Christmas Archives

See when your gift list items hit the lowest price

I love shopping online. I don’t have to leave the house. I don’t have to be nice to anyone. I don’t have to put on a bra (guys, same thing for you and pants!). There are already Christmas, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales on every site now, but finding what you want at the lowest price is tricky. Fear not! I’m here to save you from all the clicks, countdowns and wasted money.

🐝 Truth bee told, it’s the best

I use Honey for anything I buy online. To get started, download the Honey extension for your browser. It automatically scans websites for promo codes. Nice. But it goes a step further — you can also make Honey tell you when the price drops on something you’re watching.

When you’re on a site, click on Honey’s orange “h” icon, then click Watch for Price Drops. If an item has multiple options (size, colors, condition, etc.), pick one, and click Save Item. Honey will now track that product.

Here are steps for how to install and use Honey.

💰 Shop smarter, not harder

Capital One Shopping works the same way as Honey. Install the browser extension, and it gets to work, automatically searching for coupon codes and better prices on the items you’re shopping for.

🐪 Try Camelcamelcamel for Amazon deals

What a name, right? Camelcamelcamel exists solely to track Amazon deals. It’s particularly helpful this time of year, when you can see something just got marked up so they could put it on sale.

I like the website version best. Paste any Amazon product link into the search box at the top to see how its price has fluctuated over time.

You need to make an account if you want to follow the price and get alerts if the item you have your eye on goes on sale.

Let me shop for you

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Winter essentials to grab before they sell out

Don’t wait for the holiday chaos to hit. The best shopping trick this season isn’t about gifts — it’s about stocking up on essentials now. Beat the rush, avoid packed stores and snag better prices while you still can. This will save you time, stress and money. Get it done today and make your winter easier.

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Gadget gifts galore

🏴‍☠️ Upgrade your loved ones’ lives (and your gift-giving reputation) with a tech treasure.

One charge on a Kindle Paperwhite lasts 12 weeks. Pair that with the three free months of Kindle Unlimited, and whoever’s getting this gift had better have some PTO saved up.
Amazon’s brand-new Echo Pops come in purple now?! I’m sold. It’s under $40, and the speakers are darn good.
OK, this is sweet. Sony’s compact waterproof speaker (under $50!) can go anywhere in any weather and gets 16 hours of playtime on a single charge.
Your pet-obsessed pal needs a Furbo dog camera (14% off) to watch Fifi while they’re at work.
An external CD/DVD drive (under $30!) is perfect for the DVD lover in your life. This way, they can play disks on their laptop, which is way easier than digging through every streaming site. Bonus: They can rip those audio CDs, too!
Take movie night anywhere with a 4K outdoor projector. Click the coupon box for $40 off!

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

🎄 ICYMI: It’s not the holidays without a Hallmark movie (or five). Luckily, Hallmark just released its holiday movie schedule. Here’s a link so you can print it out for friends, family — or yourself. ‘Tis the season!

The Christmas gift return frenzy

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Returning a heap of gifts this year? Find out why sending back too much could land you in hot water.

🦑 Ready to play (again)? Netflix dropped an early Christmas gift — the trailer for Season Two of “Squid Game.” The first season was the most-watched series of all time on the platform. I liked it, despite all the blood. The new season drops on Dec. 26. How festive.

50-plus years

Christmas classics “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman” are moving from CBS to NBC. “Frosty” will air on Dec. 5 at 8:30 p.m., and “Rudolph” will air on Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. If you have cable, both will also be on Freeform’s “25 Days of Christmas” lineup starting on Dec. 7.

Endangered emojis: What's in and what's out

How about something light and fun today? We’ve come a long way from :-) and :-( to express ourselves in texts, emails and other written forms of communication. And more than 10 years since we got lots of the emojis we still use today, some of your faves might be totally out of fashion.

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Use the NewsBreak app? Delete it. Here’s why

My husband, Barry, is a total news junkie. He has all the major news apps on his phone. That’s why this story stopped me in my tracks. NewsBreak, the most downloaded news app in the U.S., with more than 50 million readers per month, has strong ties to Communist China.

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Useful gifts under $20

🤑 Because who doesn’t love lots of bang for the buck?

The first aid kit they’ll actually use. Slip one into every stocking. Hopefully, they’ll never have to use it.
Pimple patches are all the rage. These look like little stars and come with a mirror compact. The teen in your life wants this but is embarrassed to tell you.
A suction phone case mount (under $15!) sticks to walls and mirrors for prime picture-taking. Get it for the butterfingers in your life!
Two words: Jar openers. They’re under $10 and so helpful, it doesn’t even matter they’re a little boring.
Cooks can never have enough stovetop spoon rests (under $15 and 30% off!). This one looks like a little crab. It made me LOL!

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

A trick from the Komando brain

🧑‍🎄 I get stocking-stuffer shopping done early so I can focus on the bigger gifts later. (I won’t tell anyone if you get one of these for yourself!)

Guys, give your gal a jewelry cleaning stick to shine up her rings. It’s small enough to carry around and it’s under $10.
For the caffeine lover in your life, grab a five-pack of dark chocolate-flavored coffee bites for about $9. Each packs as much caffeine as one-third of a cup of coffee.
No-show socks are out; these $10 flat no-show inserts are in. They slip into any shoe and are machine washable.
This Grandmother’s Journal (39% off) is such a sweet gift. It’s a way to get her to write about her life so the whole family can remember her stories for years to come.
A cute scarf as low as $6 (57% off)? Yes, please. It’s extra long, so it can pull double-duty as a blanket.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

100,000 seasonal workers

Coming onboard at Targets across the U.S. Good to know, if you want to pick up extra Christmas money! Here’s where to apply online. Ugh, I accidentally wore a red shirt to Target, and now I’m covering for Frank in produce this weekend.

Easy upgrades under $10

Shower curtain liners get nasty. Stop it with all the cleaning spray and replace yours (11% off).
Turn any pair of lace-up shoes into slip-ons with elastic laces that come in lots of colors.
Ah, organized cords and cables for only $7.
These are sweet: QR code labels (29% off) for your storage boxes. Scan to know what’s inside — Christmas decorations, winter coats, old paperwork …
Ow, my achin’ back! A hanging footrest makes sitting on a plane or at a desk all day easier on your feet, back and legs.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Is Google Bard an atheist?

While coming up with a trivia question for my daily free newsletter (Join 500K and sign up here), I wanted to tap into the nostalgia surrounding the classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas” special. A pivotal scene has Linus reciting a Bible passage, an iconic moment that drives home the show’s heartfelt message.

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Kim’s guide to holiday picture-perfect moments

Forget getting everyone together at Christmas for a photo opp and having them all say, “Cheese!” Instead, use words that end in “ah.” These sounds put the muscles around the mouth to work, creating a genuine smile. Try “yoga,” “mocha” or “banana.”

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