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Highlands Today

That Perfect Gift

Kathy Waters/Highlands Today

Assistant Manager Susan Taylor with Kay Jewelers helps Bill Newman of Sebring look for a Christmas gift for his wife on Thursday at the Lakeshore Mall. Jewelry is traditionally a popular Christmas gift.

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By Bill Rettew Jr. | Highlands Today

Published: December 21, 2007

SEBRING — Area merchants are scrambling to provide shoppers with the year's hottest selling Christmas gifts.

And sometimes customers even surprise a salesperson with their generosity.

Sean Faber, a sales representative at the Alan Jay Auto Mall, said it's not uncommon to give a car as a surprise gift for Christmas.

"I've driven a car and parked it in a garage and then put a bow on it," said Faber.

Faber said he has a good idea of his wife's car preferences, but sometimes when exceptional students are rewarded by parents with a vehicle, they should be happy with every detail, including the color choice. He said few complain.

"If a child is getting a car, they shouldn't say, 'That's great, but it's not black,'" said Faber.

Chandeanna McVicker was busy serving customers at Kay Jewelers on Wednesday. She regularly sells engagement rings as Christmas gifts, but has never had one returned after the holiday.

"Picture it – under the Christmas tree – getting engaged and you pop the question," said McVicker. "How can she say no? It's so romantic."

Bob Sachs works at music store FYE and Stephanie Devlin is a bookseller at Books-A-Million, and both said many musicians and authors release their work during the Christmas shopping season to capitalize on holiday gift giving.

"From October through December, the big stuff comes out," said Sachs. "After Christmas we don't have as many releases."

Christmas music by contemporary artists like Josh Groban is big this year and tunes by Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen and Carrie Underwood are perennial holiday bestsellers.

Sachs said the hottest gift of the year is Webkinz, an interactive stuffed animal with online games such as "Battleship."

Devlin said that classic children's books, including "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and "The Night Before Christmas" are popular. Cook Paula Dean is hot, as well as novelists Ken Follett and James Patterson.

Bargain books sell quickly and calendars are huge seasonal sellers, especially anything by cartoonist Gary Larson of "Far Side."

Like many retailers interviewed, Devlin said gift cards are placed in almost everybody's stockings.

"They'd rather not take a chance and instead let them get what they want," said Devlin.

Russell Jones, a membership representative of the AAA Auto Club South, was manning a kiosk at the Lakeshore Mall on Wednesday.

He said membership in AAA, which includes free towing, is a great gift for college students since "it gives parents peace of mind."

Santa Claus, for 23 years (Jim Gilbreath), said guns, magic cards and four-wheelers are often requested from kids who sit on his lap, but many of more than 500 children a year request something more substantial than material goods.

"They ask for their families to be together– for mother and father to get back together – or for daddy to come back from Iraq," said Santa.

Debra Creighton, an associate at Circuit City, said iPods, GPS systems, and laptop computers are big this year.

Customer service supervisor Donna Rish explained why.

"Everything is getting less expensive each year," said Rish.

Tom Tribble, K-Mart store manager, said electronics, televisions, games, including Wii from Nintendo ( pronounced "we") are selling briskly, along with ladies apparel and fashion domestics, such as Christmas-themed towels.

Joyce Laverty, of Okeechobee, was shopping at Lakeshore Mall, but needed to buy very little since she's giving that one gift everybody loves.

Cash gifts went to the grandkids and 20 family members, aged from 74 to 15, are taking a week long Caribbean cruise.

"They have everything already," said Laverty. "This is the one thing they don't have."

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