The holiday season is the perfect time to indulge in sweet treats! But there is no need to spend hours baking, here are three easy recipes that even the most kitchen-challenged cooks can create:

1. Christmas Cake Mix Cookies:

(via Megan’s Munchies – click pictures for full recipes)

2. Easy Saltine Toffee Bars:

(via allrecipes.com)

3. Easy Preztel Turtles:

(via Our Best Bites)

The Holiday Handbook is back! This week I will be focusing on gift-giving. The most important thing is not how much money you spend, but how thoughtful you are. Here are some tips:

 
1. Listen. This is crucial. In order to know what someone would like to recieve, you have to pick up their cues.  When thinking about the ‘hard-to-buy-for’ person, ask yourself: What do they spend time talking about? Is there something they complain about that could make their life easier?
2. Don’t give junk. If you are really stuck on what to give someone, make sure your gift is something that can be used and appreciated. A snowglobe  is likely to sit gathering dust or be regifted, while handsoap, wine, or cookies will be used up by almost anyone!
3. Gift Cards are OK. Gift cards often get a bad rap, they can seem so impersonal. But if you tailor them to the recipient, they become an experience. A gift card for dinner out, a massage, or a cooking class are better than gift cards to electronic or big-box stores.
4. Make it personal. Everyone loves personalized items with their names or initials, it just adds an extra special touch. Here is just one shop offering personalized touches.

Hope this helps, Happy shopping!

This is the first edition of my weekly Holiday Handbook series, which will give you helpful advice and tips to navigate through the holiday season with style and ease! Look for upcoming volumes of the Holiday Handbook each Friday from now until Christmas (which is not very many Fridays away…where did the year go??)

Today I’m sharing lots of options for what to wear to those upcoming social events.  Whether its the office Christmas party or just egg-nogging it up with friends, you always want to look your best.  Look for dark jewel tone colors, rich fabrics and metallic accents. Here are a few that won’t break the bank!