Holiday Gifts

Gift wrapping used to be so simple. Either you picked up a few rolls of paper, foil and some stick-on bows at the discount store, or you paid someone at the mall to wrap for you. A primary print for the kids and a conservative stripe for the grown-ups, and you were set.Now, you can be stymied by the multitude of gift-wrap choices. Paper? Choose plain brown paper, a splashy print or a textured handmade style. Select a shade in neon, metallic or earth tones. Or, opt for sheets of Mylar or cellophane.

A book fair on an autumn afternoon is a simple pleasure, a truth widely acknowledged yesterday in Owings Mills.For Jon Goldman, 23, of Charles Village, the paperback of Emily Dickinson love poems he found at the crowded Brandeis Book Fair was just the thing to give the right person -- his future girlfriend, when he finds her.For 61-year-old Betty Barth, it was a way to stock her winter bookshelves with the mysteries she curls up with during the "hibernating" season....

QUIT COMPLAINING. This is normal weather for November: cold, wet and unpredictable.What is predictable is that you will soon be shopping for holiday gifts. Why not pick up something for a client of the Severna Park Assistance Network.SPAN helps Anne Arundel County families in crisis. More than half the families SPAN assists include children younger than 16.Since 1991, SPAN has participated in the Holiday Sharing Program, which is jointly sponsored by the county's Medical Society Alliance and the Department of Social Services.

Holiday hints about your money:If you buy stocks with bonus money -- or give shares as holiday gifts -- don't overlook local issues. Some recent developments: Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. appears under "Appealing High-Yielding Stocks" in the Nov. 27 S&P Outlook. The stock yields 6 percent, double the current inflation rate.The Dec. 4 Outlook lists Black & Decker under "Economically Sensitive Stocks We Favor." A B&D spokesperson says the company's SnakeLight flexible flashlights are selling "extremely well as holiday gifts."

TAKE A DEEP breath today and enjoy any moment of quiet that you can, for tomorrow the holiday season begins in earnest.Now through the New Year's Day, we will be caught up in the hustle and bustle of buying, wrapping, baking and visiting.This column will be listing holiday activities in our neighborhoods, from tree lightings to school plays to crafts fairs. If you have an item you would like to have listed, please call meat 437-6343.'Sundaes with Santa'The Lake Shore Elementary PTA will sponsor its annual "Sundaes with Santa" celebration from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 1."

Annapolis aldermen will vote tonight on some holiday gifts -- in the form of parking meter reprieves -- for the city's merchants and residents.The first of three resolutions would suspend parking meter fees for the holiday season from Dec. 16 through Dec. 25."The whole thing is done to help the merchants," said Mayor Alfred A. Hopkins. "Nobody's going to get [their tires] chalked, if you know what I mean."The city has suspended city meter rates during past holiday seasons to help the merchants.

A few months ago, our family talked about making some holiday gifts this year rather than buying all of them at stores. We discovered that it's quite simple and fun to add personal touches to basic items you buy. Our favorite gift idea this year is to paint designs on glass plates, bowls and mugs for special people on our list.Here's how:Wash and dry an oven-proof dish. Paint simple designs such as squiggles, zigzags, dots and even the person's name on the underside of the plate or the outside lower portion of a mug using Liquitex Concentrated Artist Color Glossies or Deka Translucent Paints (at arts and crafts stores)

Sitting in the kitchen, absent-mindedly decapitating gingerbread men, we tried to find sense in the madness that surrounded us."First it was multicolored chasing lights around the garage. Last year it was twinkling lights in clear plastic tubes shaped like Santa and his reindeer," she said softly. "This year? I'm not sure, but it appears to require several singing puppet-like creatures."I winced, anticipating my neighbor's yard occupied by harmonizing mannequins.Our spouses were getting out of hand.

The holiday bazaar season hits full stride this week as the Carroll County Christmas Farmer's Market opens tomorrow and the biggest bazaar of all, the Mistletoe Mart at Ascension Episcopal Church, starts Thursday.The Christmas Farmer's Market will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, through Dec. 18, at the Agricultural Center on Smith Avenue in Westminster.More than 125 stalls in four enclosed buildings will offer gift and decorating ideas, holiday food treats, arts and crafts, flowers and plants, plus meats, dairy goods, and seasonal fruits and vegetables.

"Oh, they're all decorated up for Christmas," said a woman who entered the International Gift Shop in New Windsor, which sells handcrafts made by people in developing nations.Not quite. The SERRV shop at the New Windsor Service Center was also dressed up for this weekend's Holidays Around the World celebration, which is about more than Christmas.The visitor was right about one thing: "It looks so nice.""I just love to hear that," said shop manager Helen Crouse, who had been working for a week stringing lights and decorating trees.

With Hanukkah under way and Christmas coming on Thursday, Baltomommie asked if it's really necessary to have her children write thank-you notes for holiday gifts, or whether they can just dictate their thanks or call. "I want well-mannered children who express their appreciation, but the thank-you notes are always a struggle!" Joan Grayson Cohen, a licensed clinical social worker at Jewish Community Services, says thank-you notes teach important lessons. "These include being gracious about receiving gifts and valuing the gesture of gift-giving," she wrote in an e-mail.

You're not sure what to buy your little sister with the eccentric tastes for Christmas, but finally settle on boots you think are funky but she might consider ugly. Odds are, with her picky taste, she might not like them and will end up making a trip back to the store to return or exchange the gift. She won't be the only one crowding the malls after Christmas or Hanukkah looking to replace a gift that wasn't quite right. Returns are already up for the year as a tight economy is causing consumers like you and your sister to be choosier about purchases.

Smart spending advice is all around, and deals abound in all categories of spending. Sometimes it can be a quick tip that provides the "ah-hah!" moment - the figurative light bulb goes on and "ka-ching," money stays in your pocket. Here's a list of tips and insights, from holiday spending to phone services. Holiday regrets How's that holiday spending hangover? Long after the gift wrap found its way to the landfill, people had regrets about how they spent their money and time over the holidays, according to a post-holiday survey.

Do friends gush over your holiday gifts of homemade flavored oils or pasta sauce? If so, we want you to enter The Sun's first Gifts from the Kitchen contest. We're looking for distinctive gifts (think meat rubs, syrups, cakes, sauces), and tips on the best way to package them. Send your recipes to Kate Shatzkin, Food Editor, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278, fax them to 410-783- 2519 or e-mail them to food@baltsun.com with "Gifts from the Kitchen" in the subject line. Please include your name, address and phone number so we can contact you. The deadline is Nov. 7. Our picks will be published in early December.

The gardens may be cold and lifeless, but you will warm the heart of the gardeners on your gift list this holiday season by remembering what they love to do most. In fact, though their hobby is in its dormancy, gardeners may be the easiest people to buy for -- the range of ideas is as great as all outdoors. Gift ideas might include something practical -- gloves, pruners or garden clogs -- or something spiritual -- garden journals or plaques that carry inspirational words. Americans will spend $450 billion on their gardens this year, a 5 percent increase, according to experts.

After spending the holiday season buying gifts for others, Vera Dillard plans to indulge today in some shopping for herself. She'll buy some suits to wear to church using a Hecht's gift card she received from co-workers. Then she'll stock up on bargain-priced Christmas items, such as cards from Hallmark, to use next year. "It will be all for me," the federal government worker from Owings Mills said with a smile, as she finished her Christmas shopping at Owings Mills Mall last week. "As soon as you look, all the summer stuff will be out, and they'll be trying to get rid of the winter things.

Over the years, Matt Young has received a fair share of holiday gifts that made him groan - the compilation CD of odd guitar music the year he learned how to play, the not-so-hip jumpsuits from his grandparents, the pinkie ring from his well-intentioned if clueless aunt. But even those bombs don't compare to the couple of hundred dollars in pesky gift cards that are unused and gathering dust in the University of Maryland senior's bedroom in College Park. "I carried them around with me in my wallet for a month after Christmas," the 21-year-old engineering student said.

The Niece You think it would be easy to buy a 6-year-old girl a gift. Then you realize that the girl already has everything. Get her a handmade felted wool purse that's bright and playful, not to mention the perfect size to tote around her iPod, Starbucks card and her M.A.C. lip gloss. Samii felted wool purse in pink or aqua, $28, at www.garnethill.com, or by calling 800-870-3513. The Boss The Boss is always talking about money not growing on trees and informing you of the rising cost of paper clips.

In Baltimore City Residents urged to recycle gift-wrap, boxes, holiday cards The city Department of Public Works has issued a reminder for Baltimore residents to recycle gift-wrap rather than throwing it away. Recyclable items include cardboard boxes and packaging, wrapping paper, tissue paper, colored paper, holiday cards, gift cards and envelopes. The city does not recycle ribbon, foil or foam packing material. For more information, call 311. Walbrook library branch schedules Kwanzaa event The Walbrook branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library will hold "Telling for Kwanzaa," a one-hour holiday presentation featuring the storytelling troupe the Growing Griots, at 2 p.m. tomorrow.

Md. association of restaurants issues gift certificates The Columbia-based Restaurant Association of Maryland has issued restaurant gift certificates in a variety of denominations, from $10 to $100. Holders can choose from the more than 750 member restaurants that have chosen to participate in the program to redeem them. Fine and casual dining options are available. The association, which has about 3,000 members statewide, works to promote, protect and improve the food service industry.