BroadwayGirlNYC: Last-Minute BC/EFA Christmas Shopping

The holiday season totally snuck up on me this year. I'm writing this on December 11, just TWO WEEKS before Christmas (and already three nights into Hannukah), and I'm more than a little bit panicked!! Two weeks to do all of my shopping? EEK to say the least.

Luckily I have the BC/EFA Catalogue of Giving, which offers hundreds of Broadway-themed gifts, my favorite of which I'll share with you below. Proceeds to the wonderful causes supported by Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS, which this year includes help for victims of Hurricane Sandy and similar disasters.

LOGOS!
The Broadway Cares Collection is a series of merchandise that features artwork from the 2011-2012 Broadway season. From iPhone cases to candles, T-shirts to drinking glasses, wall clocks to notepads to a fleece blanket and even a shower curtain, these are special not only because they represent New York and Broadway in general, but because of their specificity to THIS season on Broadway. Shows like Lysistrata Jones, Bonnie & Clyde, Ghost, and Once don't show up on last year's merch; if you know someone who came to Broadway this year, get them a souvenir from not just one but ALL of the shows of the season.

HOLIDAY STUFF!
How better to deck the halls than with EVERYTHING BROADWAY?! Start with the new Classic Collection Playbill-cover ornaments. Beautiful minature Playbill covers from Broadway's six longest-running musicals look absolutely gorgeous amongst the needles of a beautiful Douglas Fir.

Add in a Broadway legend or two -- this year Gwen Verdon joins Bernadette Peters, Angela Lansbury, Chita Rivera and Carol Channing with her own 6", limited edition glass likeness. (These are fragile, so hang them from the upper branches of the tree, out of reach of little fingers!)

For under the tree, use gift wrap printed with Broadway logos. Use it to give a clue to the contents of another musical-themed gift... or to add a little Broadway wink to anything else.

And of COURSE, no holiday season is complete without the latest Carols for a Cure CD -- newly recorded holiday songs released especially for this annual collection. This year's is a two-disc set featuring tunes from long-running musicals like Phantom and Lion King, new favorites like Once and Newsies; and even a rare track from the cast of Rebecca (which was canceled before it began!).

MUSIC!
Which brings to me to music. Never have I seen such a collection of albums by Broadway stars -- and the BC/EFA Catalog of Giving offers nearly all of them AUTOGRAPHED! Check out full-legth holiday offerings from Kristin Chenoweth, Brent Barrett, and cast of Jersey Boys; and all-year-round CDs from LauraOsnes, Gavin Creel, Betty Buckley, Linda Lavin, Bebe Neuwirth, Barbara Cook, Matthew Morrison, Sutton Foster, Alan Cumming, Cheyenne Jackson, and MANY more!! Plus you can buy ALL of this year's Broadway Cast Albums together in one package (11 in all) if you want to make someone REALLY scream.

BOOKS!
No coffee table is complete without a grand and gorgeous book about Broadway. My favorites this year are Broadway Musicals: From the Pages of the NY Times by Ben Brantley; The Sound of Music Family Scrapbook; Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time (newly revised!); and Performance of the Century: 100 Years of Actors' Equity Association and the Rise of Professional American Theatre. The catalog also offers a long list of memoirs, novels, and reference books all centered on the world of New York Theatre. You could gift someone a veritable library all in one place.

RED RIBBONS!
The red ribbon logo is synonymous with support for AIDS-relief organizations, and BC/EFA has funded services for AIDS research and support for over 20 years. Silver bracelets, beautiful pendants, rhinestone encrusted brooches, heavy glass paperweights, totebags, pocket mirrors, leather bookmark sets, pens, mugs, candles, notecards, shareable/ wearable embroidered red ribbons... something for everyone on your list who wants to communicate a message of support, love and continued commitment to finding a cure for AIDS.

WEARABLES!
From "I'm a Broadway Baby" onesies to a silk scarf featuring the classic comedy/tragedy masks, there's a wearable gift for any style or age in the catalog. T-shirts, hats, bibs, bags, bracelets. When you can't be at a Broadway show, WEAR ONE!!

THE QUINTESSENTIAL GIFT: The annual 2012 BC/EFA Snow Globe. A gorgeous piece of art that doubles as a memento of every show on Broadway this season. This is the one item in the catalog every year that I can't resist... Along with the gifts I'm purchasing for everyone in my life, I buy this for MYSELF.

Good news: If you're freaking out about how CLOSE Christmas has become, good news: BC/EFA offers an easy upgrade to 2-day shipping.

Details and the full catalogue at http://broadwaycares.stores.yahoo.net.