Holiday Gifts

Updated

Hey guys!

I may have my head buried in books as the semester comes to an end, but I’ve still managed to notice all the beautiful signs of the season. The holiday sounds of Starbucks. The cackles of credit card companies. The sighs of wallets everywhere. Hah?

My smart-ass attitude aside, I’ve found a little time here and there to enjoy this time of year. I’ve already received the best gift that cannot be beat, and it’s a live performance…

Last Saturday, The Antique Toys performed at The Fret House and we had so much fun! I can’t wait to do it again. See the rest of our photos here.

Since not everyone is as easy to please as me , and some people expect actual, physical gifts (how dare they!), I’ve come up with some gift ideas for people if you’re feeling at a loss. And, of course, I’m not being sneaky and including gifts that I actually want myself. Buahaha!

For Fitness & Health Lovers

• For the runner: Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor. This seems like the holy grail of runners. I have one, but I’ll admit I hardly use it. So, this is best bought for a very serious runner!
• A customized yoga mat from here
• A BPA-free water bottle, like a SIGG
• New work-out clothes, running shoes &/or gym bag
• Give a month of yoga, boot camp, dance lessons, etc. Watch Groupon for deals!
• A digital food scale, like this one: EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale, Silver
• A Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board
• Work-out DVDs. I’ll admit, I’m a fan of the Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred series.
• Educational DVDs or books. These can be tricky if your pal is not into the political aspect of food and health, but I always recommend any book by Michael Pollan for starters

For Foodies

• Magazine subscription(s) to Vegetarian Times, Cooking Light, Bon Appetit, Donna Hay, Cooks Illustrated, Gourmet Magazine, Saveur Magazine
  
• Top Chef on DVD
• This soup and sandwich duo tray is adorable
• Stainless steel index cutting board
• Awesome cookie cutters, pancake shapers, cake molds from Amazon.com, or Williams Sonoma. Or a Norpro 6-Count Nonstick Donut Pan! Animal-shapes baking pan
• A food processor/chopper (if money’s no problem: Vita-Mix 1300 TurboBlend 4500), Panini Grill (Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler<–major sale!) — anything that’ll make cooking easier and/or more fun!
• All the kitchen tools from JosephJoseph are rad, such as the “Catcher” and “Compact Herb Chopper” – here
• Something silly like cupcake hand-warmers, a cupcake soap dispenser or candy cane lip balm. yea….

For Music Lovers

• Know someone who lives and breathes music? I know many *erhem* Think of getting your music fan paraphernalia from her fave band – like a hoodie, calendar, etc. — or a live performance on DVD. Concert tix? Also consider getting them band documentaries or even mockumentaries (This is Spinal Tap, anyone?). Most music lovers I know also have a soft-spot for Flight of the Conchords. Since I adore Amanda Palmer, I have to plug a new book that came out on her “deaths” called, “On The Many Deaths of Amanda Palmer: And the Many Crimes of Tobias James.” Or, an iTunes gift certificate always works.

For Vegans

• Subscription to VegNews Magazine
• Gift card to Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe (online), or to vegan restaurants such as Native Foods, The Veggie Grill, Real Food Daily, etc.
• Vegan cookbooks like well-known “Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook” or Isa’s new “Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes“
• Vegan chocolates
• Political DVDs and books, such as these and these

For Writers

• Every writer should have a Mole Skin journal (hmm hope they’re not really “skin”!), but what makes these favorites better is if they’re engraved! I’ve had Mole Skins engraved for both my film-buff writer boyf and my song-writing band-mate. I got them both lasered with uploaded art, and they came out amazingly awesome: JournalEngraver.com
• For your creative writer. This is an old Ray Bradbury book, but it’s timeless and super helpful: Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity
• For the academic and professional writer – this book breaks down style and grammar in terms we can all handle: The Elements of Style: 50th Anniversary Edition
• Subscription to Glimmer Train or Poets & Writers Magazine
• Poetry dessert plates

General

• Gift certificate to Groupon – I always like gifts that enable someone to do something
• Choose Your Own Adventure. This one requires cash, but is perfect for that significant other in your life who has everything he or she could want. Choose a few locations that your S.O. would like to visit (they don’t have to be far!), like Santa Barbara and San Francisco, for example.  Get maps from Triple A (for free!), circle a few destinations on the map and create a really cute print-out of all the fun locales, restaurants (esp. restaurants of your S.O.s fave food type), hotels, etc. Then let them choose their own adventure.
• Both “Inception” and “Shrek Forever After” came out on DVD yesterday and both seem like good stocking stuffers! I loved Inception and just watched the DVD’s special features last night. So cool!
• Coffee, tea & baked goods! I plan on doing a lot of baking (these cookies for sure and this bread for sure), and giving my favorite teas — Paris & Hot Cinnamon Sunset from Harney & Sons and Ruby Red Chai from Trader Joe’s.
• Make your own Lavendar & Rosemary scrub, place in an adorable jar tied with ribbon. Include thought-provoking and zen-inspiring messages.
• I also still love the whole mixed c.d. thing. It’s a great way to get introduced to stuff you’d otherwise never encounter. You can even gift a song or two to someone from iTunes, which is a perfect gift to someone who you won’t be physically seeing this season.

Happy holidays! If you’re in finals like me, good luck — the end is near! Any gift ideas to share? Favorites about this time of year?

<3,

The Cranky One