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Holiday Round-up: 24 Things We Love (+ a gift for you!)

By December 12, 2011October 2nd, 2013167 Comments

So we may not be the only ones posting a Holiday Gift Guide this week, but weโ€™d like to argue that DALS is probably going to be the only place you can stop by for a Family Dinner Holiday Gift Guide. Which is another way of saying that every gift, recipe, ritual, moment you see here is either family-related, dinner-related, family-dinner related, or, in keeping with the spirit of the blog,ย s#$t we like so much we just needed to tell you about it.ย (See #1 above,ย Pantone Ornaments from Seletti โ€” for all your design geek friends!) Be sure to read carefully โ€” thereโ€™s something in it for you, too. โ€” Happy Holidays fromย The DALS Team!

2.ย Mauviel Copper Roasting Pan ($280, 11 3/4โ€ณ x 8 5/8โ€ณ) A Big Ticket Item for Big Ticket Home Cooks. Copper pots โ€” any size or shape or model โ€” are the gold standard for cookware. This was a present for Jenny last year; amazing what passes for romance in this house. But roasted chicken thighs have never looked so good. โ€” Andy

3.ย A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. Letโ€™s put aside the fact that heโ€™s doing life in prison right now: Phil Spector could make music sound good.ย We pretty much put this album on repeat ย for the entire month of December. Even when weโ€™re eating Latkes (see #6). You can hate Christmas records and love this. Darlene Love singing โ€œChristmas (Baby, Please Come Home)โ€? That alone is worth the price of admission. โ€” Andy

4. Bangles ($20 each) I bought some version of these for our babysitter โ€” but I canโ€™t be too specific in case sheโ€™s reading. There are a zillion options to choose from at J.Crew. โ€” Jenny

5. Little History of the World by E.H. Gombrich (ages: 8-adult). This book is my new obsession. My friends are so incredibly sick of hearing about it. But let me just show you the first paragraph, and you tell me: โ€œAll stories begin with โ€˜Once Upon a Time.โ€™ And thatโ€™s just what this story is all about: What happened once upon a time. Once you were so small that, even standing on tiptoes, you could barely reach your motherโ€™s hand. Do you remember? Your own history might begin like this: โ€˜Once upon a time, there was a small boyโ€™ โ€” or a small girl โ€” โ€˜and that small boy was me.โ€™ But before that you were a baby in a cradle. You wonโ€™t remember that, but you know itโ€™s true. Your father and mother were also small once, and so was your grandfather, and your grandmother, a much longer time ago, but you know that too. After all, we say: โ€˜they are old.โ€™ But they too had grandfathers and grandmothers and they too could say, โ€˜Once upon a time.โ€™ And so it goes on, further and further back. Behind every โ€˜Once upon a timeโ€™ there is always another. Have you ever tried standing between two mirrors? You should. You will see a great long line of shiny mirrors, each one smaller than the one before, stretching away into the distance, getting fainter and fainter, so that you never see the last. But even when you canโ€™t see them anymore, the mirrors still go on. They are there, and you know it.โ€ OH MAN, I AM DYING. IT IS TOO GOOD.โ€” Andy


6. Potato Pancakes on the first night of Hannukah. Withย Marthaโ€™s edible dreidls for dessert, bien sur. โ€” Jenny


7. Ruhlmanโ€™s Twenty, ($23) byย Michael Ruhlman. Every time Iโ€™m in a bookstore I am drawn to this one. The title refers to twenty culinary techniques which, if learned, will turn you in to a real cook โ€” the kind who understands why things happen the way they do and not the kind who follows recipes to the letter without thinking. Which explains his first technique: โ€œThink.โ€ โ€”Jenny

8. Black Maple Hill Bourbon ($33). Jenny bought a bottle of this for me a couple birthdays ago and it one of those things that disabuses you of the idea that all [insert product here] are basically the same. Oh, the $12 stuff is just as good. No one can tell the difference between x and y. Itโ€™s all marketing. That stuffโ€™s a ripoff. Iโ€™ve said it, too. And I was wrong. Use sparingly, but use well. Also: what a label.ย โ€” Andy

9 & 10. Trader Joeโ€™s Gift Tags As if we needed another reason to love TJoes? Templates for these gift tags (and also a garland which was a little too ambitious for us) are sketched right on their paper grocery bags. Remind me why all stores arenโ€™t doing this? PS: While youโ€™re at TJoes, pick up the (#10)ย Gingerbread House Kit for a holiday activity with the kids that doesnโ€™t require a degree in Baking from ICE. And itโ€™s from Germany, so it feels legit. โ€” Jenny


11. Concert T-Shirts ($20-$25) Jenny calls my new concert t-shirt obsession my โ€œmid-life crisis.โ€ To which I say: better than a new girlfriend or a Porsche. Itโ€™s true, though. I have been wearing these out lately, and I have no excuse. It just feels good to put one on; it feels less good, after putting one on, to walk by the full-length mirror in your bedroom and catch a glimpse of yourself and think, Man, whoโ€™s the dorky old guy trying to be a kid again? (From left, Neil Young, Nick Lowe, and The Drive-By Truckers.) โ€” Andy

12. Beans from Joe the Art of Coffee ($11.95). There are way more days than I care to admit when my medium-sized cup of this stuff, purchased from Joeโ€™s coffee cart in Grand Central Terminal, is the highlight of my work day. Seriously. โ€” Andy

13. The Christmas Cookie Ritual Simple, buttery cookies, made with grandma, and slathered in sugar and sprinkles. Whatโ€™s not to love? I could never quite figure out, though, why the cookies themselves, as tasty as they are, are only half as tasty as the raw dough. That never seemed quite fair. The familyย recipe is here. โ€” Andy

14. Magnetic earrings. A pair of these should put off the ear pierce begging for at least a month or two. If you canโ€™t find them at your local junky accessory store at the mall (which is where I found these), you can find some version of them at Claireโ€™s, where they sell for $8 a pair. (Buy 2 get 1 free.)ย -Jenny

15. Marta Barware from CB2, ($1.50-$2.50 per glass) Every time I order these I think the same thing: Did they get the price wrong? Itโ€™s crazy how inexpensive these glasses are given how pretty our chocolate milks andย cocktails look inside them. If youโ€™re having a holiday party and not serving a special cocktail because you donโ€™t want to cough up the dough for the extra (or proper) glassware โ€” hereโ€™s your answer.ย โ€” Jenny

16.ย Make Dinner Not War bumper stickers ($4 for 1; $10 for 4 โ€” includes shipping) If you need me to give you a reason, please see previous 389 posts. โ€” Jenny

17. Bon Appetit Subscription ($20 for first gift subscription, second is FREE) Have you noticed how much a part of the conversation this magazine has become? I like to think this is because Andy and I show up six times a year writing our โ€œProvidersโ€ column, but I think it might also have something to do with Marcus Nilsson-shot stories like these. โ€”Jenny

18.ย In2green Organic Cotton Blanket ($150)ย GIVEAWAY!!
Their classic cable knitย baby blanket has long been my go-to newborn gift, so you can imagine how delighted I was when they started making full-size, bonafide cotton throws for grown-ups. Hereโ€™s the best part: Theyโ€™ve been nice enough to offer a free blanket to one lucky DALS reader.ย Rules:ย Comment below with the best gift youโ€™ve ever given or received. (As always, you must be a newsletter subscriber to be eligible, soย do that first if youโ€™re not already signed up.) Winner will be chosen at random this Friday.ย โ€” Jenny

19. Pixar Short Films Collection. ($15) The downside of taking this DVD with us on road trips is that Jenny and I have to sit up front while the kids get to sit in the back, watching. We all have our personal favorites โ€” Phoebe (โ€œOne Man Bandโ€), Abby (โ€œLiftedโ€), Jenny (โ€œBoundin'โ€), and me (โ€œBirds On a Wireโ€) โ€” but really, theyโ€™re all genius. Thereโ€™s something nice about how short they are (a few minutes each); theyโ€™re like little treats that we can dole out accordingly โ€” and use as bribes if necessary โ€” with minimal parental guilt. Why is it that letting the kids watch stuff from Pixar feels somehow healthy? โ€” Andy

20. MOMA Spherical Ice Tray Set ($13) Iโ€™ve never been to Japan, but I hear this is how they roll, ice cube-wise. If so, I like their style. Drop one of these bad boys in your Black Maple Hill bourbon โ€” or, really, the kidsโ€™ pineapple juice โ€” and now weโ€™re talking. One of those little silly things that makes life more fun.ย โ€” Andy

21. Billy Kirk Black Laptop Bag ($290) If youโ€™re going to splurge on one thing this holiday, make it this. Andy bought it for me last year in khaki and tan and not a day goes by when I donโ€™t get a compliment on it. -Jenny

22. Flying Pig Farms Gift Certificate Itโ€™s been well-documented by now: we like pork. And weโ€™ve yet to find pork that tastes better than the stuff they sell at Flying Pig Farms, which we only discovered after friends sent us a gift certificate a few years ago. We ordered a roast and some chops and some bacon, and none of it was bad. Now itโ€™s a go-to present for friends who know from pigs. It also takes our ragu to another level. โ€” Andy

23. Sambas for Kids ($30-$50)ย How good? These are Abbyโ€™s and are only a few weeks old โ€” that should tell you how well-loved they are in our house. โ€“Jenny

Update: The winner of the in2green blanket is Katherine (#115). Thanks for playing everyone!

Potato latkes photo by Andrew McCaul; Pork shredding photo by Jennifer Causey

167 Comments

  • Avatar brannon says:

    Best gift I ever received was new windshield wipers and wiper fluid! I needed both desperately but couldnโ€™t get around to taking care of them myself. My then-boyfriend noticed (without me asking) and sneaked into my car during his lunch break to install the wipers and fill up the fluid. Such a treat!

  • Avatar Amanda says:

    The best gift I ever received was a photo album from my best friend when we graduated from high school. She and her mom had collected pictures of the two of us from 1st grade through 12th, including one of us gardening naked. Almost 20 years later, it still makes me crack up and cry.

  • Avatar Leslie says:

    The fact that both my husband and I have two weeks paid time off at the holidays! Makes for lots of relaxed family time!

  • Beth says:

    The BEST gift I ever got was my son! His due date was my birthday but he came a week early. Hi smile, giggles and hugs are continuous gifts that I get to receive everyday. I am so lucky!

  • Avatar heather says:

    The best gift ever was last year โ€“ we had a 100% analog Christmas. No electronics or things related to electronics (like video games). And the children did not utter a single word of complaint. We had a lovely, peaceful day and I felt like husband and I had pulled off one of the ultimate parenting missions โ€“ the kids understood and appreciated the real nature of the holiday.

  • Avatar Weezy says:

    best gift I ever gave was a Maxfield Parrish print that my ex-husband admired in a store in Ocean City, MDโ€ฆโ€ฆ..I drove from Philadelphia to go back and buy the print for him.

  • Avatar Anna says:

    Best gift ever: when I knit shawls for my mother-in-law, her four sisters, and their mom. Two months of work, but totally worth it โ€” they look great!

  • Avatar Tarah says:

    My two favorite gifts ever came from my mother-in-law (of all people)! My Kitchen Aid Mixer and a cope of Julia Childโ€™s โ€˜Art of French Cookingโ€™ which was handed down to her from her Mom. Three generations cooking from that bible!

  • Matt says:

    Right on about the BMH bourbon. I had it recommended to me at Cakes & Ale in Decatur, GA, then bought a bottle a few weeks ago. It hasnโ€™t lasted as long as Iโ€™d hopedโ€ฆ

  • Avatar Vicki says:

    Jenny&Andy:
    One of the best gifts I have received has been your blog. I was the source of my inspiration for my website. Jenny kindly referred me to Ava who created a beautiful site for me. I know we have never met but your blog helped propel me into a new careerโ€ฆso thank you again!
    Vicki

  • Avatar nancy says:

    Best gift I ever gave was a housewarming gift for our daughter and her boyfriend: We put in a vegetable garden, everything from digging up the soil to amending, fertilizing, and planting. They are now confirmed gardeners!

  • Lori says:

    Best gift I ever received? When I was nine, my mom made me a green polyester elastic-waist floor-length skirt. Wearing it, I felt beautiful and grown-up and oh-so-chic, which was the actual GIFT.

  • Brianna says:

    The best gift I have ever recieved was not a Christmas gift, but a wedding present from my parents. My husband and I were poor recent grads and were paying for our wedding ourselves. We had run out of money and couldnโ€™t afford a hotel room for the wedding night. I had resigned myself to spending my wedding night in my parentโ€™s guest room, when they surprised us with a suite in a beautiful downtown Baltimore hotel! It was amazing!

  • Avatar Teresa says:

    Best gift Iโ€™ve received in a long time was a framed photograph of my sister and me along with a small sign that said โ€œsisters.โ€ She had a very old photo of us, taken on our Momโ€™s back steps, cropped, edited and enlarged. Brought back a lot of good memories.

  • Jessica says:

    Best gift ever? Last year, we got a copy of the Night Before Christmas and read it to our little 6 week old embryo. This year, we get to read it to our 4 month old little man. It seems like a lovely start to a family tradition.

  • Avatar Melissa says:

    The best gift Iโ€™ve ever given was a joint effort between my mother and I last year, we gave 24 people gift boxes stuffed with assorted baked treats that we made ourselves. Weโ€™ve already had requests for certain cookies if we did it again and people asking to be on the list. ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Avatar Andrea says:

    Best gift ever is a yearly Christmas lunch with a friend that I miss and donโ€™t get uninterrupted time with nearly often enough. Itโ€™s a lovely tradition thatโ€™s way better than anything I get to unwrap. ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Avatar Mae says:

    I love giving my mom the annual family photo calendar. Itโ€™s such a treat for her b/c we all live in different corners of the state. New, happy, family faces to view each month. ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Avatar Karen says:

    My daughter was born two months before my birthday. My husband took pictures of her and of me holding her, printed and framed them. Almost six years later they remain among my favorite photos of my daughter.

  • Avatar Lara says:

    Best gift I ever received was my (now) 5-year-old boy, born days before Christmas. He and his 18-month-old brother have made Christmas magical again for us.

  • Avatar mandy says:

    last christmas, my mother gave me a beautifully framed photo of my grandparents wedding portrait. i love it. i canโ€™t wait to display it on the escort card table at my own wedding, this coming september.

  • Avatar Sarah says:

    When I was maybe five or six my dad and I used to talk a lot about how I would open a restaurant when I grew up and how Iโ€™d call it โ€œLittle Sarahโ€™s Sandwich Shop.โ€ That year for Christmas my parents got me a toy kitchen and made a big sign over the top that said โ€œLittle Sarahโ€™s Sandwich Shop.โ€ It was a โ€œthingโ€ gift, but at that time I felt like it was a dream come true.

  • Avatar Jennifer says:

    My best gift was the year I gave my sister the 12 days of Christmas. I had them delivered by friends during dinner our family dinners so sheโ€™d never suspect they came from me. The big reveal was her 12th gift given to her on Christmas morning.

  • Avatar kri says:

    My husband spent a year writing down little things he loves about me on little pieces of paper, then put them all in a box covered in pictures from the past year. In a fire, Iโ€™d grab our daughter and that.

  • Avatar Jennifer says:

    The best gift was the year I gave my sister the 12 days of Christmas. I had them delivered by friends during dinner our family dinners so sheโ€™d never suspect they came from me. The big reveal was her 12th gift given to her on Christmas morning.

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