Don't Panic

e.c. has your guide to last-minute gifts that are sure to impress
The gift from  jewelry store is delightful!
That old adage "it's the thought that counts" is supposed to get us out of trouble this time of year - drawing attention away from an unfortunate gift choice and putting the spotlight instead on our good-hearted, generous character. But the sentiment tends to be uttered with a disdainful tone and leaves behind a faint odor of failure. The thought? What thought? If you had thought a little harder about the gift recipient, there wouldn't be a need for excuses.

Unless you're one of those speed thinkers who had their packages picked out and wrapped by Black Friday, you still have a few folks to cross off your shopping list. Chances are they're the ones hardest to buy for - the picky people and the ones who already have it all. The clock is ticking like Poe's Tell Tale Heart and you still haven't come up with that ideal gesture to prove yourself.


It's enough to make the most well-meaning consumer blow a gasket. And while it might be nice to punch those stress-free overachievers who taunt us with toothy smiles as they talk about "being done," allow electric city to suggest an alternative. It just so happens that downtown Scranton's boutique owners have spent unfathomable hours doing the thinking for you. Forget about suburban strip-mall congestion and opt for foot traffic and an open-air adventure.

Getting Carded
Nothing screams "obligatory" louder than a gift card. There's a little more effort involved than slipping cash inside an envelope, but a gift card carries the same message: "I don't really know enough about you to pick up something you might like, but I felt like I had to get you something, and hey, who doesn't like chain restaurants?" The Mall at Steamtown, by the way, is currently hosting a kiosk that offers gift certificates to a number of locally owned and operated restaurants as well as the more notorious heavyweights.

We found one most excellent exception to the "no gift card" rule while shopping on Linden Street in downtown Scranton last weekend. Spruce Street's swelling storefronts may have earned the strip humble comparisons to Rodeo Drive, but the latest entrepreneurs to set up shop can be found grooming Linden Street in anticipation of the proposed $50 million St. Peter's Square project expected to break ground next year.

After resurrecting his family's winemaking traditions in his Dunmore garage, former truck mechanic John Cartegna opened shop in the Forum Towers building at 222 Linden St. earlier this fall. Cartegna Family Wines' menu offers 15 varieties from blackberry Riesling cherry chardonnay and Gewurztraminer to more straightforward red and white wines, all priced at $9 to $13 for a standard 357 ml. bottle. The Times-Tribune's Winestein David Falchek recommended the Sangiovese in a recent column, and after uncorking a couple of bottles of the Chianti-likened red ourselves, we here at e.c. are inclined to agree. The lovely thing about this winery's retail location, however, is that it accommodates a tasting room. There's no need to buy blind. And that's why a gift card from Cartegna is an absolutely applaudable option. You can show your support for local businesses while introducing your favorite wine lovers to the charm of a personal wine tasting at their convenience. Cartegna Family Wines also offers a taster assortment of four bottles for $25 and is selling prepared gift baskets of wine paired with other tasty treats - the ideal party-host gift - as fast as they can create them, owner John Cartegna shared. The store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., and plans to stay open as late as 9 p.m. (as long as they're allowed by law) for last-minute shoppers. You can choose a wonderful gift to Christmas in the jewelry store !