Holiday shopping can be an arduous, grueling and headache-inducing process that is usually avoided until the very last possible minute. At least it is for me.

Put it this way: If I had a choice between Christmas shopping and getting a root canal while watching reruns of "The Nanny," I'd go with the latter.

I also avoid

like the plague. Besides, shoppers tend to take advantage of deals for themselves as much as they do for others that day.

For men, the challenge of finding the right gift is just as stressful as sitting in bumper-to-bumper rush-hour traffic on Route 22.

This goes double for new couples. One wrong gift could mean spending the holidays alone with a glass of eggnog, sitting through another "A Christmas Story" marathon.

Luckily, several Lehigh Valley stores and boutiques are offering holiday specials and sales to help clueless male shoppers like myself.

For example, the

arts and crafts store at 5 N. Bank St. in Easton will host a Men's Shopping Night 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. Shoppers will be able to take advantage of free gift wrapping and enjoy complimentary

beer and food from Easton-based

Colonial Pizza

. Shoppers will also receive a 10 percent discount on their entire order.

Read more about this and other related events, plus get holiday shopping tips, in the

blog.