I’m curious what your New Year’s resolutions are for the home. Are you going to try a new paint color, finally create a bedroom you love, or carve out some extra storage space to help you stay organized? I’d love to hear what you’re going to tackle this coming year. What’s on my list? I’m determined to enjoy my kitchen more.

See you next year!

Rachel

Now that Christmas is behind us, I’m sure you’re looking ahead to the New Year. Have you made your resolutions yet? On my surprisingly smooth, delay-free flight home from a wonderful holiday, I wrote out my game plans for the up-coming year. I’ve already jotted down, crossed off, and referred back to some important to-dos in the crisp set of Moleskine notebooks I just stocked up on – and December isn’t even over. If you’re hoping to get a little more together in ’08, I recommend making lists in these slim notebooks. Their design is all about simplicity and efficiency, which are some things I’m hoping to have a little more of in my life this year.

Rachel

Tonight I need to pack for my holiday travels – but first, I’ve got to do laundry so I have something to put in the suitcases. I’m going to try out these Laundry Dropps, packs of super-concentrated, biodegradable liquid detergent. I apparently just toss one into the washing machine and my clothes come out nice 'n' clean. The packs are mess-free (no dips or sticky hands) and it doesn’t hurt that the packaging cuts down on pastic waste. Find them at Target and Whole Foods and keep them in mind for when you’re washing mountains of towels and linens from holiday entertaining.

Have a wonderful Christmas – I’ll see you back here on Wednesday!

Rachel

With just some tea lights, a bag of green and red apples and a candle carver or simple pairing knife, and you can create unique candles for your holiday table. How’s that for last-minute decorating? I wonder if you could do this with pomegranates…

Enjoy.

Rachel

It’s a week before Christmas, but if you’re calculating how much time is left to send holiday cards, remember this: today's gone and Sunday and Christmas Eve are out. There are only three days left to get cards signed, sealed and sent. Good luck.

If you’re a realist, you know it’s time to send out e-greetings, perhaps from Hallmark and Blue Mountain, which are tried and true favorites. If you’re looking to send – er, click – something a little more artistic, try the Museum of Modern Art’s collection of e-greetings which are beautiful enough to make recipients forget about your procrastination.

Rachel

If you’re still struggling with outdoor Christmas lights, wreaths and other decorations this last week before the holiday, you probably wish you had these nifty gloves to protect your nimble fingers from the cold. Their special design helps keep hands warm, but unlike the typical heavy outdoor work gloves, you can actually gripe with precision. One more thing to make holiday tasks a little easier.

Rachel

Here’s an afforable tech gadget that might help you cross off the last few names of your Christmas list. This credit card-sized digital photo album makes downloading and sharing holiday pictures so easy, even your grandmother can handle it. Pick up one for her - you know she'll love showing it off to everyone, along with pictures of her favorite granddaughter.

Rachel

I’m having my holiday party this weekend which means I’m looking for short cuts that make the clean-up easy. I don’t want to be stuck with the dishes, but I hate the idea of cheap-looking disposable utensils. I had a real “ah-ha!” moment when I came across these beautiful plastic cutlery. The price tag doesn’t make them disposable in my book, but this cheaper version looks nice and can be tossed without guilt.

Have a great weekend!

Rachel

What do dark chocolate and holiday decorating have in common? They can both be harmful to your pets. Dark chocolate is actually 10-times more poisonous to pets then milk chocolate, so as veterinarian David Bessler points out, while you’re keeping curious pets away from glass ornaments, tree light cords and tinsel, be sure to place holiday desserts out of reach as well.

Rachel

I love the holidays. There's something about them that makes me happy, even when I'm cut off in traffic or standing in really long lines at the mall. It's also the one time of year that I try to slow down long enough to appreciate how lucky I am and remember that there are many people who are not so fortunate. If, like me, you'd like to help them, consider giving one of these gifts that give back. Fair Winds Trading and the Pekerti Foundation are offering a collection of handmade Christmas ornaments, available exclusively at Macys, make by artisans in Bali and Indonesia. Many of these artisans are still trying to recover from the effect of the Tsunami in 2004. Prices range from $20 to $34.

For more suggestions on how you can give back to your community, watch our video.

Michele

If you’re making your holiday travels by car this year, don’t forget to pack all the necessities that mean the difference between a fun adventure and an excruciating journey. Along with good company, music and snacks, bring these lightweight towels that are super absorbent and come in small, packable pods. Coffee spills, foggy windows, and rest stop bathrooms without paper towels, won’t faze you one bit.

Rachel

My closet is seriously a mess. Yes, it’s pretty small, but there is a lot of room for improvement despite the space issues.

The first step I am taking to de-clutter the closet is a major clean-out of the old clothes and shoes I never wear that are still hanging around. This weekend, I plan to donate the “no” pile to my local thrift shop. I found these super-slim, strong and lightweight hangers for the clothes I am keeping. The hangers prevent even the most slippery blouses from falling to the bottom of the closet and driving me crazy.

I’m guessing that switching from the “We Love Our Customers” hangers I get from the dry cleaners will be a marked improvement. Hopefully by Monday I’ll have created enough space to hang my new holiday party dresses properly.

Have a great weekend!
Rachel

I haven’t gotten my Christmas tree yet because I can’t decide if I want a live or artificial one.

A real tree definitely has some major pros – like the fresh pine fragrance that fills the house – but the issue of cleaning up the needles as they dry and drop, makes me lean towards the kind of tree that comes in a box and requires no watering.

I'm more likely to consider a real tree if I use the Ever-Green tree watering system – basically a reservoir disguised as a present, that sits under the tree and automatically refills the stand as needed. This way I can go out of town without worrying about coming home to a needle-less tree, and don’t have to climb under branches or battle sap to manually water it.

But, I’ve seem some really pretty artificial trees - like these here. With the help of a pine-scented candle, I think they would be absolutely fantastic.

Which kind of a tree are you putting up this year?

Rachel

Let’s take a break from tree trimming and wrapping gifts to check in on Art Basel Miami Beach, arguably the most important art fair in the States. Starting tomorrow, the who’s who of the design world will gather in Miami for a week of exhibits and special events - catch some of the highlights here.

Now, you may not be an international art collector, but the quirky new designs of everyday objects presented at Design Miami, just one of the events this week, are sure to get you thinking about style, shape, function and your own decorating.

Rachel

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, and if you’re celebrating, you probably already have a full schedule of holiday parties to attend and host. Looking for a new spin on traditional games? Check out No Limit Texas Dreidel which combines poker and dreidel and will have your friends and family checking, betting, raising, folding and bluffing for eight fun-filled evenings.

Happy Hanukkah!

Rachel

Sunday marked the first day of December, which means the countdown to Christmas has officially begun. There’s no better way to anticipate Santa’s arrival than with an advent calendar. I’m sure you remember, as a child, opening a new window each morning to discover an adorable illustration (or even better, a yummy piece of chocolate) as the days got closer to Christmas. As you’ve grown up, so have advent calendar designs – like this modern, monochrome calendar that I love.

Are you counting down with a calendar this month?

Rachel