You've unwrapped all your presents. Hopefully you've gotten some great gifts from family and friends. Hopefully you don't have to brave the return lines and can spend the week between Christmas and New Year bargain hunting instead of returning. But either way, we need to talk about the little X that is sewn into a lot of clothing items.

Usually you'll find the X on a coat that has a little slit or a skirt that has pleats. The X is often in the same color thread as the material of your new clothing item. And many people, in either their excitement to wear that new ensemble or maybe just in ignorance forget to take the X out. But please, please, please cut that little X and let your coat or skirt or top or whatever flow free.

Retailers have the X put into the clothing item in order for the product to keep its shape in the shipping process. Smart retailers whould remove the X when placing the product on the floor, but not every store has the time or personnel to trim the threads. That's where you come in.

Seriously, there is nothing worse than seeing a woman walking by in a cute outfit and then see that blaring X still in place. It makes coats gap funny at the butt. It turns regular A-line skirts into tulip-shirt wannabes. It's just bad. The 10 seconds it will take you to remove that X will prove you care about your overall look and appearance. It's that last necessary step. So take a look at that new winter coat, or that adorable black skirt you just got and remove the X.

(Sorry it is a little bit of a rant... but seriously, so many people forget to cut that X out and it is a huge pet peeve of mine.)