If you haven’t heard of Elf Yourself this will be a treat for you. Just go to the website, upload a picture of yourself or a friend and the software there puts it on the body of a dancing elf. Set it to fit the body, make a couple of clicks then enjoy a brief video of you-the-elf dancing in whatever fashion you choose.

The site, brought to us by Jib Jab and sponsored for several years running by Office Max, gives a quick giggle to anyone looking for a little fun online.

This is the third or fourth year we’ve done Elf Yourself and not much has changed…except that the site has more logos on it before and you can now download your elf-self video for a $4.99 fee.

If you can look past the growing commercial aspects of what Elf Yourself has become (they likely had to do it to support the resources it must take to generate hundreds of millions of elves each year) this site is still a great diversion and simple harmless fun during the holiday season.

A hobby is something that not only swallows time, grows talent and gives pleasure. It is an activity that begs to be shared and shouts to be showcased. Christmas isn’t a hobby for every one — many are content to be mere bystanders, enjoying the sights, sounds and seasonal highlights around them. And that’s fine, we’re not critcal of that. But for many — be it the hobbyist light hanger, crafter, scrapper or tree themer — it is a call to action. It just seems that for some Christmas is a verb.

At Christmas Tree Lane — a lovely blogspot destination — Christmas is definitely a hands on art. Operated by an elementary school principal from the midwest, Terri Steffes, Christmas Tree Lane is a joyful celebration of family, food, recipes, traditions and all things related to Christmas.

I like Christmas Tree Lane because it doesn’t pretend to be anything it isn’t. It isn’t an encyclopedia, a portal, a search engine or the end-all-be-all of Christmas online. It is the Christmas experience USA-style as appreciated and celebrated by one who is as American as they come. Terri has an abiding love for the season and she’ll share whatever Christmas she finds.

It helps that she is an educator and actually knows how to write, too. In fact, I delight sometimes in her shared experiences:

Hark, the Harold Angels sing…When I was a little girl, I had all the lyrics to many songs confused. This was just one of them! I never knew any one named Harold and why I assumed this, I have no idea. Just like the Lord’s Prayer…and Howard be thy name….. again, where did that come from? I don’t know anyone named Howard, either!

See what I mean? Entirely genuine.

Christmas Tree Lane could well be a part of the Organized Christmas crowd that is so popular online. Primarily women and happy homemakers this group has for years flourished with their year round discussion of organizing for Christmas. While Christmas Tree Lane has no shortage of reminders when it comes to key calendar dates in organizing it is flush with images of ideas picked up here and there, no doubt much of it from that tight network of merry women.

But men can enjoy Christmas Tree Lane as well (I am exhibit “A”). The photography of food alone would enough to inspire any male but honestly there are enough ideas in decorating that any aspiring Clark Griswold can get ideas from Christmas Tree Lane.

Christmas Tree Lane is a great reminder that the Internet doesn’t have to be populated with shops, marketers or techno geeks to enjoy Christmas online. In fact, Christmas is what gives the Internet warmth in an otherwise cold, selling-centric kind of environment so common to seasons online.

Christmas Tree Lane, like Christmas itself, has none of that. It comes from the heart.

Those are all questions a new site hopes to answer: ShiftMyGift.com operates on the premise that givers might just want to skip all the shopping hype, all the wrapping hassles, all the gifting duplicity and all the usual rigmarole associated with giving and just push all that money to something useful. By shifting the money you would spend on a gift to a non-profit donation you just might get more satisfaction from your holiday giving. That’s the idea behind ShiftMyGift.com, which doesn’t actually do anything more than connect a giver with a reputable charity.

ShiftMyGift.com launched in August 2011 offering people a way to celebrate any occasion – birthday, baby shower, wedding, Christmas, graduation, new home, the sun rising – by rerouting money that would have been spent on gifts to needy causes. So, for instance, instead of buying your husband an iPad, you visit his registry page on ShiftMyGift.com and make a donation in his name to any of the nonprofit groups he has listed there as his preferences.

The non-profits listed at ShiftMyGift.com come from the 1.2 million registered charities in the Guidestar database — so just about any legitimate charity will be available. ShiftMyGift.com tacks at #1.49 fee on top of every donation as a way of recovering their operating costs.

What would stop a person from going to a non-profit website and making a donation? Nothing at all. And that’s not the point. Most people don’t know how or where, especially during the frenzy of a holiday season, to find reputable connections with charities. ShiftMyGift.com will provide quick options to a wide variety that will make charitable giving faster and easier.

More importantly, for that stubborn spouse who claims they want “nothing” for Christmas you can give expressly what they want while donating to their favorite charities in their name. Now that’s a unique gift in and of itself!

It is unusual for us at Christmas Finest to tell you to buy nothing for Christmas — that’s far removed from what we are. But in this case we agree — you’re still giving, after all, and that is what Christmas is all about.

This merry little site has been a labor of love since 1997 and there is something about the 1990′s-style of the web design coupled with the brilliant photography of New York City department store windows and Christmas sights that give this little site a lot of holiday charm. And, for those of us not close to New York at the holidays it gives us a unique look at Christmas done in the big city.

The site features an event calendar, pictures of Christmas around the city and it includes a city map and the history of perhaps the most famous Christmas tree in the world at Rockefeller Center. We’re happy to designate Christmas in New York our site of the week!

Some parents look at the Santa legend as a lie and these are the folks who usually open their presents on Christmas Eve. Such is near blasphemy in my house. Oh, I know I shouldn’t judge but neither should people misjudge the character of Santa. He was, after all, a real individual with qualities I want my kids to know about. I do believe in being truthful with my children and, when asked, I’ve been so with the Santa story. But I don’t miss out on a thing with it either. Santa is celebrated in my house. I’m convinced that if we were all a little more like the Santa of old we’d all likely have a merrier Christmas.

That’s why I’m a big believer in Santa letters. That connection with Santa directly to my kids is one that not only charms but one that continues what I consider a sacred tradition. We track Santa on Christmas Eve, read the Night Before Christmas together and even color pictures together as part of our Christmas celebrations. And every year I try to get a letter from Santa for each of the kids — even the teenagers. The letters can run from humorous to advice-laden — it just depends upon what is important to each child and what is going on in their lives. Santa to me is a hero. And I am trying to develop him as a hero in the eyes of my kids as well.

I believe the true nature of Santa Claus needs to be upheld as parents. We can fight the merchandisers of the world, we can overcome the movie and music makers. Those who make merchandise of Santa don’t represent the real character of him. We do, as parents. It just depends upon how much we invest in him.

In a down economy, layaway plans allow a Christmas shopper to select an item months in advance and pay it off in small increments while it sits on the retailer’s shelf. The advantage of this to the shopper is obvious: you hang on your cash, you get the item you want and you don’t have to pay interest charges. The potential downsides are these: the items may go on sale cheaper later in the season once you have already signed a layaway agreement or you may have cash flow issues that prevent you from making future payments (especially on high ticket items), which would cause you to lose any money you have paid towards the item and the item itself.

Christmas savings clubs work a bit differently. Born of retailers long before the turn of the 20th century, Christmas savings clubs are just as a name implies – plans devoted to storing money, not merchandise – until the holiday shopping season. They went by the wayside as American prosperity and the growth of revolving credit emerged in the mid-20th century – mostly due to the paperwork and bureaucratic nightmare it created for retailers and banks that administered the programs.

A nightmarish economy and gift-card technology of the 21st century have revived the concept and it is a good one – if you like to do all your Christmas shopping in one place.
The new Christmas savings clubs offer a 3% bonus on any money you deposit within a certain time frame. That is a better rate of return than most modern savings banks. There are no refunds on money you deposit but the money always remains available and the bonus is only good on total deposits received within a certain time frame (usually from early spring to around mid-October to mid-November, depending upon the retailer).

Christmas savings clubs – available at major retailers like Toys R Us and Kmart and some smaller retailers – can be a boon for the tightly budgeted Christmas shopper. But folks can just as easily save their cash and get a slightly lesser return at a bank and then have the flexibility of spending their Christmas money wherever they want.

The behemoth retailer said it will reduce prices 20% to 30% on another 100 toys, including the Buzz Lightyear talking action figure and Rocky the Robot. These new prices will be available through Christmas, or while supplies last.

Previously Wal-Mart announced it will offer 100 toys for $10 during the holiday season.

The discounter is also lowering prices on other items like books and said it will roll-back prices on select items every week until Christmas.

As Wal-Mart continues to lower prices, rivals are following suit, launch something of a holiday-season price war.

In September Target reduced prices as much as 50% on popular toys and announced on Friday that it is expanding its free shipping offer. Now shoppers can get free shipping on 50% more items on the retailers Web site.

Amazon is offering a similar promotion when it comes to books, slashing prices on popular new hardcover releases.

Here, scientists are trying to produce the picture perfect Christmas tree.

“I get a lot of calls from people who want to make extra money by growing a few trees on their back 40,” said Gary Chastagner. “They have no idea how much work it is.”

Tree experts from Norway to North Carolina are here at WSU’s research and extension center.

Researchers are trying to figure out what causes conifers to drop needles.

“You get to something like this and they’re just coming off like crazy,” said Chastagner.

It’s not the surprise under the tree customers crave.

These scientists are looking for a new higher quality species that will last longer in your home and offer a whole new niche.

“35 to 40 percent of all trees grown in U.S. come from Washington and Oregon,” Chastagner said.

Growing good trees is good business. Growers in Washington and Oregon harvest more than 10 million trees a year at a wholesale value of $176 million.

To get your money’s worth, find a tree stand that holds at least a gallon of water.

“One of the issues is many of the stands on the market place don’t hold an adequate amount of water for the trees that are displayed,” Chastagner said.

The tree experts also told us don’t bother with water additives, they add no benefit to your tree. Just water alone is the single most important ingredient.

It may be three months until the holiday, but every day revolves around Christmas for these guys.

City council leader Warren Bradley said that the holiday programme as been designed to attract thousands of new shoppers to the north-west city.

“Liverpool is staging its biggest and best ever Christmas programme to reflect the dramatic improvements the city has undergone, and also to bring our Capital of Culture year to a fitting festive climax with a special atmosphere,” he said.

Last week saw the city switch on its Christmas lights, a display which includes the new Liverpool One shopping complex for the first time.

More than 50 different acts are scheduled to take part in the Christmas festivities this year, including real reindeer, street theatre performers, choirs and brass bands.

The Liverpool One shopping centre plans to extend its opening hours until 21:00 GMT from Monday to Friday beginning November 24th.

For those who are keen to have a bit of retail therapy during the hectic holiday season, Red Letter Days offer a number of shopping experiences where you can find some exciting Christmas gifts.