Gift guide strives to simplify holidays

The truth is, I love the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping. I do make a list, but it usually changes because everywhere I go, I find yet another gift that would be just perfect for someone on my list.

Finding gifts isn’t my problem – deciding which ones to buy is.

But for those of you who just don’t know what to get for those you love, fear not.

You’re holding in your hands the 2004 Executive Gifts & Giving issue. It’s chock-full of ideas.

Whether the people on your list like to eat, drink or play with the newest gadgets available, we’ve got your bases covered.

We’ve had a lot of fun planning this issue, tossing ideas around for the direction it should take.

Because the holidays are often the busiest time of year for charities, we determined that charitable giving should be included. It turns out, many local nonprofits are happy to take donations in the names of others, and many of them send a card to the individual to let them know that a donation has been made in their name.

For shoppers who want to help a good cause but prefer to have a gift under the tree, local organizations won’t disappoint. Music, accessories, toys and trinkets are available in several local venues – and organizations including Dickerson Park Zoo, the Springfield-Greene County Library District and Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks will put the profits to good use.

If jewelry is likely to put a sparkle in the eyes of someone on your gift list, have we got a story for you. Local jewelers say that color – and particularly pink – is in. But diamonds continue to be a gift giver’s best friend.

For the bosses and supervisors out there who want to give gifts to employees but aren’t sure what those gifts should be – or how they should be presented – rest easy. Sinara Stull O’Donnell has plenty of tips – and some real-life examples – of how employees should, and should not, be recognized with holiday gifts and at company events.

When it comes to planning such events, Editorial Researcher Joyce Embree has just the thing to help. Our Springfield Area Corporate Event Planners list debuts in this issue – an at-your-fingers guide for who to call when putting together a holiday gathering. It’s the list that almost wasn’t, in that she had a heck of a time tracking down these planners, but track them she did. See for yourself.

Just in case there’s a reader still resisting the holiday mood, we’ve put together a listing of holiday events. There are plenty of music, drama and benefit events that might be helpful in making your inner Scrooge smile.

Happy holidays – and happy shopping!