Christmas Gifts to Keep Your Family Warm This Winter

For the past couple of winters, the weather has been pretty harsh. Freezing temperatures and plenty of snow have been difficult to tolerate. What has made the recent terrible winters even worse is the sluggish economy. Heating bills continue to rise, yet wages continue to go down. Making ends meet becomes more difficult each year. Of course, now Christmas is coming and Christmas shopping has begun. How can you make this Christmas and this winter a little easier? No, moving to Hawaii is not actually an option for most of us. The real answer is finding Christmas gifts that help keep everyone warmer this winter.

Recently, many stores and companies have been trying to help us stay warmer while saving money. Thick pajamas, fuzzy socks, warm robes, space heaters, and electric blankets are stocked in many stores. Items like the Snuggie and Forever Lazy have become popular infomercial products. Everywhere you look, there are products that are trying to help us. Why not purchase some of these items to give as Christmas gifts? Perhaps you have a friend or a family member that struggles to pay the heating bills in the winter. A perfect gift idea for someone in that situation is an item to help them stay warmer this Christmas.

Last Christmas, I had a heater that did not work correctly and heating bills I could barely afford to pay. So what did my parents give me for Christmas? A Bionaire Ceramic Heater! It features an Eco-Smart option to save money on heat. You just press the button and it uses less energy by cycling from the high and low heating setting as needed. The instructions claim you will save around $200 using this feature. If you want to save even more money, you can actually set the heater at a much lower temperature, and it will only turn on when the temperature is too low.

I am not saying you have to purchase this particular heater, but I will say it works well. It is very quiet, really warm, and even has a remote control. However, there are many other energy saving heaters on the market. Not only do they make practical gifts for folks that want to save money, they are perfect to buy for your own home when your heater costs too much to run or is having issues running properly.

A great gift this time of year to exchange with friends or family members is pajamas. Pajamas can be warm, fuzzy, and comfortable. Don't just assume it is not cool to buy pajamas. There was a time when buying flannel pajamas as a gift was frowned upon. However, pajamas are totally in style now. With plenty of cute patterns out there, your friends will all want a pair of pajamas for Christmas.

When deciding on the best pair of pajamas to purchase for loved ones, try to determine if they have "quirky taste" in clothing. If so, perhaps a cute pair of footie pajamas is the best thing for them. If not, don't rule out some fleece pajamas or flannel pajamas. If all else fails, there are even pajamas made to look like workout outfits. Even your "coolest" friends won't mind staying warm in those.

Many women enjoy buying or receiving cute socks for Christmas. Recently, knee high and over-the-knee socks have become more stylish. There are many to choose from and they are really adorable. The last few years, socks called cozy socks or fuzzy socks have showed up on the market, too. These are extremely thick socks. They are perfect when just lounging around at home or wearing them with boots when the weather is extremely cold.

Keep in mind, socks are the perfect stocking stuffer. They also compliment a cute pair of pajamas well. You can include fuzzy socks with a pair of warm flannel pajamas. With a Christmas gift like that, the recipient will have a very warm winter.

A perfect gift to go along with those pajamas and socks are fuzzy slippers. Not only are slippers a really practical gift, they can be adorable as well. There are many options with slippers. You can purchase bootie slippers for folks that love boots. You could also buy funny slippers for a friend or family member. Bunny slippers are a classic look many people still appreciate. You could even get giant slippers shaped like bear paws.

Never forget there are plenty of Christmas options for fuzzy slippers, too. There are red and green plaid slippers, slippers with Christmas patterns like pine trees on them, and even slippers shaped like elf shoes. Add some bells to those slippers, and sure they are annoying, but they are super cute for Christmas.

A traditional way of staying warm in the winter is the blanket. Many years ago, a wonderful invention called the electric blanket was introduced and it has helped people stay warm since then. The best thing about the electric blanket is the money that can be saved on the heating bill. You will not need to run your heat nearly as much at night to stay warm.

There are now two basic options available: the electric blanket and the electric throw. In theory, a person usually has an electric throw sitting on a couch. It is helpful to use during the day if that person is curled up on the couch watching TV or reading a book. However, since the electric throw is very reasonably priced, it is often a nice alternative to buying an electric blanket. It can easily work on any bed and keep a person feeling much warmer at night during the winter.

Both the electric throw and the electric blanket make perfect Christmas gifts. People will always appreciate gifts that help save them money and keep them warm during the winter. Electric throws and blankets also come in a number of colors and patterns, making them a fun gift to give, as well. Just remember, the gift of warmth never goes out of style!