THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 11, 1994 TAG: 9412090108
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: A.M. JAMISON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 151 lines
IS IT CHRISTMAS already?
We shouldn't be surprised.
This cherished holiday comes once every year - on the same date even - but for some of us, it comes too soon. Halloween and Thanksgiving Day are barely a blur before we're pummeled with a barrage of advertisements to BUY! BUY! BUY! that perfect Christmas present for our loved ones, best friends or co-workers.
Before you panic over the fact that there are only 13 shopping days left, first do this: Inhale . . . then exhale.
Now get organized.
``It's always good to have a list of people'' for which to buy gifts, advises Debbie Friedman, business manager and co-owner of The 18th Century Merchant in Chesapeake. ``Then divide the list into groups - such as family, co-workers, kids - and pick out presents in groups, according to price range or gift items.''
Then use a little imagination.
``The most considerate gift-giver gets into the mind-set of the receiver,'' says Stephen Swan, owner of the 19th Street Gallery in Virginia Beach and Artifax on Colley Avenue in Norfolk.
When customers are hunting for a gift, he asks them a series of questions: What kind of person is he or she? Spunky? Conservative? Does she collect? What do you see him with? ``The biggest mistake is using gifts to `solve' a problem or reflect the personality of the giver,'' he says.
Don't fret over buying the perfect gift, says Tricia Supinski, owner of The 18th Century Merchant.
``People should look for something that will make them (the receivers) happy, or be useful.''
If it's done right, everyone will be happy in the end, says John Traweek, floor manager at Willis Wayside Furniture Co. in Virginia Beach.
``There's a romance in giving gifts, when the receiver and the giver get something out of it.''
Armed with this advice, here are a few suggestions to consider on your Christmas gift hunt:
Artifax
Stumped on what to purchase for someone who is hard to buy for or who has everything?
This gallery sells clocks, pottery, jewelry, glass, metal and fiber art, crafted by artists from across the country.
Here's something you won't see in every wine cellar: a wine butler ($36). Made from exotic hardwoods, this surf board-shaped gizmo serves two purposes. When positioned at a 45-degree angle, the butler holds a bottle of wine, seemingly in midair. When laid flat on a table, the butler has a coaster on which to set the wine bottle upright.
Other gift ideas: pen/pencil in an exotic hardwood case (from $58); spirit balls/Christmas ornaments ($22); paperweight ($42) with lighted stand ($32); perfume bottles, ($35 to $200); candle holder with claw base ($84); clocks, made from glass, wood, paper ($35 to $150); mobiles (from $76 to $349); and puzzle boxes made of exotic hardwoods, ($37).
The 18th Century Merchant
A popular trend this season is giving an assortment of gifts. That way, says Friedman, ``there's bound to be something they like.''
If you're considering a gift for someone who entertains in her home regularly, Friedman offered this idea: A Williamsburg wooden apple cone (7 inches, $21.95/10 inches, $24.95) plus books on Colonial-style entertaining, such as ``Christmas Decorations from Williamsburg'' (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, $19.95) and ``Entertaining Ideas from Williamsburg,'' (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, $19.95). The books include directions on creating an apple cone table centerpiece.
The shop on Forest Haven Lane is a Williamsburg gift and accessory shop.
Other gift ideas: dinnerware, flatware, place mats, napkin rings, cookbooks, kitchenware and gadgets. Prices vary.
Willis Wayside
You can leave the bedroom or living room furniture to Santa, but you can help out the big guy with the accessories. How about an ottoman ($198 to $799)? Not only does it accent the other furniture in a room, an ottoman can serve as a coffee table or ``an armless, sideless, backless chair.''
Brush up on geography with a globe ($168). Set in a circular wooden base, Traweek says the globe can be a reminder to a Navy spouse or child of where the sailor's ship is touring and how close it is to home.
Other accessories include: Colonial-style candlesticks ($128); brass sphere ($179); fireplace fan ($137); wine rack table ($395); valet stand ($79); and grandfather clocks ($1,445 to $3,500).
Red Barn Country
``Seasonal items are nice to give, because people don't tend to buy those kinds of gifts for themselves,'' says co-owner Susan Mansfield.
Walk into this converted barn, and you'll find wooden, hand-carved Santas, Christmas trees, wreaths, floating candles that resemble poinsettias, collectibles for Dickens and Santa's villages, as well as ornaments, stuffed bears and antiques adorned with holiday splendor.
The ornaments and carved Santas are good gifts for co-workers, secret pals or schoolteachers, she says.
With the scent of spice potpourri, shoppers will be sure to rush home to bake gingerbread men.
Other gift ideas: folk art Santa ($44) and other wooden Santas ($7.50); place mats ($4); enamelware ($14 per four-piece set); and ornaments (under $5).
Builders Square
This is a busy time of year for the mega-hardware store, says John Mercer, manager of the Chesapeake location. Besides lights, trees and outdoor accessories to make the home look festive, customers are grabbing power set kits, tool boxes and portable work benches left and right, he says.
``Men will tell their wives and girlfriends what kind of tools, drills, power saws they need.''
Other gift ideas: cordless screwdriver, $20 to $30; power saws and drills (corded and cordless), $50 to $200; gun safes for rifles, $99 to $199; tool boxes, $10 to $100, depending on type and size. ILLUSTRATION: BETH BERGMAN, JIM WALKER/Staff color photos
FOR THE TREE
At $4.95, this Christmas ornament is an inexpensive but unusual gift
idea. At Red Barn Country in Suffolk.
ENAMELWARE
Equally suitable at the dinner table or on a camping trip. At Red
Barn Country, $14 a setting.
FOR WINE LOVERS
This ``Wood of a Kind'' wine butler, but Artifax in Norfolk, is a
unique and handsome gift for wine connoisseurs. It costs $36.
HAND-CARVED SANTA
Also from Red Barn Country in Suffolk, this makes an ideal present
for collectors of folk art. It cost $44.
WOODEN SNOWMEN
This $26 set is a cute stocking stuffer - or perhaps a gift for your
child's teacher. Available at Red Barn Country.
IRIDESCENT GLASS VASE
Handblown by New York artist Tom Stoenner. At Artifax in Norfolk,
$159.
GLOBE & STAND
An attractive way to brush up on geography. From Willis Wayside in
Virginia Beach, $168.
BETH BERGMAN/Staff photo
Hang your hat or keys on this Golden Hammer Forge chili rack, which
costs $59 at Artifax.
by CNB