| The Gift | The Thought |
| HoMedics Body Basics ParaSpa Plus Paraffin Bath | This hot-wax treatment is actually legitimate — and the ultimate grandma gift. It gives you softer skin, soothes joint pain, and makes candles. Okay, maybe it doesn’t make candles. |
| Edge Memory Digital Picture Frame or Walgreens frame in convex silver | Frame that terrible photo of you and your spouse having dinner with the in-laws, and it will become terribly sentimental. |
| CVS One-Time-Use Video Camcorder | Say that you can use the 20 minutes of e-mailable, DVD-recordable video to make a high-tech holiday card together for next year. That’s so sweet! |
| Half a dozen bath products with cool names like Canus Goat’s Milk Moisturizing Body Wash and Yardley Soap with aloe and cucumber. Plus loofahs, callus stones, pedicure blocks, and more. | Remove the packaging from the sponges and stones, and unwrap the soaps. Rewrap each in ribbon (available near the greeting cards). Put everything in a gift bag. Bam. Instant women’s bath-and-body package. Take that, Martha Stewart. |
| Conair Body Benefits TherapyPro Shiatsu Roller Massager | “Honey, it’ll be like a trip to the spa — only I’ll be the masseur, and the smell of the dirty laundry will be aromatherapy.” |
| Tweezerman Deluxe Men’s Grooming Kit, Neutrogena Men Skin Clearing Face Wash, Hugo by Hugo Boss Eau de Toilette Natural Spray, a Sports Illustrated, a Maxim, and a gift bag | These gifts — especially the magazines — will make it clear to your guy that this is a bath package for him. And that his eyebrows need tweezing. |
| Oxo SoftWorks 6-Piece Barware Set | Wrap this up along with a bottle of wine, booze, or beer, and pledge to cohost a party with the recipient. Then steal back your alcohol at the party. |
| Philips Cell Phone Multi Charger | Get online, scout trips, and print out possibilities. Scribble “Let’s go somewhere!” on the pages, and package them with the charger, which can juice a phone from a car outlet, a USB port, or a wall outlet. That’s almost a real gift. |
| Philips Senseo Coffee Pod System | Speaking of legit gifts, this one-cup, no-mess coffeemaker will make a lot of people happy. Just say you bought it at Williams-Sonoma. |
| John Paul Pet Waterless Foam Shampoo for Dogs | Promise to wash the dog for the next few months. Yes, that’s a lot of work, but, hey, you’re the one buying presents at the drugstore. |