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Christmas shopping online might or might not be for everyone. This article shows how doing it online, enhances your overall Christmas experience!
Christmas shopping online is not for you? If you are one of those that share this thought, you probably like to enjoy the atmosphere of physical shopping. Doing your Christmas shopping online despite all its convenience, lack the festive mood. The ...

How To Not Blow Your Budget This Christmas.
Every year thousands of families make a fresh decision to start living by a budget. They set up accounts on their home computer, begin to track everything they spend and set limits designed to help them save more and spend less. Gwen Mathews is the ...

The Truth About Smart Christmas Gift Shopping
Why do your christmas gift shopping the mall when you can get your gifts safely online? Seriously. I was reading the latest news about black Friday at the malls. A 73 year old lady was knocked down and hit her head against the floor as she was swept by ...


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Why a little bit of marketing does you good, especially at Christmas
 



I bring this issue up because in case you hadn't noticed, it's going to be Christmas soon and as usual any company which can exploit Christmas as a commercial theme is doing so. But before we exchange our Christmas wreath for cynicism on our front door, sometimes marketing can be beneficial and the creativity in marketing campaigns can be enjoyed by the consumer.



Take for instance (but not for instant) Starbucks Coffee Company, no longer is it just a coffee company! If you're still refusing to do your Christmas shopping online, marketing executives at Starbucks have come up with a few ideas so that you can break the shopping up with interludes of Gingerbread Latte, Eggnog Latte or Toffee Nut Latte. You could even come back after the shopping and have a Chocolate Mint Bliss or Mint Chocolate Chip Frappuccino. If Marketing brings Gingerbread Lattes, then it's got to be a good thing.



It's not just the high street shops which are getting festive. Online stores are getting into the Christmas spirit too, even finance companies; the traditional residences of Scrooge type characters. Moneynet, a personal finance information research specialist, has brought out a Christmas finance guide , with a range of money-saving tips to help the innocent consumer navigate their way past loan sharks who feed on the financial difficulties of


certain families, particularly at Christmas.



But lets not dwell on the doom and gloom, lets think about the children, what's marketing doing for them? Well... the Early Learning Centre has developed a special Christmas section ( http://www.elc.co.uk/cat egory-720 ) on its website to inspire parents, grandparents and relatives with ideas of suitable gifts for the children. If your daughter is more into Stevie Wonder than Golden Wonder, then she might be impressed with the Pink Keyboard And Stool; though remember, musical toys last for years not just for Christmas, it's your sanity at stake.



But Christmas isn't just for the kids, it's for the "big kids" too. Justtoys is a site which sells toys for parents, buying toys for their children. If my parents are reading this, or even my colleagues, I quite fancy the Radio Control Dalek which offers seven phrases triggered by buttons on the remote control, 360 degree on the spot rotational movement and the Dome and Eyestalk move from side to side as it moves. Beats slippers and writing paper any day.



Marketing and commercial competition has also made a fantastic choice available on the internet and it gives us ideas, when we've run out of inspiration ourselves. So whilst we need to remain sceptical about advertising, there are some advantages to profit investment ...



... and Starbucks Chocolate Mint Bliss is one of them.

About the author:



Rachel is a financially conscious chocoholic who lives in Edinburgh and writes for the personal finance blog Cashzilla. Cashzilla is a mighty personalfinanosaurus who has been linked to several Scottish celebrities including Nessie.



http://www.cashzilla.co.uk



News



USA TODAY

49ers QB Smith has new 'Christmas present' receivers
USA TODAY
"It's like waking up on Christmas," Smith said. "You have a lot of new toys out there, new presents." A year ago, the unproven San Francisco 49ers quarterback was organizing informal offseason workouts at San Jose State during the NFL lockout — dubbed ...
Tim Kawakami: Christmas comes early for 49ers' Alex SmithBradenton Herald
OTAs are like Christmas for QB SmithCBSSports.com
49ers | Alex Smith impressed with receiversKFFL

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SheKnows.com

TV Review: MAD MEN – Season 5 – “Christmas Waltz”
Assignment X
By SEAN ELLIOTT / Contributing Writer “Christmas Waltz” is such an odd episode of MAD MEN to me. It feels like little bits and pieces of various characters' stories without any kind of a central through line to tie them together as well as some ...
<i>Mad Men</i>: A Great Leaper Forward? Joan, Jag, Don's Return to Advertising ...Huffington Post (blog)
Mad Men: Christmas WaltzThe Perpetual Post
Mad Men Monday: Merry Christmas, Don and JoanThe Seattle Times (blog)
Hollywood Reporter -SheKnows.com -Poptimal.com
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Hung jury in Christmas Island boat trial
ABC Online
Three Indonesian men are expected to face a retrial after a Perth jury failed to reach a verdict on people smuggling charges arising from an asylum seeker boat that crashed at Christmas Island. Abdul Rasjid, Hardi Hans and Supriyadi had been on trial ...
boat crew for retrial after hung juryThe Australian
'Stalemate' in people smuggling trialThe West Australian

all 9 news articles »

WPRO

RI police: Man arrested after 1980 escape from SC
Boston.com
PROVIDENCE, RI—Rhode Island police have arrested a man they say escaped from a South Carolina prison facility on Christmas Day more than three decades ago. State police said Thursday that authorities are taking 65-year-old Armin Christian back to ...
Fugitive apprehended after escaping prison 31 years agoWPRO

all 28 news articles »

Christmas Walk To Get More City Funds as Council Reshuffles Budget Allocations
Corona del Mar Today
The Newport Beach City Council reworked the budget for special event financial support at its Tuesday meeting, deciding the Newport Beach Film Festival and Christmas Boat Parade were iconic events that deserved the most support and generally deciding ...

and more »