One of the holiday traditions we have started in our house is watching Oprah’s favorite things show. Every year, right before Thanksgiving, she does a show that showcases a wonderful variety of good Christmas ideas.

In years past, her ideas cover a great range in prices as well as interests. I have found things for my mother and for my UPS man (I am an online shopper for sure!) recommended in the show.

It is so cool because the research on the product is done for you, just sit back with a great cup of tea and your favorite treat and take notes. It is a timesaver too as to find all these good Christmas ideas online would take a lot longer than the hour the show is.

This year, it was still Oprah’s favorite things, but with a twist – they cost next to nothing! Oprah felt that in the current economic condition of our country, it was best not to recommend items that cost several hundred dollars or more, so she focused on gifts you could make or give cheaply.

To add to your ideas, this year Oprah highlighted some additional items – all under $100 – in her “O” Magazine. We’ve posted some of our favorites at our Favorite Things 2008 Store, and reviewed them at our Oprah’s Favorite Things 2008 website. Enjoy, shop, and don’t go broke doing it!

Here are a few examples that Oprah chose:

Treasure boxes

Treasure Box

Oprah had a gal named Connie on the show that bought inexpensive treasure chests and finished them herself. Then, she put memorabilia of her children’s that she had been saving for years in them and gave them to her kids. It might have been report cards, an Eagle Scout badge, or a piece of carpet from their first room – anything special and memorable for the child.

Connie wanted it to be a piece of furniture that they could put on the shelf and keep forever, which is why she chose the treasure boxes. She suggested that once you have your keepsakes collected together, that you organize them by year using folders and plastic sleeves from an office supply store.

We’ve done some research and found a box that looks like it would work very well for this project – but if you look for coupons in the newspaper or online, you may be able to find boxes on sale at a craft store like Connie did! When you do find the box, if it’s unfinished all you need to do is go to Home Depot or Lowes and pick up some wood stain and a can of spray on or brush on polyurethane finish. Put a coat of the stain on with a rag, then apply 2 or more coats of the polyurethane finish. You can choose either flat, satin, or high-gloss finish. Personally, I like a satin, or semi-gloss finish. Then, if you want, you can buy a little decorative lock, and your treasure box is ready to give and get huge smiles on Christmas morning!

What a special gift for those most special members of the family!

Holiday Hits 2008

Another great gift is the gift of music – and this year Oprah has picked out eight new Christmas CD’s by some of her favorite artists. From artists like Aretha Franklin, Harry Connick, Jr., Josh Groban, and Tony Bennett, you just can’t go wrong buying one of these CD’s as a gift. Oprah has also included offerings from Faith Hill, Il Divo, Brian McKnight, and Amy Grant.

What a stellar array of artists with their takes on all your Christmas favorites. Here’s your chance to make someone’s Christmas special – and maybe even pick up one or two for yourself!

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

One of the gifts that Oprah loves to give and receive the most is a great book. She says “And if it’s a book you loved reading, then you’ll be sharing something special.”

This year, Oprah has fallen in love with The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. “It’s an epic tale about the magical bond that this mute boy shares with his dog,” Oprah says. “But it’s so much more than a dog story.”

The gift of a book – a great idea for anyone on your list, but especially for that person that has everything. 

Last Year’s Show

Here are a couple of things that were presented last year, but they hold up just as good this year:

Melamine Bowls, Measuring Cups and Spoons from Williams-Sonoma. The Melamine Bowls, Measuring Cups and Spoons come in a rainbow of colors to brighten up your kitchen. They feature built-in, no-spill spouts for easy pouring and can be stacked to save space. Plus, no-slip rubber rings at the base keep your bowls in place.

Amazon Kindle

One more thing – Oprah was recently raving about the Amazon Kindle portable ebook reader on her show. In fact, she said it was her “new favorite thing”. We’ve checked out the Kindle and written a review and also an article about how to use your Kindle. If you’ve got someone to shop for that has everything, this just might be the ticket for them!

More of Oprah’s Favorite Christmas Gifts

Don’t forget to check out Oprah’s additional picks from her “O” Magazine. We’ve picked out some of our favorites and put them on our Favorite Things 2008 Store. Plus, you can read our reviews at Oprah’s Favorite Things 2008. Great ideas that don’t break the bank – they’re all under $100!

Now that you have the best ebook reader, how do you use it? You will be pleased with how simple it is and that you are on the cutting edge by having a portable ebook reader.

Shop the Kindle Store Right from Your Device

The Kindle Store currently carries more than 190,000 books. It also has newspapers, magazines, and blogs. Convenient for you on this portable ebook reader, you can shop the Kindle Store directly on Kindle or on your PC via Amazon.com. Both ways, all titles are wirelessly delivered right to your Kindle for free. And what I like is that Amazon pays for the wireless delivery charges so you don’t have to. You can shop the Kindle Store wirelessly right from your device, allowing you to click, buy, and start reading your purchases within a minute. I recommend this ebook reader also because of the use of Amazon where you get the great customer service experience you’re used to, including customer reviews, personalized recommendations, and low prices.

All you do is search for the title or author you’re interested in, or browse the store to discover titles. So the next time you hear about a great book, just click, buy, and read.

In addition, a copy of every book you purchase is backed up online in Your Media Library in case you need to download it again. So now you haveroom for new titles on your device, knowing that Amazon is storing your personal library, which can always be re-downloaded wirelessly. If you happen to be out of wireless coverage, such as traveling overseas, you can download books to your computer from Your Media Library and transfer via USB to your Kindle.

Paper-like Screen

Utilizing a new high-resolution display technology called electronic paper, Kindle provides a crisp black-and-white screen that resembles the appearance and readability of printed paper. It reflects light like ordinary paper and uses no backlighting, eliminating the glare associated with other portable ebook readers. The screen never gets hot so you can comfortably read as long as you like.

See what others are saying about the Kindle screen:

Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball, “I’m telling you, after five minutes I’ve ceased to think I’m looking at a screen. It’s not like reading a computer screen. It’s more like reading a piece of paper. I think it’s actually clearer, easier on the eye than the printed word.”

Keyboard

Being a somewhat technologically impaired, I like Kindle’s QWERTY keyboard. Simply type in a title, author, or keyword to find the book, newspaper, or magazine you are looking for. From there, click to buy, and begin reading your selection in under a minute.

Bookmarks and Annotation

Also using the keyboard, you can write notes just like you might write in the margins of a book. And because it is digital, you can edit, delete, and export your notes, highlight and clip key passages, and bookmark pages for future use. You’ll never need to bookmark your last place in the book, because Kindle remembers for you and always opens to the last page you read. I can even write notes like “share this passage with Kat”.

Long Battery Life

Since I forget to plug things in, I like that I can leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Kindle fully recharges in two hours.

I hope this review on how to use the Amazon Kindle will help you to realize that with the invention of Kindle, portable ebook readers have forever changed. And are the way of all future readers!

Sold out at Amazon? You can always find it at , sometimes at an even better price!

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