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The
Clothing Chronicles ================================================
In This Issue: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Whoops! I took so long working on things for last week's article that last week turned into this week. Funny how time seems to speed up during the holidays -- So what have I been up to? A couple of things: 1. Now You Can Give My Ebooks as Gifts For all of you who have asked me how you can give my ebooks as gifts, I have an answer: By gift certificates. Give them as stocking stuffers, teacher's gifts, in a gift basket, or whatever. You can learn more about them here:
One of the biggest challenges of putting together a functional wardrobe is the expense of adding new items. But there's an easy way to go about it: ask those with whom you regularly exchange gifts to help this holiday season. This list will help you come up with a wish list of your own with items at a variety of price points. http://www.theclothingchronicles.com/archives/holidaylist.html So what's on tap for today's article? How to REALLY get what you want this holiday season. Enjoy!
Diana ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Image and Etiquette Programs
From business etiquette to savvy dining, successful image to nonverbal communication, these programs will pay for themselves many times over in teaching your staff just how profitable a professional image can be. Available on slides or in PowerPoint. Hurry! All programs are available for 15% off through the month of December. http://www.dianaprefers.com/books/presentations.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How to Get What You Want This Holiday Season Okay, time for a little "girl" talk. What was the worst holiday gift you ever got from your husband or significant other?
Worse? I think the worst story I've heard comes from a woman I know named Nancy. Her husband, Mike, slammed back a few stiff drinks with a friend before they headed to the mall around 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve to buy Nancy's gift. The guys made it as far as the fragrance counter of the first department store they went to where they were stopped by a cute young thing selling a trendy perfume. She convinced Mike to buy a $300 gift basket of the fragrance she was promoting, and Mike, a bit tipsy and trying to impress his friend, convinced the sales girl to take off the promotional t-shirt she was wearing and add it to the gift basket. Nice! Nothing like a worn t-shirt to say how much you care - Why is it that women can see something displayed any time of year and think, "Oh, John would LOVE that! Or that's SO Jessica! Or Jake will flip when he sees this!" Yet when John or Jessica or Jake go shopping for US, their thoughts seem to be, "What can I find in less than 10 minutes that doesn't cost more than x ?" We know what THEY like; why can't they seem to reciprocate in kind? So what's my point here? While all these crazy gifts may make for a few laughs (or tears, depending on the situation), they all boil down to wasted money when the items go unused. Money that would do better sitting in an investment, for example, instead of sitting in a closet gathering dust. But what's a girl to do to stop it? Make a list. Take matters into your own hands and make a wish list of your own this season so you can minimize those "what-were-they-thinking?" gifts. It can be for material things like books or clothes or tickets, or for creative treasurers made by the giver, like paintings, poems, or songs. A walk on the beach with your son, or a tea party with your granddaughter. What? You think that asking for stuff from your primary gift givers is too forward? Don't. Small children make these lists every year with great success (can you say, "Letters to Santa?"). Besides, your family and friends will be relieved that you've made it so easy for them. True, they should know what kinds of things you like without requiring this sort of spoon feeding, but most people are really bad at reading minds - men in particular. Why? Because most men don't shop; they buy. They go to the store or the mall for a specific reason, go straight to the thing they want, buy it, and leave. They don't typically wander around looking at other things once their purchase is made unless they're in a place that caters to their own interests, like an electronics or hobby store. To send them off to a mall with no plan or purpose other than to NOT coming back empty-handed is a recipe for disaster - which is why you've ended up with some of the things that you have over the years. Grown men, competent in their own environment, are rendered utterly incapable in a store. They wander around dazed and confused, becoming easy prey to the aggressive sales girl on commission. Or, when they attempt to figure out sizes, styles, or brands on their own, they end up sounding like rusty pick up artists to other female shoppers with stale lines like, "What size do you wear? My wife's about the same size." Or, "I think this is the perfume she likes, but I need to smell it on a neck. Do you mind?" Yes, frankly, I do. And I bet your wife would too. Now if you're reading this and scratching your head in confusion because your guy is one of those with impeccable taste who always seems to know what you want without being told, consider yourself lucky. They only allow so many of those per square mile, which frankly, leaves most of us without. Still, if they can follow a list, they can be taught. And if they can't, then remember that gift certificates to your favorite store are always appropriate. What ISN'T appropriate is for you to do all the work to plan, shop, wrap, clean, cook, decorate, referee, and generally kill yourself to make everyone ELSE happy during the holidays, only to end up disappointed because no one seems to stop and look after you. Remember: people treat you how you treat yourself. So resolve to treat yourself better this year by raising the expectations for the closest gift-givers in your life. Make your list and check it twice and warn one and all that you can be naughty or nice, depending on how they treat you. Make your wishes known and you may soon rediscover the magic of the holiday season. Need a few ideas to get started? Then remember to take a look at the fashion and image wish list I put together at: http://www.theclothingchronicles.com/archives/holidaylist.html You can print it off, email it to friends, slip it anonymously into your hubby's briefcase, or whatever. Hope it helps. Happy Holidays! ********** Until next time,
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