So we may not be the only ones posting a Holiday Gift Guide this week, but weโd 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 thereโs something in it for you, too. โ Happy Holidays fromย The DALS Team!
2.ย Mauviel Copper Roasting Pan ($280, 11 3/4โณ x 8 5/8โณ) 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. Letโs put aside the fact that heโs 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 weโre eating Latkes (see #6). You can hate Christmas records and love this. Darlene Love singing โChristmas (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 canโt be too specific in case sheโs 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: โAll stories begin with โOnce Upon a Time.โ And thatโs 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 motherโs hand. Do you remember? Your own history might begin like this: โOnce upon a time, there was a small boyโ โ or a small girl โ โand that small boy was me.โ But before that you were a baby in a cradle. You wonโt remember that, but you know itโs 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: โthey are old.โ But they too had grandfathers and grandmothers and they too could say, โOnce upon a time.โ And so it goes on, further and further back. Behind every โOnce 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 canโt 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 Marthaโs edible dreidls for dessert, bien sur. โ Jenny
7. Ruhlmanโs Twenty, ($23) byย Michael Ruhlman. Every time Iโm 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: โThink.โ โJenny
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. Itโs all marketing. That stuffโs a ripoff. Iโve said it, too. And I was wrong. Use sparingly, but use well. Also: what a label.ย โ Andy
9 & 10. Trader Joeโs 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 arenโt doing this? PS: While youโre at TJoes, pick up the (#10)ย Gingerbread House Kit for a holiday activity with the kids that doesnโt require a degree in Baking from ICE. And itโs from Germany, so it feels legit. โ Jenny
11. Concert T-Shirts ($20-$25) Jenny calls my new concert t-shirt obsession my โmid-life crisis.โ To which I say: better than a new girlfriend or a Porsche. Itโs 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, whoโs 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 Joeโs 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. Whatโs 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 canโt 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 Claireโs, 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? Itโs crazy how inexpensive these glasses are given how pretty our chocolate milks andย cocktails look inside them. If youโre having a holiday party and not serving a special cocktail because you donโt want to cough up the dough for the extra (or proper) glassware โ hereโs 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 โProvidersโ column, but I think it might also have something to do with Marcus Nilsson-shot stories like these. โJenny
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. Hereโs the best part: Theyโve been nice enough to offer a free blanket to one lucky DALS reader.ย Rules:ย Comment below with the best gift youโve ever given or received. (As always, you must be a newsletter subscriber to be eligible, soย do that first if youโre 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 (โOne Man Bandโ), Abby (โLiftedโ), Jenny (โBoundin'โ), and me (โBirds On a Wireโ) โ but really, theyโre all genius. Thereโs something nice about how short they are (a few minutes each); theyโre 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) Iโve 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 weโre talking. One of those little silly things that makes life more fun.ย โ Andy
21. Billy Kirk Black Laptop Bag ($290) If youโre 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 donโt get a compliment on it. -Jenny
22. Flying Pig Farms Gift Certificate Itโs been well-documented by now: we like pork. And weโve 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 itโs 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 Abbyโs and are only a few weeks old โ that should tell you how well-loved they are in our house. โJenny
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
Best gift I ever received was new windshield wipers and wiper fluid! I needed both desperately but couldnโt 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!
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.
The fact that both my husband and I have two weeks paid time off at the holidays! Makes for lots of relaxed family time!
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!
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.
best gift I ever gave was a Maxfield Parrish print that my ex-husband admired in a store in Ocean City, MDโฆโฆ..I drove from Philadelphia to go back and buy the print for him.
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!
My two favorite gifts ever came from my mother-in-law (of all people)! My Kitchen Aid Mixer and a cope of Julia Childโs โArt of French Cookingโ which was handed down to her from her Mom. Three generations cooking from that bible!
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 hasnโt lasted as long as Iโd hopedโฆ
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 careerโฆso thank you again!
Vicki
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!
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.
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 couldnโt afford a hotel room for the wedding night. I had resigned myself to spending my wedding night in my parentโs guest room, when they surprised us with a suite in a beautiful downtown Baltimore hotel! It was amazing!
Best gift Iโve received in a long time was a framed photograph of my sister and me along with a small sign that said โsisters.โ She had a very old photo of us, taken on our Momโs back steps, cropped, edited and enlarged. Brought back a lot of good memories.
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.
The best gift Iโve 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. Weโve already had requests for certain cookies if we did it again and people asking to be on the list. ๐
Best gift ever is a yearly Christmas lunch with a friend that I miss and donโt get uninterrupted time with nearly often enough. Itโs a lovely tradition thatโs way better than anything I get to unwrap. ๐
I love giving my mom the annual family photo calendar. Itโs such a treat for her b/c we all live in different corners of the state. New, happy, family faces to view each month. ๐
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.
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.
last christmas, my mother gave me a beautifully framed photo of my grandparents wedding portrait. i love it. i canโt wait to display it on the escort card table at my own wedding, this coming september.
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 Iโd call it โLittle Sarahโs Sandwich Shop.โ That year for Christmas my parents got me a toy kitchen and made a big sign over the top that said โLittle Sarahโs Sandwich Shop.โ It was a โthingโ gift, but at that time I felt like it was a dream come true.
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 sheโd never suspect they came from me. The big reveal was her 12th gift given to her on Christmas morning.
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, Iโd grab our daughter and that.
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 sheโd never suspect they came from me. The big reveal was her 12th gift given to her on Christmas morning.