Burlington, VT— With time short and budgets shrinking, wrapping up last-minute gift shopping can feel overwhelming. Thought you were finished with your holiday shopping? What about the kid’s teachers, the neighbor who drives your daughter to school all winter, the mailman and the dog walker? And you’ll need a gift for the host of the party you’re attending on Saturday. Are they on your holiday gift list? Uh oh……Did you forget about them?
The last minute rush can be avoided. Etiquette experts Anna Post and Lizzie Post, authors for The Emily Post Institute, Inc., have specific strategies for easing “last-minute-itis.” Symptoms include overspending, heart-palpitations and nail biting.
The Posts’ tips include:
• Go for affordable luxury. The issue here is time and money, so choose a single, one stop shopping source that won’t blow your budget in the waning days before Christmas. We suggest gourmet chocolatier Lake Champlain Chocolates for a few reasons: chocolate is a gift that is appropriate for almost anyone, you can order by phone or online making shopping easy, and the company is known for all-natural ingredients and festive holiday packaging.
• Make a list of all of the people you’ve forgotten. Include the host and hostess gifts you’ll need for any parties you attend.
• You’ll need a small host or hostess gift for each party you attend. Hostess gift ideas include party accessories such as wine charms and cool cocktail napkins, soaps, candles, decorative tins of hot chocolate or tea, and even breakfast breads or muffins your hosts can enjoy the next morning.
• If you’re looking for stocking stuffers, Lake Champlain Chocolates has stocking stuffer squares, sea salt caramels and chocolate snowmen which can double as table decorations.
• Keep a few gifts stashed for the unexpected.
• Choose gifts that come in beautiful and festive packaging so there’s one less thing for you to do. The Spruce Tree Truffle and the Holiday 15 pc Selection from Lake Champlain Chocolates even include a hand-tied bow.
• Don’t forget to treat yourself this holiday season! “Whether it’s an afternoon at the gym, a massage, a pedicure or Lake Champlain Chocolates’ delicious new Granola Five Star Bar for you to enjoy, do something nice for yourself this holiday season too,” says Lizzie Post.
Lake Champlain Chocolates can be ordered right up until December 23rd for a Christmas Eve delivery and are also available in Whole Foods Markets across the country.
Preservative-free and Kosher-certified, Lake Champlain Chocolates are crafted in small batches from the finest quality chocolate and select natural ingredients including local Vermont cream, sweet butter, maple syrup, and honey. The company offers a variety of gifts including Christmas chocolates, Hanukkah chocolates, and its ever-popular Chocolate of the Month Club. Lake Champlain Chocolates are available online at www.LakeChamplainChocolates.com, toll-free at 1-800-465-5909, as corporate gifts & wedding favors, at three company-owned retail stores in Vermont, and nationwide at specialty food & gift stores and upscale hotels & inns.
At the Emily Post Institute, the fourth and fifth generation family members of Emily Post offer etiquette advice for the 21st century. This includes a library of more than eighteen books on topics including everyday etiquette, wedding etiquette, business etiquette and manners for children; Post-authored columns in The Boston Globe (distributed by the New York Times Syndicate), Good Housekeeping, USA Weekend, Inside Weddings, Brides.com and WeddingChannel.com; business etiquette seminars and train the trainer programs that are offered around the globe; media interviews and spokesperson campaigns; and the website www.emilypost.com.