Van's NASCAR Holiday shopping list

If you think it's too early to start planning your Christmas shopping, you're probably one of those people who'll be bump-drafting me in the checkout line come December 24. But hey, neither of us has to finish a lap down in the race to find the perfect gift for the NASCAR fan on our list.

Each week from now until Christmas, I'll be spotlighting a few gift ideas that caught my eye. Hopefully, they'll catch yours too. So, with apologies to ol' D.W.... Boogity... boogity.... Boogity... Let's go shopping!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

What better way to start your Christmas shopping that with decorations, ornaments and other Christmas-themed items?

SUPERSTORE Browse all the items mention here -- and more -- in  the Holiday Shop!

Sam Bass/Team Caliber "Happy Holidays" car: For the fourth consecutive year, artist Sam Bass and Team Caliber have joined forces to create a holiday-themed collectible so dynamic it would make even Ebenezer Scrooge himself feel a bit racy.

This year's die-cast is punctuated by a classic animated Bass design that depicts Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman engaging in a snowball fight. The hood of the racecar features a close-up of the holiday duo, while the rear of the car showcases the North Pole territorial flag and "Happy Holidays" slogan. Fittingly, the No. 05 will serve as the door number. The car's lustrous red chrome finish serves as the perfect background for this riveting montage of holiday cheer.

The Happy Holidays die-cast will be offered in both the affordably-priced 1:64 scale Pit Stop Series and Team Caliber's top-of-the-line, fully-detailed 1:24 scale Owner's Series

Boyd's resin bear ornament

Team Beans Santa hats and stockings: Nobody can put you in the holiday spirit quicker than Mark Nathan and the folks at Team Beans/Forever Collectibles. Though best known for its line of plush beanbag bears, the New Jersey-based company also offers an immaculate assortment of driver-specific Santa hats and Christmas stockings. These beautifully designed hats and stocking feature all of NASCAR's top stars, and are affordably priced at under $18.

Memory Company "Welcome Home" Santa figurine and ornament: The Memory Company's latest contribution to the Holidays is a beautifully crafted Santa figurine based on the artwork of portrait and wildlife artist Ralph McDonald. Each is decorated in driver-specific colors, and is the seventh in a series. The Memory Company has also released a similarly designed tree ornament.

Memory Company Santa sled figurine and ornament: Here's another pair of great offerings from Memory Company. Each piece is made of cold-cast resin and decorated with all the driver-specific amenities.

Crystalix ornament: Talk about a high-tech Christmas ornament! Crystalix, best known for it's series of Crytstal Car Cubes, has taken its state of the art subsurface laser etching process a step farther with these dynamic ornaments made of high-quality optic crystal. Each piece displays a two-dimensional image of the featured car in the center.

Simply Home personalized stockings: For the better part of a decade, Simply Home has been recognized as the premier manufacturer of NASCAR-themed tapestry throws, afghans, and other similar products. But the company makes a neat selection of personalized driver-specific tapestry stockings. Each team-colored 18-inch x 7.5-inch tapestry stocking has a tire design cuff and hanger, and is decorated with the driver's car, car number, and replica signature. Even better, you can have the stocking personalized with up to 12 letters on the cuff. A similar stocking is available without personalization.

Boyd's resin driver ornament: You can get the "bear facts" about Christmas ornaments from the folks at Boyd's. The company has drawn rave reviews for it's line of highly-collectible bears, and this resin ornament is an etension of that concept, with each bear dressed in driver-specific regalia.

Remember to shop early to take advantage if the best selection and insure delivery in time for the holidays.

Hallmark ornament: Hallmark has selected Matt Kenseth as the NASCAR driver represented in its annual Keepsake Ornament offering of sports heroes. The Matt Kenseth NASCAR Keepsake Ornament is available for $14.95 exclusively at Hallmark retailers through December.