These are a few of my favorite things...

I love Oprah. I don't necessarily share the same beliefs and values as her, but I think she is a good person who does incredible things for others. I emulate her selflessness.

If you're ever able to watch her show (I guess that excludes all of you who work until 5!), you may have seen the show titled "Oprah's Favorite Things." It's amazing. I THINK she does this special show once a year around Christmas. It's my absolute favorite. She shares lots of her favorite things (anything from recipes, to perfumes, to furniture) with the viewers, while often distributing samples to her entire audience. Oh how I'd love to be there! While I don't have gifts to give you, I have compiled an Oprah-inspired list that I'd like to share. If you're stumped on what to give certain people as Christmas gifts, maybe something here might give you some guidance. I've been working on this list for a while. Some of these things are items that I have now, have had in the past, or would LIKE to have.

So, allow me to present...

MY FAVORITE THINGS

(in no particular order!)
1. ANN TAYLOR LOFT! This has become my new favorite place to shop. In fact, I have already asked Santa to bring me an ATL gift card for Christmas. Their clothes are stylish, classy, comfortable, and while they're more expensive than Old Navy, the quality is great and will last longer.

2. TV episodes on DVD! My two favorite TV shows of all time are Seinfeld and The Office. I own several seasons of Seinfeld and only the 1st season of The Office, but I hope to one day have ALL seasons of Seinfeld on DVD, as well as the other 2 seasons of The Office. How great will it be in 20 years when I'm still able to watch these shows on DVD after so many years?! (Of course, DVD players probably won't be around anymore, so this could get complicated, but it's a great thought anyway).

3. My transpod! I love my ipod. It was a bit pricy, but I use it while I'm exercising, and now that I have a transpod that goes in my car, I also listen to it whenever I go ANYWHERE! I think these also can get kinda expensive (maybe $75??), but I actually found one similar to the one seen in the pic on EBay for only $20. It was a great purchase. I highly recommend getting an ipod AND a transpod!
4. MISSISSIPPI STATE CHEESE (and other MSU products). Have you ever tried this amazing cheese? So yummy. This actually makes a GREAT Christmas gift for anybody, so if you're looking for something that almost anybody would like (unless they're lactose intolerant!), you should visit this site and order some now!

5. Magazine subscriptions! These make great gifts. You heard me mention recently that my favorite magazine is Real Simple, so if looking to buy for a
female, I highly recommend this one.

6. Lollia bubble bath! I am obsessed with bubble baths. I take them nearly every night, so finding good bubble bath is top priority for me. I've actually never owned this product, but I gave it to Kristen once and I've used it and it is FABULOUS. This, too, can be a little pricy for bubble bath, but who says you can't treat yourself every once in a while? The bottles are really pretty too.

7. Sarah Jessica Parker's perfume: "Lovely"! This was actually on Oprah's "favorite things" list a couple of years ago, and I tried it because SHE highly recommended it. I don't use it now because I ran out, but I absolutely loved it. It's not a heavy scent, but it's enough to tell that you're wearing something. I love being told that I smell good. :) I'm trying to decide whether to get another bottle of this or try something else. Any recommendations?

8. Woodwick candles! Have you tried these? They're by far the best candles I've ever used. In addition to wanting MYSELF to smell good, I also like for my house to smell good. I burn candles often. Santa brought me one of these (Cotton Flower scent---THE BEST!), and I used it all the time! The wicks are actually made of wood (hence the name!) and when burning, it sounds like a fire crackling. Not even kidding. These make great gifts, and if you get "gift-buying-happy," feel free to send one my way! :)
9. Willow Tree Angels! I like these because they're sweet and personable. Each angel has a specific name. For example, the angel here holding the puppy is the "Angel of Friendship." I have been given 2 of these angels. I have the "Angel of Learning" and the "Angel of Love." These are inexpensive and make really good gifts.

10. BATH AND BODY WORKS!! What girl doesn't love to get something from this store? I love it all-the lotion, shower gel, bubble bath, body splash, etc. I was also recently given one of the Wall Flowers that gives your house a great smell and I LOVE it. One of my all time favorite scents is Warm Vanilla Sugar. A favorite seasonal scent of mine is Vanilla Bean Noel (I'm hoping it's back this Christmas). I think giving a $9 bottle of lotion makes a perfect Christmas happy. :)

11. Nike Shox running shoes! I've tried lots of different running shoes and my favorite by far have been Nike Shox. I'm on the hunt for some new tennis shoes (Santa, I guess you can add it to the list!), and I'll most likely be getting another pair of Shox.

12. Pajama Pants! Who (male OR female) doesn't like a good pair of warm PJ pants? I'm always wanting new PJ pants. In fact, if it were up to me, I'd probably want to wear them all day everyday. Unfortunately, people who do this are usually frowned upon. Stacy from "What Not to Wear" says to NEVER them in public. I've learned to do whatever she says.

Anyway, if you ARE looking for good PJ pants, check out Old Navy!

There it is. Of course that's not EVERYTHING, but it's enough for a start. Who knows...maybe there'll be a Part 2 of "LT's favorite things". :)

I've been listening to Christmas music already, and plan on making puppy chow soon, but I'm hoping to hold off on decorating until after Thanksgiving. I've been told by more than one person that it's somewhat tacky. I'm just not sure I can wait 2 more weeks to put up the tree. We'll see! :)

Nobody loves Christmas like me and this cold weather has DEFINITELY put me IN THE SPIRIT!!

Have a blessed rest of the week!