The holidays aren’t supposed to be about presents. They are about family, friends, charity and appreciating everything that we have.

Yeah, yeah.

We get that, but we still l-o-v-e the gifts! We love giving em and getting em (and then going to the store and getting all the deals on the gifts those other people returned).

This year CollegeCandy got new iPod speakers (woohoo!), a giftcard to Ikea (yayyy), and a 30 rack of Miller Light (yeah, our brothers aren’t too creative). Oh, and someone got us a Spin Spa… are they trying to tell us something? I mean, we shower daily almost daily. And we use a vanilla soap! Do we smell? Is it that obvious? Couldn’t someone have just told us!?

Anyways, moving on. We want to know what you got this year. Better yet, tell us: what is the best gift you have ever gotten? What about the worst?

Sure, times are tough right now. Money is tight. But that is still no excuse for the 20% increase in shoplifting this holiday season. What is wrong with people? Have they learned nothing from all those episodes of family shows where the kids went to steal something, got caught, almost got arrested and then learned the important lesson that stealing is bad?

No? Didn’t watch TGIF? Well, then CollegeCandy is going to teach you a lesson about why shoplifting – especially for the holidays – is bad:

1. No Gift Receipt: How embarassing is it for the person who gets that stolen gift and tries to return it without a gift receipt? Best case scenario: they get a really crappy deal (like store credit on the new clearance amount). Worst case: someone at the store figures out that the gift was purchased with the five finger discount and arrest that poor recipient.

2. Embarassing for You: Imagine getting caught. In your neighborhood Target. Stealing Christmas cards. While all your parents’ friends and neighbors (and your old teachers) stand around watching it go down.

3. So Wrong!: Besides being illegal, it’s Christmas season! This is the season of giving, not taking without paying. What would Santa think?

4. It’s not what the holidays are about: If you can’t afford to get your brother Mario Kart for the Wii, grabbing it and running out of Best Buy with 12 members of Geek Squad chasing you is not the answer. Make him something, get him something cheaper, or just remind him that it is far better to give than to receive. He’ll understand (maybe).

5. It’s a lot of work: The planning, the baggy and unflattering clothes, the running away from the Popo…is it really worth it?

Sexiest man aliv, Mr. Hugh Jackman hosts this year’s Oscar’s.

S&M Barbie…definitely not for kids.

Perfect gift for that friend that tweezes way too much!

DIY gifts for the wonderful men in your life!

Amazing new skincare from Asia!

Selena Gomez looks absolutely adorable in this outfit, and so can you!

Smart guys have better sperm, ladies!

Zac and Vanessa lookin to have some freaky sex!

Pam’s ass like you’ve never seen it before..and probably don’t want to.

Hottest bikini bods of ‘08…I need to go to the gym.

Michigan professor pays (law) student for sex. And he likes it naughty…

So the economy blows. Which is pretty perfect timing considering that one time of the year we’re expected to come to our loved ones bearing gifts is approaching. Great. So now we’re all expected to somehow make less money and still spend the same amount of money on Xmas gifts that we spent last year. How the eff do we make this work?

DIY crafts, kids.

If you need some inspiration, I highly suggest scoping out Etsy.com, but, regardless of Etsy, there are nifty gifts you can make yourself for friends and family. You can do it cheaply. You can do it easily. And lets face it, a handmade gift is always more appreciated than that bottle of body spray everyone knows you just got for free because you spent more than $50 at Bath & Body.

Heat it into a bracelet.

From vinyl records to spoons, heating every day objects to a point of flexibility for the purposes of making a bracelet is easy and always makes for a nice gift.

Heat your oven to 200 degrees for the vinyl record bracelet. Set the whole record on a cookie sheet and keep it in the oven until the record begins to bubble. Remove it from the oven and cut the record into strips while still hot. Place the strips back into the oven for a few minutes and then remove. When you remove the strips, wrap them around something that symbolizes your wrist, but is not your wrist. Think jars, paper towel tubes, anything other than your own flesh. Read More »

Gossip Girl keeps us on our toes…and we love it!

Ever wonder what Santa Clause’s inbox looks like?

The cutest thing about this Christmas card is the dog…yikes!

Imagine smelling a fragrance via your compooper!!

Adorable ideas for winter dates with your hottie…

Gifts that keep on givin’!

This woman sets back feminism about..forever, but I feel bad.

Tina Fey lookin’ mighty fine (and patriotic) on the cover of Vanity Fair…

Hugh Jackman at gay clubs?! WHAT?!

Just because we like seeing people fall…

Miranda Kerr..we hate her cuz she’s beautiful AND dating Orlando Bloom!

Donatella Versace is always entertaining…cuz she looks like a man.

They say it is better to give than to receive, but what about giving in order to receive? Yeah, yeah; that goes against the spirit of the holidays, but as long as you are giving there is nothing wrong with gettin’ a little something in return, is there?

Like this game, which, unlike Guitar Hero, teaches boys an actually useful skill: pleasuring a woman.

Giving this is a gift is a total win/win. Your guy – who is obsessed with video games – gets a new toy to play with and a girlfriend who encourages him to do so. You get some much needed satisfaction in the bedroom.

Ok, so it’s not real, but how amazing would it be if it were? Just imagine coming home from class to find your guy and his friends playing in the living room; who cares if he just wasted six hours playing the game? He’s practicing for you! And instead of some dumb game where he lives out his fantasies of being a rock star, your man would be spending his time practicing a skill that is actually necessary in his day to day life!

Guys need some help when it comes to our nether regions; guiding them doesn’t seem to work and watching porn just makes everything worse. An instructional (and entertaining) video game seems like the best solution. This is definitely on my wish list this season.

I’m sure we’ve all felt the effects of the current economic crisis; I know I have. Between my commute to work, the standard bills, and the want to have a normal life, my bank account is rarely flourishing with funds. More like, depleting drastically. People are losing jobs, industries are crumbling, and, lord knows, if you have any money in stock – well, let’s hope you have something extra stashed away beneath your mattress.

All that being said, life must go on, right?

So, how do we tighten the belt without living like a hermit? Here are some tips:

Budget: Set your spending limits on a weekly basis. And stick. to. it. Review your receipts at night to make sure you are staying on track, and be honest about what you are spending. This will keep your bank account in the green.

Save on Gas: Carpool with your friends or co-workers. If you need to do some errands, combine them all into one day, and make a route that will hit each stop, in one circle…versus going back and forth in all different directions.

If you live in a city, eliminate your cab usage. I know it is so much easier to hail a cab on those late, drunken evenings, but if you take some public transportation you’ll spend $2.00 versus $15. Or, trying hoofing it; you will burn those drinks away and have some extra wiggle room for a late night snack. Read More »