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macys.com presents

Joe Ruggiero and Nancy Aaronson
Holiday Shopping Ideas

November 29, 2000

Get gift ideas from a personal shopper and Joe Ruggiero! Presto! Finding the perfect gifts just got easier: Home-entertaining stylist Joe Ruggiero has some gift-giving tricks up his sleeve! Joe and a Macy's By Appointment personal shopper, Nancy Aaronson, share all their secrets and tips to finding gifts that are sure to please--holiday shopping has never been so easy!

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Macys: Welcome! As most of you know, the holiday season is certainly a magical time of year, but finding the perfect gifts doesn't happen magically. To help you out, Joe Ruggiero and Nancy Aaronson, a personal shopper from Macy's by Appointment, join us today to reveal a few gift-giving secrets they have hidden up their sleeves. They'll offer tips and ideas that will make your holiday shopping as easy as magic! They are all set to answer all your questions, so let's get started! Welcome Joe and Nancy!

Joe: I'd like to say hello to everyone who's joined us. This is my favorite time of year, no question about it. I look forward to answering your questions, and I hope we get to everyone.

Nancy: I'd like to thank you all for inviting me this evening. Finding the perfect gift is my passion, and I look forward to helping you all out.

Lisa: What is a good gift for the person who has everything?

Nancy: I think a perfect gift for a female who has everything is something that they can indulge in and need to replenish from time to time, like fragrance or bath and body products or a fabulous box of chocolates. I think a fun gift for men who have everything, just something very special, in a category they won't buy for themselves, like cashmere socks or deerskin gloves. For men, buying something they already own but a better version of it is always a nice treat.

Joe: It's really interesting that I would say socks as well. Only because I have a son and a son-in-law, and several really good friends and every Christmas they look forward to my buying them socks. I just love to see what's out there in terms of.I know Ralph is doing cashmere cable knit this year, but there are some marvelous wovens and great textures that I love to give, and it seems like every year there's something new. And people welcome it. As far as women are concerned, I don't think women ever have enough fragrance, and there's something about a new fragrance or a classic that is always welcome.

Nancy: If you know what kind of fragrance someone wears, adding products like powder, oils or soaps makes a nice addition.

Inquiring Minds: Nancy and Joe, what were your most favorite gifts you ever received for the holidays?

Nancy: My absolute favorite gift of all time was a pair of Baccarat candlesticks. I had asked someone for candlesticks figuring that would give them any price range, and these were the most extravagant beautiful creations. I'm looking at them now as we speak.

Joe: From a sentimental side, my father, when he passed away, had set aside some money for me to purchase whatever I wanted, and I can remember that Christmas our Ford Torino station wagon really kicked the bucket and died, and with the money my father had left us, we purchased a brand new Volvo. It was a present for the whole family and a great tribute to him because of lots of talk during the holidays about Grandpa's gift. It's something I'll never forget. On a lighter scale, one of my daughter's presented me with a scrapbook of Christmas drawings that she had done through 10-15 years, and that's a treasure that I still keep.

Nancy: I much more sentimental about things given to me instead of things I've given to others. When I was 7, I bought my Dad (thinking I was adorable) a 14K gold Superman charm. He chose to put it on a bracelet and still wears it. I love that result.

Caryn: What's a good holiday gift for my boss, and how much should I spend?

Joe: I think it really depends on the boss' hobbies, and depending.cigars are wonderful if they're really good. I don't smoke, but another thing is if he's a wine fanatic. One really good bottle of wine is a very nice gift. If you really want to embellish with two wonderful crystal glasses or a dozen not-so-wonderful but nicely-designed glasses--Macy's has very good wine glasses at very affordable prices--and I'm not just saying that. All kidding aside, they really do have good values. They're not crystal, but very good values.

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