Holidays

What Dudes Want

Cosmo online has a list of Christmas items guys will love this Christmas... are they right? Mostly. Here's the list:

* The Non-Murse Man Bag (bluemarlinclothing.com)
* Flight lessons (letsgoflying.com)
* Hilarious reading (Onion Sports: Ecstasy of Defeat)
* On-Trend Boots (bonobos.com)
* Headphones that do it all (New Balance buds have heart rate monitor, pedometer and stop watch.)
* The Manly Man's Winter Vest (eddiebauer.com)
* Customizable iPad Case (use a personal photo. caseable.com)

Why We Hate the Holidays

Consumer Reports polled 1,000 Americans - here's what we're dreading this holiday season:

1 Crowds and long lines: 68 percent
2 Gaining weight: 37 percent
3 Getting into debt: 37 percent
4 Gift shopping: 28 percent
5 Traveling: 25 percent
6 Seeing certain relatives: 24 percent
7 Seasonal music: 23 percent
8 Disappointing gifts: 19 percent
9 Having to attend holiday parties or events: 16 percent
10 Having to be nice: 15 percent
11 Holiday tipping: 12 percent

Women Getting Less Sleep Over Holidays

From wrapping gifts to baking and cleaning, women are moving non-stop over the holidays. 55%, in fact, say they plan to spend between 1 and 4 hours a night performing holiday-related tasks this month. Here are a few few tips to survive the season:

1) Watch out for the Egg Nog Nightcap. If you are drinking alcohol/egg nog (at a holiday party) remember that while it may make you fall asleep quickly, it prevents you from reaching deep sleep.

2) Wean the Holiday Bean. While there are some great holiday coffees to try, drink higher caffeinated beverages in the morning and move to lower ones in the mid afternoon.

3) The Double Whammy. If you are going out with friends and to a holiday party (see tip #1) try to get to bed on time!

4) Cardio not Cappuccino. Exercise (specifically 20-30 minutes of aerobic) is one of the single best ways to improve the quality of your sleep.

5) Rudolph's Bright Nose. Light is the single biggest factor telling your body that it is morning

6) Bothersome bed partners. Kids, pets and snoring bedmates can all disrupt sleep; if you have any or all, make a new set of rules: silence is golden

Get the rest here

Primetime, Baby!

ABC: Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, CMA Country Christmas (LIVE)
CBS: The Big Bang Theory, Rules of Engagement (NEW), Person of Interest, The Mentalist
NBC: Community (NEW), Parks and Recreation (NEW), The Office (NEW), Whitney (NEW), Prime Suspect
FOX: The X Factor (LIVE), Bones (NEW)
CW: The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle

Christmas Specials for Thursday

Moonlight & Mistletoe
Hallmark Channel 4:00 p.m.

Mickey's Christmas Carol
ABC Family 6:00 p.m.

The Town Christmas Forgot
Hallmark Channel 6:00 p.m.

Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too
ABC Family 6:30 p.m.

The Santa Clause
ABC Family 7:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m.

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
ABC 8:00 p.m.

A Holiday Engagement
Hallmark Channel 8:00 p.m.

Santa Buddies
Disney Channel 8:30 p.m.

CMA Country Christmas
ABC 9:00 p.m.

The Night They Arrested Santa Claus
GMC 11:00 p.m.

Guess Who's Not Coming to Christmas
GMC 11:30 p.m

Joke of the Day

A passerby noticed a couple of city workers working along the city sidewalks. The man was quite impressed with their hard work, but he couldn't understand what they were doing.

Finally, he approached the workers and asked, "I appreciate how hard you're both working, but what the heck are you doing? It seems that one of you digs a hole, and then the other guy immediately fills it back up again.

One of the city workers explained, "The third guy who plants the trees is off sick today."

Surf This!

5 awesome apps to help you survive the holidays (Source: SecondAct)

1. Toshl. A free expense tracker, Toshl is simple to use and allows you to view your expenses in chart format. The app is available in multiple formats, for iPhone, Blackberry and Android. http://toshl.com/

2. Shop Savvy. No matter the product you're looking for, this app (shown top) can help you find the lowest price. Scan a barcode in a store and it will show you nearby retailers that offer the same product, along with their prices. It'll also provide you with online prices to help you make the best decision. http://shopsavvy.mobi/

3. Gsalr.com. If you really want to find bargains, shop local garage sales, says Vicky Oliver, author of The Millionaire's Handbook. This app will locate garage sales in your area and give you turn-by-turn directions from one sale to the next. http://gsalr.com/

4. Envelopes. The envelope system, popularized by personal finance guru Dave Ramsey, is now accessible without using actual envelopes. This app allows you to divide expenses into categories, such as gasoline, food or gifts for a particular person, and keep up with how much you've spent on each one. Envelopes

5. Google Shopper. Similar to ShopSavvy, Google Shopper lets you research products and find the lowest prices in your area. A new update also accesses special deals nearby, such as those advertised daily by Groupon and Living Social. Google Shopper