Well, here we are at a critical moment, folks. For those that celebrate Christmas, the ticking of  the countdown clock gets louder and louder with each passing hour. We may see one or two seasonal medical maladies crop up over the next 36 hours.

There are those who suffer from gift anxiety. Symptoms include a sore mind from wracking one’s brain attempting to figure out a last-minute gift, as well as joint pain from gripping a steering wheel tightly while looking for a parking spot.

In addition, there are those unfortunate souls who are plagued by gift guilt. This condition is generally caused by receiving an unexpected gift from a family member or co-worker for whom you had not intended to purchase anything. The condition tends to be aggravated by the proximity to Christmas when the original gift is given. If you get one of these surprise gifts today, gift guilt may seem unbearable.

Allow me, Dr. Dayton (I’m not a doctor but I play one in this lone blog post), to offer up a very pleasant tonic for your gift-related ills. Soundview is still offering our buy one gift subscription, get a second gift subscription FREE for a limited time. Executives are the first ones to understand the need for time-saving methods. Our eight-page summaries are available in eight digital formats and cover the key business books that every leader needs to read.

So give yourself a break by giving not one, but TWO people a great gift this holiday season. Take advantage of this offer while it’s still available.

From everyone at Soundview, I wish you a very happy holiday season!

The cold weather must be getting to us, as we are offering some last minute Christmas Deals.

Samsung B7300 – £195 + VAT

Sony Ericsson Satio – £350 + VAT

Nokia 6303 – £60 + VAT

Nokia 6700 – £130 + VAT

LG Chocolate BL40 – £300 + VAT

BlackBerry Storm 2 (9520) Vodafone locked – £300 + VAT

ALL MODELS ARE IN STOCK FOR IMMEDIATE DISPATCH – IF YOUR IN THE UK YOU CAN HAVE ANY OF THESE BEFORE CHRISTMAS!! 

All prices subject to change and are based on current stock availability.

Megan, author of Daily Essentials and Deals, has a family friendly blog site with (in Megan’s words) a three-fold  purpose:  ”First to help me get my daily dose of the Bible (and be accountable), second to focus on family, and of course to talk about THE COUPON DEALS!”  I subscribed to Megan’s blog several weeks ago and have found her coupon links very helpful.  I also enjoy her posts and pictures.  If interested, you can subscribe to her blog.  Or, just drop in and visit her site once in a while.  I recommend subscribing because, as does mine, her blog has some time-sensitive offers.

Also, as a fun bonus, she sponsors giveaways.  The current giveaway is a bottle of lotion from Skin MD, which the company provided to Megan for the giveaway.  Click here to see the details and then leave a comment for an entry in the giveaway.  The giveaway is open to everyone!  :o)

OK, here we go!  As it gets closer to Christmas, many of the businesses that communicate with me via email are pulling out all the stops and offering bigger and better and MORE discounts!  Michael’s is no exception!   There are FIVE different printable coupons on the linked page.  Enjoy!

Michael’s Coupons

Register for FREE at Snapfish, then access the Snapfish Partner Deals page.  The first coupon is for $1.00 Off a 64-Count Crayola Crayons and a BONUS offer of 48 hours of FREE printing on the new Lights, Camera, Color! web site where you can turn photos into coloring pages.  The Crayola coupon is valid through 12/31/09.   The second coupon is for 60% off  a framing order at Michael’s and is valid through 12/29/09.

Also, you will earn 20 FREE 4×6 prints when you complete your first photo upload at Snapfish!

A.C. Moore currently has 3 coupons listed, including a coupon for 50% off the regular price of one item and 50% off a custom framing order.

A.C. Moore Coupons

The savings are automatic as long as you follow all the “fine print”.  This offer ends December 23, 2009, at 2:59 am (ET).  [The 15% off one item coupon listed in my earlier blog post is NOT valid on electronics.]

Barnes & Noble

$10 Off any Purchase of $50 or More in our Electronics Shop – Online Only

Use the coupon code M8W4D7R at checkout from December 17 to December 20, 2009.  The code expires at 11:59 PM (ET).  See below for the details from the B&N site

Barnes & Noble

“Online Coupon M8W4D7R Details:

For each customer, this coupon can be redeemed once at online at BN.com.

Additional Rules Governing Use of this Coupon: This coupon is (i) not redeemable for cash or cash equivalents (including Gift Cards and online Gift Certificates); (ii) not valid on past purchases; (iii) not eligible for purchases of the following products and services: Barnes & Noble Memberships, Gift Cards, Gift Certificates, gift-wrapping, textbooks, digital content (including but not limited to digital books, magazines, and periodicals), nook(TM)! and related accessories, other hardware and electronics, software, products available for pre-order, products from the Rosetta Stone Series, shipping or handling expenses, or products marked as not eligible for “coupons or promotional discounts;” (iv) not valid on purchases made from third parties accessible from the BN.com website (e.g., used books, PC and video games, etc.); (v) may not be combined with any other coupon; and (vi) may not be combined with the Educator program discount. This coupon is not valid at Barnes & Noble or Barnes & Noble College retail bookstore. Void where prohibited by law.“

Taste of Home is giving away a KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer to one lucky winner!  I already entered!  Click the link below to enter and to help me earn even more chances to win! When you share with others, you earn more chances to win too!  Sharing was super easy too.  They have a list of over 200 easy links for sites such as facebook, twitter, and wordpress.  You can also enter emails manually if you don’t have an Internet social site to link through.

Taste of Home Holiday Giveaway.

I’m not allowed to link this one.  Go to Earth Fare and register for their e-newsletter.  This coupon offer was listed in today’s edition.  The coupon expires 12/22/09 and is valid one time only.

Representatives from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will be at the Bridal Showcase at the Queen Mary in Long Beach on January 10, 2010 from 11 am to 4pm.

This is a great opportunity to meet Melissa and Courtney and get some information on celebrating your special day at one of our locations. We will have special offers and giveaways throughout the day so stop by and check us out!

For more information or to purchase tickets to the showcase please visit http://bridalshowplace.net/shows.html.

For more information on holding an event at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles or the George C. Page Museum at the world-famous La Brea Tar Pits in Hancock Park, please call 213-763-3221 or visit http://www.nhm.org/site/about-our-museums/event-rentals-filming.

THANK YOU TO LIVING BOOKS FOR THE EARS FOR MAKING AVAILABLE THIS FREE DOWNLOAD!

Here is an excerpt from Living Books for the Ears about The Cinnamon Bear series:

“The CINNAMON BEAR is the classic story of Judy and Jimmy Barton who search for the family’s Silver Star which goes on top of their Christmas tree.  They discover the star has disappeared from the attic.  Then they meet The Cinnamon Bear, and fly to Maybeland in his Soda Pop Airplane in pursuit of the Crazy Quilt Dragon, whom they believe took the ornament.  They meet a host of characters, including Crazy Quilt Dragon, The Wintergreen Witch, Fe Fo the Giant, and even Santa Claus.

Each 15 minute adventure in this 26 episode radio series is a cliffhanger.  Several times they recover the star, only to lose it again.  Eventually the star is found for good and they return home just in time for Christmas.

This classic story was written by Glan Heisch, inspired by the stuffed bear of his boyhood, for his daughter, Catherine.  Radio historians differ on the year of the first broadcast.  Some say 1937, others say 1943.  It would seem that it was “heard” several years before it was transcribed for broadcast.  Airplay would start just after Thanksgiving and run until Christmas Eve. But you can listen to these at your own pace all through the holiday season! (Warning: Your kids WILL beg for more, so use ‘em as an incentive reward to get things like schoolwork and chores done around the house! ha ha)

Content Note: In this 26 part series, the characters do encounter a witch and some magical creatures. These are not “Harry Potter” type realistic characters, but old fashioned cartoony 1930’s versions. However, because some parents wish us to let them know if there are elements of magic in a program in any shape or form, we’re letting you know that now.”

CLICKING THE LINK BELOW WILL TAKE YOU TO THE WEB SITE PAGE WHERE ALL 26 EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE.  PLUS, THERE IS A BONUS DOWNLOAD OF A FREE COLORING BOOK TO GO ALONG WITH THE SERIES!

CINNAMON BEAR FREE DOWNLOAD

In case you haven’t heard, tonight, Wednesday December 16, is the big bargain night for Little Green Pig’s hugely entertaining production of Jane Eyre. Buy a ticket for tonight’s show and get a second ticket for free. Full details here.

The final four performances of Jane Eyre are this Wednesday through Saturday at 8:15, at Manbites Dog. Do not miss it.

You can fly to Vienna with 29 euros, all taxes included, starting February 2010.

Check out www.flyniki.com.