My puppy, East, would like to tell you something: “Arf, arf aroof. Woof bow wow.”

Isn’t he brilliant? And eloquent? He’s so right to remind us that dogs like Chrismas as much as people do and shouldn’t be overlooked when it comes to gift-buying.

What’s that, East?

“Yip, woofity arf arf!”

Of course, buddy. You do give us the gift if unquestioning devotion every waking moment. None is more deserving of a holiday treat than you, my fine, furry friend.

“Arfoomph. Woooofoofoof.” 

Yes, we know you’re capable of the world’s most dramatic guilt trip if ignored. We remember your ability to lay on the floor and sigh the saddest sighs all too well (drama queen alert!). So, no, one present is not too much to ask. You were so polite you may deserve two. Just, maybe, in return, would it be possible for you to not say, “I love you,” to the mailman quite so loudly next year?

“Grrr! Grrroof! ThisNext wish list!”

What’s that, boy? Did you say, “ThisNext wish list?” Aren’t you a clever online shopper! Of course I’ll refer to your ThisNext wish list for gift ideas!

East’s wish list:

See more of my for the love of dogs list at ThisNext.

Thanks to ThisNext, I’ll be doing almost 90% of my Christmas shopping online this year, and I can’t wait!

Since Halloween is semi-unofficially the gateway into Holiday madness (starting the holiday season on Thanksgiving is sooo 1953), today marks my first entry for 2006 Holiday Season Gift Ideas.  All items will of course be available on the web, priced with your bank account in mind, and (imho) sure to warm the cuckolds of you and yours. 

So…HOW WONDERFUL IS THIS ROCKING BOAT??? Why WHY do kids get all the cool stuff?? I gotta think that if I could fold all 6ft of me into this classic, wooden rocking boat, all instances of writers block and un-creativity would be immediately thwarted.

That said, there isn’t a kid around that wouldn’t love to have this in their play room.  Plus, it’s built for two - so if you want to combine a gift for a sibling duo that’s easy to share, timelessly fun and classically designed, then this is for you.  I can’t hardly believe it’s $139.

Available at Hearth Song 

via Mighty Goods

* full shopcast >> Holiday Gift Ideas on ThisNext 

I gotta think our mothers must all be slightly annoyed with the state of parenting today. I mean, there is just so much great stuff for kids and parents to make life infinitely easier.

Gone are the days of 1000 pound strollers, scratchy baby clothes and ill-fitting diapers. And toy chests? That’s so 1901. Today’s toy catch all must be a mix of form and function. Like these animal bags from Boon discovered by the modern-parenting-meets-modern-design blog coochicoos,

...continued: Fun New Finds For Kids and Parents

Mood Beams! They look liike ambient device’s orbs ~ but with more character - loads more character. Their manufacturers site describes them as “Basically Mood Beams are a funky tribe of supremely portable, battery-operated characters that cycle through a spectrum of hypnotic colours. They’re also sensitive to sound, so if you put them next to your radio or CD player they’ll change colour in time to the beat of the music. Mood Beams can be set to perform at five different speeds: Heartbeat, Rainbow, Strobe, Colour Dance and Colour Hold - simply set the mode to suit the mood.”

Are they toys? are they tech? How do you categorize such a creature? RUGenius said on NOTCOT.org that they were the modernized Glow Worms (remember those?)… and Linhchi fell for the adorable ghostly orange one. As for me? It feels like high-tech, yet is rather low-tech if you’re comparing it to the wifi/ambient syncing up to info all around the world devices… but when it comes to emotional impact, it seems to do the trick. They can sit on your desk, perched on your monitor just glowing different colors - color therapy is in - this could keep you calm through the work day! Amuse your kids! Baffle the dog! and still dance and pulsate to the music, or just be a fun way to light the room… and sure to put a smile on your face.

How do you cope with everyday tension? Massage? Meditation? Bottle of wine? A quick search for “stress” on ThisNext reveals our shopcasters’ widely varying but always ingenious methods of shaking off the mounting stress of the modern world: There are fun toys and pretty-smelling self-care products, even one member’s recommendation for her much-beloved chiropractor. And while it may seem most unlikely that a plushie toy or bath salt could be your key to keeping healthy, finding those ever-reliable ways to mellow out and calm your nerves is crucial to staving off sickness. With stress linked to so many health conditions – everything from ulcers and TMJ to heart disease and weakened immunity – these ThisNext picks just might be virtual lifesavers.

...continued: ThisNext gets de-stressed

Andrea and Emily UG of Red, W(h)ine and Boo are two progressive moms blogging about life at large and the raising of their two babies, Boo and Red, who may be the cutest baby on the planet. And they’re blatantly honest, too: they are careful to recommend good baby-raising tools an educational toys, like the Leapfrog Learn-Around Playground…but they also freely admit that Boos’ current fave toy is a piece of direct mail and a left-over party favor. “So the moral of this story,: Mama Em says, “next birthday all gifts will be either purchased at the dollar tree, sent to us as junk mail, or dug out of some dusty back room and regifted. Yay for Mommies budget!”

Christina’s A Mommy Story is just hilarious. And accurate. And true-to-life. And thought Christina doesn’t actually recommend the Blue’s Clues plush, it is already the center of her toddler’s life and that cause of much insanity…while she doesn’t really say you should give Glenlivet to your baby when she’s teething. But if you want to see what it’s really like to have a just-turned-two-year-old around the house… read on.

Covering everything from Comic-con and the latest Dunny’s - to Insurgent Wilderness Gruppo’s newest Yeti and Sasquatch toys - Plastic + Plush will meet all your needs when it comes to deciding what to gift or pick or wishlist in the collectible designer toy department.

It’s a misleading name really. There is no abuse of vinyl going on at Vinyl Abuse, more the opposite, the constant featuring of amazing boundary pushing designer toys elevating what vinyl can provide as a medium to work with. Like these Squbes, designed by Ferg of Jamungo, part cube, part skull, all vinyl.