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Laura Fritz and Kane LaRose engagement

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Students can be hard to shop for, but not with these gift guide suggestions

<p>The best thing about getting your young-at-heart friend a hula hoop is either 1) challenging that person to show you what he or she can do or 2) taking a turn yourself.</p><p><strong>Hula hoops</strong></p><p>We found hoops artfully decorated with fabric ($40) at Shambala cultural gifts store, 41 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre and believe they could serve as wall art hen your friends aren&#8217;t busy swiveling their hips in them or letting you share the fun.</p><p><strong>Cuppa&#8217; Jesus</strong></p><p>Speaking of fun &#8212; and puns &#8212; we&#8217;re guessing the folks who designed the Presents of Mind coffee mug titled &#8220;Jesus Shaves&#8221; wanted to show they believe the Lord has a sense of humor when they created the kind of mug where the picture changes when you pour a hot beverage. You add the coffee, tea or hot chocolate, and Jesus&#8217; beard will vanish, only to reappear when the mug cools. $12.95 at Circles on the Square, 9 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre.</p><p><strong>Slush Mug</strong></p><p>This 10-ounce beverage holder promises to turn almost any beverage into a dessert within minutes. The instructions seem fairly simple, too. Just keep the Slush Mug in the freezer until you&#8217;re ready to cool down, and then watch as your pour a drink into the mug and it thickens into a tasty slush. Cost: $9.91. Available at www.jet.com.</p><p><strong>Coloring books</strong></p><p>On the other hand, if your friend would consider the mug sacrilegious, it might be better to stick with something safer, like a coloring book. Adults of all ages are saying, hey, coloring is not just for kids. To help someone on your gift list engage in this relaxing pastime, consider a sophisticated coloring book accompanied by 12 colorful pencils. We spotted that for $12.99 at Boscov&#8217;s in Wilkes-Barre, alongside a $9.99 coloring book that comes without the pencils.</p><p><strong>Wilkes-Barre themed chocolates</strong></p><p>For friends who have retained their youthful taste for sweets, Sugar Plum Chocolates has crafted candy bars wrapped in pictures of the Wilkes-Barre skyline taken from a photography by Linda Rowe. You&#8217;ll find them for $4.49 at Circles on the Square in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p><strong>Witty magnets</strong></p><p>And, for friends with a satirical sense of humor, consider a &#8220;Duck and Cover&#8221; magnet with such sentiments as &#8220;I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food&#8221; or &#8220;The first rule of parenting. Never negotiate with terrorists.&#8221; Adding to the fun, the slogans are usually accompanied by pictures that appear to be models from the 1950s. ($4.25 each at Circles on the Square).</p><p><strong>USB Cassette Player</strong></p><p>Ion&#8217;s USB cassette player allows its user to rip cassettes to MP3s or take their listening on the go. Awesome Mix Vol. 1 sold separately. $50 on Thinkgeek.com.</p><p><strong>RetroN 5</strong></p><p>RetroN game consoles attempt to make retro gaming convenient by meshing a variety of old school machines into one system. The latest iteration, RetroN 5, comes in two colors (the SNES-esque grey/purple mix or classic black) and plays games from NES, Famicom, SNES, Super Famicom, Genesis, Mega Drive), Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. The RetroN can be found at various retailers, including Amazon, 1Up Games in Forty Fort and FYE in Wyoming Valley Mall. Prices start at $128 (newegg.com).</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Hula hoops covered with fabric. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_gift.guide-022.jpg</photo0><caption0>Hula hoops covered with fabric. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_gift.guide-009.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A &#8216;Jesus Shaves&#8217; coffee mug </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_gift.guide-009.jpg</photo1><caption1>A &#8216;Jesus Shaves&#8217; coffee mug </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_gift.guide-018.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A coloring book </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_gift.guide-018.jpg</photo2><caption2>A coloring book </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_gift.guide-010.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A Sugar Plum candy bar </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_gift.guide-010.jpg</photo3><caption3>A Sugar Plum candy bar </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_gift.guide-008.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">&#8216;Duck and Cover&#8217; magnets </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_gift.guide-008.jpg</photo4><caption4>&#8216;Duck and Cover&#8217; magnets </caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_YAH1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">RetroN 5 </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_YAH1.jpg</photo5><caption5>RetroN 5 </caption5><photoCredit5></photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_YAH3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ion Tape 2 Go cassette player/converter </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_YAH3.jpg</photo6><caption6>Ion Tape 2 Go cassette player/converter </caption6><photoCredit6></photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_SLUSH-MUG.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Make any drink into a slushie with the Slush Mug. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_SLUSH-MUG.jpg</photo7><caption7>Make any drink into a slushie with the Slush Mug. </caption7><photoCredit7></photoCredit7></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mary Therese Biebel</p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p><p>Gene Axton</p><p>gaxton@gmail.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

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Shopping for the young at heart could be easy if you take some of these suggestions