STILL Shopping??

Well, folks, Christmas is upon us.

Some of us who like to be prepared and organized and responsible are ready. Some of us who like to be prepared and organized and responsible but fail miserably in spite of ourselves are not. Ready or not, though, here Christmas comes.


If on this 23rd day of December you still have a few names to cross of your list, here are a few ideas for gifts of the Xtreme last-minute variety.

As I mentioned on Monday's Midday Show, this is my favorite wine right now, and not just because the word "Tulsa" is on the label.

Fire Alarm Red is part of the Tulsa Deco line of wines available from downtown Tulsa's own winery, Girouard Vines. The other wine in the series, a Cab called Westhope, ain't half bad, either (meaning, it's practically steak in a bottle - yum).

I'm no oenophile (just a wannabe, really), but in my opinion, Fire Alarm Red goes just as well with pizza as it does a juicy filet. That's why I love it. Quality, balanced wine like this one is versatile. At about $20, not only will this wine impress at the table, but it looks great in the wine rack, too.

Plus, each bottle comes with this keepsake glass stopper:

Fancy, no? And it goes especially well with formica counters, as you can see.

Maybe one day this blog will buy me granite countertops. Snicker.

See that delicious-looking beer back there? That's a glass of Atlas IPA, brewed right here in Tulsa at Marshall Brewing Company. It's my favorite beer right now, and not just because it has the name of one of my favorite Tulsa buildings on the label.

Are we noticing a trend here? No? Good.

Formerly, Marshall beer was available exclusively in these 22-ounce bottles. I didn't complain - after all, opening one of these bottles was pretty much a guarantee that I'd get to enjoy two glasses' worth of tasty beverage. Even so, I'm still grateful that Marshall now comes in 12-ounce bottles.

Never mind that squash next to the Marshall.

Mmm - local beer that can match or even beat the price of your other favorite craft beers, plus make you look cool by association. Yes, please.

Both Marshall and Tulsa Deco wines are more widely available every day. Check with your local liquor store to see if they carry them. If they don't, request that they do. Then, call back next week and repeat until these bottles show up on shelves near you.

For last-minute shopping purposes, though, I know that both of these local beverages can be snagged at Parkhills at 51st and Lewis. Just try not to make too many friends when you stop in there. It's hard to do - everyone at Parkhills is just so friendly and nice and happy.

No wonder.

Looking for something a little sweeter to give for Christmas?

Okay. We can do that.

These little yummies, along with just about any other gourmet sweet that you can think of (and more) are available at Kokoa Chocolatier, now at Utica Square.

Who needs a wimpy little orangette when you could have one of those?

Yes, that's a bowl made of chocolate. Chocolatier Steven Howard makes globes out of chocolate, too - yes, whole, entire globes. Then, he fills them with his beautiful truffles. Oh, the imagination.

I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't want to receive a chocolate globe filled with gourmet truffles for Christmas. If you can, you're thinking too hard. Thinking too hard is not what the holidays are about.

I hope these suggestions for last-last-last-minute gifts help. Anyone else have any ideas? Leave 'em in the comments - I'm sure we'd all appreciate the heads-up.