With vacation season around the corner many of us will be escaping to warmer climates as we approach the holidays and winter. While we all love the sun, we’re all more aware these days of the need to protect ourselves from harmful rays. Coolibar products are designed to provide relief and protection from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays. Coolibar uses specially developed fabrics for their clothing and they are independently tested for their Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF), which is a rating for fabrics that is similar to the SPF rating for sunblock. Their products achieve a UPF of 50+ which means that the fabric will block 98% of the sun’s UVA and UVB radiation.

We tried out a button shirt like the one above, along with a t-shirt, swimming trunks and hat. All of the products have a cool and casual style and are very soft and comfortable. The fabric stretches and is perfect for outdoor activities. The clothing is designed to move moisture away from the skin as its woven with smooth, ultrathin polyester microfibers. The feeling is much different from cotton clothing but it’s still soft and comfortable.

Check out the various styles for men, women and kids at the Coolibar site and you’ll probably find some great ideas for you holiday shopping.

If you have a musician on your holiday shopping list, whether young or older, they’ll probably be thrilled with the VOX MINI3 portable amp.

It’s amazing all the features VOX was able to pack into the portable amp:

• Eleven on-the-money amp models, covering a broad range of authentic tones
• A new non-distorting clean model – ideal for acoustic-electric instruments and keyboards
• A broad palate of effects including compressor, chorus, flanger, tremolo; plus reverbs and delays
• Built-in tuner – never play out of tune!
• Dedicated mic input with separate volume and reverb/delay controls – ideal for vocals
• AUX input jack – connect your MP3 player or other audio source and jam along
• Headphone output for silent practice – any time, any place
• Dual power options (included AC adaptor or six AA batteries) for up to 30 hours of portable power

Everyone loves gadgets, but it’s still great to see people play real musical instruments. With this amp a kid with a guitar and really have a field day. Check out the video below for more information.

Are you coming down to the wire with your holiday shopping?

One thing to always keep in mind, particularly for last minute gifts or gifts you can bring when visiting someone or going to a party, is gifts of food. Thing of stuff that’s unique and interesting that people will love but won’t necessarily buy for themselves.

As pointed out in our “For Her” gift guide, Macaroons are hot this year:

Move over, Cupcake! Make room for Macaroons!

Trendy and delicious, fancy and French macaroons are one of those little luxuries which are so hot right now. They also look like little works of art. Making them can be fun but receiving a beautiful box from Paris – even better! Fauchon macaroons are just one special way to give this diabolical treat! Saveurdujour, Danny Macaroons and Macaroncafe are also great places from which to order.

It’s obviously too late to order online, so you’ll have to rely on Google and find some in your area. But as you can see from the beautiful photo above, Macaroons look great, and most women appreciate beauty. They taste great as well, so this gift can compliment the other stuff you have in mind.

Booze is always an essential part of the holidays. People want to have fun this time of year, so naturally we love to enjoy some drinks and holiday cheer. Forbes recently did a survey on the subject and the results were pretty interesting.

Heavy Holiday Spender: More than three quarters of male respondents estimated that they spend more than $1,000 on alcohol during the holiday season!

Food or Booze? Holiday Indulgence Priorities: More than 70% of respondents revealed that if they had to cut down on either their holiday food or alcohol consumption, food would be the first to go.

Get the picture? People take their booze seriously this time of year, especially guys. That’s why we always include some liquor suggestions in our holiday gift guide in the “Guy Stuff” section.

If you’re throwing a party, the booze is critical. If you’re going to a party, you better not arrive empty handed. There’s nothing like a nice bottle of good stuff to make everyone happy. Also keep in mind that it’s always a great idea to have some special cocktails ready for a party, and you can get some great ideas, including holiday drinks, from our Drink of the Week series.

Here we’ve added some more suggestions for gift ideas and to stock a holiday party bar.

Smirnoff Whipped Cream and Fluffed Marshmallow

The first thing to consider is DON’T FORGET THE LADIES! Women like to drink as well, so make sure you have some special drinks available for them, particularly if you’re throwing your own party. One thing to consider is flavored vodka. Women love this stuff and you can make all sorts of cool cocktails. Smirnoff has come out with two very sweet options with their Whipped Cream and Fluffed Marshmallow flavors (see image to the right). This stuff tastes so good that you can easily drink it straight on the rocks. Pair them up with orange juice or orange pop and you’ll have a creamsicle for adults.

The key to your booze selection for a party is to have something for everyone, and these flavored vodkas are a great addition to any party.

Ron Abuelo’s Aged Rums

Everyone appreciates a good rum. It makes the setting even nicer when you’re partying in the tropics, and it makes a cold winter night a little warmer when you’re partying up north. Ron Abuelo rum produced entirely from estate-grown sugar cane in Panama by the family-owned Varela Hermanos. The company dates back to 1908 when Don José Varela established the first sugar mill in the recently-formed Republic of Panama, the San Isidro Sugar Mill. Almost 30 years later, Varela began the distillation of alcohol from their sugar cane crop in 1936. Currently run by the third generation, Varela Hermanos has approximately 1000 hectares of land devoted exclusively to the cultivation of sugar cane. Today, the range is composed of four authentic dark oak-aged rums: Añejo, 7 Años, 12 Años and the limited edition Ron Abuelo Centuria.

We tried the 7 Años rum with a nice cigar and loved it. Sip it straight or make up some killer cocktails. Either way this stuff is a great addition to you holiday bar.

Van Gogh BLUE

Everyone loves a good Martini, especially the ladies. So check out our article on Classic Drinks Every Guy Should Know How to Make and then pick up some Van Gogh BLUE vodka.

This is the world’s first vodka made from three international wheat sources (central France, southern Germany and Zeeland in Holland). Hand-crafted in Holland, this triple distilled, triple wheat vodka has an exceptionally smooth, polished taste with a neutral flavor full of subtle nuances from the three European grains. It’s a great gift idea for vodka lovers and it’s naturally a great addition to your holiday bar. The bottle also looks very cool and everyone will wan to try it! You’ll find vodka at every party, but it’s always cool to bring something new and interesting, so people will appreciate trying a new and interesting alternative.

So drink up, be safe and enjoy the holidays!