| Holiday Shopping | |
The holiday season is definitely here, but there is still some time left to order your gifts online.
About Online Shopping:
Some people are understandably apprehensive about shopping online. You do want to make sure you are ordering from a secure location before giving out your personal information (a window should pop-up, telling you that you are entering a secure area, or depending on your browser, you may see a non-broken key at the bottom left-hand corner of your screen). The Mining Co. Online Shopping Guide has an informative article called "Practice Safe Shopping" that has links to sites that rate businesses according to their safe shopping record. You can also read the transcript from the home-business chat we held Wednesday, Dec. 2, 1998, where some home-based business owners and I discussed our feelings about online, secure shopping. Personally, I've ordered online many times in the last two years with very good results. While I can't vouch for every online store on the Net, I feel confident ordering online from a secure site.
Online Shopping Links:
I belong to an email support group made-up of people working at-home, called "Home, not Alone", and I recently asked the members with online stores for their holiday deadlines. These are the sites of the members who responded:
Previous Holiday Features from your Guide:
Other Shopping Links:
Candace J. Lewin, of Handmade Paradise, said, "
I'm taking orders up till the 18th, but orders after the 7th will need to
use Speedy delivery to insure on time shipping." Candace offers secure shopping, and sells Dream pillows, shampoos/conditioners, diffusers, powders, oils, lotions, and other special gift items.
Tammy Rome said, "We're taking orders through the 18th!
Through the 20th if it's by rush delivery (2nd day air & overnight)
There may be limitations if we start running out of things before then." Healthy Instinct is an OnLine Health Food Store that caters to the needs of young families.
Susan Schwartz said, "We can take Chanukah orders up to December 8, 1998,
and Christmas orders by December 15, 1998." This site offers a sticker club for kids and teens, where you can purchase a year-long sticker subscription.
This site offers MedixCards, a wallet-size card containing necessary medical information. Priscilla Schultz, owner of the business, said, "I have Gift Certificates that can be ordered for my MedixCards. Or
they can fill out an order form for the MedixCard itself, all I need is enough
time to ship them out. I am in Oregon. Shipping and handling is FREE
until Christmas, unless someone wants it sent overnight or special delivery
and then all they pay is for the cost of shipping.
I can E-mail them the Gift Certificate, although it doesn't come across as
nice as the printed ones. I will be happy to E-mail Gift Certificates up
to December 24th."
Nancee Belshaw said, "We have orders up to December 19,1998 for Christmas and for Chanukah, December 10,
1998 for shipped astrology charts. If they want a last minute present that
can be sent by email, my charts also are sent by email, just not bound in
books, I can ship the day before the holiday."
From The Mining Co., the Parenting of K-6 Children Guide has extensive links to sites offering bargains and special promotions.
eToys, an online toystore, offers shipping in time for Christmas until December 20, 1998.
Red Rocket, another online toystore, is offering 99 cent shipping on U.S. orders of $35 or more through December 15, 1998.
From last year, some last-minute Net links to Christmas sites that your children might enjoy, and I've reprinted a touching poem for moms.
Also from last year, feature guest Mary Ellen Goodwin shared Christmas recipes. And find tips, recipes, and links from your guide.