If you subscribe to retail merchandising theory, you know that it’s never too early to start your Christmas shopping.  Here we are, with just a little more than two months to go before Christmas and we’re seeing all sorts of decorations and whatnot hitting the shelves - and it’s not even Halloween yet!  In fact, it’s been so bad this year, that I spotted Lowes setting up those giant inflatable snow globes around Labor Day - too soon!  People are still grilling!

So, with that in mind, I’m putting Fix It Up in to full-on Christmas mode.  We’ll be detailing a tools and home improvement wish list for the do-it-yourselfer, along with reviews and great deals we’ve spotted on Pricegrabber.  In early December, we’ll be producing a special “12 Days of Christmas” feature that will help countdown what I think are the 12 hottest Christmas gifts to put under the tree.

So stay tuned - and, if you’re not already, subscribe to our RSS feed to get the latest news delivered right to your feed reader.

The soil in our area is mostly clay.  Any gardening involves purchasing some sort of dirt.  Mixing in the nice, almost fluffy top soil into the clay takes more effort than is appropriate.  Some days I have suggested replacing the yard with a Zen rock garden and only been half-kidding.  Of course my wife contends that it would not smell as good as a big bed of flowers so we are always on the look out for a way to make the job easier.

We gave the STL/FBG 16″ Bow Rake a shot because, even though it is not a tiller, it seemed sturdy enough to act as one.  And we were not disappointed.  There is nothing that is going to make breaking up clay simple and fun, but this bow rake did make the process quicker.  We were able to get the clay into a consistency that would allow for easy mixture with higher quality soil.  Once we had added the soil, integrating the two was a snap with just a few passes of the rake.  The durability of the rake head allows us to go after tough spots without worrying.  There is no need to be ginger with the rake.  Even if you do manage to damage the rake, it comes with a replacement handle.

I do not like raking leaves.  It reminds me of spending whole weekends raking our three-quarters acre yard as a kid.  Every rake we had was old, metal, and somehow bent.  No one walked away at the end of the day – we hobbled, bent over like we were decades older.

The Vertex Pivot Leaf Rake eliminates those painful memories.  The first healing feature:  the handle is telescopic, so it will adjust to your height (I am tall and I hate trying to compensate for a tool’s awkward center of gravity).  Second, the rake itself is fully adjustable.  I was unsure of the “push” motion mentioned, but it really is much easier than the repetitive “pulling” with traditional rakes.  When pushing, you don’t have to stop abruptly to avoid covering yourself with leaves; it is a much smoother action with less strain on muscles.

Lastly, because you can adjust the head to any angle, this rake replaces a lot of job-specific rakes.  You will not need, for example, a special rake to get under shrubs.  Just pivot the rake to a nearly right angle and you will be able to get all the trimmings from underneath any bush.  The size of and distance between the tines make quick work of grass clippings.  It even folds up for storage!

f you are lucky enough to have an evenly distributed, weed-free lawn, you probably will not need this dethatcher.  If you are among the other 99% of the population, this is the perfect tool for getting close to that one percent.

Our house has an all zoysia yard.  Anyone who has an even passing knowledge of this grass knows how thick it grows.  Sure, it looks great for a few months, but if you want to have green in your lawn early in spring, you are out of luck.  Zoysia will choke out any other grass.  We wanted a more balanced, and somewhat softer, lawn – especially around flower beds.  We used the WOLF GARTEN Dethatching Rake to thin out the zoysia in order to give other grasses a chance to take root.  I was able to clear enough zoysia from near the more landscaped parts of the yard that I can keep it from creeping under stones and walls.

I thought that trying to get through the vine-like grass would be exhausting and incredibly time-consuming, but the angle of the rake adjusts so I wasn’t bent over and it took about 15 minutes of dragging the rake before I realized that short strokes work the best.  The rest of our yard took no time at all.  The dethatching rake gives near-professional results at a fraction of the cost.  You do have to purchase the handle separately, but it works with many other Wolf Garten attachments.

A roof rake?  Seems kind of silly, right?  Sure, until all that snow melts just enough to refreeze into ice after sunset.  Then you get ice dams – and no one wants to deal with ice dams and the water trapped behind them.  Enter the Garelick 16′ Roof Snow Rake (it is also available in a 21 foot length for those with multiple stories or steeper roofs).

We all know from childhood shoveling that snow is extremely heavy.  Since the roof rake is made of aluminum, you do not have to pull the weight of the snow plus the weight of a rake, making snow removal much easier on your back and shoulders.  The rollers on the edges of the rake ensure your singles are not damaged (though, of course, don’t push the rake “up” the roof!).  The handle is cushioned so even in cold temperatures the chill of the aluminum does not transfer through to your hands.

After a particularly bad snowstorm, you may have to take a couple passes due to the depth of the rake, but I feel if it was any deeper it would become unwieldy.  My main tip for using the roof rake is to stand as far back as possible!

Popular Mechanics has a very comprehensive list out with 100 skills that every man should know.  It’s been making the rounds on a lot of blogs, so I wanted to post a link for my readers (all three of you) to check out.

The list got me thinking - we need a DIY-specific list for all genders.  What skills are important?  We have a category for Essential Equipment, why not one for DIY Skills that utilize those tools?

Leave me some comments on what DIY skills you think every homeowner should know and I’ll write up some guides, tips and tricks.  Look for an ongoing series the remainder of this year and well into 2009!