My husband is the best CD mixer ever. I think it stems from his 
wide-ranging curiosity about all things pop culture. He’s open to every music genre and has an encyclopedic knowledge of who recorded what and when, where and with whom. He even made tape mixes back in the olden days — not easy! But now he’s got CDs and computers and iTunes and he comes up with some brilliant mixes. (In fact, five years later people still say that the mix he created for our wedding favors was the best. Ever.) So you can guess what my Valentine’s present was: A lovely, lovely mix of some beautifully quirky love songs. Like The Smithereens’ “A Girl Like You” and Art Garfunkel’s “I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever).” There’s also “Message of Love” by The Pretenders, “This and That” from Michael Penn,Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris’s “This Is Us” and some Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison plus a song I’ve never heard, “Renaissance Eyes” by Don Dixon. This CD is a keeper. My husband, too.
Music
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On the second day of Cathy’s New Year Countdown, it’s time to do your part for the economy: Get out there and spend your Christmas money. On yourself. Look, you were good all December. You got everybody everything on their lists and you did it within your budget while ignoring all temptation to treat yourself. You resisted the pull of those luxurious cashmere sweaters that felt so good, those fabulous high-heeled pumps that called out your name, that gorgeous jacket you accidentally tried on. But your job as a giver is done now! It’s over. You did good and everybody’s happy. Time to reward yourself. And, listen, all this talk about sales and bargains and slashed prices are true right now. Go shopping this weekend and I promise you can get about three times the value for your money. Really. I promise. If you don’t believe me, check out Web sites such as 
It’s Day No. 4 in Cathy’s 12 Days Before Christmas Countdown, and it’s time for the world’s easiest and most appreciated gift ever: Peppermint Bark. Or, as we call it in my family in honor of my brother Mark, who claims this as his favorite holiday candy ever — Mark’s Bark. Sure, you can buy it fancy and already made from gourmet stores like Williams-Sonoma. But I promise you can make it much easier than pie. Here’s what you do: Melt some chocolate — whatever you’ve got around the house is fine. Spread it out sort of thin on a wax- or parchment-paper lined pan. Crush up some 
peppermint candy (very therapeutic this time of year if you put the candy in a securely closed plastic food bag and whack away with a rolling pin) and sprinkle the candy on the chocolate before it’s cool. When cool, break apart into cookie-sized pieces (again, very therapeutic). Stack and wrap for a festive gift or arrange on a plate for instant oohs and ahhs. You can get more complicated by layering white chocolate over the dark (a bit tricky because to make the layers stick you have to add the white-chocolate layer at just the right point in the cooling process) or by adding finely crushed peppermints or other flavorings to the chocolate. Need more help? For a video step-by-step tutorial , visit 
For Day No. 6 in Cathy’s 12 Days Before Christmas Countdown, here’s an idea for a super last-minute gift and stocking stuffer. I love these! One of the best timesaving holiday tips I’ve ever heard is to have a signature gift that you can buy in bulk and have on hand for almost everybody on your list. You may not have thought of travel mugs as a one-size-fits-all gift since not everybody drinks coffee or has commutes, but these mugs are perfect for all sorts of folks. You can use them for coffee, sure, but also hot cocoa for those late-night drives out to see the lights and hot tea for extra energy to make it through that final shopping push. Or make your morning smoothie portable. And you don’t even need a cupholder to enjoy these mugs, of course. Maybe your kids will drink 
their milk if you give it to them in a penguin “glass.” I’ve seen mugs like theseeverywhere this year — Starbucks especially has some cute ones. To make them useable past December, my friend Susan (who gave the tall mug in the middle to her book-club members this year) says to look for winter themes rather than strictly holiday designs. She is so smart! Check back for Day No. 5 in the Christmas Countdown for a festive yet simple door design.
It’s Day No. 7 in Cathy’s 12 Days Before Christmas Countdown, 
and here’s one of the best online shopping sites ever: 
art work, pottery, jewelry, clothing, food, decor, quilts, toys and so much more. It’s like an arts/crafts gallery combined with an upscale gift shop and Real Simple magazine. Customer service is excellent. It’s probably too late to order for this year, but start planning your 2009 gift list right now — or treat yourself for being the best Christmas Elf ever with a little something special from . Tomorrow, it’s Day No. 6 in the Christmas Countdown — a super last-minute gift idea.
Coffee with Cathy 