HO-HO-HO!!!! 5 Fun Unique Gifts For This Holiday Season

Sick of getting those crappy Holiday gifts from Aunt Myrna, the bad tie that your cousin Steve gets you every year, or that horrible picture frame from the girls at the office?? Here are 5 must-haves for this holiday season. All these are some great gifts that can be used in your place to start the New Year off with a fresh new look.

1. The EX-Knives

I'll get right to the point with this product - it's a wicked cool design for a knife holder and certainly a lot more edgy of a gift than the standard old block of wood. I'm not sure who the designer might have been thinking of when he created this, but I definitely like the results. And it includes five knives! Buy it here and you can still get it in time to put under the tree!

2. A Vacuum from the Jetsons

The Neato XV-11 robotic vacuum ($400; neatorobotics.com)

As the next generation of robotic vacuum cleaner, it is far superior to others. Instead of relying on random luck, the Neato uses some sort of laser-based room-mapping system, so it knows where it's been. When it senses that it's running out of juice, it works its way back to the charging base, recharges, and then continues its job. You can check this out more and watch a video here.

3. Your Own Soda Maker

SodaStream Genesis Soda Maker turns water into soda in seconds and is the smarter way to enjoy your favorite carbonated beverages. Just fizz, flavor and enjoy. It is quick, easy and requires no cleanup. With SodaStream you'll save on lugging, storing and disposing of bottles and cans of store-bought soda. You can fizz and flavor to your taste, without high fructose corn syrup or aspartame. Enjoy regular, diet soda and energy drinks, or create your own seltzer or flavored sparkling water. This seems like the "must have" kitchen gift of the season. I have seen them in Williams Sonoma, Crate&Barrel, and I found this one at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.

4. Flip Cam:

Clearly if you don't own your own HD Flip-Cam by years end you're just not that cool.

Hey and The Guy In 2A has just hooked you up with this great promo code to get you a free tripod for your new cam.

5. You Know I Love My Coffee Table Books

This one by Phaidon is in stock for the Holidays. An extraordinary photographic history of the first decade of the twenty-first century charting the political, cultural, sporting and newsworthy moments that shaped the last 10 years. The sequel to Phaidon’s New York Times best-selling Century: One Hundred Years of Human Progress, Suffering, Regression and Hope.Arranged in chronological order, 500 painstakingly selected photographs highlight events that affected us all as well as quieter moments shared by just a few. Historical texts accompany every scene depicted, while five thematic essays explore politics, art, sport, science and the environment over the period

I wanted to get these out to you in hopes there is still time for you to send Santa your wish list. That is assuming you have been good little boys and girls this year.

Happy Holidays,

The Guy In 2A

Home For The Holidays

That special time of year is fast approaching. You know, when you gain 10 lbs in 30 days, everyone pretends to be nice, and you stick around your dead-end job in hopes of another disappointing end-of-year bonus check. That's right, The Holidays are here! And I'm sure most of you are preparing to head home. For me home is back East, so not only do I get to revel in the family drama but, in addition, I get to enjoy the freezing cold winter!

So, naturally I wanted to provide you with some extremely important info on one of the biggest holiday issues: how to properly shut down your apartment when you leave on a vacation.

1. Unplug All Appliances & Electronics- Yes, nothing is more annoying then re-setting your alarm clock when you get back home but it sure beats coming back to a fire blazed apartment. Plus, when your appliances are plugged in they are using electricity (even if they're not being used). So save a couple pennies and rip those plugs from the wall.

2. Get A Peeping Tom- Ask your neighbor or a good friend to keep an eye on the place. Have them get your mail as well.

3. Lock It Down- Do a triple check that all windows and doors are definitely locked. You should also draw your blinds.

4. Take Out The Paper & The Trash- Cause you don't want that yakety yak! (In other words, take out the trash and recyclables.) Remove items from your refrigerator that may spoil if you will be gone longer then a few days. Also make sure there are no dirty dishes in the sink or in the dishwasher if you have one, and don't forget to clean out the coffee pot and filter.

5. Do your laundry before you leave or take it home for your mother to do. Either way you don't want to come back to a laundry bag full of dirty clothes to add to the ones you will need to wash from your trip.

*BONUS TIP ALERT* Change your sheets and make your bed before you leave. Trust me it will be so nice to come home to a cozy bed after sleeping on the twin size bed you grew up on.

6. Water Your Plants- Cause it's just not fun to come home to anything dead.

7. Above All Else- DON'T FORGET THE V & A. That's right the Valium for the day the Ambien for the night. Your only sure fire way to survive going home for the holidays.

Gobble, Gobble,

The Guy In 2A

It's Time For A Grown Up Bed!

You're not in college anymore, so it's ridiculous if your bedding situation qualifies as any of the below..

1. Your mattress is actually right on the floor.

2. You only have a mattress and not a box spring.

3. You are sleeping on a futon, roll away bed, or a sofa bed.

4. You still have an "egg crate" to try to make that cheap ass

mattress you bought feel comfortable.

One of the biggest steps into adulthood is buying a big boy or big girl bed. More than any furniture purchase you can make, this one signifies "I am an adult now!" Below are some tips and advice for acceptable bedding options.

1. The Basic Metal Bed Frame.

At minimum, you need to set your mattress and box spring on a basic metal frame so it is not lying directly on the floor. A bed frame is only a small upgrade from the college years, and I do encourage you to take a larger leap of bedroom faith than just this. However, I do understand that due to space restrictions this may be your only option. That being said, if you are only doing the bed frame, you should buy a bed skirt so it hides the unattractive bronze cross bars and those janky plastic wheels. Also since you obviously didn't spend your money on a nice bed, splurge on some really nice sheets and bedding to make up for it. Another trick you can use is to paint the wall behind your bed and it can work as a psuedo headboard.

2. Sleigh Beds - If you still haven't got the memo sleigh beds are as

"out" as Ricky Martin on a beach in St. Tropez.

That being said, sleigh beds are still a classic look. So if you already own one that's cool. I'm just saying if you are in the market to buy a new bed sleigh bed's would not be the way to go.

3. The Storage Bed.

The biggest trend in the bed market now is definitely beds that have storage. These beds are awesome- they have drawers built right into them making it easier to hide all my baseball cards and toys. Really, they are so practical. Having storage in your bed is a great space saver that allows you to forfeit the chest of drawers from your already overcrowded bedroom.

4. Upholstered Beds.

I have been seeing some really nice upholstered beds in the marketplace. Linen fabrics have definitely replaced the leather look on beds. Grey is the new Brown. Tufted upholstery and nail head trim is bigger then ever. It makes for a classy urban look.

Most people's first real furniture purchase is a couch. It's like a Bar Mitzvah: you're supposedly a man, but you're not really a man because you're only 13. Buying bedroom furniture is like your 21st birthday- once you've purchased a bed and a nice mattress, you can really consider yourself an adult. Check out next week's blog for tips and hints on purchasing the right mattress to compliment your new bed.

And if all else fails just buy this classic car bed and you'll sleep like a baby.

It's Confirmed: The Guy In 2A Is Grandson of 4 time Oscar Winner!

Breaking news: After discovering yet another lost footage tape of Hepburn on the Dick Cavett Show many now believe that The Guy In 2A is in fact an heir to Katharine Hepburn. Click the pic to enjoy what makes this 4 time Oscar Award winner so unique.

Click here to see the original lost video that first prompted the rumors of Hepburn being The Guy In 2A's grandmother.

The Truth About Cats & Dogs

Now, before anyone from PETA throws paint on my fur, I want to say that I love animals! I didn't grow up with pets, however, and I feel that many pet owners fail to consider all of the wacky things a visitor has to deal with when entering their homes. So, after over a year of keeping this inside, I finally had to express some feelings to my friends who live upstairs: