We are scurrying around preparing for our holiday gift giving. Sometimes the best gifts aren't gifts at all. One of our favorite things to prepare and give is the scavenger hunt we have done with the local cousins. We give them a series of clues that takes them around the neighborhood, and at the end there are coupons for each child. A pedicure for our girly-girl, a night out for sushi with that rail thin boy who can eat his weight in California rolls. Very fun.
If you're willing to share, please leave your gift ideas in the comments. I'd love to hear them and I'm sure other readers would too.
When we do shop, we try to support small businesses or shop locally so here are my ideas for this holiday season.
Etsy is the e-version of shopping locally, so that was my first stop.
~ Cheese-Making Kit
Since we consume our body weight in mozzarella each year, it would be fun to try making our own with a Mozzarella or Ricotta Kit from Urban Cheesecraft.
~ Aprons
My favorite aprons from my waitressing days were bistro-style ones and MBTC has them in styles designed to appeal to both women and men, although I'd be a fan of mixing them up a bit.
Sometimes I want the coverage of a full apron, though, and I would
have a tough time deciding between the classic lines and designs of this
pin stripe apron and one of the girly-fun aprons from Handmade Whimzy like the one above. Or maybe one like this retro one from Creative Chics which would make me smile every time I put it on.
~ Tea Towels
We never have enough cotton dish towels and MBTC offers a variety of colors and quotes, but that Miss Piggy quote would be right at home in our vegetarian household. A set of 4 gets you a decent discount.
French Silver's etsy shop also offers simple tea towels, with just enough of a design to make them fun to use.
~ Cookbooks
For cookbooks, I have my eye on Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi's Jerusalem. Ottolenghi's Plenty has become one of my favorite cookbooks so I'm eager to see what he's cooking up now.
I'd also love to get Melissa Clark's Cook This Now: 120 Easy and Delectable Dishes You Can't Wait to Make. Her weekly column in the New York Times is always tempting, and her approach to cooking is just my style.
Deb Perlman from Smitten Kitchen has a cookbook out, and, when I saw her at Politics and Prose, I was lucky to get a book before they sold out. The place was standing room only, a testament to the popularity of her recipes. Everything that we have made from the book so far has been delish.
The second cookbook from the online site Food52 is also out. I haven't bought it yet, but the site is fast becoming a favorite resource for recipes. Watch out, epicurious.
Of course, any of these cookbooks could be ordered on line, but I have to make a plug for independent bookstores. My favorite in this area is Politics and Prose. If you call them now, you can order any books they don't have in stock and they'll be waiting for you to pick up in a few days. If you have time when you pop in to pick up the books, consult their amazing staff for help with gift ideas. That aunt who likes llamas, cures her own olives, and reads only historical fiction? They'll have just the book for her.
~ Magazines
I just discovered the magazine, Chop Chop, which is designed for familes that cook. How perfect is that? Now, I just have decide who to give it to. If I were picking a magazine for myself, I'd go for Cooks Illustrated. I've become a big fan of their cookbooks, with their wonky, scientific approach to cooking, and it would be fun to get a dose of that every month.
~ Fun, Flora, and Fashion
Stepping out of the kitchen, I have to give a plug to some of my favorite local businesses. For the knitter or crocheter on your list, check out Susquehanna Knitting, which offers a beautiful selection of yarn, and Beth's customer service is top notch.
Mary at The Abundant Backyard offers beautiful seasonal arrangements that would make a fantastic hostess gift or make a lovely decoration for your door or table. You can see some of the designs and contact her through her site. Aren't those skates adorable?
For someone special on your list, there is nothing more fun than a consultation with Rosana at DC Style Factory. She offers a full range of services for men and women from a closet audit to a shopping excursion to find a particular outfit to a complete wardrobe overhaul. She helped me "shop my closet" last week, pulling together an infinite number of outfits from the clothes I already own. And she is very gentle and tactful. She never says, "Why on earth are you still hanging onto that?" although I certainly have given her cause. And when she leaves, you'll have a new spring in your step.
Have fun!
