Once my initial irritation wears off with all of the people who get Christmas started before the trick-or-treaters step off their porch, once the 4 a.m. Black Friday folks are back at home wrapping up their great deals with foil paper before I am even out of my PJs, I can begin to make my lists, surf the online shipping deals and really begin to embrace the season of giving.
One of my great joys during the holidays is finding the perfect gift for my grrrlfriends. And to me, perfect means personalized.
OK, so I admit it, I love personalized gifts myself. Since I buy for far fewer grrrlfriends than I did in my roommate days, the women I do buy for are the ones I know very well, love very much and have been through a lot with since...well, those roommate days. Essentially, when I choose gifts for them, I am choosing things that I feel sure they will love. And often, these are things that I would also love.
My grrrlfriends are certainly not all exactly like me (damn you, Mack, with your size small tees!), which is why the personalized present works oh-so-well.
Here are a few of my favorite things for your BFF's customized stocking:
Personalized stationery - I love paper and even more than that, I adore personalized paper. My favorite place to find everything from professional notecards to cute correspondence cards is American Stationery. The prices are competitive and the catalog has many shabby chic-ish and just-funky-enough designs to please your friends. I'm loving the Stella notes and the Spot On cards. I also have my eye on the Business Basics Card Ensemble (which sounds bohhhring but really isn't with the help of a scripty font) help a friend who just launched her own gift sales business celebrate (and network) in style.
Personalized fragrances - I've exercised a great deal of restraint every single time I've walked down a stretch of Halsted Street here in Chicago. Nestled in a block of Abercrombies and Nine Wests, the Aroma Workshop is a sweet spot where customers can create custom-scented beauty products. With help from the staff, you can select from a scent bar of essential oils and big-name fragrances for perfume, facial care products, lotions, bath gels and other delicious gifts you can make for a
very special grrrlfriend (and maybe one for yourself). I'm warning you: the restraint has been lifted and I'm pretty sure there something lavendar-green tea-y whispering my organic-loving/hiking/laughy-lovey grrrlfriend's name.
Personalized photo clutches - We all have a pile of those wonderfully heart-warming or horrifically Eighties-embarassing pictures snapped with our grrrlfriends living on our computers or in a box next to our scanner. Simply upload a photo and send off one of Bagette's custom gifts to your gal pals. Now's the time to really immortalize that we-used-to-singe-bangs-together-and-now-we-compare-babystains-together bond (also known as the once-Milwaukee's Best Friends-always-half-caff-nonfat-sugar-free-vanilla-latte-friends bond) with a cosmetic bag? Better yet, check out the lovely little wristlet, perf for your fellow mama friends to carry their cell, ID and coffee cash out on walks with the wee ones, or for adding lip gloss to the mix for a little mama bar-hopping.
Personalized cookery fun - For your friend who adds a little sass and spice to her cuisine, there are some great gifts to help her celebrate a season of entertaining. Chicago's own A Little Bit of This calls itself "a unique embroidery boutique" and has been one of my favorite stops for baby gifts. As they've grown, they've added delights that your grrrlfriends will love, too. I raise my plastic crystal champagne flute to this funky Retro Apron and monogrammed towels and cutting boards for my hostest-with-the-mostest friends.
Personalized delectables - Every woman needs a few delights that she can keep all to herself. Monogrammed cookies are one of those fun indulgences that will inspire some healthy hording. Of course, you could go to that Martha place and make these cookies from scratch, but why? Give yourself the gift of luxury by clicking Buy Now. While you're on the site, think about buying yourself, your favorite bridezilla or the good-God-they're-still-hot-for-each-other pal a lingerie bag that will spice up the dreaded holiday in-law visits. I personally can't think of a better way to celebrate the season than sneaking cookies in the bathroom, wearing LaPerla under my Christmas cardigan.
Revel in your grrrlfriends and in giving them a personalized present that is perfectly and completely them! Happy Holidays, hot mamas.
Give something back, grrrlfriends: What are your pics for BFF presents this year?
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is a single mama in the city, super-savvy editor, writer, video host and shameless shoe whore.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006 
Slowly, slowly the post-partum spell is fading* and I am beginning to have enough focus to write more than a blog post, enough attention span to read more than a magazine article. Here are the books that are helping me (or will help me) make my way back to thinking beyond toilet training readiness quizzes:
