Sit back and handle the holidays online

This year`s holiday season promises to be less stressful than ever, with a range of online offerings making the usual holiday season planning and execution hassle-free. Handle the holiday season from your desktop, with a selection of useful SA sites for holiday planning, entertainment, events and gift shopping.

If you`ve left it too late to send a gift, go to www.bluemountain.com and send an animated virtual card. (Not local, but useful.)

Arrange for flowers to be sent anywhere in SA via netflorist at www.netflorist.co.za.

Haggle a bargain at auction site www.bidorbuy.co.za, with great goodies in a wide range of categories.

Assorted gifts are available through Digital Mall stores. Go to www.digitalmall.co.za.

Select The Red Gift Bag on Digital Mall for assorted flower, toiletry and food hampers for all occasions. Or go to The Shopping Matrix, www.theshoppingmatrix.co.za, for music, books, electronics, DVDs, software, games, appliances, audio-visual and kids` stuff. Free shipping for two or more items or single orders over R250.

Send a gift voucher for selected stores and services in major centres throughout SA, via www.streetcar.com. Send friends or family on a balloon safari, weekend getaway, out to dinner or on a shopping spree with an easy credit card payment and a click of a mouse.

For outdoor equipment, camping gear, homeware or toys, try Makro, www.makro.co.za. Choose from 5 000 items in various departments to buy online.

Reggies, www.reggies.co.za, is fairly quick to navigate and offers searchable databases with wide ranges of toys to choose from. Each toy is sorted by age and category, accompanied by colour pictures and a brief description. Reggies operates through Digital Mall, offering delivery at Digital Mall rates.

Makro, www.makro.co.za, offers a fair range of toys available via its online store at Digital Mall.

Stopq.com, www.stopq.com, also has a limited range of toys available, at prices that appear to be lower than in-store prices. I had some trouble browsing the various categories, because the search page expired after each move to look at a product. This meant having to refresh the page after looking at each item.

Incredible Connection`s site, www.incredible.co.za, offers a large range of hardware, software, peripherals, games, cameras and accessories.

Digital Mall, www.digitalmall.co.za has links to Giddy`s Electric Express, Makro and Appliances Online.

Digital Planet has launched consumer electronics on its site, now offering TVs, VCRs, DVD players and mini hifis in addition to hardware, software, cellphones, games and gadgets. See www.digitalplanet.co.za.

StopQ.com, www.stopq.com, offers home appliances, cellphones and accessories, cameras and electronic goods at reasonable prices. Some of the ranges are fairly limited.

Johannesburg`s Ascot Pharmacy offers online shopping at www.ascotdirect.co.za. The site offers a range of top branded perfumes, gifts and cosmetics at competitive prices. Ascot offers next-day delivery anywhere in SA, at a courier charge of R30 per order.

Edgars` online offering, www.edgars.co.za, offers a limited range of Edgars` goods, including major cosmetics and fragrance brands, online. One advantage is that goods can be bought from the site using an Edgars` account card. Delivery fees start at R20 (if the order is collected from the nearest Edgars branch), and range to R199 for weekend delivery.

Woolworths` offering, www.inthebag.co.za, has a range of imported and local food gift hampers - ranging from boxed wine sets to chocolates, festive cakes and biscuits. There are also kids` sweet packs in novelty gift presentations. Have all your food gifts and the makings of festive meals delivered to your home or office. Delivery is offered every day of the week in major centres, at a charge of R25 per delivery.

Thrupps, www.thrupps.co.za, offers online ordering, with delivery charges starting at 5% of the value of the order. Orders can be placed by telephone, fax or e-mail. The online catalogue appears to include Thrupps` entire stock.

Avoid the Christmas crowds and do your grocery shopping from home via Pick 'n Pay`s site, www.picknpay.co.za. Delivery is offered throughout the week in major centres.

Visit Exclusive Books online at www.exclusivebooks.com and browse among scores of titles suitable for all ages. Door-to-door delivery is charged at R30 per delivery.

Kalahari.net, www.kalahari.net, offers books, computerware, DVD/video, music and wine. It also offers gift ideas and e-vouchers, with door-to-door delivery at R29.

Musica`s site, www.musica.co.za, has the chain`s range of music (48 000 titles) and specials available online. Search by artist, title or genre, listen to sample tracks, catch up on entertainment news on the site`s "Zine" and have goods delivered to your street address for R25 per delivery.

Edgars` online offering, www.edgars.co.za, also offers a limited range of jewellery and watches online.

Arthur Kaplan, www.arthurkaplan.co.za, offers a range of top quality jewellery, watches and gifts for sale online via Megashopper.co.za.

For those who don`t want to actually shop online, but would like to save time by browsing online to source products before venturing into the Christmas throngs, the following sites offer a good look at what`s available:

Stuttafords, www.stuttafords.co.za, provides an attractive, brochure-style look at special offers, gift sets, cosmetics and fragrances, clothing and homeware.

Makro, www.makro.co.za, provides 5 000 items in various departments to buy online.

American Swiss, www.americanswiss.co.za, has online brochures featuring special offers in store.

Sterns, www.sterns.co.za, also has its product range and special offers featured on its Web site.

Clicks, www.clicks.co.za, features its latest special offers and seasonal promotions in an attractive online catalogue.

For travel planning, start at the SA Tourism site at www.southafrica.net. Maps and information are searchable by region, and holiday and activity preferences. Also visit www.tourism.org.za, which offers maps and tourist information, as well as links to the various provincial information sites.

Also go to www.travel.co.za, a travel site that allows for online travel planning and bookings, both locally and internationally.

Check flight arrival and departure times at Johannesburg International, Cape Town International and Durban International airport on the Airports Company South Africa Web site at www.airports.co.za.

Book a cut-rate flight between Johannesburg and Cape Town or Durban on the new Kulula.com site, www.kulula.com. Alternatively, make flight arrangements via the British Airways site, www.ba.co.za, the South African Airways site, www.flysaa.com, or the Virgin Atlantic site, http://www.virgin.com/atlantic/index_cl.html. All offer online bookings, flight information and more.

Shell`s new motoring information site, www.shellgeostar.co.za, allows motorists to plot their trip every kilometre of the way, mapping the quickest route to a holiday destination. It is still adding the smaller towns, but already allows the user to map trips from pretty much anywhere to anywhere else in SA. The site also offers weather forecasts, breaking news and travel news.

Search for streets, suburbs, towns, physical addresses and companies at Mapme online: www.mapme.co.za.

The AA Web site, www.aa.co.za, offers news, road reports and a limited travel planning facility to non-AA members. AA members can access extensive travel planning facilities, maps, hints and news.

Touring the Garden Route? Stop at www.gardenroute.co.za for tourist information, accommodation, events, shopping information and maps.

Find business listings, postal codes, medical listings and country and street maps on www.easyinfo.co.za.

Find accommodation, game lodges and places of interest throughout SA at www.places.co.za.

Also visit www.sa-venues.com, which offers extensive accommodation directories, details of tourist attractions, travel information, maps, events and more.

Need accommodation at the last minute? Try www.mtbeds.co.za, an online advertising and booking service for hotels, game lodges and guest houses offering special rates at short notice. Another option is www.lastminute.co.za (links to international www.lastminute.com), with special offers on holidays, accommodation and entertainment options, for those who prefer impulse holiday planning.

Visit Top 10, www.top10sa.co.za, for an overview of the current top 10 places to go or things to do.

Find a restaurant in the Eastern or Western Cape, Johannesburg or Durban and book online with www.eating-out.co.za.

Find even more things to do at www.citylife.co.za, which lists entertainment ranging from gay and lesbian events to art exhibitions, theatre, restaurants and sports; while www.jhblive.co.za keeps track of happenings on the Johannesburg music and nightlife, and www.artslink.co.za offers a comprehensive overview of local arts, culture and entertainment.

If you`re stuck for things to do in Gauteng this holiday, visit the Crocodile River Ramble Web site, www.crocodileramble.co.za, for maps, information on arts and crafts events, accommodation, things to do and places to see. Includes a directory of adventure activities, such as hot air ballooning, horse riding, paintball games, off-road 4x4 trails, hiking and fishing.

Or go to www.gauteng.net, the Gauteng Tourism Authority site, for events listing, places of interest and historical facts about Gauteng (appears to be comprehensive, but is very slow).

To find out what`s happening in Pretoria, go to www.pretoria.co.za for updates and directories.

For those in the Cape, www.cape-town.org is the Cape Town tourism site offering updates on where to go, what to do and what`s on. Includes information like which beaches offer the best facilities, links to surf and weather reports, and lists of the hottest nightspots.

Also go to www.gocapetown.co.za, which is billed as the official Cape Metropolitan Tourism site, and offers maps, news and tourist information.

Wine lovers can plan their tours through the Stellenbosch wine route on www.wineroute.co.za. Includes maps and contact details for over 40 wine farms.

On holiday in KwaZulu-Natal? Check out www.midlandsmeander.org.za for maps and information on the arts and crafts routes of the Midlands region, while www.durban.org.za gives a comprehensive overview of news, what`s on, where to go and where to stay.

Ananzi, www.ananzi.co.za, has a comprehensive list of entertainment sites, including links to TV programme schedules, movie sites and ticket booking sites. Or go direct to Ster-Kinekor at www.sterkinekor.co.za for an update on the latest movie releases, movie schedules and links to the Web sites for each movie.

To keep the kids happy, visit http://www.jhbzoo.org.za for an update of what`s happening at the Johannesburg Zoo. It features regularly updated events and school holiday programmes.

On a rainy day, keep the kids busy exploring some of these sites (they aren`t SA sites, but are really worth a look):

http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com: A must-visit for Harry Potter fans. A highly visual and interactive site that allows you to get sorted into the Hogwarts house you belong in, download Harry Potter pics, watch the movie preview and catch up on the latest Harry Potter news. Follow the links from this page to other Warner Bros online entertainment, including online Loony Tunes and games, and DC comics online.

www.barbie.com: Colourful, interactive fun for Barbie doll fans - dress Barbie in different outfits online, play games and music, chat to other kids and see a preview of Barbie`s new video.

http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/amazing.html: Lists around 700 kid-safe sites for educational, interactive online fun.

For those awaiting the arrival of Father Christmas, pass the time by going to Santa Television online, www.santatelevision.com, a highly visual site featuring video footage of Santa and his village in Lapland.

Go to Santa Claus live, www.santaclauslive.com, to learn about his history, see pictures of his office and village, and watch a Web cast of the real Santa at work in his grotto at certain times, preparing goodies for Christmas. (Small kids will need help navigating this site).

Easier to navigate, with more activities for young children, is www.claus.com. Includes Naughty or Nice ratings and an e-mail Santa function. Or go to www.santaclausonline.com, which includes a countdown to Christmas, a game zone, and an "e-mail Santa" function. There`s also www.northpole4kids.com, which includes interactive fun with music, audio stories, a Santa video clip, a "live North Pole" video, "e-mail Santa" function and Santa Radar Tracker.