Welcome to our annual guide for everything we want, covet, crave, and, yes need this holiday.ย (I donโt know about you, but in my world, coffee qualifies as anย essential.) ย As always, the round-up was compiled with cooks, kids, and parents in mind (again, coffee), as well as for those of you who have already bought Dinner: A Love Story for everyone on your list. For those of you who have not: hereโs the guide for you. Happy Holidays!
Dansk Kobenstyle Casserole ($120) In the 70s, my mom had it in mustard yellow. Thirty-five years later, I bought it in green. Forty years later, I think you should own the classic in striking, festive red. Warning: Do not purchase this if you have something against kitchen workhorses that you will use every night (as we speak, some veggies are simmering in mine in for chicken pot pie) and that looks beautiful living permanently on your stovetop. โJR
Playmobil Dolls & Sets ($5-$30) We are pretty good about giving away toys to Good Will and friends with younger kids, but Iโll tell you one thing we never hand down โ anything labeled โPlaymobil.โ Nope. All of those German-made cup-handed dolls and perfectly-snapped-together playsets go right into a box in our (otherwise unorganized) basement labeled โSPECIAL.โ If your kids are into make-believe (or your husband derives an irrational happiness from putting together a Grand Mansion Dollhouse on Christmas morning), you cannot go wrong with these. The level of loose-part detail should be maddening (tiny leaves to snap into trees, decorative flowers to snap onto birthday cakes, teeny tiny bunny rabbits with the sweetest little faces) but instead inspires you to say things like โWow, a lot of thought went into this little chimney sweep.โ The possibilities are as varied as your childrensโ interests, and so are the prices. If you are in the market for the Big Ticket Item, there are plenty:ย Pirate Ships, Castles,ย Farms, and Zoos. (Btw, Iโm weeping thinking of Abbyโs beloved zoo sitting in a shoebox right now.) But honestly, itโs almost more fun to explore the wide world of mini environs and figures, some of which come with travel cases. A few favorites: A very DALSianย Grand Kitchen ($25, pictured above);ย Doghouse ($11);ย Horse with Groomer and Stable ($11);ย Cop & Robber ($11, plus carrying case);ย Vet Clinic ($11, includes carrying case);ย Royal Dressing Room ($15);ย Outlaw Hideout ($18);ย Comfortable Living Room ($18). Man, I could go on forever. โJR
Blue Picardie Glassesย ($26, set of six) I really have no business putting another set of drinking glasses in another gift guide, and yetโฆHow fun is this blue twist on the bistro picardie glass? I first saw them at The Ordinary in Charleston, and have since been hinting in many not-so-subtle ways how cool theyโd look with milk (or wine) and how psyched Iโd be to unwrap a set of six someday soon. โJR
Jack Rudy Small Batch Tonic ($16 a bottle) Also in the category of โfirst experienced at The Ordinary:โ This tonic, a concentrated quinine, mixed into a memorable Gin & Tonic during a memorable summer night. But trust me, the stuff is good all year long. โJR
Galaxy CR7sย ($50). Iโm not sure how I feel about the fact that our family seems set on making Phil Knight richer, but I am sure how I feel about this Hubble Telescope-y, Buck Rogers-y iteration of the Nike indoor soccer shoe: good. I canโt imagine where the people who designed these go from here (โI know, letโs put photographs of Canis Majoris on a pair of cleats!โ) but Iโm sure weโll be buying. โ Andy
KitchenSurfing Gift Cardย (Any amount, but Iโd recommend a minimum of $100) Do you guys know aboutย KitchenSurfing? Iโm a little obsessed with it ever since our friends Liz and Charlie hosted a dinner party for twelve catered by an Indian chef they found on the site. If the word โcaterโ sounds a little stodgy and prosciutto-wrapped-melon-ish to you, trust me, this site is the opposite of that. It matches your dinner party needs (Cocktail party? Kidโs Birthday Party? Dinner for vegans or sushi lovers?) with a network of local chefs ย (right now that means NY, LA, Boston, Chicago, the Hamptons, andโฆBerlin!) who bid on your job and send you menus with their thoughts. Everything is negotiable and customizable which makes for a far more reasonably cost evening than you might expect. (Especially factoring in the babysitter you wonโt have to hire.) All I know is that if I were a new parent too exhausted to entertain, Iโd beย psychedย to be cooked for and waited on in my own home for an evening. (Photo credit:ย Brooklyn Industrialist) โJR
PokPok Cookbookย (by Andy Ricker and JJ Goode, $22) You might be familiar with the PokPok restaurant empire because youโve been lucky enough to frequent one of Andy Rickerโs Brooklyn or Portland, Oregon Thai hotspots. Or you might just remember that I made his Pad Thai last year and it was off the chain. Either way, the experience is now available in cookbook form. Warning: This is not a book for people who shy away from mail-ordering or pavement-pounding in search of ingredients you donโt generally find at the A&P. But for major enthusiasts, that friend who has everything, or for someone who wants to learn about Thai cuisine (technique, ingredients, recipes, regional breakdowns) inside and out? This is the one. โJR
Janeโs Granola ($14) Our breakfast rut has, by now, been well documented. There have beenย exceptions, but for the most part, our kids always seem to come back to the Trifecta of Starches: Bagel, toast, pancakes. Itโs hard to watch. But in September, I was out in San Francisco for work and brought home a bag of this almondy-y, cinammon-y granola from Jane (above), which is one of our favorite breakfast spots on earth. I bought it as an anniversary present for Jenny, actually, but she never even got a taste. Phoebe gave it a shot โ over Greek yogurt, with a drizzle of honey โ and that was all she wrote. Not that weโre complaining. โ Andy
The Giant Book of Strange But True Sports Storiesย (by Howard Liss, Illustrations by Joe Mathieu; Used paperback copies starting at 1 cent) Goofy, old-school illustrations paired with stories that stay with you for decades. (Remember the one about Johnny Heisman scoring a touchdown by hiding the football in his jersey? Or the one where the umpires got lost on the way to a Dodgers-Braves game, so the players made the calls themselves? Or the one where the outfielderโs belt got stuck on the fence when he jumped to catch a fly ball? And he just hung there waiting to be rescued?) Andy spent everyย Saturdayย andย Sundayย morning reading this book in bed waiting for his brother to wake up so he could watch TV. I remember my own brother obsessing over it, too. (Age 6 +) ย โJR
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Rittenhouse Ryeย Because dark spirits season is upon us, once again. (Only $24 a bottle โ if you can find it, that is.) โ Andy
Anomia ($13) I first read about this game on Catherineโs blog, and since I will essentially do anything Catherine tells me to do, I bought it before summer vacation, thinking we might need a post-sโmore activity every now and then. This was just the ticket. Itโs best played with kids who are at least 7 or 8, and is one of those games where even adults find themselves standing and screaming out answers with their hearts racing, reminding themselves every few minutes to Calm Down Itโs Just a Game. Bonus: It takes up no room in a suitcase.ย -JR
Nike GPS Watchย ($169) Thereโs nothing quite like seeing how slow you are running to make you run a little faster. I am generally not a Gadget Guy at all โ I still read physical books and need Jenny to program numbers into my phone โ but this thing has changed my running life. (If only it could change the fact that I am old.) โ Andy
A Very un-Christmasy Moleskine Notebookย ($10). My pal Kendra gave this to me last year (along with one that said โEpic Sh#t,โ of course) and I love it so much, Iโve been unable to write in it. It just sits on my desk, untouched, and I wait for people who come into my office to notice it, and when they do, they all say the same thing: โOh my god, where did you get that?โ Here. โ Andy
Paul Smith Socks for dudes. Fashion-wise, J Crew is generally as crazy as I get, but I own two pairs of these, and they make me happy every time I put them on. And no one has to know. โ Andy
Digital Speed Sensing Baseballย ($20) I like to think that my two girls are not the girly lip-gloss-and-eyelash-batting types. (Exhibit A: While watching The Sound of Musicย last week, during the part where Rolf sang to Liesl that she needed someone โolder and wiser telling her what to do,โ Phoebe turned to me and said, โShe can do better.โ) But still, when it comes to buying gifts for boys โ specifically my nephews โ my girls never have any good ideas for me. This year I seem to have hit a home run, though, with these speed-sensing baseballs, recommended by my friend Jennie, mother of a middle school baseball star. As soon as my nephews opened them, they were outside (itโs winter here in New York, remember) testing out their cannons.
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Mattโs Wood Roasted Coffee. Every time we visit our friends Mike and Sara in Portland, Maine, I spend much of the five-hour drive home asking Jenny variations on the following two questions: (1) what are we doing with our lives, and (2) why arenโt we doing it in Portland, Maine? The water, the healthy-looking people, the tight-knit feel of the community, the lobster rolls, the bread at Fore Street Grill (worth a trip in its own right), the food in general, and finally, the coffee. Man, the coffee! Last time we were there, we stopped in at a place called the Speckled Ax, and picked up a couple of pounds of the good stuff to go. Whatever alchemy happens when you wood roast coffee beans, itโs genius. We donโt drink it every morning because then it wouldnโt be special. A bag of this in the olโ stocking, and Iโm happy. โย Andy
The Wireย Complete series DVD. I wish I could promise that this is the last thing Iโm going to say about this show on this blog, but I will not rest until every last one of you has seen this show. (Jenny finally watched all five seasons this fall, after years of my hectoring, and her review, which I am writing down as she says it, is as follows: โItโs ruined all television for me. Iโm retiring from TV now, because I canโt imagine anything better.โ) โ Andy
Holidays Ruleย If youโre sick of the Phil Spector, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra Christmas jams, this album โ featuring a bunch of cool, more contemporary bands, from Fun. to Holly Golightly, from the Heartless Bastards to Calexico โ is a pretty excellent change of pace. If nothing else, giveย thisย tune a listen and see for yourself. Well worth $1.29. Also goes well with Rittenhouse Rye and a fire in the fireplace. โย Andy
Other inspiring gift guides: The Wednesday Chef, Bon Appetit, The New York Times Dining Section, Cup of Jo for Babies and Toddlers.
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I love this list! And, Iโm so excited that I actually just picked up a vintage Dansk casserole โ same style and color as above! โ from my friendโs awesome vintage furnishings site (www.urbantastes.com)
Playmobil has been a huge hit with my nearly 5-year old daughter, and I canโt wait to add to her collection either at Christmas or her birthday next month.
Love it all!
That Dansk casserole dish is now on my wish list.
My family is a bunch of game playing fools โ Iโm going to have to pick up Anomia before I head home for Christmas. Also, I wish Iโd remembered the Dansk when I wrote my wish list (I remember you waxing poetic about it before). I asked for a dutch oven โ canโt believe I donโt have one โ but this wouldโve done the trick and been even prettier!
I see so much stuff for ME!!! how do i shop for anyone else? but would love the playmobil for my little boy!
Thanks for all of these, especially The Wire. Hopefully between all of us we can reach every adult out there who hasnโt seen it yet.
I bought the Cash Childrenโs album on your website and I love itโscratch that, the whole family loves it. Thank you.
Also grew up with a mom who had a Dansk pan. Herโs is bright yellow.
I am going to get that Un-Christmas notebook for a coworker. Made me laugh.
Would love to win the playmobil giveaway.
Thank you!
Great ideas โ and like others have said mostly for me! I havenโt shared any wishes for this year!
Eeksโฆ please excuse the grammatical error on line 3!
Your gift guide really is inspiring. I love the thought that goes into all the choices because it really is
Reflection of your family philosophy โ which I gather from your blog and which I appreciate even more than I do your recipes.
Always love your gift guidesโฆjust ordered the cookbook for my Thai food loving dad! Iโm bookmarking the list for other occasions, tooโฆ
Your gift guides are always the best โ thank you so much for all the great ideas!
My daughter (4-1/2) would love Playmobil! I would love the casserole. Maybe somedayโฆ
I think the entire list is great, and even got a few ideas for my hard to buy for husband. My toddler would love the playmobil!
Oh, I love Playmobil! They really are the most imaginative toys out there.
Hi Jenny! I love the playmobil!! It would be a perfect gift for my son! Thank you!
Love the list! I want the Nike watch for myself. ๐
Awesome list!
My little guy would love the outlaw playmobil set!
Absolutely love your list!!! Thanks for posting all these ideasโฆsome great ones!
Great listโฆ.keep them coming!
What a great list! I should remember Playmobil next time Iโm thinking of a kiddo gift
Great gift guide. I may be picking up those glasses for myself. Iโve got a 5 yr old who would love that vet set!
Fabulous list! (And wonderful links to other lists.) My 3-year-old would love a Playmobil toy. And while youโre at it, could you also track down the life-sized gorilla robot that heโs asking Santa for?
The Wire is a must-own! Though Iโm not sure how many more emotionally-wrenching viewings of it I could handleโฆ
Throwing my hat in the ring for the Playmobil giveaway!
love this! great ideas! my kids would love the playmobile and my hubby would love that sports book!!