The Best Christmas Gifts Ever

If you have a Grey’s Anatomy fan on your Christmas list this year, what could be better than Grey’s Anatomy: The complete fifth season dvd. Ellen Pompeo stars as Merideth Grey in this series about steamy doctors and their patients.

Season 5 is a pivotal one for the riveting Grey’s Anatomy. The doctors on staff at Seattle Grace Hospital bloom and show new layers, the drama meets and exceeds that of previous seasons, and the show marks an important milestone–its 100th episode–with developments that, as with all the great Grey’s episodes, brim with belly laughs and moving tears.

The season gets off to a slow start, with perhaps a bit more relationship angst than even diehard fans would prefer. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek “McDreamy” (Patrick Dempsey) start out with the familiar push-pull of their love affair–but a resolution, at last, is in their future. Callie (the excellent, and newly glamorous, Sara Ramirez) wrestles with her sexual orientation. Cristina (Sandra Oh, never better) is still picking up the pieces from her ruined engagement to the departed Burke (Isaiah Washington). To help her, or maybe to throw her for another loop, the series introduces the gruff, macho military doc, Owen (one of TV’s sexiest hunks, Kevin McKidd).

Yet series creator and still active writer Shonda Rhimes unveils story arcs about midway through the season which have the surgeons’ operating room dramas intersecting with the characters’ private lives–with waves of heartbreaking results. Fans may take issue with “Dead Denny” (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his endless visitations–complete with sex–with Izzie (Katherine Heigl)–but as the season builds, Izzie’s mystery illness, and her deep love for Alex (Justin Chambers) are treated with delicacy and respect, and Denny’s character both reacts and ultimately supports. There’s a wedding–a fairy-tale one–celebrating the show’s 100th episode, and the love of the characters, and the pain they’ve overcome to get there–are equal parts of the very human, very lovely, result. The season finale is among the show’s best ever, with the fate of two beloved characters, George (T.R. Knight) and Izzie, left unknown and laden with sorrow.

The set’s extras are a treat, including a rich 20-minute feature on the filming of the 100th episode. Oh exclaims of the gorgeous wedding cinematography, “I hope I’m lit like this for the rest of my life!” Fans will love hearing how scenes are edited, how characters are developed, and other juicy tidbits from Rhimes and her very talented crew. –A.T. Hurley

Here’s some Grey’s Anatomy the complete fifth season dvd reviews:

All the couple relationships that evolve in this season are so well developed…The season finale…no words to describe it! I ended with my heart in my mouth…I actually can’t wait to watch the first episode of Season 6 to see what happens..I constantly find myself thinking about the Season 5 finale…and I say: “oh I have to connect next Friday to the internet to see what happens”..and then I’m dissapointed when I remember that I have to wait ’til September!

After Friends…Grey’s Anatomy is the only TV show that has me hooked!
And Season 5 ended as the best Season EVER!

*****  *****  *****

An amazing price!! The extras are so good. I will admit I have seen every episode, and I really only bought the DVD set for the extras. The bloopers are pretty hilarious, I watch them at least once a week.
A must buy for any true Grey’s fan!

*****  *****  *****

I’ve been a major fan of Grey’s from the beginning. I appreciate that they do what they do without showing so much blood and gore. It’s about the people, the characters and how they are living their lives as well as making their living through surgery. This fifth season has been the most dramatic of them all so far, with engrossing story lines and believable bahavior on the part of the characters. My only comlaint is that I now have to wait a whole year before I can have season six in DVD!

If you are looking for a great Christmas gift for the wine lover in your life the Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator is a great idea.  The idea around the Vinturi Essential wine aerator is that while wine breathes it releases aromas and flavors. This process of letting wine breathe can take quite a bit of time. With the wine aerator you can make this process simple and quick.

You simply hold the aerator over a glass and pour the wine through it. It automatically distributes just the right amount of air throughout  the wine.  When the wine is aerated it will have a better bouquet, a richer flavor and a smoother finish. All of this simply means a much more enjoyable glass of wine.

If you have someone who loves wine, and loves good wine, this is a great gift idea. It is something original as well as something practical and useful. A wine lover will use this gift often. It definitely won’t be one of those gifts that gets shoved to the back of the cabinet.

If you buy from Amazon you can get the Vinturi Essential wine aerator  free shipping.

Here’s some Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator Reviews:

I bought one of these on a whim when the product launched just before Christmas, 2006. It seemed like a perfect – if unnecessary – stocking stuffer for my wife, since we’re both wine enthusiasts. I never really felt these “gimmick” aerators did much that a solid 1/2 hour decanting couldn’t do. Boy was I wrong.

The device itself is attractive, compact and solidly built. It appears to be a simple oblong plexiglass “funnel” with a rubber grip. There are two small channels in the center of the funnel, which look like “cracks” in the plastic (I’ve read product info that assures worried buyers these cracks are proper and unavoidable). Wine is poured through the top of the funnel, and immediately a suction sound is heard as the pouring draws air into the wine before it escapes out the bottom of the funnel. The aerator is easily held, and I’ve never had a problem with spills.

Now on to the “effect” of the Vinturi. I’ve been using the Vinturi for 5 months now, on a variety of wines … from a bottle of “Two Buck Chuck”, to a nice ‘98 Vietti Barolo, to a bottle of 97′ Phelps Insignia. In every circumstance, with every wine, I’ve noticed a significant improvement in the quality of the wine when poured through the Vinturi, as opposed to tasted directly from bottle. The flavours are more blended, the finish is less acidic, and frankly, it has made most of the wines I drink a more pleasurable experience, from sniff to swallow. I’ve conducted several “blind” tastings with friends, and we all agree – this thing works.

If you’re a serious wine drinker – or shopping for a wine drinker in your life – give this product a try. At $40, it’s about the price of a decent California Cabernet, and will yield results for decades to come. I plan on picking up a few dozen this Christmas and giving them out as gifts to business clients.

I am always skeptical of “hobby toys”. These sorts of things generally sound nice as a gift. However, in reality, they either don’t do anything in reality or are useless to the person with the hobby.

This product really does what it says. It puts a lot of air into a glass of wine as you pour it. It does seem to instantly decant the glass of wine for you. It is easy to use, and almost as important, easy to clean. The rubber “holder” is invaluable, as the Vinturi will have some wine drips that you don’t want spilled on your floor somewhere.

Many wines improve with decanting. After 1 month, we have continued to use the Vinturi and prefer using it to both our decanter or going with no decanting. I recommend this product to others.

First of all I don’t usually write reviews, but a great friend (who doesn’t even drink wine) gave us one of these last night. Every person who drinks wine should own one of these (or at least share one with somebody). It is the best gadget ever.

I’m skeptical about a lot of things, but having studied fluid dynamics the principles that drive this make so much sense. We compared glass after glass, and even those in our group who don’t drink as much wine could tell instantly that this thing was gold. Instantly open flavors, bouquet, and even color.

It comes with a cool little stand, a carrying bag, it looks nice, is easy to clean, and you really need to stop reading this and just get one (or a few, everyone’s getting these for Christmas).

Click here for even more Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator reviews

Magazines are a great Christmas gift for 2009. I love to get magazines for Christmas ~ it’s like a gift that keeps on giving all year long. I would much rather have a magazine about something that really interests me than a gift that I don’t really like, but feel obligated to keep around. So think about it ~ magazines for Christmas.

If you buy your magazine subscriptions at Amazon.com you’re going to get a great price, and

So what magazines does Amazon have? You name it they’ve got it!

This is the newest in the Flip series. The Flip MinoHD Camcorder 2nd Generation, 120 Minutes (Brushed Metal) NEWEST MODEL is super easy to use, super small and perfect to carry with you no matter where you’re going. The thing about a video camera is this: if you don’t have it with you, you can’t use it. The flip video camera you’re sure to have with you because it’s so simple and easy.  In fact, this version of the MinoHD is small enough to fit right in your jeans pocket!

Here’s a quick overview of what you can expect with the MinoHD

MinoHD Overview

• All-new MinoHD is the world’s sleekest HD camcorder
• Slim, sleek design fits in any pocket or purse–perfect for shooting video on the go
• Captures 120 minutes of stunning HD video on 8 GB of built-in memory; no additional memory needed
• Simple user interface–power on and press record to start capturing HD video in moments
• Convenient flip-out USB arm plugs directly into your PC or Mac to launch pre-loaded FlipShare software
• FlipShare software makes it easy to email videos, edit individual clips, make custom movies, capture still-image snapshots, and upload video to MySpace, YouTube and other sharing sites
• Large, 2-inch anti-glare color display to play back and delete videos
• Internal Lithium-ion battery recharges through built-in USB; also recharges when connected to Flip Video Power Adapter (not included)
• HDMI output (mini-HDMI connector) makes it easy to watch your videos on your HDTV
• All-new design features a unique brushed-metal front and soft, rounded edges
• Features a flat-back panel with touch-sensitive, backlit buttons
• Video: 16:9 widescreen, HD 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 frames per seconds (fps) progressive scan; recorded as MP4 files

Everyone has them, those people that no matter how hard you try, you just can’t think of the perfect gift. They are known as the HARD to BUY FOR! The hard to buy for people really get the short end of the stick, because it’s so hard to think of something great for them, they end up getting really generic, easy to forget gifts.

Here’s a couple great ideas for your hard to buy fors.

1. Boos Cutting Board

This quality cutting board is a great idea for a mother in law, someone who loves to cook or even someone who just won’t spend good money on themselves. It will last a lifetime, and you can tell them it’s the same cutting board they use in the White House!

2. Seth Thomas Mantel Clock

If one of your hard to buy fors has an empty mantel, the perfect gift might be a mantel clock. Seth Thomas is well known for making quality clocks. You can find them to match just about any decor, but he does specialize in antique and antique looking clocks. I suppose if they don’t have a mantel this clock would still look nice on a side table.

There are two more ideas to keep you making your list and checking it twice!