Time to start work if you haven't already: the hard work of the season is almost upon us and you need to be ready.
What is this all about? Well, think about it - Thanksgiving is almost upon us, Christmas follows soon after that once the over eating has receded, then the New Year festivities are followed soon after by Valentine's Day.
Add in a few of your friends who have birthdays during this period or who leave to take up another job (ok, that may be a stretch in this time of economic hardship and high unemployment but there are a few lucky people who move on to a new employer even now) plus anniversaries and weddings and you have what is probably the peak of the gift buying season that is upon us during the next few weeks.
So have you given it any thought yet? Have you figured out what to buy for all of those special and important people in your life (and those who you don't have a massive regard for but who you are required to take care of just to maintain the niceties of life, such as the sister in law that you don't really care to spend time with but protocol demands that you recognize each year by buying a gift)? If not, time is racing on and you should make a start.
Every family and set of friends is different, of course, but you can come up with some good ideas if you try.
Check out the Internet by searching for personalized gift ideas, try to eliminate the outlandish, cheesy or simply inappropriate ones and make a list of what you're left with.
Then it's time to get serious and start buying.
Avoid the final recourse of gift vouchers if you can (it is so impersonal and ritualistic that it is almost better to buy nothing if that's the best you can do).
If you still need more ideas, here are a few centered on heart jewelry products that might just fit the bill for some of the ladies in your life: Christmas: a silver heart locket or a white gold heart necklace could be a perfect selection for Mom and one in which she can keep some photos of her loved ones as an ultimate expression of her love.
Birthday: young girls in particular love to receive charm bracelets and they make a wonderful gift for a girl that she'll treasure forever.
The variety of sterling silver charms is enormous and they are more affordable than gold.
A traditional heart shaped lock is one of the essentials for the classic style of charm bracelet and further charms are usually added little by little over time.
Engagement: for something just that little bit different, take a look at the range of art deco engagement jewelry when it comes time to choose your ring.
Colleague Moving On: a pair of silver heart earrings (provided that such a style and type matches her other outfits and personality) makes a great gift for a colleague leaving to take up another position.
These pieces are ideal if she wants to look professional yet feminine and they are appropriate for both personal and business occasions.
Anniversary: Diamonds are of course the jewel of choice for a 60th anniversary and a heart shaped diamond pendant is definitely an incredibly popular theme right now.
With this style, the gemstones are not themselves heart shaped (as this is a particularly difficult and expensive cut) but the gold, silver or platinum heart is encrusted with one larger sized or numerous small sparkling gems.
You may wish to achieve a similarly luxurious result with a silver heart shaped pendant decorated with synthetic gems or cubic zirconia.
Your own circumstances and needs are probably different, so substitute some other them instead of jewelry and see how it works for you.
Feel free to use the ideas to develop your own special gifts for the ones that you love and indeed all the lucky recipients of your gifts.