Today's shiny item is matte.

Beginning sometime in October, I receive between twenty-five and thirty catalogs a week.  Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, King Arthurs Flour Company, Lands End, and William Sonoma, to name a few.  The pages are glossy and filled with the latest must-have items.

Most of which I never have and never miss.

There is, however, one catalog sent to my mailbox three times a year that stands out above the rest.  The pages aren't glossy and don't literally shine.  They are matte and printed on what appears to be recycled paper.

I love Chinaberry - a small, independently-owned, personally run, 28-year-old business.  Click here and take a second to read about the origin of this catalog.  You will be impressed.

The Chinaberry catalog shines, because the founder, Ann, is relentlessly passionate about the products she features.  Chinaberry is where I found Christmas Shrinky Dinks; a 9-hour collection of CDs titled, The Autobiography of Santa Claus; and a Santa Key - perfect for allowing Santa entree into my niece's New York City apartment.

Items featured in Chinaberry's catalog are carefully selected and the by-product of a mission that unquestionably shines.  Below are a few of the reasons founder, Ann, thinks you ought to consider taking a look:

We are committed to making this world a kinder, gentler place, both with the products we offer and the way we do business.

For each item you see in our catalog, we've considered a hundred others.  This means we've personally read the books, played the games, and used the products in order to find only the best.  You won't find a single ho-hum or overly hyped, media-driven product in our catalog.

Because our customer service representatives read the books and use the products, they are familiar with what we carry and can answer any questions you may have.

I might add, every item in the catalog is accompanied by a passage written by Ann or a staff member.  Each passage describes the product's uniqueness and suggests ways you might use it.  Flipping through this catalog is like having a personal shopper who has an eye for the unusual.  I love it.

Take a look for yourself.  Click here and see if you can spot a gift idea that you think shines.  Consider visiting us in the Community forum labeled, Today's Post and telling us about it.  I might want one too.

Shining off until tomorrow...