After pushing steep discounts throughout November that are usually reserved for the day after Thanksgiving, retailers from Central Department store to retailers in Siam Paragon shopping mall are offering even bigger cuts and promotions for a frantic bid to pull in shoppers.

But the bargain hunters showing up for the early morning specials on toys and TVs are not expected to buy with the same gusto from a year ago, as they fret about tightening credit, massive layoffs and shrinking retirement funds.

Not to mention that consumers are already jaded by all those "60 percent off" signs plastered on storefronts. Analysts say shoppers may stick to smaller gifts, such as cosmetics, rather than 30 to 50,000 Baht flat-panel TVs in a holiday season expected to be the weakest in decades.

Whether it's lips, eyes or cheeks, the colors of the season are plush and ultra-luxurious. It's almost the season for snuggling up under a warm blanked, indulging in hot showers and – this is our favorite part of the end of the year season – luxurious, rich, plush shades of purple, berry and gold in our make-up cases.

While Thai embrace the carefree, barely there make-up look in the warmer months, come December it's all about color, and the richer the better. Give your make-up a December twist with some of your favorite colors of the season.

For the eyes, it's all about purple when it comes to eyeshadow this season, so stock up on shades from lavender to violet. If you've shied away from heavily pigmented eye color in the past, this is your year because sheer applications will be as popular as opaque. Start by shading your entire eyelid, just beyond your eye crease, with a gold or bronze eyeshadow.

As if you needed an excuse to order spicy. Some compounds in curry and onions may reduce your risk of colon cancer, according to a study. Researchers recruited five patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, a hereditary disorder that leads to colon cancer, and gave them each 480 milligrams of curcumin and 20 milligrams of quercetin three times a day for an average of 6 months.

By the end of the trail, the patients had 60 percent fewer polyps (bits of tissue that are precursors of cancerous tumors). A larger study is in the works to determine the most beneficial dose. But, we can of course start with a Pla Gaeng Phed, a Thai spicy curry fish dish.

We need 2 table spoons of vegetable oil, two medium onions, two medium tomatoes, 2 table spoons of chili past, one table spoon of red curry past, one table spoon of natural sugar, or palm sugar, two table spoons of tamarind water, salt and one mackerel of about 500 gram or other small fish.