Sales for the 5-week holiday period totaled $278 million dollars, up from the 13 percent decline during the 2008 holiday season.

The operating systems category showed the strongest improvement during the holiday season, boosted by the sales of Microsoft’s Windows 7. Overall operating systems revenue increased from $10 million in 2008 to $29 million in 2009. Education software performed well, with revenue increasing by 15 percent, driven y the strong performance of Rosetta Stone and Topics Entertainment.  Business software, which posted flat year-over-year holiday sales, was the highest revenue grossing retail software category, with sales of over $77 million.

"Despite a slight decline in overall sales, boxed software showed pockets of strength as publishers, especially Microsoft, invested money in holiday promotional activity," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD. 

"Aggressive pricing on Office 2007 and continued strong sales of boxed versions of Windows 7 added a big kick to retail software sales during the holiday.  But weak results in the key utilities category, along with ongoing weakness in PC games sales proved too much for the market to overcome."
 

Related Articles:

> Bing Gets a Bunch of New Search Features

> Yahoo and Microsoft May Be Close to Signing

> Some Bing Users Seeing Latest Posts on Publisher Searches

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Mobile Commerce Daily is the entity that awarded eBay this title, and Giselle Tsirulnik, its senior editor, supplied quite a number of reasons for the judgment in an article today.  For starters, eBay’s sales were impressive, with about 1.5 million items changing hands thanks to mobile transactions during the holiday season.

Then there was a nifty promotion using a Mobile Boutique to consider, the success of the eBay iPhone application, and the introduction of the separate Deals application.  Plus, as Tsirulnik wrote, "EBay-owned online ticket marketplace StubHub went mobile in 2009," and PayPal took a lot of steps forward, too.

All of which appears to put eBay in an admirable position moving forward, since the growing popularity of iPhones and Android devices is sure to have people buying more stuff online in the future.

Of course, there are other factors to consider when thinking about a company’s success or failure, and eBay critics will be pleased to hear that it’s not having a good day on the stock market.  Despite getting the Mobile Retailer of the Year award, eBay shares are down 2.43 percent right now.

Related Articles:

> eBay Declares Mobile Success For Holiday Season

> eBay Fined $2.6 Million Over LVMH Sales

> eBay Previews Possible Geotargeting Feature For Sellers

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The survey found 64 percent of GenY (age 18 to 34) shoppers used their mobile phones for in-store shopping-related activities during the holiday season. In addition, all surveyed age-segments cited interest in next-generation retail technologies to make better-informed decisions. When in-store employees used mobile technologies, such as two-way radios and handheld mobile computers, shoppers reported a better experience due to the use of the devices ((59 percent and 56 percent respectively).

"With nearly seven in 10 surveyed holiday shoppers either reporting flat or declining budgets, retailers vying for finite shopper dollars need to provide a seamless customer experience," said Frank Riso, senior director of retail solutions, Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions.

"By utilizing mobile technologies, consumers have become empowered, better informed and more critical shoppers. Retailers need to establish near-term strategies to provide product information, stock availability, discounts and coupons directly to shoppers to help them to remain competitive."

Because of the economy, shoppers were after more coupons and discounts in 2009 with 39 percent willing to abandon purchases if coupons and discounts were unavailable.

Related Articles:

> Ensuring Your Site is Indexed in Google’s Mobile Search

> 40 Million Reasons You Need A Mobile Web Presence

> Usage of Mobile Web and Apps Doubles in 2 Years

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The report found sales for the five-week holiday period reached $10.8 billion, a big improvement from the 6 percent decline during the 2008 holiday season.

The holiday season had its share of fluctuations. Overall revenue declined three out of the five weeks. While the second week of the season posted the largest revenue growth it only represented for 15 percent of overall holiday sales. The final week of the season also saw revenue growth and represented 22 percent of all sales, so the success of the final week was more relevant to the overall success of the season.

"The dynamics of the holiday season changed this year; the holiday season started before Black Friday as retailers ran Black Friday-like sales throughout November," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD. 

"That move may have lessened the Black Friday hype for consumers, but the increase during the final week of the season is a sign that consumers either went back out or waited it out to get the best deal."

PCs and flash-based camcorders were popular this holiday leading the way in unit growth among large categories, but total sales numbers were dependent on the success of PCs and flat-panel TVs.  Combined they accounted for 41 percent of the revenue over the five week holiday period, up from 39 percent in 2008 and 34 percent in 2007.

Despite the high revenue, flat-panel TVs registered a decline in dollars of 13 percent, in line with their performance during most of 2009.  That decline pulled down the industry overall. MP3 players, for the third year in a row, were the largest unit volume category despite increased ASPs and declining unit volumes.

"Just cutting prices this year was not enough to guarantee successful sales results," said Baker.  Flat-panel TVs had a disappointing holiday because there wasn’t enough price-cutting on the right items, while notebook PCs and camcorders offered new form factors and price points that drove enormous increases in units and revenue despite falling prices."
 

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"The 2009 online holiday shopping season was a positive one as its growth rate slightly surpassed our forecast and returned to solidly positive rates after nearly a full year of marginally negative growth," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.

"Among the highlights of the season was the first $900 million online spending day and a strong late season spending surge, propelled by effective retailer promotions, guaranteed shipping and a major snowstorm on the eastern seaboard that convinced many to shop from the comfort of home."

Tuesday, December 15 was the heaviest online spending day of the year and of all time, at $913 million, one of nine individual spending days to surpass $800 million during the 2009 holiday season.

Cyber Monday ranked as the second heaviest spending day of the season, the highest it has ever ranked, with $887 million in spending. The third heaviest spending day of the year was Tuesday, December 1, with $886 million in spending, followed by Wednesday, December 16 with $874 million and Monday December 14 with $854 million.

Jewelry & watches rank as the top performing online retail category for the holiday season growing 20 percent over 2008. Consumer electronics ranked second with 15 percent sales growth, driven by strong sales of flat panel TVs, mobile devices and e-readers. Other categories performing well included event tickets (up 8%), computer hardware (up 7%) and books & magazine (up 6%).
 

Related Articles:

>Cyber Monday Deals Attract Online Shoppers

>Walmart Wins Thanksgiving, Amazon Wins Black Friday

>Online Retailers See Strong Cyber Monday Sales

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Put on a few extra pounds this holiday season? Don’t expect a welcome mat from BeautifulPeople.com, a dating site who recently made like a high school bully: belittling and booting members for weight gain.

According to the Guardian, the site has just expelled 5,000 members for packing on the pounds. To add insult to injury, the site’s founder, Robert Hintze, stated, “Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which BeautifulPeople.com was founded.”

Apparently decisions were made based on photos posted to the dating site. Those holding the reins blame members’ holiday overindulgences for their harsh actions and have been notifying former members via e-mail of their expulsion. Of course, all is not lost; should those same members get fit again, they can reapply for membership.

The report details:

“The site’s managing director, Greg Hodge, pointed out that the fate of the exiled ‘chubby members’ had been democratically decided. ‘Their re-applications were reviewed by existing members and only a few hundred were voted back in,’ he said. ‘Over 5,000 were rejected.’

According to the site, however, managers have been kind in breaking the news to former members. Each is said to have received an email encouraging them to re-apply when they are back to looking their best. They have also been sent details of recommended boot camps.”

If you’re keeping count, the United States was the most overindulgent group of the bunch, with 1,520 members getting the boot. The United Kingdom was a distant second with 832 members ousted, and Canada took home the bronze medal.

The disturbing news is no doubt a big publicity stunt, but one of the worst variety. I’d hate to be one of those members waking up to an e-mail informing me that I’m too fat for a social network. That’s rejection of the worst kind.

[img credit: Cimmerian, iStockphoto]

Tags: Food, social media, weight

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Hey everyone, I’m back from holiday vacation and first up on the schedule is a set of free vectors. These are flower silhouettes that would be very useful in a lot of different ways. It’s pretty cold where I live right now, so I felt like making something that reminded me of warmer weather. I hope you like them.

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Close to 200 customer comments on a Dell blog–recounted on sites such as The Consumerist–are all remarkably similar: People placed their orders, months ago in some cases, and then watched as the shipping date keeps getting pushed off.

“I ordered an Inspiron 17 on NOVEMBER 28, supposedly to be delivered on Dec 14. Just checked the status page, and it has been delayed for the fourth time and now not set to deliver until JANUARY 7, 2010!,” wrote one customer.

Said another: “I haven’t received a single email from Dell, either proactively about the delays or in response to the two emails I have sent…Some people here report problems cancelling orders. I can’t even get in touch with anyone to be able to talk about cancelling mine!”

Dell didn’t respond to a request for comment. But on its blog, Dell blamed the delays on increased demand for computers and an inability to get the appropriate components from suppliers. This, incidentally, is pretty close to the explanation it gave when it had similar delays shipping a product in mid-2007. A blog post addressing the delays back then received 1,333 angry comments, so the current situation still has a ways to go before it catches up on the volume of ire.

There might be more depth this time around, though. One thing that seemed to upset customers was that Dell’s ordering system was still quoting delivery dates that didn’t take the delays into account. Commenters said that they wouldn’t have ordered computers if they were told the computers wouldn’t’ arrive in time for Christmas.

In the current blog post dated December 17, Dell offered to send people who were waiting for computers intended as Christmas gifts a holiday card to stick under the tree instead. That didn’t go over so well. The first response: “Thanks Dell my son will be so thrilled to receive his holiday card instead of his netbook, you really came through this time!!”

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There are a few non-garden uses suggested among the 10 uses, arranged in a lightly aggravating gallery format. Assuming you don’t think of a tree trunk slice as an ideal coaster, you’ll be mostly interested in how any tree can be broken down into pieces that arrange and protect an outdoor garden:

• Insulate Perennials: Cut off boughs and lay them over perennial beds to protect them from snow and reduce frost heaving.
• Edge Your Borders: Cut the trunk into 2-inch discs and set them into the soil to edge flower beds or walkways.

How have you put a spruce, fir, or other holiday tree to good use after its intended time is done? Share the recycling tips in the comments.

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The world has suffered for most of this year due to the bank collapses and ensuing economic recession that swept across the globe. Yet there have been signs of recovery, especially during this holiday season. Black Friday was a big win for online retailers and Amazon had one of its best Christmases yet.

Now that the holiday season has passed, we finally have a full picture of how online retailers performed this Christmas, thanks to data gathered by comScore. The numbers are good — really good. According to the web statistics company, e-commerce sales rose by 5 percent, enough to break $27 billion in online business.

comScore measured online shopping from November 1 to December 24 and broke it down into its most important components, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Monday and the weekend before Christmas. Every time period except for Green Monday did far better than it did in 2008.

As you can see, online retail jumped from $25.8 billion to $27.1 billion during the two-month period. And as we already knew, Black Friday saw a big increase in sales from 2008. It looks like December 14 was the busiest day of the season, garnering $854 million in online commerce.

Online retail’s rise can be attributed to a lot of factors: an improving economy, more web-savvy people choosing to do more of their shopping online and rising social media marketing budgets — to name a few.

We’re glad to hear this good news about online retail and the improving state of our fragile economy, and we hope the trend continues.

Tags: black friday, business, ComScore, Holiday, online retail, stats

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The 40 largest online-retail Web sites achieved their highest level of customer satisfaction during the 2009 holiday season, according to a survey by ForeSee Results, an e-commerce consulting firm. These companies averaged a satisfaction score of 79 on ForeSee’s index compared with a score of 74 in both 2008 and 2007.

But a similar survey of the 110 online retailers that ForeSee works with—which range from large to small—found that overall satisfaction dropped to a 73, compared with a 75 in 2008 and a 77 in 2007. The smallest companies took the biggest hits.

“The strong are getting stronger and the rest of the pack is getting weaker,” says Larry Freed, ForeSee’s chief executive.

There are a few reasons, Mr. Freed says. In particular, the most successful e-commerce Web sites are increasingly operated by companies that also have retail stores. Among the top 40 e-commerce sites only six aren’t affiliated with a retail chain. These companies have started to better integrate the physical and online experience and have tended to invest more in their Web sites than smaller online only companies, says Mr. Freed.

There are notable exceptions; Amazon.com Inc., which has no stores, was the highest rated company in ForeSee’s survey and is generally regarded as the most successful online retailer. But the big Web-only companies have extensive reviews and other information about their products, and have continued to invest in the look and feel of their sites.

That’s important. During the 2008 holiday season consumers were focused on price above all else, as the economy contracted. But in 2009 ease of use was once again a prominent indicator of satisfaction, says Mr. Freed. Many smaller retailers avoided making investments that could improve their sites as a way of controlling costs during the recession.

In all, online sales from the beginning of November through Dec. 20 totaled $25.5 billion, up 4% from 2008 but still lower than in 2007, according to online-tracking company comScore. But the rising tide isn’t lifting all ships. Sales among the top 25 retailers grew 13% in November compared with a decline of 10% among small and midsize retailers, comScore said.

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The volume of mobile transactions tripled on a year-over-year basis, according to eBay, and the current rate of unique mobile visits per day is around 750,000.  People aren’t just grabbing lots of cheap odds and ends, either, considering that a 23-foot boat recently sold for $19,108 and a Steinway grand piano sold for $10,000.

Then here’s a curious detail: mobile commerce seems to have become especially popular in the Lone Star State, since "[f]our of the top 10 U.S. ZIP codes for number of people buying via their mobile phones are from Texas."

Anyway, Lorrie Norrington, the president of eBay marketplaces, concluded, "Mobile is changing the way people shop this holiday season. . . .  eBay buyers and sellers have rapidly embraced mobile commerce this year, and this holiday season has been a mobile commerce tipping point.  Shopping will never be the same again."

eBay sellers and regular retailers who haven’t already done so are sure to spend the next several months adapting.

Related Articles:

> eBay Fined $2.6 Million Over LVMH Sales

> eBay Previews Possible Geotargeting Feature For Sellers

> eBay Back On Its Feet After Search/Browse Outage

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Drunk driving in Montgomery County, Texas, this holiday season? Expect to see your name in Tweets, as the local district attorney’s office has vowed to name and shame drunk drivers on Twitter.

The tactic, hoping to dissuade drunk drivers using the threat of public humiliation, will see DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) arrests documented on the @MontgomeryTXDAO Twitter account, owned by Montgomery County District Attorney, Brett Ligon.

The idea was conceived by County Vehicular Crimes Prosecutor Warren Diepraam, and it’s not entirely new: the information is a matter of public record and some newspapers print the names of people charged with such crimes as a deterrent.

Moving the practice to Twitter, however, is somewhat controversial: shaming people who have yet to be found guilty is a concept that some law bloggers are rallying against.

What do you think? Is Montgomery County right or wrong to publish these names on Twitter?

[via NetworkWorld]

[image credit: tsand on Flickr]

Tags: montgomery county, texas, twitter

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The definition of a Christmas miracle is pretty broad — most probably include either an undying belief in magic or rampant consumerism. Well, my friends who persist in lingering on the Internets on Christmas Eve, do I have a miracle for you.

Behold: The timeless holiday tale, Home Alone, told entirely via Twitter lists. Currently the project, which has been going on since December 22, only has 126 followers. You can get in on the action here. Put down the spiked eggnog and step away from the mistletoe, this is a real holiday treat.

At this point in what’s being called “The Home Alone Project,” we’re roughly at the part in the movie where Kevin (played by Macaulay Culkin) announces, “When those guys come back, I’ll be ready…”, signifying his intention to give the robbers a run for their money. Still, the tweets are coming in slowly (one every hour or so), meaning the movie still has a ways to go before the credits roll.

While we’ve seen online technology used to tell stories in unconventional ways before, this project has an air of teamwork to it that really gets us in the holiday spirit (provided there’re actually 22 Twitter accounts lending their typing talents). Kudos to the Nation design studio in London, England, for making this Christmas miracle manifest.

Tags: Film, home alone, humor, twitter

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It may not be rocket science, but it is pretty cool: The Mall of America is using Twitter to tweet parking info for last-minute holiday shoppers hoping to avoid the ever-annoying quest for a space.

The official Twitter account was launched on December 19 and will actively tweet parking updates and route suggestions to help shoppers avoid congestion. Tweets will be ongoing — at a rate of one tweet per hour from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. — through January 1, 2010.

Of course the updates — especially SMS notifications — will come in handy as Minnesota shoppers head out to the mall today and tomorrow to cram in down-to-the-wire holiday gift romps.

If you’re concerned about drivers using their phones to follow along, Bridget Jewell, a PR coordinator for the initiative, tells CNN “she feels the mall is providing a valuable service, it’s doing its best to discourage texting while driving. People rarely shop alone during the holidays, she said, so having a passenger check Twitter or taking a peek before leaving for mall is preferable.”

We think it’s simple and smart, and we hope to see more malls adopt similar practices next holiday season.

Tags: mall of america, social media, twitter

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"Using Google Insights for Search, we can see that the hottest toys over the last seven days include stalwarts like Pikachu and Legos, as well as newcomers, such as the Nerf Marshmellow Shooter and the surprise hit of the holiday season, a blanket-with-sleeves known as the Snuggie," says Eric Lopez of the Google Retail Team.

"In the shopping category, we’ve seen Black Friday reach new heights, toping the rising search term list over the last 30 days as consumers continue to seek out the best prices," adds Lopez. "Consumers too continue to turn to familiar, top retailers such as Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon and Macy’s."

Google has been encouraging retailers to start looking ahead to the rest of the Winter season with regards to what people will be searching for: things like Valentine’s Day gifts, Prom dresses, wedding planning, ski equipment, etc.

On a positive note for retailers, new research from Market Force Info finds that a good percentage of consumers intend to "splurge" on at least one item over the next few months.
 

Related Articles:

> Site Usability Issues Matter During the Holidays

> Google Earmarks $20M For Charities As Holiday Gift To Everyone

> Going Home For The Holidays? Google Wants To Tag Along

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It’s the time of the year where we all close up shop, join in some holiday festivities and visit with family. (Hopefully not too much visiting) We over at FYC wanted to extend our warm holiday wishes to you and yours & a great break. We also want to thank you for being loyal readers of FYA & other FUEL brand sites.

Speaking of FUEL brand sites, recently we launched a network wide Best Of post which you should hop over and check out. This awesome Best Of site design is from the mind of Adelle Charles and the coding skills of Doug Neiner. If you like it you should let them know.

In order to get in the holiday cheer I have compiled some entertaining holiday sites, giveaways & others that you can peruse at you leisure over your wonderful holiday break.

Knit Your Own Sweater Interactive Style

A nice interactive site where you can knit your own sweater and then print/email it to friends.

We Love – Eating Pies to raise money for Make a Wish

You get to make a dedicated employee eat pie, how awesome?

Ramp Champ – Holiday In Game App (iPhone)

The beautiful UI of Ramp Champ releases a free in app Christmas game. What could be better?

MacStories Apps Tree: 540 Licenses of Mac and iPhone Apps Up for Grabs Worth $10,000+!

540 Mac & iPhone Apps that are up for grabs all you have to do is enter.

What to Get for That Nerdy, Design-Savvy, Coffee-Loving, Snowboarding, Person in Your Life

Stuck on what to get your geek for Xmas? Check this out it will help for the last minute gifts.

Basic Candy Cane Text Effect in Photoshop

Get your photoshop on with some sweet Candy Cane Typography from Tutorial 9.

Beautiful Christmas Wallpapers For 2009

Xmas up your computer & get yourself into the holiday mood.

Free Christmas and New Year’s Eve WordPress Theme

A very clean Christmas WordPress Theme.

Your Plans?

How do you plan to spend the “holidays” ? Eating, Cooking, Working, Partying, Sleeping? What cool gifts did you put on your list? Some cool Mac hardware or a big Monitor? Let us know in the comments and maybe you won’t get a big lump of coal.

Sponsored by

Advertise on Fuel Your Creativity.
Fuel Your Creativity 2009 cc (creative commons license)

Happy Holidays from FYC

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Every Christmas season, people start to share cards, and designs about Christmas motives. What about creating your own Christmas card along with your own style.

In this post, I would like to share with you a collection of the Christmas Photoshop free brushes to download and use in your personal and business designs. These sets are different in style and look. You can also get inspired with these Christmas icons and collections:

• 29 Christmas iPhone Wallpapers to Cheer You Up
• 20 of the Best Christmas Icon Sets Ever Seen
• 50+ Funny Christmas Wallpapers to Celebrate Your Holiday

96 Snowflake Brushes

Twenty-four individual snowflakes, as pictured on the preview, with four variations to each. Each has a single-stamp version at 100px (pictured), a single-stamp version at 35px, and a scattered version for each of those two sizes.

Christmas Ornament PS Brushes

Here are some Christmas Ornament 21 brushes . Hope they come in handy.

21 Winter Clip Art PS Brushes

Another set of brushes you can use for winter or Christmas-themed designs. This set of Photoshop brushes is composed of a total of 21 large resolution winter clip art brushes. These brushes are ideal for creating background such as in making winter landscapes that you can use as background of a Christmas card or poster.

Xmas Stars – Freebie Brush Set

“Xmas Stars” includes 14 high-res photoshop brushes, 300-500 pixels in diameter. Use them to decorate your Christmas cards with lots of little stars spread over the page, as a large underprint beneath your designs, or on top of a Christmas Tree.
These brushes are high resolution to enable great quality for print. They are compatible with Photoshop Elements and from Photoshop 7.0 to CS4.

Christmas Word Brushes Pack

5 Brushes.Made in Paint Shop Pro 9.And Image Pack Included.

snow Flakes

18 brushes in set,Very easy snow flakes, but big brushes.

Snowflake Brushes

Commercial Use is OK

Xmass photoshop brush

VERY sweet and WONDERFUL brushes for the holiday season!

Christmas brushes

This is a small set of 7 or 8 christmas brushes .

10 Christmas Balls Photoshop Brushes

Here at Photoshop Free Brushes. Just in case you want to already start working on Christmas-themed designs, here, we are releasing our second set of Christmas brushes composed of Christmas balls. Created in Photoshop CS2, these Christmas balls Photoshop brushes have resolution of around 500 pixels and should work with any CS version of Photoshop.

Lovely Christmas

A set of 25 christmas themed brushes .

Christmas Brushes

Photoshop Brush (40 in set)

christmas brushes

Snowflake brushes

Here are seven designs of snowflakes, Made in Photoshop CS3. I hope you enjoy using them.

Christmas Text Brushes

6 Brushes.Made in Paint Shop Pro 9.Image Pack included.

Snowy

Photoshop Brush (6 in set),Snowy winter wonderland brushes for private use. There is also a commercial licence available.

Confetti brushes

10 New Year confetti brushes for photoshop, With Best Wishes For Holidays!

24 Lovely Gift Boxes as Photoshop Brushes

This a set of Photoshop brushes composed of different illustrations of gift boxes that you can use for free in your designs. There are a total of 24 high-resolution gift boxes Photoshop brushes in this set and the resolution of each brush is set at around 1900-2000 pixels. Created in Adobe Photoshop CS3, these gift boxes Photoshop brushes should work with any CS version of Photoshop.

Snowflakes Brushes

18 text brushes. different sizes and Imagepack, everything was made in illustrator.

Xmas Brush Set

8 medium res brushes for Christmas that will make your digital art pop and sparkle!

Snowflake Brushes

A set of 25 snowflake brushes.

11 Christmas Brushes

Holiday Brushes

Some holiday brushes. Lots of snowflakes, a few candles, holly, stars, and ornaments. A few Chanukah symbols.

Related topics you may like to read

• Create Your Own Vintage Photoshop Brushes
• Another Free Photoshop Brushes Collection for Your Library
• 280+ Great Photoshop Free Brushes
• One of a Kind Photoshop Brushes Collection
• 15 Free Photoshop Brushes
• Free Abstract Photoshop Brushes
• Amazing Free Floral Brushes for Photoshop
• 3000 High Quality Free Photoshop Brushes For Designers
• Free Photoshop Brushes Free Downloads!!
• High Res Photoshop Brushes Sets

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I’m going to refrain from any horrible “cheesy” jokes right off the bat — but there currently exists a holiday Hors d’œuvre centerpiece that boasts an iPhone shoved into a block of cheese.

There, the device presides over the festivities, streaming Christmas images downloaded via the app Santa’s Little Helpers [iTunes Link].

We’ve seen a lot of iPhone-themed holiday gear as of late, but Ally Fontaine’s “Santa Baby Cheese Dock” takes the fruit cake. Husband Joel Fontaine and his friends are reportedly “total iPhone freaks,” so one can only imagine the fervor with which the centerpiece was met at the couple’s holiday party.

Ray Basile over at The iPhone Savior (who broke the snack story on his site) offered Mashable these tips, should any of you wish to create your own centerpiece: “A small gully was cut for the chord around back [of the pepper jack] and then a hole on top for the dock connector. That part needs to be very tight in order for the iPhone to stand up.” Also, NB everyone: “Cheese should be nice and cold to work with.”

What do you think of using technology to pimp out the holidays? How would you utilize your iPhone to stir up holiday cheer? Make like a mechanical Martha in the comments.

[img credit: Photo Giddy/The iPhone Savior]

Tags: humor, iphone

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We focus a lot on commercial packaging, so we thought it’d be nice to a
do a roundup of some of the beautiful, personal holiday packaging
that’s being created this season.

Holiday gift box from Melissa Esplin, template available for free download.

Packaging and tutorial from Caroline Armelle.

Beautifully textured cream on white packaging by Summer Watkins for Style Me Pretty.

And this easy, DIY wine sleeve, also from Summer Watkins.

*photos by Jenny Liu.

DIY gift wrap it by Mélangerie Inc., available here.

See a plethora more after the jump.

Small jar labels, pillow boxes, varying holiday tags and CD sleeves in printable template format from Benign Objects.

Printable mail-strip gift tag on classic white wrapping and printable holiday treat bag template by Amy Moss on her blog Eat. Drink. Chic.

Packaging idea from Just Another Day Designs.

More pretty texture on white paper from Kellie at Dykast.us.

 Packaging created by Nancy Laboz and featured in Country Living.

Also featured in Country Living, this packaging made by Jessica Murnane, a stationer in Chicago.

Soft pastels from Such Pretty Things.

Popcorn Initiative Ornament, via FPO.

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A lot of netbooks are coming out this holiday season, making for one of the most sought-after gadgets this year. However, if you’re in the market for one these days (maybe as a Christmas gift), there is a high chance to end up kicking yourself, maybe a month later. Why? Well, in January a whole range of new netbooks based on Intel’s new Atom PineTrail platform will be coming out, bringing more performance at a lesser price.

(…)
Read the rest of ASUS Eee PC 1005P/PE PineTrail Netbooks [EeePC 1005P & 1005PE Netbooks to Feature Atom N450 CPUs & 12.5hr Battery]

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The gifting season is nigh, and with about a week to go for holiday shoppers, the home-stretch can be grueling if you’re still crossing people off your list.

Out of ideas? Looking for a deal? Well, you’ve come to the right place. From Fail Whale T-shirts, to sleek iPhone cases, to digital gifts you can order the night before Christmas, these great gift guides will cover all of your tech and social media-minded loved ones.

10 Great Digital Gifts for Social Media Lovers

For that special someone who prefers digital toys over physical ones, check out these gift ideas which include music, movies, games, and more.

Mac Gift Guide: 10 Buying Ideas for Apple Fans

Shopping for someone who always has one eye on her Macbook and the other on her iPhone? Check out these gorgeous “Mac-cessories” that will delight any Apple connoisseur.

10 Unique Gifts You Can Make with Help from the Web

Craving a little creativity this year? This post covers ten super fun ways you can personalize your gifts online, including custom candies and unique cookbooks.

10 Gift Suggestion Sites for Hapless Holiday Shoppers

There’s one in every family – that person who is just impossible to shop for. If you’re short on ideas, just throw a bit of data into these suggestion sites, and you’ll be brimming with options in no time.

Twitter Gift Guide: 15 Ways to Shop for the Twitter Obsessed

If you can distract your favorite Twitter fiend from his smartphone for a few seconds, you might be able to give him one of these fabulous tweet-themed gifts, which he will then promptly tweet about.

The 10 Oddest Geek Products You’ll See Today

Let’s face it: Nerds can be hard to shop for. Make it easier with a few suggestions from this collection of geeky oddities that will blow the pocket protector off that “special” someone.

HOW TO: Use Social Media to Find Deals This Holiday Season

Put down the coupons and fire up your Internet. Social media is the best way to find a bargain this holiday season. This post shows you how.

7 YouTube Holiday Shopper Videos That’ll Make You Glad You Bought Online

When you’re finally done cruising the web for holiday gifts, kick back, relax, and enjoy all the retail horror you missed while you were pointing and clicking your way through the season.

Do you have other great ideas on where our readers can find great gift ideas and discounts online? Share them in the comments below.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, sonurdongel

Tags: gift, Gifts, Holiday, Holidays, List, Lists, online shopping, shopping

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Elfster

Elfster

Managing a gift exchange can take a lot of work, especially if you’re trying to do a Secret Santa or otherwise keep some of the details quiet. Elfster can handle the hard work for your family, office or group.

ElfYourself

ElfYourself

Whether you need a quick card to entertain a friend or you’ve just always imagined your boss in an elf costume, you can upload photos to ElfYourself and create your own singing, dancing elves.

NORAD’s Santa Tracker

NORAD Santa Tracker

Who better to report Santa’s location as he delivers presents on Christmas Eve? NORAD lets you follow Santa’s path, as well as track Santa in Google Earth.

Gifts.com

Gifts

We’ve all got that relative who’s impossible to shop for. But Gifts.com has put together a tool to help you decide on a gift, based on your answers to a few questions about the recipient’s personality.

24Ways

24Ways

Advent has gone online with 24Ways’ advent calendar, perfect for a web geek. Each day of December, the site offers a new day’s worth of web design and development information.

Holiday Calendar

Holiday Calendar

American Greetings offers a holiday planner online that can automatically track your holiday schedule, remind you of tasks like sending out gifts and keep you from going crazy over the holidays.

Gmail’s Holiday Postcards

Gmail Templates

While Gmail offer to mail out holiday post cards has expired, you can download six different designs from Gmail and send out the cards on your own.

Amazon Gifts & Wish Lists

Amazon Gifts

Amazon will help you find the perfect gift for friends and family. If you’re shopping for someone with a wishlist, Amazon will make recommendations from it; otherwise, Amazon will make its own suggestions.

Freeshipping.org

Freeshipping

Need a coupon to make sure you get free shipping for all those holiday presents? Freeshipping.org offers coupons for more than 1,900 online stores and is planning the second annual Free Shipping Day for December 17th.

YouIn?

You In?

The holidays aren’t just about gifts — Yahoo has a special site just for this holiday season, allowing users to share stories of kindness and create happiness for the holiday season.

Happy Holidays

Thanks to all of you who’ve read the site over the past months. It’s been a fun, successful first five months for Web.AppStorm.

Have a very, merry Christmas!

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More holiday packs from Kleenex. Previous holiday packs featured here. These are flocked!

“This year’s Kleenex® holiday cartons feature a series of nostalgic winter scenes, flocked in sparkling white against four jewel toned foil backgrounds. Simple, understated and reminiscent of childhood memories, illustrator Beth White was commissioned to create a series of snow scenes.  Beth’s sophisticated yet simplified silhouettes suited our vision perfectly while taking advantage of the flocking embellishment we were planning. The design is purposely less glitzy than in previous years, with more emphasis being placed on the celebration of the simple pleasures associated with the holiday season.” 

Client: Kleenex® brand
Creative Director: Christine Mau
Senior Designer: Jen Brock
Illustrator: Beth White

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Back in the old days, the only way to get an audience with Santa was to head to the mall and wait in line for a chance at the fat man’s knee. Today’s kids have a wealth of online options for hooking up with the Claus.

We’ve scoured the ‘Net for the five best ways to connect with Father Christmas, from the iPhone version of a letter to Santa, to some sleigh-tracking GPS tools.

If you have kids (or are just a big kid yourself), we think you’ll enjoy sharing these holiday web treats.

1. Get an E-mail from Santa

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Super-organized parents may have already ordered their child an “official” hard-copy, mailed letter from Santa from one of the many places that offers that service, but the rest of us (or indeed, those that shun snail mail) can have a more last-minute go via SaintNick.org. The site has a form where you enter the child’s name, age, location, how nice they’ve been, and their Christmas wish list. Once sent, an almost instantaneous letter from Santa will appear in your inbox which cleverly incorporates the data provided into a coherent, personalized letter to your little one from the big man himself.

2. Ask Virtual Santa a Question

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If you’re struggling to explain to a youngster exactly how Santa knows whether they’ve been naughty or nice, why not just let Kris Kringle phrase the answer himself? You can ask the authentic-looking Virtual Santa a wealth of common questions that may be worrying kids, such as “Will you still come if I don’t have a chimney?” or “How do you travel around the world in just one night?” The on-screen Santa will give video answers delivered in a jolly manner. There’s also an option to ask Santa a question of your own, but we’d stick to the pre-set list, as it seems the elves’ A.I. programming for such user-generated questions is a little on the random side.

3. Get a Phone Call from Santa

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Aimed at younger children who will be susceptible to such trickery, this Santa-themed iPhone app simulates a phone call from the man in red and could have two applications. It can be used to generate some pre-Christmas magic for a child speaking to Santa before the big day, or it may be a handy tool to get naughty kids to behave.

There are three call options: 1. Santa praises the child for being on the good list with promises of Christmas surprises; 2. Santa issues a verbal warning for bad behavior; and 3. Santa suggests a lump of coal is en route unless they shape up soon. All are delivered in an “upbeat and positive” way, but you might want to pre-screen option three just to be sure you don’t traumatize the little tyke.

4. See Santa Live on a Webcam

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We’ve been watching this Finnish feed on and off for a little while now, hoping to catch “Santa” in some compromising position. So far though, Santa’s been nothing but professional, meeting and greeting kids in his comfortable home at the North Pole ably assisted by a couple of elves. The live webcam broadcasts during office hours, meaning you can tune in from anywhere in the world to see Santa in action between visitors. You’ll have to work out the time difference (it’s GMT+2) to catch Claus at work, but hopefully a live glimpse of Santa doing his thing will be worth it.

5. Track Santa’s Journey on Christmas Eve

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It’s an American Christmas tradition that’s gone global thanks to the web. Once a year since the 1950s, the North American Aerospace Defense Command turns its high-tech radar system towards the North Pole and follows Santa’s progress around the world as he delivers his present payload. To really get the kids hyped on Christmas Eve, you can go to the NORAD homepage and then track Santa’s journey thanks to a Google Earth team-up. You can also catch some snaps from the strategically positioned Santa-cams that grab pics of Santa and his reindeer as he makes his way across the night sky. Good luck trying to get the kids off to sleep after that.

More holiday resources from Mashable:

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- 10 Great Digital Gifts for Social Media Lovers
- Mac Gift Guide: 10 Buying Ideas for Apple Fans
- 10 Gift Suggestion Sites for Hapless Holiday Shoppers
- 10 Unique Gifts You Can Make with Help from the Web
- HOW TO: Use Social Media to Find Deals This Holiday Season
- 7 YouTube Holiday Shopper Videos That’ll Make You Glad You Bought Online

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, morganl

Tags: Holidays, iphone apps, List, Lists, Santa

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The time is coming to the holiday season and the Christmas time. Along with you plan for the holiday, Graphic Mania provides you ideas to celebrate with you computer with new funny Christmas wallpapers collection.

Here are more than 50 funny Christmas wallpapers collection to let you celebrate with you computer with the holiday, just remember not to spend the holiday in work. Enjoy it and let you computer enjoy it with you

If you like this collection, download it and share with your friends. Also, you may like to see these other Christmas collections:

• 20 of the Best Christmas Icon Sets Ever Seen
• 29 Christmas iPhone Wallpapers to Cheer You Up

Related topics you may like to read

• Cartoon Wallpapers and Backgrounds Collection
• Most Amazing High Quality Wallpapers Collction
• Amazing Car Wallpapers
• Wonderful Free Games Wallpapers
• 15 Cute Free 3D Wallpaper Collection
• One of a Kind Free Wallpapers Collection
• 25 Amazing Cars Wallpapers
• 29 Christmas iPhone Wallpapers to Cheer You Up
• Fantasy Water Wallpaper Photoshop Tutorial
• 65 Stunning Dual-Monitor Wallpapers

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With ten days to go until Christmas Sprint has decided to go ahead and promote its Sprint Now Network. The company seems to believe that twelve days of Christmas are too many to get things done. And that’s where the Sprint Now Network steps should step in and help you do things faster.

Sprint released a rather strange press release today in which it basically advertises various products while focusing on the Now Network. Phones like the Samsung Reclaim, the HTC Hero, the Samsung Moment and the Palm Pre are also mentioned. Sprint insists on features like Google search, GPS, unlimited texting, eco-friendliness, app stores like the Android Market and the Palm App Catalog, NFL Mobile support, online shopping, AMOLED screens, music support, 3G and 4G speeds, push to talk support and customer service. But here are exactly the twelve ways in which Sprint plans to improve your Christmas:

ONE call to the bakery means you don’t have to spend 90 minutes making cookies that your mother says your sister makes better anyway. A Google search will get you the number.

TWO GPS searches will get you to both holiday parties in one night, taking the shortcut across town. Lay your handset on the console and Sprint Navigation will talk you to your next stop where you’ll be relaxed and ready to have fun.

THREE kids and three text messages tell you that none of them is going to be home when Grandma first arrives, but you’ll have some quiet time, and texting is unlimited on many Sprint phone plans.

FOUR hours was how long it seemed to take last year to open that annoying hard plastic packaging, but the Sprint Samsung Reclaim eco-friendly handset comes in easy-to-open environmentally responsible packaging, and our accessories soon will, too. Sprint was ranked No. 15 among large companies in Newsweek’s green rankings, and the highest ranked telecom company overall.

FIVE golden rings. OK, you’re not buying those this year, but how about some cool ring tones from the Sprint Digital Lounge at Sprint.com, or app stores like Android Market and Palm App Catalog?

SIX, what was it, geese? Instead of that bird, how about some Falcons, Cardinals or Seahawks? You can make sure you don’t miss any of the action while you’re out shopping, at holiday parties or putting up the tree by using NFL Mobile Live only from Sprint. Sprint devices are intuitive and easy to use – and we’ll show you how to make the most of your device through our stores’ Ready Now programs.

SEVEN – that’s how many video games the spouse wants. One click on the Barcode application on one of Sprint Android phones – HTC Hero with Google or Samsung Moment with Google – gives you the best price available on each in an instant, and the ability to order them now for delivery. Android Market has more than 10,000 easy-to-download applications that can make your holidays stress free: keep track of your to-do list, manage your grocery shopping needs, and check Craigslist for your holiday gifts.

EIGHT lights are out on the string this year. How did that happen? Banish the darkness with the glow from the clear, bright AMOLED screen on the Samsung Moment and find replacements in the bottom of the box in a snap. Sprint has the industry’s strongest handset lineup this season, with a choice of features and operating systems for anything you or you family need to do now.

NINE holiday songs, downloaded from the Sprint Music Store to your Samsung Rant or other Sprint feature phone, will ensure you and your family are in the holiday spirit. Downloads are just $0.99 per song with a data-included plan or add-on, and Sprint makes it easy and convenient. With the Palm® Pre, you can buy songs from the Amazon MP3 store and listen using the built-in music player.

UP TO 10 times faster than 3G on download speeds – that’s what Sprint 4G mobile broadband means to you. With Sprint 4G you can download a favorite video game, picture, holiday TV special or large video in seconds, not minutes, or watch live streaming video on your laptop – all while on the go, not just from the home or office. Today, Sprint offers 4G in 27 markets and expects to offer coverage in 80 markets by the end of 2010.

Eleven co-workers, and you can wish them all Happy Holidays at the same time in one push-to-talk action with Nextel Group Connect, one of the many group services and other features that allow you to communicate instantly on Nextel Direct Connect handsets on the fastest national push-to-talk network.

Twelve…well, actually, 24 hours a day, every day: That’s how long Sprint is working to make sure the Now Network is performing at its best-ever levels. Indeed, Sprint tested as the most reliable 3G network in comparison to AT&T and Verizon in a 13-city 3G performance test conducted by PC World.

What do you say? Did Sprint grab your attention or are you going to stick to your regular carrier?

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December is supposed to be a time for joy and merriment, but with the hustle and bustle of daily life, the stress of holiday travel, shopping and planning, the sheer anticipation we used to experience as kids seems a distant memory. But mobile applications can help us stop, take a breather, and regain some of that missing holiday fun.

In the spirit of the holiday season and an attempt to recover some of that holiday excitement, the following are 10 fun iPhone apps to help put a little more festivity into your lives.

Note: We evaluated apps for all holidays in December (including Kwanzaa), but only included apps we thought were worth your time and money, regardless of which holiday they represented.

1. iCaroler

For those who don’t live in areas that are frequented by carolers, this is the next best thing. iCaroler features a group of melodious singers who belt out tried and true Christmas songs like “Jingle Bells” or “Deck the Halls.” The song choices are limited but that is overridden by the fact that this app features multi-sync technology. Have a friend download the app and “join” your carolers for a surround sound caroling experience.

Cost: $0.99

2. Festive Holiday Baking

No celebration is complete without holiday cookies. This app contains numerous recipes for creating festive holiday treats like Holly Jolly Fudge and Peppermint Crunch Bark. If you can’t decide which tasty sweet to bake, just shake your iPhone and one will be selected for you.

Cost: $0.99

3. Festive Holiday Cocktails

Since you have the treats, you may as well have the cocktails as well. With recipes for libations such as Apple Mistletoe Tini, Jingle Juice and Rudolph’s Tipsy Spritzer, your next holiday party will certainly be merry and bright.

Cost: $0.99

4. Christmas Radio

Can’t get enough of “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree?” Download this free Christmas Radio app to have immediate access to 40 Christmas radio stations from around the country.

Cost: Free

5. Christmas Sounds Free

Feel the sudden urge to hear sleigh bells, fire crackling or wrapping of presents? This app provides little sound bites of these and more to get you into the Christmas spirit.

Cost: Free

6. Santa Tracker 2009

This app gives you a lot of bang for your buck. Not only does it include GPS Santa Tracking, it also includes a North Pole blog, a customizable ‘Naughty or Nice’ list, the ability to send text messages to Santa, and more. In addition, 10% of all proceeds from this app are donated to Toys for Tots.

Cost: $0.99

7. Hanukkah Envi

Hanukkah Envi is a comprehensive app that brings anything and everything you’d like to know about the holiday to your iPhone. In a series of slide shows and scrolling images, the holiday is narrated in pictures and covers topics including art, food, dreidels, history and menorahs.

Cost: $0.99

8. Parents Calling Santa

This app is a must have for anyone who is playing the Santa card as motivator for good behavior or discouragement of bad behavior. There are three options available – good, warning or naughty in which Santa calls and either praises or admonishes the behavior in question.

Cost: $1.99

9. JingleToe

JingleToe is a very simple app that features a sprig of mistletoe – perfect for any holiday party where mistletoe is absent. The app also provides the ability to add background music and lights around it to spruce it up even more.

Cost: Free $0.99

10. Menorah – Chanukah

The Menorah app is simply that – an animated menorah that demonstrates how many candles should be lit, as well as how to light them. It also includes Chanukah prayers in Hebrew, English and Transliterated.

Cost: Free

More iPhone resources from Mashable:

---

- 10 iPhone Apps to Help You Survive the Holidays
- iPhone TV: Top iPhone Apps for Live Streaming Television
- Top 10 iPhone Apps as Judged by Mashable Readers
- 7 iPhone Apps That Can Save Lives
- 5 Must-Have iPhone Apps for Wine Lovers
- 20 Creative Apps For Your iPhone

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, koun

Tags: Holiday, iphone, iphone apps, List, Lists

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Nearly two thirds (62.3%) of retailers’ shipping deadlines for Christmas delivery will fall on or before December 18, with 34 percent of shipping deadlines occurring on December 18 itself.

Many of the busiest online shopping days of the year are set to take place this week as shoppers go online to make holiday purchases in order to meet impending shipping deadlines.

"Online shoppers don’t need to deal with long lines, store hours or winter weather, but they do need to plan ahead," said Scott Silverman, Executive Director of Shop.org.

"To entice online shoppers on a budget, many retailers will offer special sales and promotions as shipping deadlines near."

Shoppers looking to save on shipping should also be aware of December 18, as 17.9 percent of retailers said that would be the last day they would offer a free shipping promotion for holiday gifts.

According to shop.org’s eHoliday survey, released in October, the majority (79.4%) of online retailers will offer free shipping with conditions at some point during the holiday season, while more than half (57.4%) also plan to offer free shipping without conditions. The popular promotion is one element driving shoppers online, with 33.1 percent of holiday shoppers planning to spend more on the Internet this holiday season because of free shipping.

"In this economy, shoppers are taking a look at the entire purchase price – including shipping – before deciding where to shop," said Phil Rist, Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, BIGresearch.

"Though free shipping isn’t "free" for retailers, companies know these promotions can set themselves apart from their competition and are relying on them more heavily to bring in shoppers."

For shoppers who miss standard shipping deadlines they may be still able to use expedited shipping from some retailers. More than half (54.2%) of online retailers will offer overnight shipping options for Christmas delivery through December 23.
 

Related Articles:

> Holiday Shoppers Turning To Social Media And Internet

> Google Gears Up For The Holidays

> More People Plan To Shop Online During The Holidays

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The most recent week saw above average online spending growth of 4 percent versus a year ago, two days shattered the $800 million mark in spending, led by Thursday, December 10, with $852 million.

"Although this most recent week of holiday shopping did not produce the first $900 million spending day, we saw above average growth rates including a strong end to the week," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.

"Monday, December 14 – otherwise known as Green Monday – is likely to produce our heaviest online spending total for the season and represents our best opportunity to finally surpass that elusive $900 million spending threshold. The early part of this upcoming week should bring us the heaviest online spending days of the season before consumers refocus their attention on brick-and-mortar retail locations to finish up their holiday shopping."

Since comScore began tracking ecommerce spending in 2001, it has recorded thirteen spending days over $800 million, each has occurred in the past three holiday seasons. The heaviest online spending day on record was Wednesday, December 9, 2008. Of the top ten spending days on record, four happened in 2009, four in 2008, and two in 2007.
 

Related Articles:
>Online Holiday Spending Hits $16 Billion
>Walmart Wins Thanksgiving, Amazon Wins Black Friday
>Online Retailers See Strong Cyber Monday Sales

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Love them or hate them, the holidays are here. The good news is that now that Twitter is practically mainstream, chances are you have a friend or family member who would more than appreciate a Twitter-themed gift. So instead of heading to your average mega mall and buying gifts that are a dime a dozen, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite Twitter-inspired treasures that you can find and buy online.

Use these functional and novelty 140 character treats to your gift-giving advantage this holiday season. You can one up the rest of your family with over-the-top Twitter gifts like pillows, t-shirts, buttons, books, stationary, and even a tweeting scale. These gifts could make for the most entertaining holiday season yet.

Twitter Stores

Yes, they do exist. Online stores dedicated to selling Twitter-ific products are open 24 hours for your holiday shopping convenience.

Fail Whale Flair: Old school Twitterers remember the early days of Twitter, when the infamous Twitter Fail Whale made frequent and debilitating appearances. Those days are mostly long gone, but the novelty of the Fail Whale still lives on in the form of the Fail Whale store on Zazzle.

Choose from moderately priced t-shirts, baby onesies, adult and kids aprons, mouse pads, mugs, buttons, stickers, bags, key chains, stamps, postcards, bumper stickers, and posters.

Twitter Bonanza: Cuddly bears, Twitter-inspired aprons, buttons, baby onesies, mugs, hats, tees, and even a thong are all readily available thanks to Cafe Press and their you make it, we sell it mentality.

If you’re looking for odd-ball stocking stuffers with a Twitter twist, you won’t be disappointed with the selection. In fact, with the thousands of Twitter gifts available, your biggest problem might be narrowing down your search to just a few items.

Twitter Tees by Threadless: Twitter t-shirts are everywhere these days, but if you want a tee that highlights an awesome tweet and has the backing of Twitter, then you need to get yourself to the Twitter Tees by Threadless store. Every week Threadless puts out new t-shirts using the most popular tweets as submitted by voters like you.

Instead of getting a bland t-shirt with a cutesy Twitter mention, for $18 you’re buying a beautifully crafted and designed tee that is bound to please even the most particular of Twitterers.

Not for the Faint of Heart

Tweeting Scale: Withings latest WiFi Body Scale can record weight data, track it via iPhone app, and yes auto-tweet your weigh-ins. It’s the perfect gift your health nut friend who wants a faster way to tell the world how fit they are. The “motivational” scale may also make a great gift for those kick-starting a new diet in the new year. Either way, use this gift wisely, otherwise you could turn Christmas day into an awkward family function.

Follow Me Stockings: Women with a penchant for sexy accessories and a love of Twitter will derive much pleasure when wearing these Twitter “Follow Me” thigh-highs on Etsy. Priced at a reasonable $18/pair, you can choose from five different colors for just the right effect. Unfortunately, for now the stockings remain sold out.

Sleep on It

You won’t lose another night of sleep if you rest your head on a Twitter pillow. You can buy the soft and plush pillows from a few different outlets. We recommend the MyTweetStuff pillows, inspired by Tweetie, which you can buy separately for $15/each or as a bundle. Unfortunately these pillows might make better belated gifts for coworkers, as shipping could take 9 weeks.

On the pillow front, you can also snatch up the 12″ x 12″ $19.99 Twitter Pillow or Twitter Birds Pillow from Craftsquatch on Etsy. While you’re there, make sure to check out the other social media pillows. Chances are your Twitter-obsessed friends or family members would also enjoy pillows that pay homage to Facebook, Gmail, or FriendFeed.

Book It

There are those of you who agonize over ever single tweet, carefully crafting every character for maximum impact on the micro medium. For you, may we present TweetBookz, a site that turns your tweets into soft cover ($17) or hard cover ($25.50) books that you can proudly display in your home. This could make the perfect gift for yourself, and we should all reward ourselves for a tweet well done this holiday season, but if your tweets are so phenomenal, then perhaps your mom might want a copy.

You can also buy electronic gift certificates from TweetBookz. So when it’s crunch time and you’re down to the wire, send those last few people on your shopping list a digital gift certificate so they can build their own book.

140bio is also selling books made from your tweets. Their variety sells for $18.99, includes free shipping, and is a 5″ x 8″ paperback microbiography with your 3,200 latest tweets compromising the content of the book’s pages.

Book Smarts

It may seem a bit strange for long form books to be written about a short form platform, but, as it turns out, Twitter is not elementary for everyone. We’ve compiled a some of the best Twitter books that you can share with friends, family members, teachers, students, co-workers and anyone else who you think could use a crash course in Twitter.

The Twitter Book: The Twitter Book, by Tim O’Reilly and Sarah Milstein, isn’t so much the right gift for an existing Twitter addict, but more appropriate for those you’re trying to convince that Twitter is all the rage.

The book reads like a beginner’s how-to guide, which means you could even use it as a subtle way to encourage less than stellar Twitter users to improve their Twittering ways. The eBook retails for $15.99, with the hardcopy paperback costing a few bucks more.

The World According to Twitter: New York Times columnist David Pogue turns his attention to Twitter in this book which uses the wisdom of his followers to answer both practical and absurd questions.

Since it includes 2,524 tweets “about life, the universe, and other pertinent stuff,” it’s the perfect gift for the Twitter naysayer who thinks tweeting to be just a banal exercise. Plus, not only can the recipient of the book learn about the practicality of Twitter from actual Twitterers, but they may also enjoy the personal, 140 character stories on everything from first kisses to embarrassing moments and memorable pick up lines.

Twitter for Dummies: Renowned Twitterer, Lauren Fitton, otherwise known as @pistachio, is one of the co-authors of the Twitter for Dummies book.

The book walks you through getting started on Twitter, using Twitter applications, learning from Twitter thought leaders, and highlights interesting and unique ways to use Twitter. Thus, with practical advice and tips for how to use Twitter and who to follow, the recipient of this book will hopefully graduate from being a Twitter dummy to a Twitter scholar.

Twitter Tips, Tricks, and Tweets: This 272 page guide covers Twitter basics as well as more advanced topics to help newbies and veterans maximize their Twitter potential.

Topics include customizing your Twitter profile, detailed information on how to follow other Twitterers, the art of retweeting, mobile phone tweeting details, and using Twitter to find important information. Plus, with a forward by our very own CEO, Pete Cashmore, you know you can’t go wrong.

Twitter Revolution: Warren Whitlock and Deborah Micek lend their credible voices to this book that is all about the evolution of social media for marketing.

The book covers everything from becoming follow-worthy to branding and reputation management on Twitter,  dealing with trolls who taint the Twitter experience, using the medium to connect with influencers, PR tactics, and finding and identifying trends. The book even goes so far as to make comparisons between Twitter and sex. Sounds like an interesting read.

Twitter Wit: Brilliance in 140 Characters of Less: While most of the other books listed here take practical looks at Twitter’s value as a medium, Twitter Wit redirects its attention to the art of good tweets.

Editor Nick Douglas collected and curated tweets that were submitted by the Twitter community, and put his favorite witty tweets in this book. It’s a pretty genius idea, with the output sure to make for an entertaining read or coffee table discussion piece.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, alle12

Tags: Gifts, holiday gifts, twitter

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There were two beautiful young women that paraded around like the store window was their bedroom, doing playful things like jumping on the bed, brushing each others hair and even zipping each other up. The crowd, mostly male, shouted to them to get their attention, and even wrote notes to them, however the women were trained to ignore the crowd. This led the men to believe the women could not see them, making this event even more voyeuristic.

Holiday windows have always been an attraction in New York, but this “Christmas” window display literally stole all the traffic from even the very popular Macy’s window. The crowd response was mixed from the women, some saw it as too much for a street view, feeling it should have been restricted from general public viewing. Some women, however were inspired enough by the window to start their own public display of affection with a passionate kiss. One report was made to police, however the officers did not interfere with the successful holiday campaign.

While the holiday window seems to have been a success, their social media campaign was more of a bust (no pun intended). A twitter account was set up at @WatchMeXOXO which only yielded 324 followers, and their Facebook account that has more than 13,000 fans only received one or two likes on each post about the event.

What do you think? Was this a powerful social promotion or is it closer to “street corner” behavior?

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The most recent week ending December 6 reached 4.6 billion in holiday spending, heavier than any individual spending week in 2008 but still below two individual weeks in 2007. The week began with strong weekday spending, led by $887 million on Cyber Monday, but ended on a quieter note with negative year-over-year growth rates during the weekend.

"After a strong beginning to the week, we saw growth rates decelerate over the weekend to put this past week of holiday shopping in line with our 3 percent growth forecast for the season," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.

"We are anticipating heavy spending for the current week, making it an important determinant for how the holiday season as a whole will perform. Hopefully, we’ll see a return to the growth rates we observed during the earlier part of this past week and that the weekend softness was just a temporary hiccup."

comScore also found that social media is having an impact on holiday shopping behavior. According to its holiday survey, 28 percent of those who have begun their holiday shopping this season indicated that social media has influenced their purchases.

User-generated product reviews were the most common form of social media that influenced holiday purchase (13% of respondents), followed by expert product reviews (11%). Seven percent reported they have followed a fan page on Facebook to take advantage of special offers and deals, while 6 percent said they have been influenced by a friend’s Facebook status referring to a particular product. Five percent of respondents said they had followed a company on Twitter to take advantage of special offers, while 3 percent indicated that a friend’s tweet about a product influenced their buying behavior.

"Social media really appears to be emerging as an important marketing channel this holiday season," added Mr. Fulgoni. "On the one hand, its emergence is being driven by increased consumer adoption of these technologies and the exponential growth in digital word-of-mouth that is occurring over this medium."

"On the other hand, having a social media marketing strategy makes sense for retailers in this environment because it’s cost-effective and shows an effort to get closer to one’s customers. I think we are getting our first real glimpse at the impact social media will play on commerce as we enter the next decade."

Related Articles:

>Cyber Monday Deals Attract Online Shoppers

>Walmart Wins Thanksgiving, Amazon Wins Black Friday

>Online Retailers See Strong Cyber Monday Sales

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‘Tis the season for holiday kitsch and Yahoo has embraced the spirit of Twitter and the season to bring you Social Mojo, Holiday Edition.

Modeled after the original Social Mojo experience, Holiday Mojo will analyze your Twitter stream using a “not very scientific” process to determine what kind of seasonal Twitter user you are.

Depending on your holiday tweeting ways, you could be one of eight different seasonal Twitter users. Are you a snowman, toast master, gingerbread man, or nutcracker? Just enter your Twitter name on the Yahoo Holiday Mojo page to find out.

It’s cute, harmless, and yet another way to celebrate the time of year. So, what kind of seasonal Twitter user are you? Let us know your results in the comments.

Snowflake – Drifting from here to there, no one is better at following people than you!

Regifter – You’re great at passing on the retweets.

Toast Master – You have a lot to say and take advantage of your 140 characters to say it!

Mistletoe Magnet – You like to bring people together with all those hashtags.

Snowman – Based on how rarely you tweet, you’re clearly the strong, silent type.

Nutcracker – You’re so good at uncovering the best URLs!

Gingerbread Man – All those followers make it clear that you’re quite sweet.

Noise Maker – You like to keep the conversation going with all those @replies.

Tags: holiday mojo, Yahoo

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Here is a list of awesome stocking stuffers, t-shirts, gadgets, and peripherals that any geek would be proud, nay, overjoyed to receive on Christmas Day (Plus most are pretty affordable!)!

Stocking Stuffers

Mini Magnetic Bumper Stickers – $5.99

Dead Fred Pen Holder – $9.99

Baconnaise – $5.99

The ThinkGeek Annoy-a-tron – $9.99 – $19.99

Nerdy Badge Holders – $5.99

C.H.I.M.P. Rearview Monitor Mirror – $7.99

4″ Fuzzy Ninja Black Domo – $12.99

LED Faucet Lights – $19.99

Mid-Range – T-shirts, gadgets, games!

GP2X Wiz MAME/Amiga/Console Emulator – $179.99

Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt

Mimo Mini USB Monitor – $129.99 – $299.99

Quantum Jacket – $250

Star Wars Force FX Lightsabers – $119.99

Nintendo Wii – $199.99

Top Shelf – Items over $250 – Games, Computers, etc.

Sony PS3 – $299.99

Apple Macbook Pro – $999.99 – $2599.99

ASUS Eee PC – $341.99

And this is just the tip of the ice berg! There are tons of awesome stuff for techies this holiday season – If you need more Geek gift ideas then check out the following resources as well!

25 Funny T-Shirts for Designers and Developers – HILARIOUS.

CNET 2009 Holiday Tech Guide

ZDNET 2009 Holiday Gift Guide

I hope that we have helped you on your quest to make your geek happy this holiday season! Check back soon for more holiday geek gift Tips!

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27 Free Christmas Illustrations

The best thing about the holiday season is getting presents, so we asked the very talented Kai Loon to put together a special set of completely free illustrations to give away. The set includes 27 illustrations to mix and match with everything you need to make cards and promotions. Download the set for free, to use in personal or commercial projects.

Seasonal Files!

Around this time of year you often find yourself in need of some creative assets themed for Christmas, new year and the holidays! We’ve assembled some of the best seasonal files from around the Envato Marketplaces into 5 great collections:

1. Top Holiday Flash Files
2. Christmas & Holiday Music
3. Seasonal Vectors and Graphics
4. Holiday Themed Motion Graphics
5. Seasonal Email Templates

$7000 of Giveaways over 24 Days on AppStorm

Since you’re readying AppStorm, you no doubt already know about our giveaways here, but just in case … Mac.AppStorm and Web.AppStorm are running giveaways every single day for 24 days leading up to Christmas! It’s a total of 138 licenses worth over $7000 up for grabs, and David’s even thrown in a few free AppStorm holiday wallpapers! And if you enjoy AppStorm, look out for our third AppStorm site which is due to launch right after the giveaways, along with a redesign and a hub site at AppStorm.net!

Winter of WordPress

Selling WordPress themes has rapidly turned into a cottage industry allowing web designers and developers everywhere to earn a steady stream of income ranging from hundreds to many thousands of dollars a month. Because the quiet winter months are one of the best times to invest some time theming we’ve put together a little showcase site called Winter of WordPress to tell you all about the opportunities in WP theming!

96 Tuts+ Giveaways + Wallpaper + Caricatures

For 12 days starting on December 21st, Tuts+ is going to be hosting a massive set of 96 giveaways across all 8 Tuts+ sites including pillows, books, Amazon vouchers and Plus memberships. On New Year’s Day there will also be a special 2010 wallpaper by James White and our very own Ian Yates is putting together caricatures of the entire Tuts+ team

Special Edition Comics Plus ThinkGeek Giveaways

Over on our work blogs FreelanceSwitch and WorkAwesome we’re celebrating the holiday season with ThinkGeek and Marketcircle giveaways along with our annual NC Winter’s FreelanceFreedom and Memo:random special comic strips!

Happy New Year from Envato!

So keep an eye out for it all happening across the Envato network throughout December! And from all of us here at Envato, have a lovely holiday season and a happy new year!

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27 Free Christmas Illustrations

The best thing about the holiday season is getting presents, so we asked the very talented Kai Loon to put together a special set of completely free illustrations to give away. The set includes 27 illustrations to mix and match with everything you need to make cards and promotions. Download the set for free, to use in personal or commercial projects.

Seasonal Files!

Around this time of year you often find yourself in need of some creative assets themed for Christmas, new year and the holidays! We’ve assembled some of the best seasonal files from around the Envato Marketplaces into 5 great collections:

1. Top Holiday Flash Files
2. Christmas & Holiday Music
3. Seasonal Vectors and Graphics
4. Holiday Themed Motion Graphics
5. Seasonal Email Templates

$7000 of Giveaways over 24 Days on AppStorm

Enjoy apps? Well our two App review blogs – Mac.AppStorm and Web.AppStorm – are running giveaways every single day for 24 days leading up to Christmas! It’s a total of 138 licenses worth over $7000 up for grabs, and David’s even thrown in a few free AppStorm holiday wallpapers! And if you enjoy AppStorm, look out for our third AppStorm site which is due to launch right after the giveaways, along with a redesign and a hub site at AppStorm.net!

Winter of WordPress

Selling WordPress themes has rapidly turned into a cottage industry allowing web designers and developers everywhere to earn a steady stream of income ranging from hundreds to many thousands of dollars a month. Because the quiet winter months are one of the best times to invest some time theming we’ve put together a little showcase site called Winter of WordPress to tell you all about the opportunities in WP theming!

96 Tuts+ Giveaways + Wallpaper + Caricatures

For 12 days starting on December 21st, Tuts+ is going to be hosting a massive set of 96 giveaways across all 8 Tuts+ sites including pillows, books, Amazon vouchers and Plus memberships. On New Year’s Day there will also be a special 2010 wallpaper by James White and our very own Ian Yates is putting together caricatures of the entire Tuts+ team

Special Edition Comics Plus ThinkGeek Giveaways

Over on our work blogs FreelanceSwitch and WorkAwesome we’re celebrating the holiday season with ThinkGeek and Marketcircle giveaways along with our annual NC Winter’s FreelanceFreedom and Memo:random special comic strips!

Happy New Year from Envato!

So keep an eye out for it all happening across the Envato network throughout December! And from all of us here at Envato, have a lovely holiday season and a happy new year!

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But  they won’t  just be making greeting cards for the holidays. Starting now, they will be making unique, elegant video greetings for every holiday and occasion year-round! Check out the first birthday card, released today as well.

There are 3 types of videos one can create on the site.

The original Animoto video, limited to 30 seconds. Turn your pictures into beautiful video productions. Add text to tell a story.  Animoto Shorts are free but limited to 30 seconds. Get unlimited full-length videos with an All-Access Pass! The original full-length Animoto video! Turn your pictures and video clips into beautiful video productions. Add text to tell a story.  Make unlimited full-length videos for just $30/year. Or a single vid for $3. For more information, view our pricing details.   Unbranded video licensed for commercial use. Free with a Pro account. The  Pro account is packed with features: unlimited, unbranded, DVD-quality videos for you, your business and your clients! Hundreds of commercially licensed tracks. Tons more.

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Megan Berry is an evangelist for Mobclix, the industry’s largest mobile ad exchange, working on social media and marketing. She also blogs at The Huffington Post and the Mobclix blog. You can follow her on Twitter as @meganberry, or through the @Mobclix handle.

Sometimes going home for the holidays can be a case of collective insanity. I tend to fly on the big travel days when the airport security lines are ridiculously long, my flight is more expensive, and my family is more stressed than normal.

This year, I plan to use my iPhone as a problem solver for all my holiday woes. From traveling, to shopping, to entertaining the kiddies, these iPhone apps cover everything but those family fights (even the iPhone’s not that miraculous!).

Brave the Travel Madness

1. Flightcaster

This app doesn’t just tell you your current flight status, it actually predicts the likelihood that your flight will be delayed. It takes into account factors such as weather, incoming aircraft, other delays, and historical data, and then gives you a percent chance that your plane will be on time, less than 1 hour delayed, and more than 1 hour delayed.

At $7.99 it’s a bit pricey, but its ability to forecast delays definitely makes it worthwhile (you can also access the same data on their site for free if you’d prefer). It worked like a charm for my flights, but obviously results may vary. Now, if only it could actually prevent delays.

Price: $7.99

2. GasBag

For those of you driving instead of flying, you’ll love this app. GasBag helps you find the cheapest gas station in any given area so you can fill up without breaking the bank. Simple and easy to use, although it doesn’t have data for every location and station. Another app to check out is GasBuddy ($2.99) which serves a similar purpose.

Price: Free

Save Money on Gifts

3. ShopSavvy

This great app allows you to scan the barcode of any item in a store and see prices online and from nearby retailers. With this app you can ensure you’ll get the best price for every gift, even when you’re shopping in a hurry. Warning: you may get so caught up with the coolness of this product that you scan way more products than necessary.

Price: Free

4. Yowza Mobile Coupons

With Heroes actor Greg Grunberg as the co-founder, this app has made quite a splash. At a time when everyone is looking for ways to save money, this app helps you do just that.

You won’t find a coupon for every store, and not all of them will be useful, but in my opinion, if you find even one great deal from this app then it has more than proved its worth.

Price: Free

Take Stress Out of the Holiday Meal

5. GroceryIQ

Around the holidays, grocery stores can be as crowded as the aiports. That why it’s important to know exactly what you need so you don’t have to make more than one trip. With GroceryIQ, you can create lists of items you need to get and even organize your lists by aisle or store so you can shop as efficiently as possible. If only this app could buy the groceries for you, then it really would be perfect.

Price: $0.99

6. Epicurious

With 25,000 recipes, this app should have everything you need to make your holiday meals happen. It even has holiday-specific recipes for Christmas cookies, edible gifts, and Christmas and Hanukkah dinners. My favorite category is the aptly-named “I can barely cook.” You can also email recipes and use its step-by-step mode.

Price: Free

Keep the Kids Entertained

7. Movies

Sometimes on hoildays everyone gets cooped up in the house for a bit too long. This can lead to stress, fights, and kids throwing footballs in the living room. Sometimes the best solution is simply finding an excuse to get out. The Movies app allows you to see what movies are currently playing near you, look up reviews, and find theaters and show times.

Price: Free

8. Goofy Mad Libs

The iPhone has a huge selection of apps for young kids, however, the one problem those apps don’t solve is the worry associated with actually handing your precious iPhone over to a child. Goofy Mad Libs has the perfect solution, where you can ask kids for the Mad Libs, read them the silly story, and never have the iPhone leave the comfort of your own hands. This app even has a free version called Mad Libs Lite if you’d like to try it out first. It’s also great for car trips.

Price: $3.99/Free

Throw the Perfect Holiday Party

9. Mixology

The perfect holiday party requires the right drinks, and Mixology will help you create them. Select drinks by category (including hot drinks which may be just right for a holiday-themed party), liquor type, or name. You can also use the liquor cabinet feature to select what you have on hand and have the app suggest what drinks you could make.

If almost 8,000 drinks sounds like too many options, you can also shake the phone to get a random drink selection and take the choice out of your hands. As a bonus, there are bartending tips and techniques if you want to impress your friends (or just not embarrass yourself).

Price: Free

10. Pandora

The right selection of music requires a lot of time considering your guests, your song selections, and how each song fits your party’s mood. Or, you could just use the Pandora app instead.

Select a song or genre for Pandora to work from and you’ll have a whole party’s worth of music with one minute of prep. Pandora even has Christmas and holiday music, so it can truly accommodate any taste (good or bad).

Cost: Free

More iPhone resources from Mashable:

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- iPhone TV: Top iPhone Apps for Live Streaming Television
- Top 10 iPhone Apps as Judged by Mashable Readers
- 7 iPhone Apps That Can Save Lives
- 5 Must-Have iPhone Apps for Wine Lovers
- 20 Creative Apps For Your iPhone

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, monkeybusinessimages

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Reviews: Pandora, iStockphoto

Tags: Holidays, iphone, iphone apps, List, Lists

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