The song “Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt or Madonna offers a cute twist on what women want for holiday gifts. Here are the lyrics.

Convertibles, yachts, condos and Tiffany’s are out of reach for most men, but Sabrina Fischer, owner of the Sassy Peacock in Erie, offers some great advice to all the guys who visit her stores this week (and her own hubby)!

• First off, do not wait until Christmas Eve to purchase a gift. It will stress you out and limit your options.
• Ask her for ideas. She will be thrilled, and you will probably get a list with pictures. You can also ask her mother or a close friend.
• Gift certificates/gift cards are always nice along with at least one item that you personally selected. Choose services that she would not buy for herself: cleaning services, spa services or salon services. Splurge on a spa day for her and a close friend.
• Plan a trip for the two of you. Get a travel agent to help! A weekend excursion would be a nice treat for both of you.
• Diamonds are a girls best friend or any other precious gemstone. Great deals abound this week.
• Don’t buy her a gadget that you think will help her — especially if it’s one you really want. That is unless she asked for it.
• Do not buy a piece of exercise equipment — unless she asked for it.

Hurry Santa baby, time’s ticking away!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

With graduation, shower and wedding season sneaking up on us, we just have to share a gift registry that puts the fun into Internet shopping. MyRegistry.com combines the best of registries into one convenient place. It does some things I’ve never seen: You can add gifts from any store on the Internet, sync store registries you already have and scan bar codes with your phone to add them to the registry.

And it finds some goofy gifts. How about a pop-up hot dog toaster, Star Trek electronic door chime, IRobot Scooba vacuum, ThinkGeek Pop Art Toaster, Kegorator Beer Keg Cooler, LED Faucet Lights and more.

Something for everyone. Happy giving!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

Cue Mission Impossible music here. Who doesn’t want to see their man dressed like the IMF gang? So here’s a fashion Friday freebie fun opportunity to win footwear from Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, premiering in theaters Dec. 21. You can get the look   thanks to the Giorgio Brutini folks who are offering up one free pair of  Giorgio Brutini boots. It’s a $65 value and what a great gift! I’ll pull one name from entries. Reply here, or send me an email at pam.parker@timesnews.com. Enter by Friday, Dec.  16 so you can get them by Christmas — your size.

You know the drill from here: Your mission, should you choose  to accept it, is to win these boots. This message will self-destruct in five, four three, two, one …

Todd the Eastern Box Turtle paints a picture at the Erie Zoo on Nov. 15, 2008. File photo by Ryan Randolph/Erie Times-News

This weekend, the Erie Zoo is hosting it’s annual animal art show with pieces created by the resident critters available for purchase.

If you’ve never seen a real snakeskin print or an authentic turtle trail…you don’t know what you’re missing.

These works of art are very cool conversation pieces that come in just about every color and size you could imagine. There will be a variety of pieces for sale priced from $15-$150, depending on the size of the art. All artwork will include a picture of the artist in action, too.

The show will be held on the Erie Zoo stage on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from Noon to 4 p.m. Demonstrations will be held in the classroom during the day and there will also be crafts and face painting for the kids.

P.S. If you are a Zoo Member, don’t forget your membership card for a 10% discount!

More information can be found here.