Here are our picks for great new gadgets and treats — just for you!

Power pack ($80): Protect just about any smartphone from tumbles and boost its battery life by 80 percent with the Juice Pack Helium case (mophie.com).

We can't resist ($28): Earmuff headphones that stay put while keeping ears toasty. And these have GHRI-approved sound quality! (echodesign.com)

Happy feet ($38): Seven pairs of cotton-blend socks, done up in unexpected, uplifting color combinations, will keep your tootsies cozy and chic from workdays to weekend (bodenusa.com).

Clean screen ($15 for three packs): Pretty pouches each hold 15 electronics wipes to de-germ computers, phones and lenses (staywellkept.com).

Wrist watch ($130): A personal trainer on hand: Jawbone's Up bracelet and app (jawbone.com) track how you sleep, eat and move so you can keep that get-fit resolution.

Lives entwined ($28): Sue Monk Kidd's novel "The Invention of Wings follows the fraught relationship of a wealthy girl and her maid in 19th-century Charleston.

Ear candy ($38): Glittering crystal-and-abalone shell danglers are so chic, you'll plan your whole New Year's look around them (chloeandisabel.com).

Amped up ($180): The Mini Jambox speaker delivers giant sound (think iTunes, Pandora, Spotify) from any Bluetooth-ready device in a jewel box of a package (jawbone.com).

Take note ($25): Screens stay smudge-free when you use this chic stylus to tap and swipe (kensington.cm).

Sweet heat ($5): Yummy dark chocolate is tinged with tastebud-tingling cayenne pepper (Whole Foods Market).

Hot stones ($25): The crystal cabochons dotting a gold-tone stretch bracelet will add style points to your 2014 workwear (Coldwater Creek).

Pillow talk ($25 and $35): For a speedy sofa makeover, add one of these touchable buys: a cozy cable-knit pillow (HomeGoods) or a nubby wool felt one (grandinroad.com).

Pause and reflect ($25): Turn off your phone, and this mirrored screen protector (glamscreen.com) lets you primp.

Ruby slippers ($40): On-trend and so comfy: Ankle-strap faux-patent-leather Mira flats (justfab.com) are the ideal shade of red.

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Fireworks will be set off at dusk at Alpharetta’s Independence Day event at Wills Park. The photo shows a view of a previous year’s fireworks from the nearby Walk of Memories at American Legion Post 201. (Courtesy of Alpharetta Convention & Visitors Bureau/Jack Tuszynski)

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

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