Santa Cruz Real Estate News & Information

A recent study by the Environmental Protection Agency found that the average American spends 87% of their life indoors. That means most people spend twenty-one hours per day inside. Naturally, a lot of that time is spent at home.

So, this holiday season, consider giving your friends and family something that they can use every day in their Santa Cruz home. These practical gifts will not only garner use, but also add a little bit of every day luxury into your loved ones' lives.

Here's an idea for each room of the house.

Kitchen

Buying gifts for those who love to cook can be easy as pie if your foodie is big on kitchen appliances. Take a stroll through the aisle of Macy's kitchenware section and start weighing the pros and cons of a trendy French press versus a rustic percolator. But if your foodie has a well-established kitchen, try thinking outside the box.

Clean drinking water is a basic need almost every American is fortunate enough to have, but just because water is drinkable doesn't mean that it tastes good or is free of pollutants. Old pipes can leech trace elements of lead, copper, or corrosion into your drinking water. Well water often contains sulfur, magnesium, and iron. While these minerals won't have negative health effects, they can create in a distinctly funky taste.

So, consider giving the gift of purified water with a faucet filtration system. PUR and Brita both make one that can be purchased in the ballpark of $100. These sleek filters attach directly onto your tap and use a long-lasting filter that leaves your water crystal and delicious.

Living Room

If every member of your household were to stand around the kitchen table and empty their pockets, it would be inevitable: there would be a cell phone on the table. Probably more than one. In all likelihood, there'd be a cell phone for every person standing around the table.

In today's culture, we're reliant on cell phones, tablets, and laptops. Many of us need them for work. Most of us use them for leisure in the evenings too. It might be time to update your wall plug ins to keep up with the number of devices in your house. Plus, it's a nice touch when guests come to visit.

• The LivingPlug inlet is one product that not only offers three traditional sockets, but also includes a USB charging port, and an "UNplug" button that allows you to conserve energy. To top it all off, this nifty little fixture comes in an attractive wood box and is child safe, with its outlets strategically located along the bottom where small fingers won't go looking.

Office

If the person you're shopping for has a personal office, it can be a space where clutter accumulates quickly. We're all familiar with the desperate dive under the desk for a cable end—wires swirling around the desk legs in a tangled knot.

Fortunately, the MOS Magnetic Organization System provides a simple, but clever way to help clean up the space. Essentially a palm-sized magnet, this sleek triangle allows you to keep all of your metal cable ends in one place. With nifty magnetic cable ties in bright colors, you'll be able to stick cables that are plastic too. You can even use it for paperclips and any other small metal bits you tend to lose track of.

Bedroom

If you're searching for a gift for someone who loves to shop, you might consider getting them a closet organizer. The attractive assortment of shelving, hanging rods, shoe racks, and drawers can provide the recipient with a much-needed opportunity to declutter for the new year. It will also provide them with a nice and tidy space to pick out their outfit every morning, or at the very least, a nice space to stash all of their Boxing Day purchases.

This holiday season, if you've got a few hard-to-shop-for people on your list, consider these gifts for the house. They'll not add a bit of daily convenience into your loved one's life, but they'll also bring a bit of luxury into their home.

If you're interested in moving to the Santa Cruz area this holiday season, don't hesitate to contact My Santa Cruz Real Estate. We can offer expert advice to help make your move as simple as possible.