It’s said that it is better to give than to receive. This year, Bravo’s Real Housewives have given us so much enjoyment that we feel it’s only right to share the wealth. Here are some gift suggestions for the real housewives in your life. And with visions of a Real Housewives of Houston dancing in our head, we’d like to point out some local hot spots for quick and easy gift pick-ups in the months to come.

Behind every strong woman is a man falling apart. So we’ve learned on the various franchises of The Real Housewives. Who could forget how New Jersey table-flipper Teresa Giudice suffered through her husband, Joe’s, DUI drama this year? If only he’d had a Mini Alcohol Breath Tester, which is a bargain at $14.99 and available at your friendly neighborhood Bed, Bath & Beyond. We like to browse at the Kirby location, after brunch at the House of Pies.

Seriously, though. We’ve had our fun with Joe Giudice’s little legal troubles because his tale of what really happened that night was so absurd. Drinking and driving is no joke, so be careful this holiday season and when in doubt, take a taxi. We always prefer to ride in a cab that’s classic, so call Yellow Cab in a fix

Remember when “poor” Lynne Curtain’s husband pretended to pay the plastic surgery bills but somehow forgot to cover his family’s rental lease? Rather than crying in her fat-free soup, Orange County’s dizziest housewife pulled herself together and started her own custom-jewelry business. She’s living proof that any hausfrau with no talent and a reality show can find fame and fortune as long as she knows how to work a glue gun.

Curtain’s cuffs are florid with fleurs-de-lys, crusted with crosses, plumped up with peace signs and run $68-$200. We’d recommend the turquoise Queen Bee if it weren’t on backorder. Try instead Utopia Silver and stay positive even in the bad times—just like Lynne! Of course, if these prices are too much in this economy, why not plan your own little trip to Hobby Lobby? And don’t forget to bring your teenage daughter, who’ll enjoy watching you make all that jewelry yourself.

Every real housewife needs her solitude and introspection. If snuggling up with a good book is holiday bliss for the housewife in your life, here are a few inspirational titles from past and current seasons. We admit we did read Danielle “Garbage” Staub’s memoir, alongside the much more lively if controversial Cop Without A Badge, which treats Staub’s shady past. Don’t waste your money. Check these out of your local library, just like the sensible housewives of New Jersey did.

NeNe Leakes is on the verge of divorce right now, but remember that she Never Make the Same Mistakes Twice, the title of her recent tell-all tome, which is a steal at $16.49 from Amazon.

As Bethenny Frankel’s prospects rise, the anxieties about what’s left for the New York City franchise rises. Bethenny has always been our favorite so we have to recommend Naturally Thin, $10.88 on Amazon, for a healthier hotter you. But really we can’t wait for her 2011 title A Place of Yes, which takes its title from the opening salvo in a two season fight with Kelly Bensimon.

More than just a guide to etiquette, the divorced-but-still-Countess LuAnn de Lesseps’ Class With the Countess not only offers tips on how to dress and fold your napkin, it includes a chapter on “The Art of Seduction.” We have to admit we’re curious. It’s $15 from Borders or you could follow her on Twitter for free.

You could live vicariously, of course, by buying Atlanta Housewife Phaedra’s peculiar shade of eye shadow or downloading the latest “hits” by Kim Zolciak or LuAnn De Lesseps on Itunes.

But we recommend you take a page from the newest girls on the block, the Beverly Hills Housewives, who really know how to live it up. Recent episodes have featured fine dining at Lisa VanderPump’s restaurant Villa Blanca, and a little jaunt to Las Vegas to stay at Adrienne Maloof-Nassif’s family-owned The Palms casino, amongst many other treats.

You make not have a private jet or a casino in the family, but you can still bring a little 90210 to your life here in Houston. Sometime over the holiday season try a little luxury in 77019. Hit Backstreet Café for an executive lunch, find your way to Salon Jacques Dessange for a lovely scalp massage and stlying, work out your knots at Urban Kneads, and polish it off with dinner at the incomparable Tony Mandola’s Gulf Coast Kitchen.

If River Oaks doesn't do the trick, hop a flight to Vegas. But tell your favorite housewife to skip the casinos: a real housewife has to save her spare change for beauty treatments and accessories, not the nickel slots.

Aftershocks, the Holiday Edition

Living the Real Housewives life in Houston: Camille Grammer & Bethenny Frankel gift ideas