasCookies, cookies, holidays

The 2008 Asprey Chirstmas Cracker

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

British jeweler Asprey has unveiled their annual Christmas Cracker. The classic British Christmas accompaniment comes with the traditional paper crown, a quotation, balloon and one gift item. This years items in sterling silver and lizard skin include a yoyo, deco cufflinks, silver pen, lizard book mark, silver and lizard skin tape measure, mini clock, silver heart bracelet, pencil sharpener, table magnifier, poker dice set, compass key ring and salt and pepper set. The crackers are wrapped in purple and silver and each one sells for $230 or a box of 12 for $2,635.

For the crafty and thrifty, here's a mini tutorial on making your own Christmas crackers.

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Tags: asprey, christmas cracker, ChristmasCracker, gfits, holidays

Kahlua Offers Office Party Bailouts

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

The news is full of canceled holiday parties but one liquor company has taken this as a marketing opportunity. Kahlua, the coffee liquor is offering five $10,000 prizes to five small businesses that have had to cancel their holiday parties. Business in just five states: Texas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Georgia and Illinois are eligible. Kahlua has created a special website for the contest, www.KahluaSavestheHolidayParty.com which has instructions on how to enter. Applications close on December 7 and winners will be notified on or before December 12.

[via Star-Telegram]

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Tags: holidays, kahlua, office parties, OfficeParties

Nordstom Ultimate Gifts Collection

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

We are kicking off a day of gift ideas in honor of Black Friday, the official start of the holiday season. First off, let's check out the latest offering from one of the big department stores. Nordstrom has jumped on the extravagant gift bandwagon with their Ultimate Gift Collection. The four one-of-a kind gift packages include a family portrait session with celebrity photographer Sam Jones which costs $50,000; a custom couch designed by Tory Burch in a silk Ikat print fabric hand-picked by Tory Burch and manufactured by Century Furniture in Hickory, N.C. for $15,000; a dream armoire designed and stocked by Juicy Couture (Two armoires are available at $15,000 each0; and custom artwork by artist Ruben Toledo, a larger-than-life, (12'x 20'), personalized painting. The package includes a pre-consultation at your home, a completed painting and professional installation of the finished work for $200,000.

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Tags: holidays, nordstrom, ultimate gift collection, UltimateGiftCollection

Turkey Platters for a Beautiful Thanksgiving Table

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Dining

When it comes to feasting on Thanksgiving day the turkey is the star of the show so it's only natural to display it on something beautiful. And since large serving platters aren't as prone to being broken or worn out by daily use it seems worthwhile to invest in one you'll be proud to show off on special occasions like Thanksgiving and other gatherings for years to come. So what kind of platter will go best with your Turkey Day tabletop decor? Whether you choose one that matches your dinnerware or one that stands out on its own, there's literally thousands of choices out there -- see the gallery below for some ideas!

Gallery: Turkey Platters for the Thanksgiving Holiday

Spode Woodland American Turkey Platter with Well

White Bone China Turkey Platter by Gordon Ramsey

Tags: dinnerware, entertaining, holidash, holidays, platter, platters, Thanksgiving, turkey, turkey platters, TurkeyPlatters

The Gap Electra Bike

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Last year, the Gap offered a brightly striped holiday Vespa. This year they are going even greener, selling blue argyle-printed Electra bicycle. The bike comes two sizes, the adult version for $499 and a kid's version for $299.

The bike is part of Gap's holiday campaign that includes the usual crop of celebrities looking adorable in sweaters and scarves (this year's cast includes Jon Hamm, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Hudson, Rainn Wilson and Mary-Louise Parker). The ads feature ttaglines centered on the theme of "your own." Each individual in the campaign provided a handwritten response to various fill-in-the-blank taglines about the holiday season. Twilight's Cam Gigandet's tag-line reads "Fulfill Your Own New Years Resolutions," Actor Rainn Wilson wrote, "Merry Your Own Naughty Elf," and Actress Milla Jovovich's simply says, "Celebrate Your Own Gift."

The Gap has also created a series of videos with actors, musicians and comedians in holiday attire performing remixed versions of traditional holiday carols. The videos include Selma Blair and Rainn Wilson singing "Baby It's Cold Outside," Jon Heder and Janelle Monáe performing a unique version of "Winter Wonderland," "Jason Biggs, Romany Malco and Freddy Rodriguez sounding bells to "We 3 Kingz," The Dixie Chicks and Sandra Bernhard belting out "Deck the Halls," Flo Rida and Trey Songz remixing "Jingle Bells" and a performance of the entire holiday cast performing a never-before seen remix of "Jingle Bells" led by Flo Rida and Trey Songz which is embedded after the jump.

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Tags: bicycle, electra bike, ElectraBike, gap, holidays

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NYC Holiday Hotel Packages for Every Traveler

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Services, Events, Holiday Guides

Holidays in New York City can be a lot of things: charming, classic, thrilling ... overwhelming, chaotic, expensive. While some travelers arrive in search of the quintessential Silver Bells experience, others may want to discover something new or stick within a budget. Luxist's friends at Nancy J. Friedman Public Relations, Gabrielle Etrog Cohen and Gina Masullo, came up with a comprehensive list of places to go and things to do for all NYC travelers as well as package deals, including hotels.

THE FAMILY: Crowd-pleasers for all ages-within a budget.

The show: The Off-Broadway production of The Gazillion Bubble Show is the first and only interactive stage production of its kind, complete with fantastic light effects, lasers, and jaw-dropping masterpieces of bubble artistry.

The sites: Gawking at the Macy's displays, a visit with the polar bears in Central Park, photo ops at the Rockefeller Center tree.

The meal: Dim Sum Go Go offers more than 24 kinds of dumplings, plus four variations on the dough-wrapper theme, four sauces, and microwave-safe takeout containers. Kids will love the creative finger food and parents will love the dim sum delicacies (beet flavored dumplings?).

The hotel: Apple Core Hotels -- a family-friendly vibe in the city's most exciting neighborhood.

The deal: Apple Core Hotels invites guests to explore New York -- including a trip to Toys "R" Us Times Square to create a stuffed animal at the Filled-With-Love interactive design shop. Apple Core's "Filled with Love" package is available January 2 - February 14, starts at $159.99 and includes accommodations in the heart of New York City, stuffed animal and breakfast, and in-room coffee. Children under 13 stay free.

For more packages, click on the continued link.

Gallery: NYC Holiday Hotel Packages for Every Traveler

Tags: Christmas, holidays, hotel packages, HotelPackages, hotels, New York, New York City, NewYork, NewYorkCity, NYC

Continue reading “NYC Holiday Hotel Packages for Every Traveler”

Cashmere Slippers by Loro Piana for the Holidays

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Men's Style

Today in Vivre Notes, founder Eva Jeanbart-Lorenzotti recommends a few products for the gents, including these quilted cashmere slippers by the famed Italian design group Loro Piana.

The pair at right was featured on Jeanbart-Lorenzotti's list of gift suggestions for the holidays, though they might be equally soothing to wear during a little weekend staycation right about now.

They retail for $475.

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Tags: cashmere slippers, CashmereSlippers, holidays, loro piana, LoroPiana, vivre

Small Gains Predicted In Holiday Shopping

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

We are still a few months away from the holiday season but retailers are already wringing their hands. With the stock market slumping, higher food and gas prices and the unsteady real estate situation, predictions for a slim Christmas season abound. Deloitte LLP is saying that retailer should expect a holiday sales increase of 2.5 to 3% over 2007 during the November to January period, which is less than last year's 3.4 percent which was also relatively low overall. Retailers will likely be rolling out all sorts of temptations from pop-up stores and special deals to the continued promotion of all things "green."

So far, the high-end luxury market has been a bright spot for retailers during this extended economic crunch but recent stock market uncertainty may give even the biggest spenders a case of the Scrooges.

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Tags: holidays, retail, shopping, spending

Red, White, and Blue, Handbag of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Happy Fourth of July! What better way to accent your outfit and show off your patriotic spirit this Independence Day than with a stylish new handbag. Designed by Julie Feldman and described as an "Americana tootsie roll handbag" (now I'm craving candy) this classic and simple bag is made of distressed leather with two rolled leather handles and zip closure at the top. I love the earthy and worn looking stars and stripes because they're so much less obnoxious than the brightly colored versions, and make the bag that much easier keep using all summer. $490

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Tags: 4th of july, 4thOfJuly, american, american flag, american flags, AmericanFlag, AmericanFlags, bag, bags, fourth of july, FourthOfJuly, handbag, handbag of the day, HandbagOfTheDay, handbags, holiday, holidays, independence day, IndependenceDay, patriotic, patriotism

Sting's Christmas Hamper

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Celebrity Shopping

Sting's wife Trudie put together a few Christmas hampers (well, 100 of them actually) filled with hand-selected items from the couple's country estate in Wiltshire, England and they've become insanely popular. Available in London at Selfridges, the hampers included a variety of organic goodies including a bottle of champagne, a Christmas cake, beetroot chutney, a couple of beeswax candles, and a chocolate coin. There were 9 treats total in the $300 hampers, and they must have be good because they've already sold out -- with "a number" of them going to Sharon Osbourne.

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Tags: Christmas, Christmas hamper, ChristmasHamper, hamper, holidash, holiday, holidays, osbourne, sharon osbourne, SharonOsbourne, sting, Trudie Styler, TrudieStyler

High-End Retailers Seeing A Slow Down

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping

There has been a definite slow down in the spending habits of the average American consumer this holiday season, and although the super rich weren't predicted to be affected the modestly rich, or "aspirational consumers," were another story. They were expected to slow down with the rest of us, and it seems those predictions were right on. Some of the biggest retailers catering to both the very wealthy and the merely "well-off" are making note of major slow-downs -- and even a loss of some of their customer base as many of their lower-income clientele retreat from stores like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom to Kohl's and JCPenny's.

Are you spending less this holiday season?

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Tags: aspirational, consumers, economy, holidash, holidays, shopping, spending, spending habits, SpendingHabits, wealthy