Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Friday, November 23, 2007

WILL BLACK FRIDAY SEE RED?


Pre-post-Thanksgiving sales may be responsible for putting merchants' ledgers in the red this year, deflating some enthusiasm for snagging that haute deal or steal this season, weakening shoppers' tolerance for long lines, clogged parking lots, and the 4:00 a.m. crowds.

With shoppers already paying more for gasoline and food and without a must-have item, Black Friday may become more of Post-Turkey-Tryptophan Friday.

Since the early part of November, Wal-Mart Stores, Toy "R" Us, Kolh's, Boscov's, and J.C. Penney have been luring customers in with Black-Friday discounts.

So if the tryptophan and the turkey are weighing you down on Friday, don't worry your pretty, little head. You can always count on deep discounts on Christmas-Eve-Saturday, the second largest day of anticipated sales.

Read More......

Monday, November 19, 2007

CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS GIFTS ARE GOOD FOR YOUR HEART

picture of chocolate candy

We women now know that we have to be more concerned about heart attacks. Every morning for one year I religiously ate my bowl of oatmeal in order to lower my cholesterol. I dropped my cholesterol reading from 210 to 170 Although consuming the gluey grub does seem to work, I wanted something sexier than oatmeal.

In addition to lowering blood pressure and helping to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, chocolate can add lowering cholesterol to its resume. Research at the University of Cologne led by Dr. Dirk Taubert and published in July's JAMA reported that very small amounts (30 calories) of dark chocolate eaten every day can have a significant effect on lowering cholesterol.

Just one small square of a normal size chocolate bar is significant. You should look for chocolate that has at least 70 percent cocoa and does not list sugar as the first ingredient. So savoring that tiny sliver of delicious, dark chocolate placed beside your afternoon cup of tea is a guiltless extravagance.

Chocolate is a very complex food source. In fact, scientists are only now beginning to unlock its secrets. The euphoric effects are released into the nervous system by Phenylethylamine and Serotonin. This phenomenon has been scientifically observed, so it's reasonable to assume that it's probably these effects which gave rise to chocolate's reputation as an aphrodisiac. Both these substances can also be mildly addictive, explaining why chocoholics are chocoholics.

Although the famous lover, Casanova, is said to have consumed chocolate for its aphrodisiac qualities before canoodling and frolicking with his conquests, recent research suggests that women are more susceptible to the effects of Phenylethylamine and Serotonin than men. Casanova obviously didn't know this, as there's no mention of "the world's greatest lover" giving chocolate gifts or sharing it with his conquests.
Casanova or not, it never hurts for women to purchase Chocolate Prozac for themselves or as a gift.

Fab sites to purchase chocolate:
seventypercent.com has a Chocopaedia filled with dark chocolate bars.
La Maison du Chocolat is considered the Tiffany of chocolate.
Donnelly Fine Chocolates caters to the finicky customer.
Scharffenberger will attract dark chocolate fanatics. If you can't consume enough chocolate, try their Cacao chocolate perfume.
Echocolates has inventively shaped chocolate gifts.

Read More......