Sears, Kmart offer Christmas Club card to help shoppers budget

Sears and Kmart are encouraging shoppers to start saving for the holidays early with a Christmas Club card program.

Here's how it works: Pick up a card at any Sears or Kmart store (or online at www.sears.com/christmasclub or www.kmart.com/christmasclub) and add money to it just like a gift card. You'll receive a 3% reward, up to a $100 value, based on the balance on your card on Nov. 14.   

The card is free and must be activated by Oct. 31 to be eligible for the 3% reward. You'll need a minimum balance of $5 to use your card.

Executives at Sears Holdings, parent to Sears and Kmart, are hoping the program will give the company a leg up on its competitors during the holiday season, which is expected to be weak again as consumers scrimp on presents for family and friends. It could also help shoppers who don’t want to rely on credit cards to finance their gifts.

Shoppers “want more ways to provide the very best holiday they can, and they want to do that in a responsible way,” Susan Ehrlich, the company’s president of financial services, said in a statement. “When they save ahead with the Christmas Club card from Sears and Kmart, our customers can really enjoy the holidays without the worry of having to deal with an expensive bill later.”

The card is reminiscent of old-fashioned Christmas club accounts, which were once a banking fixture.

“It’s a very common-sense, smart idea that we’ve been able to bring into the 21st century with some technology and customer insight,” said Tom Aiello, a spokesman for the Hoffman Estates, Ill., company.

The Christmas Club program is the latest move the retailer has taken during the economic downturn to help consumers budget. Last year, Sears stores brought back layaway after not offering the program for years.

-- Andrea Chang

Photo: Shoppers hunt for Black Friday bargains last year at the Sears store in Costa Mesa's South Coast Plaza. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Santa's Little Helper: Gifts for Gearheads

Got a kid on your holiday gift list who's just crazy for anything with wheels? Our friends over at the Up to Speed blog have ideas -- even if that kid is eligible for AARP. Check out their "10 Gifts for Gearheads" with suggestions from under $20 to over $2,000. Some highlights: an engine made from Lego parts, housewares made from recycled aluminum by a former Ford designer, and an electric bike that can go for 20 miles at 20 mph.

Santa's Little Helper: Gifts for the cat lover

 

Looking for the purr-fect gift for the feline in your life or a fellow cat fanatic? Here’s a few suggestions for Santa Claws:

Kittywalk closet sleeper: Tired of brushing off cat hair from your sweaters, dresses and shoes because  your favorite feline likes to snooze in the closet? This sleeper, which holds cats up to 15 pounds, hangs from the closet clothes rail so kitty has its own home in your closet. The faux fur pad inside the sleeper is removable and washable. $69.95.

Christmas tree scratcher: When your feline has cat scratch fever during the holidays, he or she might enjoy this unique scratcher shaped like a Christmas tree. The scratcher comes with a bag of certified organic catnip. $64.

Hello Kitty quartz watch necklace: The Hello Kitty line is a matter of taste even for the most ardent feline fanciers. But if you love Hello Kitty, you might like this necklace watch. $19.95.

SANTA'S LITTLE HELPER: holiday decorations

With tree trimming parties in full swing, what does the considerate guest bring? Booze and potluck specialties are always welcome, but a keepsake ornament can be a continued reminder of your good taste. One impeccable choice is the Everest Ornament, a byproduct of metalworker Jeff Clapp's reclaimed oxygen tanks, which are collected as part of a campaign to clean up the debris left behind by expeditions to Mt. Everest. The Brunswick, Maine, artist uses a lathe to carve castoffs into decorative bells and bowls that are sold on his website, Bellsfromeverest.com. The tinsel-like metal shavings from the process are encased in a glass bulb, $18.95, finished with a red-and-white ribbon for hanging. They are available from Zerominusplus at Fred Segal in Santa Monica, 500 Broadway, Santa Monica, (310) 395-5718. Below, a selected list of other destinations for out-of-the-ordinary ornaments.

-- Stats Floral (www.statsfloral.com), 120 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, (626) 795-9308. A veritable winter wonderland, with its own Ornament Room, dedicated to glass bulbs. Searching for Santa poised to throw a Super Bowl spiral for the football fan in your life? Look no further.

-- Nickey Kehoe (www.nickeykehoe.com), 730 N. Highland Ave., (323) 957-0370.  This new home decor shop has a stash of cool vintage glass and beaded ornaments.

-- Rolling Greens (www.rollinggreensnursery.com), 9528 Jefferson Blvd., Culver City, (310) 559-8656. Known for its orchids and other indoor plants, this nursery boasts a selection of glamorous danglers, including hand-blown orbs and mercury glass ornaments with a decidedly European flair.

-- Urban Outfitters, all locations. If you absolutely, positively must decorate your tree with glass robots and Diet coke cans or Hello Kitty and South Park effigies, UO can hook you up. Naturally, the retailer also has a framed Elvis (Vegas Sun King period) ornament.

-- Moskatel's (http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-wanted16oct16203418,1,1216471.story), 733 San Julian St., (213) 689-4830. If you think the art hobby chain Michaels stores is a great resource, check out its downtown cousin in the flower district. It's massive, and for DIY ornament designers, it offers a vast selection of clear glass bulbs in many shapes that can be customized by the crafty.

-- Retroholiday.com stocks Christopher Radko collectibles and directs shoppers to EBay auctions offering vintage lights and baubles from the '50s to the '70s, including classic Shiny Brite designs.

-- David Keeps

Photo: The Everest Ornament by Jeff Clapp. Credit: Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times

Arts & Crafty: Budget-minded gifts at Etsy

If you think of calendars as gifts that shout "I didn't know what to get you," check out these ideas from artisans at www.etsy.com.

Satsumalynn has a wall calendar inspired by Japanese textiles perfect for fans of letterpress. It's $44, and you can see a photo below. Another, CecilyInk had a $14 printed calendar, whose modern graphics in pumpkin, chartreuse and raspberry, sure to brighten the desk and mood of a co-worker. (Photo at right.)

Scouting around for deals on Etsy, you'll also find personalized teacher gift sets by saratams; a calendar that doubles as postcards by SureAsBlue; calendars with reminder lists by pixelimpress; and a letterpress calendar by SycamoreStreetPress that benefits orphans in Ethiopia.  Also worth a look are artistscs28, InkspotWorkshop, pistachiopress and TurtlePapers (search for them under "sellers: usernames").

And if your list is bigger than your budget, try littlebrownpen, AnaPapeterie and bluetricycle. For $5, you get a PDF file that lets you print as many calendars as you need. They're perfect as party favors, too.

Santa's Little Helper: A video game shopping guide for bewildered parents

For some parents, Christmas can be more terrifying than Halloween -- and not because of the in-laws. It's because their kids expect them to tuck good video games under the tree.

This year will be especially challenging: Game companies are expected to release hundreds of new titles for the holidays like a colony of bats exploding into the night sky. For those who don't know the difference between a D-pad and a DS, we've assembled a few easy tools to help clueless parents get in the game fast.

Step 1: If you find yourself facing a wall of games at Target, slowly back up and walk out of the store. Don't buy the first game the clerk recommends. Most likely, it's what he or she would like to play, and not what your kid would like. Go home and proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Hit some game review sites. Here are a handful to start:

• Gamespot: This site reviews most major games that have been released. For upcoming games that are buzz-worthy, the site puts together sneak peeks and early game trailers. You can look up games by their titles, platforms and genres. At the bottom of the home page is a Most Popular feature, where readers can see what titles are generating the most excitement. Want a shortcut? Check out their holiday gift guide. Other sites worth checking include IGN, 1Up and Kotaku.
• Metacritic: Once you have a list of candidates, you'll want to make sure the games don't turn into very expensive drink coasters. There are dozens of sites that review games for their fun factor. Instead of visiting them all, hit Metacritic. The site aggregates each game's scores into an average.

Step 3: Now that you have a list of games that are sure to be a blast for your 8-year-old, how can you be sure those games won't have nude scenes buried in the middle of Level 39 or images of body parts being ripped to shreds in high-definition glory? You can ...

Santa's Little Helper: Gifts for the scooterist

 

Whether you're an aspiring or an actual scooterist, our resident expert Susan Carpenter offers up these gift ideas:

-- Basic RiderCourse. If you plan on riding a scooter but you don’t know how, take this class. And if you are riding a scooter but haven’t taken this class, you should still sign up. Price: $150-$250.

-- Corazzo 5.0 jacket. Your scooter might max out at 60 mph, but at least your jacket, with its retro racing stripes, can look fast. Price: $179-$229.

-- Nolan N30 Flashback helmet. This DOT-certified half helmet takes a trip back to the '70s, with  its face shield, stripe and logo. Available in black, red, gray, green, blue, cream and pink. Price: $169.95.

-- Brazimoto Rapido gloves. Nothing says eye-talian like these two-tone, deerskin gloves. Price: $60.

Santa's Little Helper: Green gift-wrapping and cards

If you feel guilty about the mountain of glittery wrapping paper and holiday cards that goes straight into the trash after Christmas, there are a number of creative and easy do-it-yourself options that are greener.

Try looking around the house for material that could be used instead of gift wrap, such as extra fabric, old maps, fancy paper bags and glossy magazine ads.

"The message we’re trying to get out this year is save money on the wrap and make that yourself so you can spend money wisely on the gift," said Paul McRandle, deputy editor of National Geographic’s the Green Guide.

Other ideas:

• Wrap your present with another present. If you bought your sister a scarf, why not use it to wrap the CD you also got her?
• Wrapping with newspaper? Make it more personal and relevant by matching the gift to the section. For example, you could wrap a cookbook with the food section, or a children's game with the comics.
• If you can't bear to give up wrapping paper, use it to cover a shoebox and place your present inside. Like a gift bag, your decorated shoebox can be used again and again.

Others say the bare-bones approach is gaining acceptace. "The buzzwords here are don't wrap the package," said Richard Giss, a partner at accounting firm Deloitte & Touche's consumer business division in Los Angeles. "Leave it in the box, and if you want, decorate the box."

Not feeling particularly artistic? Many stores sell wrapping and holiday cards made from 100% recycled paper. Green Field Paper Co., based in San Diego, produces handmade cards from recycled paper, including cards made from hemp and junk mail. One of the company's most popular holiday items is its handmade "Grow-A-Note" greeting cards, which are embedded with wildflower seeds. Once you’re done enjoying your card, you can rip it up and plant it in the ground. A box of four cards sells for about $15 and can be found at specialty retailers around Los Angeles.

"The beauty of that is, especially toward the holidays, you're giving a gift as well," co-owner Shari Smith said. But "when you do plant it, make sure there's no information you need on that card."

And although they aren't as personal as handwritten notes, e-cards don't use paper — recycled or not — and are usually free.

-- Andrea Chang

Photo: A Los Angeles sanitation truck picks up holiday gift wrapping materials after Christmas in 2006. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

Santa's Little Helper: Green gift ideas to start with

Dreaming of a green Christmas? An eco-friendly holiday is on many consumers’ minds -- along with an uncertain economic situation. Many say they will shop less and cut their holiday budgets by hundreds of dollars. So in addition to slashing prices and extending store hours, retailers are boosting their selection of green products to attract shoppers.

"All retailers are looking for some edge," said Richard Giss, a partner in accounting firm Deloitte & Touche’s consumer business division in Los Angeles. "If they can be seen as the eco-friendly retailer, that will help them."

In Deloitte’s annual holiday survey this year, nearly half of consumers said they were willing to pay more for green gifts despite the bad economy, and 1 in 5 said they would purchase more eco-friendly products this holiday season than in the past.

But going green doesn’t mean having to spend a lot of it. "It’s a massive misconception," said Sophie Uliano, a Los Angeles author who wrote "Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life." "People think solar panels, hybrid cars, organic jeans and very expensive skincare. But that doesn’t have to be the case."

Whether you have already adopted an environmentally friendly lifestyle or are just starting out by recycling here and there, here are cost-conscious green gift ideas to get you started.

Santa's Little Helper: Have a green Christmas

It would be hard to find a list of more mundane gifts, but these humble household items have two huge benefits: They’re cheap to buy, and they keep on giving . . . and giving . . . and giving, because they save so much money and precious resources.

Be sure to wrap them in a reused gift bag or old newspaper!

1) .5 Gallons Per Minute Faucet Aerator

Instead of allowing 2.2 gallons of water to flow out of your kitchen or bathroom faucet head each minute, this chrome-plated aerator restricts the flow to a meager 0.5 -- and does it with an even spray. Price: $1.95. Info: www.e3living.com/5-gallons-minute-aerator

2) Dishpan

If you throw a plastic bin in the sink and hand-wash your dishes, you can collect excess water and, rather than send it down the sewer, throw it on your plants. Price: About $1 and up

3) Water heater blanket

If your water heater has a tank and you don’t have the cash or willingness to go tankless, at least wrap it with a blanket. It will keep the water warmer longer and cut down on the energy needed to heat it in the first place. Price: About $10