Gifts.com Press

New York, NY – June 30, 2008. Recent polls¹ show 50% of Americans are abandoning their summer travel plans because of soaring gas prices, with many opting for stay at home vacations, commonly called "stay-cations." Gifts.com, the leading gift recommendation and advice site, is kicking off the Fourth of July weekend by sharing the top summer must-haves to help Americans create their personal summer oasis right at home.

"By investing in a few key items, even families on more modest budgets can turn their backyard into the envy of the entire neighborhood," Gifts.com Editor-in-Chief Megan Howard said. Howard offers the following tips to make the most of your stay-cation:

Set the stage
Get into the vacation mindset without leaving the backyard by turning off your phone and throwing on your favorite tunes. Portable or wireless speakers are essential for outdoor lounging and if you are feeling really adventurous, invite the neighbors over for an evening karaoke session. Just make sure there's plenty of seating to take in the show – hammocks, loungers and outdoor bean bags should all do the trick.
Throw your diet out the window
Nothing is more luxurious than a lobster dinner, so what better way to treat yourself all summer long than with a subscription to a Lobster of the Month Club? And to wash it down, try making 2 gallons of your very own root beer with a Mr. Rootbeer Kit.
Plan some activities in between chill-time
You don't need a course to go for the green. Grab your wedge and knock it stiff in your own swimming pool with a floating golf set. Or if you'd rather roll a strike than sink a birdie, pick up an outdoor bowling set with LED lights so that the games can continue well after sunset.
Take pictures and send post cards
Just because you're vacationing at home, doesn't mean you can't send a postcard. Snap some pictures of your stay-cation and make custom photo postcards of your favorite moments. Be sure to share with family and friends and let them see all the fun they are missing.

To view more fun, summer must-haves or get answers to any of your gifting questions, visit www.gifts.com.

1TripAdvisor.com, May 2008 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/23/MNUN10QD6V.DTL

About Gifts.com

Gifts.com is the # 1 gift recommendation site, offering consumers great gift ideas and interactive, personalized shopping services that enable them to become better, more organized gift-givers. Gifts.com combines editorial sourcing with its interest and personality-based gift finders to deliver the most relevant and unbiased gift options available, ranging from popular and trendy to unique and unexpected. Gifts.com received "official honoree" distinction for the 12th Annual WEBBY AWARDS, the leading international honor for the Web. Gifts.com is an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI).

Contact: press@gifts.com
Web site: www.gifts.com