The Perfect Holiday Gift for 2008:

For many of my friends family, the carefree spending impulse purchases of the last few ys w not be a part of their holiday this y. Many are cutting back on the number of toys they are giving their children on the number of ts they give to each other. And they are looking ts that have a lasting impact. They are looking ts that have special meaning rather than just a high price tag or a fancy gadget.

My favorite t this y that I think falls into this category is AGrow's indoor garing appliances. I found the AGar www.agrow.com online this y while looking a t to give a friend of mine that is a long-time garer. When the winter months come around, she always bemoans the fact that she cannot get out into her gar. With the AGar, she doesn't have to wait spring to app, she can gar all y-round right in her own kitchen.

AGrow touts its product as "The World's First Kitchen Gar Appliance", but I think that makes it sound like something you stick under your kitchen sink. In fact, the AGar sits right on your countertop. You can f it with herbs, flowers, vegetables or greens. There's a grow light on the AGar that turns it on off automatically so you can place the gar anywhere you like, it w st grow. And it only takes a few minutes to set up, so there's no impossible set of directions to follow or four hours needed to get this t up running.

The best part about the AGar is that it truly is the perfect t all the people on my list this y. Amy, who likes to cook, w absolutely love having fresh herbs right on her countertop. Doug, who we all tease about his black thumb, w appreciate how easy it is to set up grow things. And Kate, my environmentalist friend, w appreciate the fact that this is a long-lasting t - no waste or pollution to think of, yields hundreds of dollars of herbs.

The only thing I do not like about this product is that I did not discover it my grmother. She lived in an assisted living home, spent much of her time in her own room. Since flowers are proven to increase happiness overall emotional wellness, this would have been the perfect t her. And the products are so small that they do not take up a lot of space, which is important to the elderly in these situations.

So this y, I plan to give a t that brings y-round joy to those people on my holiday list. No fancy gadgets, no fancy boxes; just a lovely little AGar that provides flowers, herbs, vegetables or greens. It's a t that w make my friends family smile everyday think of me. What more could you ask ?