There are wine glasses for sipping Chardonnay on the patio, and they can’t cost much or you wouldn’t take them outdoors. There are large wine glasses for when you’ve had a tough day at work, though we prefer to call them tumblers. And then there are wine glasses for the Thanksgiving table, which can be all exquisite shimmer and delicate shape.

Make that holiday toast to good health and thankfulness among your family and friends a beautiful one with some striking stemware.

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Keep your fork, there’s pie.

It’s one of the most magical sentences in the English language. Even if  we can’t imagine another bite, when we’re full to here of turkey and dressing and potatoes and all the side dishes the relatives brought, Keep your fork, there’s pie somehow fortifies us, sending us happily into battle once again.

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Holiday tables are beautiful for so many reasons. The faces of family gathered round, heirloom recipes filling the table set with grandmother’s china and other special things that only come out a few times a year.

Wait, though. Is that last year’s table runner? That’s not adding those necessary touches of color and warmth. It no longer echoes your décor or unifies what’s on the table. What are you thinking?

Do you need another excuse to go shopping?

We love Crate and Barrel’s Josephine runner, where gorgeous champagne brocade embellishes a deep cranberry background ($40-$60, depending on length, left).  Bed, Bath & Beyond takes the same color palette and adds a winding floral pattern and gathered tassles at the end of their Romantico runner ($25-$30).  For a crisper effect, Pottery Barn monograms their pristine white 100 percent cotton classic hotel table runner ($16-$39). You can get napkins to match, if you like - $24 for six.  And to create a sleek and tailored table, you can’t go wrong with Calvin Klein’s tonal bands table runner, all subtle in taupe and chocolate ($50-$70).

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Hey, things are looking up! The stock market rallied yesterday. Gosh darn it - maybe everything is going to be just fine.

So, go ahead, throw down $60,000 on a life-sized LEGO sculpture of a loved one for that very special holiday gift. Or double that and get a sculpture of yourself.

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Toys’R'Us has announced its 2008 Hot Toy list, all the toys its experts believe will top kids’ wish lists this holiday season. From the overall list, the “Fabulous 15″ were selected to represent the very best toys of the season.

But we can’t give them to you all at once. That would spoil the surprise.

So here are five, in alphabetical order. Next week, we’ll let you see the rest of what’s going to be under the tree.

50’s Diner from Step2

A retro-themed diner that transports them behind the grill at a local hot spot from the 1950s. This kitchen features everything needed to prepare an imaginary meal and serve customers - just like a real diner - including an oven, grill, dishes, silverware, cups, spatula, ice cream  and more. There’s ample seating for customers at a retro-style tabletop with a working jukebox that plays three 50’s-style tunes. Ages 2 and up.

Bakubelt Action Kit from Spin Master

Bakugan Battle Brawlers is the latest craze among young boys, bringing a new component to trading card game play by adding plastic marbles (Bakugan Battle Brawlers) that “explode” to reveal mini-figures when they roll onto a metal Gate Card. Now, kids can prepare for battle with the Bakubelt Action Kit, featuring a Bakubelt, a Bakuclip that allows kids to reach for their Battle Brawlers without ever taking their eyes off the game, as well as other necessary battle gear. Ages 5 and up.

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We cannot explain Halloween mania. It is not a gift-giving holiday, and it used to be merely an eating occasion for kids and sugar addicts. Now, every year, it starts earlier and grows, and grows, out of control, like one of those evil monster rabbits in Night of the Lepus.

Economy in the toilet? Sure, but that’s not stopping your neighbor from buying more spooky stuff to out-boo you. There are only two solutions: fight or give in. Shopperati is giving in with enthusiasm, and we’re starting on your front porch.

Perch your own 26″ gargoyle on the roof (above, from brandsonsale.com), to let your guests know that, yes, they are being watched from above ($140); then hang a set of animated skeleton wind chimes from brandsonsale.com ($20, above) to flitter menacingly in the midnight breeze. An Oriental Trading Company cauldron fogger will complete the ambience, kind of like a Zen fountain, only not ($55, right).

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Though the Fourth of July brings to mind fireworks, barbecue and a day off for many of us, it’s also a time to contemplate the spirit of American freedom and independence as it is expressed in so many mediums. Think of Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA , James Brown’s Living in America, Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream (read lyrics here), Janice Joplin singing Me and Bobby McGee, Oliver Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July, Howard Zinn’s book, A People’s History of the United States: 1492 to Present, and David McCullough ’s narrating the audio version of his Pulitzer Prize-winning 1776 (pictured). At the National Archives, review the the history of July Fourth and download, high resolution, printer-friendly copies of the original Declaration of Independence. Browse excerpts from books on the American Revolution at Questia. At PBS, check out Liberty! The American Revolution (three-DVD set $50), hosted by news anchor Forrest Sawyer and featuring reenactments about the birth of the American Republic and the struggle of 13 loosely connected states to become a nation. More recently, the acclaimed HBO series John Adams is now out on DVD ($39). Also consider Thomas Jefferson (on sale for $17.76) starring Sam Waterston and directed by Ken Burns. Take a look at The American Film Institute’s list of the 100 most inspiring American Films (scroll down). Fourth of July sales offer an excellent opportunity to exercise your patriotic right to shop. Check out the Independence Day sale and discount coupons at HerCoupon.

What defines a “real” man? A “good” man? A fully developed, “self-actualized” man, untroubled by fears of weakness, inadequacy, or old school stereotypes? With Father’s Day approaching, we decided to take a look at books old and new and Web sites on the subject of manhood. The introduction to therapist Thomas Hart’s 2004 book, What Does It Mean to Be a Man? ($12) begins, “The trouble begins when a little boy is told that boys don’t cry.” The table of contents promises a rich read, with chapters on “Mastering Anger and Violence,” “Putting Sex and Love Together” and “Being a Dad.” Sam Keen’s 1992 best-selling Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man ($11) is still an extremely high-ranking seller at Amazon. It offers a brief history of manhood and asks men to look at their unconscious bondage to certain ideas about “woman,” their dependence on work for self-worth, and their “warrior psyches” and it even promotes ecological awareness as an alternative to destructive, domineering tendencies. It wasn’t too long ago that much was made about the “crisis” for boys as they fell behind in school due to supposed neglect and denial of their gender-specific needs. From higher rates of attention deficit disorder to lower test scores than girls and greater abuse of alcohol and drugs, the crisis gave us the important work of therapist and educator Michael Gurian. His 1997 blockbuster, The Wonder of Boys: What Parents, Mentors, Educators Can Do to Shape Boys Into Exceptional Men, ($10.50) is the bible for how to understand and raise boys. Read Gurian’s Amazon blog to check out his philosophy. And check out Menstuff, an expansive Web site started by Gordon Clay as a not-for-profit educational clearinghouse/resource center for all things related to men’s issues.