It’s the most wonderful time of the year…decorations are up, Christmas melodies are filling the airwaves, homemade cookies are materializing in lunchrooms, and there are beautiful light displays scattered throughout the city. Cocoa, candy canes, made-for-tv movies, gift-giving guides– yep, I pretty much love it all.  If you haven’t figured it out, I am THAT person who gets super excited for almost all things Christmas. Almost? There’s only one thing that can bring out my inner scrooge, and that’s Holiday shopping. Lines, crowds, parking lot mayhem – yuck.

I’d much rather spend my time spreading cheer by singing loud for all to hear than wandering aimlessly through stores, which is why I really scout out gift-giving guides before I leave the house. I have come to love these guides…especially the one put out by Consumer Reports. Why this one in particular? Because it’s filled with awesome products…most of which I’ll probably never buy, but definitely interesting to learn about. It’s almost like I use the Consumer Reports gift guide as a cheat sheet to learn more about new gadgets, appliances, services, etc. released in the last year that may have slipped under my radar. If there’s one thing we know about Consumer Reports, it’s that they have a high standard for quality and they tell it like it is; if it’s not good – they’re probably not going to recommend it.

Lucky for me, the library offers online access to Consumer Reports. Toaster reviews? Tablet recommendations? Need a new vacuum? This is a great place to start your research.