If it’s not on your calendar, put it there now; Sunday, May 11 is Mother’s Day. It doesn’t get the same coverage as the more popular gift giving holiday’s like Christmas and Valentine’s Day, but when it comes to finding the right gift you want to make sure you get Mother’s Day right. To help 3LUXE users with their quest to find the perfect gift, we launched the 3LUXE 2008 Mother’s Day Gift Guide.

After all your mom has done for you over the years, you don’t want to wait until the last minute and miss out on the opportunity to say thank-you. And although the National Retail Federation believes consumers will scale back on the amount they spend compared to last year, we’ll still spend an estimated $138.63 – a little more than the standard card and flowers of yesteryear.

Recognizing there’s not a “one size fits all” gift for Moms, we’ve broken out our gift guide into four segments. In addition to the Traditional Gift Guide, we’ve added gifts perfect for “Techie” and “Foodie” moms. Finally we’ve created a Romantic Mother’s Day Guide. The last one isn’t for “your” mom, but for the mother of your children. Several years ago (it might have been Katie’s first Mother’s Day) I screwed this one up, I’m not not going to let that happen again. Hopefully there is a new Dad out there who will see the Romantic Guide, awake from their stupor, avoid my mistake, and get a great gift for their wife.

Whatever you decide to do for “Mom” this year, be sure to include a heartfelt “Thank-you”. Nobody is more deserving.

All the best,
Bill

With Valentine’s Day less than a week away and the weekend upon us, the malls and specialty shops are going to be swamped with frantic customers all looking for the perfect gift and collectively spending over $17 Billion. With the average consumer spending over $125, and many of us spending more than that, it’s more important than ever to find the right gift. We here at 3LUXE think we have some great gift ideas. In continuing our focus to help consumers navigate tough purchasing decisions, we’ve introduced our Valentine’s Day Gift Guide.

According to the National Retail Federation, traditional gifts still top the lists for most romantics: 48% are planning on buying candy, 36% are thinking flowers, and 17% of recipients will be opening the precious gifts of jewelry. You’ll find some incredible examples of these items in our guide along with romantic favorites like lingerie and lotions. But our Valentine’s gift guide goes beyond the traditional and expands into helping plan romantic experiences. We’ve added the categories Romantic Valentine’s Evening At Home and Romantic Valentine’s Getaways with the understanding that there is more to Valentine’s Day than a box of chocolates.

With whatever you decide is right for your valentine, remember there is still time to avoid the crowds and buy your gifts, whether that be decadent chocolates or diamonds, online.

All the best,
Bill

This past weekend I found BusinessWeek’s Luxury Gift Guide posted to the web. Since BusinessWeek has more than seventy-five years of experience in publishing, I was surprised and happy to see the similarities in our gift guides – I guess it reinforces we’re getting it right. The first, and fastest, item to catch my eye was a Porsche, Business week featured the 911 Carrera (a fantastic car featured in Sports Cars). We also included a Porsche at 3LUXE, but with Christmas falling in the middle of winter, we went with a Porsche that’s comfortable in any condition, Porsche Cayenne.

BusinessWeek covered the entertainment category with a gift that’s sure to be on the wish list of anyone looking to upgrade their home theater, the Pioneer PRO-150FD Plasma TV, which is very similar to 3LUXE’s “Best OF” Pioneer PRO-1540HD. For those that don’t think a 60in screen will suffice, 3LUXE featured a profesional quality projection TV, Runco’s Signature Cinema SC-1. Continuing in this year’s hot electronic gift category, both gift guides feature the iPhone and the Wii, two presents which will be enjoyed by “kids” of all ages this Christmas.

The one gift that BusinessWeek featured that is on my personal list, but didn’t make the 3LUXE guide…. Scotch, more specifically, The Macallan 25-Year-Old Fine Oak single malt whiskey. Scotch isn’t for everyone – but when you’re savoring a memorable moment in life (ex. finishing your Christmas shopping) there is no better drink than scotch, and no better Scotch than Macallan.

Finally, like us, Business Week included a luxury spa on their list, the Golden Door, we went with another “Best Of”, the Canyon Ranch. We agree with BusinessWeek that a Spa Resort is just the right gift for that special women on your Christmas list. I personally can’t think of a better way to unwind after the holiday’s than a getaway to a luxurious spa.

All the best,
Bill

The holiday season is one of the busiest times of year. We’re in constant motion with a flurry of activities; Attending holiday parties, school concerts, Christmas pageants, baking cookies, decorating the Christmas tree and trying to find just the right gift for family and friends. Unfortunately, busy often equates to stress and there just isn’t enough time to get everything done.

In our continued effort to simplify online research and save you time we’ve developed a Holiday Gift Guide. The guide is segmented into different budgets for men and women. For boys and girls we divided the gift guide into age groups. Last but not least there are the gifts for infants, featuring today’s “Best Of The Day” the Kallisto Organic Stuffed Lamb, a perfect gift for any baby on your list.

Like all of the categories on 3LUXE, each segment of the gift guide features the three best options in that group. You’ll find some products (like the iPhone) which you’re sure to see on other lists this year, but we’re confident that other gifts (like the Drop Necklace) will only be on ours. Our team has worked hard to identify products that are safe for children and are sure to bring a smile to everyone on your list.

Enjoy our gift guide and know that by visiting 3LUXE you’ll have more of the one thing you can’t buy this holiday season, time.

Best regards,
Bill

Times Square on New Years Eve, Mardi Gras in New Orleans and St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago are arguably “Best Of” celebrations here in the US. But when it comes to history, tradition and size, there are few celebrations in the world that compare to Oktoberfest.

What started 197 years ago, in 1810 as a celebration to commemorate the wedding of King Ludwig I to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, has grown into a two week world-renowned celebration that will draw more than 6 million visitors this year. The Mayor of Munich tapped the first keg at noon today and promptly poured the first, of over 6 million mugs or krugs, of beer.

If you’re not fortunate enough to be seated at one of the more than 100,000 beer tent seats in Munich, you can most likely enjoy festivities close to home. The festival has been replicated in cities, restaurants and bars around the world. I’ll be checking out St. Paul’s celebration in a few of weeks.

If you enjoy beer at home, check your local store’s selection of Oktoberfest Brews available to enjoy in a Best Of krug in the comforts of your own home.

Prost!
Bill