Mission Impossible? Christmas gifts for wife with a zero dollar budget. Due to my current unemployment, Mrs COD and myself have agreed that we will not spend a single dime on each other for Christmas. We did spend a little so that the kids have a few things to unwrap. However, having nothing under the tree just seems so depressing. Anybody have any creative ideas?
posted by COD
on Dec 21, 2010 -
45 answers
I live in Chicago. I would like to spend Christmas in a bar. What bars are going to be open on Christmas? What bars would be
likely to be open on Christmas?
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posted by Juliet Banana
on Dec 21, 2010 -
13 answers
x-mas gift idea for parents of toddler, who are having twins next month: "relaxing night in". Gift card for meal delivery service (anyone know a yummier version of omaha steaks?), some great new movie on dvd, CDs of soothing sounds for the babies (white noise, womb sounds, ocean sounds, etc). Trying to keep it under $150. I've heard omaha steaks are gross, so I'm looking for an alternative. Unless I should scrap the whole thing and get them...?
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posted by wannaknow
on Dec 21, 2010 -
14 answers
LastMinuteGiftFilter: Looking for a subscription or experience gift for my boyfriend, ~$40, NOT a magazine.
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posted by arianell
on Dec 20, 2010 -
14 answers
A friend, a student, is stuck in London over Christmas: no family or close friends to hang out with over the day itself etc. What could he do, by himself, to make it all warm and fuzzy. Anything from travel (if that becomes possible in the next few days) to stuff to do around London that he wouldn't otherwise get around to.
posted by HopStopDon'tShop
on Dec 20, 2010 -
18 answers
My family and I are going to drive around the Philly / South Jersey area to look at Christmas lights. Pretty displays are good, garish displays are better! (we hear Hershey PA has some kickass lights, but it's unfortunately too far away for our purposes.)
posted by troublewithwolves
on Dec 20, 2010 -
8 answers
Would you ever send someone an anonymous gift - particularly if you haven't had a good relationship with them?
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posted by mleigh
on Dec 20, 2010 -
22 answers
Looking for holiday light displays in the Kansas City Missouri metro area: can anyone recommend some great places to go. Thanks!
posted by Upon Further Review
on Dec 19, 2010 -
5 answers
Northeast Christmas and New Year's plans, anyone? My husband and I are located in New York, and are interested in something non-family to do on the Christmas and New Year's weekends. We'd be willing to drive as far as Boston or Washington to do something worthwhile without breaking the bank. Any ideas? More inside.
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posted by Lucy2Times
on Dec 19, 2010 -
8 answers
I'd like to travel around Germany for a few days before ending up in Berlin on 28th December for New Year's. Assuming I can actually leave the UK and get to Germany does anyone have suggestions for places to go, things to see; someone recommended Christmas markets to me?
posted by asymptotic
on Dec 19, 2010 -
10 answers
Help me with any pieces of information about these 2 animated Christmas shows/films that have eluded me for over 2 decades.
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posted by clarenceism
on Dec 19, 2010 -
3 answers
Christmas/birthday gift for a female sophomore West Point (USMA) cadet that will be appreciated, not boring, and not super expensive - google and mefi search are coming up empty!
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posted by shortskirtlongjacket
on Dec 18, 2010 -
9 answers
What should two atheists do for christmas?
I will be 2692km away from my family, and 1204 km from my closest friends.
My boyfriend is a "christmas is exactly like any other day" kind of guy (for example, he neither wants to receive gifts or give them, because he finds choosing gifts way too stressful), but he loves me and wants me to be happy, so he'll go along with any not-too-over-the-top plan.
We also don't have a lot of money.
I do want to do *something* nice though, so that I don't feel sad/neglected/lonely/left out, and eating icecream + watching a DVD seems a little too low-key...
posted by anonymous
on Dec 18, 2010 -
29 answers
Does anyone know where in New York I can buy diabetic friendly/healthy cookies?
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posted by sweetkid
on Dec 17, 2010 -
6 answers
A friend fell in love with a notebook I received as part of a Thank You package. Problem is: the manufacturer only sells this notebook in bulk to companies who want to put their brand on it. Where can I find something similar?
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posted by eisenkr
on Dec 17, 2010 -
10 answers
Restaurant recommendations for Christmas dinner in the Washington, DC area?
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posted by spinto
on Dec 17, 2010 -
6 answers
My Uncle has decreed that we will be eating out this Christmas. So, I need a recommendation for a nice restaurant serving Christmas dinner somewhere near the QEW, probably between Stoney Creek and Burlington.
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posted by Chuckles
on Dec 14, 2010 -
5 answers
So long, sentimentality -- I'm doing Christmas in Las Vegas this year. To that end I am researching places to have dinner on Christmas Day, maybe something traditional-ish and medium-high in price. Any suggestions? Are most restaurants open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Will I need reservations? Lay your holiday Vegas anecdotes on me!
posted by jess
on Dec 13, 2010 -
6 answers
Can you recommend a portable music/media player that has a built in sound recorder as well? Must be really easy to use.
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posted by bluefly
on Dec 13, 2010 -
8 answers
Part-timer and fairly new in the office. I want to hand out Christmas cards to my co-workers this year but there are a few people out of my department whom I've not spoken to besides "hi" and "bye" because our jobs simply don't require us to cross paths. Should I do cards for everyone anyway?
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posted by houndsoflove
on Dec 13, 2010 -
8 answers
I didn't get my limoncello started in time (which I'd usually let go for three or four weeks). Are there any homemade liqueurs I can start tonight that will be ready to drink by Christmas?
posted by mudpuppie
on Dec 13, 2010 -
17 answers
Is there a more durable equivalent of the
Bookchair that I could get my sister for Christmas? Right now, our home is littered with bookchairs that fell to the ground and broke in a pretty permanent way. And that's awfully tiring. The key component is the fact that the page holder "tabs" can adjust for either very thick or (somewhat) thin books, so that's vital in any replacement. I'm in Canada.
posted by flibbertigibbet
on Dec 13, 2010 -
7 answers
What's a holiday party without WHISTLE POPs!??!! Are these the dinosaurs of great candies? Are they available in no small corner of the earth? Please say it ain't so! I've Googled these fun treats till exhausted so many times and they seem to have truly been discontinued. (frowny face). I've found a couple of singles on eBAY but that's not gonna do it. I need the old 48 count boxes. Please Help! How can we carry on the rag-tag Christmas Caroling without them?!
posted by mickeefynn
on Dec 12, 2010 -
10 answers
Ornament help! Need a battery-operated moving train ornament for a sentimental Christmas gift.
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posted by click
on Dec 11, 2010 -
5 answers
My 74-year old technophobe father has requested an "iPod" for Christmas. My mom needs help deciding which MP3 player to buy which he'll be able to operate easily.
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posted by cabingirl
on Dec 11, 2010 -
23 answers
Where can my new husband and I eat dinner on Christmas Eve in the Brandywine Valley or in Wilmington proper? Bonus points for romantic atmosphere, since it's our honeymoon. Not an option: Krazy Kat's, Buckley's Tavern.
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posted by ImproviseOrDie
on Dec 10, 2010 -
8 answers
Gift Filter: Mom wants to be better at the visual part of HTML design (books, software, dvd etc) and Dad is really into investing, Help!
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posted by modoriculous
on Dec 9, 2010 -
7 answers
Name-that-movie time! Bumbling dad switches on over-the-top Christmas lights, causing the house to go up in flames and massive disappointment. A colleague and I were discussing Christmas movies and we both thought of this scene but we can't remember the movie it came from. It's probably a well-known US comedy (like
Home Alone or
Honey I shrunk the kids) from the 1980-1990s. This should be a piece of cake but my Google/IMDb/Tvtropes-fu fails me.
posted by elgilito
on Dec 8, 2010 -
22 answers
I need help picking out a book as a Christmas gift for my husband. I'm looking for fascinating current non-fiction about the inner workings of American politics. Husband is a staunch Democrat. Many thanks!
posted by Dragonness
on Dec 8, 2010 -
10 answers
Etiquette filter: Found out my boss at my new job gives members of her team fairly generous holiday gifts. Is it appropriate for me to reciprocate with a smaller token of appreciation, or will that seem suck-uppy?
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posted by superfluousm
on Dec 8, 2010 -
20 answers
I'm roasting a goose for Christmas dinner, and I'll be steaming a plum pudding as well. What else should I include in my vaguely Dickensian menu?
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posted by Narrative Priorities
on Dec 8, 2010 -
20 answers
For much of my childhood, the annual airing of
ABC Stage 67's Emmy-winning production of Truman Capote's
A Christmas Memory, starring the absolutely incomparable
Geraldine Page, was at the very core of how my family understood Christmas. In my time, it aired on local PBS stations. Sometime in the 80s, though, it disappeared, and is only available in
a black & white version of questionable quality. What happened, and where did it go? How can we recover this treasure and share it with a broader audience?
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posted by sonascope
on Dec 7, 2010 -
4 answers
GiftFilter: What should I get as a Christmas present for my cousin who's a guy, a music ed major, a junior in college, preppy, and sort of athletic?
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posted by Quidam
on Dec 7, 2010 -
7 answers
I need to get from Bedford to Solihull near Birmingham, UK, on Christmas Day, ideally via public transport. I have no idea if this is possible but it's looking like it might not be. Help!
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posted by mdonley
on Dec 7, 2010 -
10 answers
Looking for Radio Humbug: On every major holiday, but most especially Christmas, I'm annoyed that the radio broadcasts I habitually listen to--mostly NPR, BBC world service--are overtaken by special holiday content, which is usually religious and sappy. Can anyone recommend a radio station to listen to on internet stream on these holidays (talk, not music) that will present news, interviews, documentaries and the like? I could do podcasts, but I much prefer live streaming. Necessarily in English. Most any sort of content or geographic focus would be of interest, so long as there's no shouting, minimal or no religion, no political extremism.
posted by Corvid
on Dec 6, 2010 -
6 answers
What have you given to (or done for) friends and family as an alternative to standard christmas gifts?
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posted by palacewalls
on Dec 6, 2010 -
21 answers
My husband and I are throwing our very *first annual* Christmas party. We just bought a house, and I've been dying to entertain in it. The thing is, though, I don't want it to be too "grown up" - ya know, a boring adult party. Our number one requirement for our wedding was that the reception be fantastically fun - where everyone dances all night and no one sits around awkwardly, being bored. This is the kind of party I want.
I don't want it to be boring BUT I do not want it to be because people are drunk out of their minds (I cannot stand ridiculously drunk behavior).
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posted by nataliedanger
on Dec 4, 2010 -
19 answers
[Christmas music filter, instrumental] I'm in search of non-schmaltzy, non overwrought instrumental Christmas music.
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posted by jlkr
on Dec 4, 2010 -
12 answers
