Hi everyone, happy Wednesday! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
We’ve covered acquaintances and friends, so now it’s time to move into your innermost circle, your closest confidantes: family. This one’s a bit difficult for me as I’ve never had a big, boisterous family — I’m an only child and I’m not in touch with my extended family since they’re not in the US, so unfortunately I cannot suggest gifts for siblings or grandparents or in-laws without making some wild leaps of imagination. I do have a couple cousins however, and some friends I’ve grown up with I consider honorary family, so that’s what I’ve chosen to write about. Nevertheless, if you need help with a particularly hard-to-gift family member, like a stoic older brother or a fussy aunt, drop me a line telling me a little bit about them and their interests and I’m happy to wrack my brain for you!
For your mom who chafes against the HOA’s water restrictions:
RAIN CLOUD - AXELSSON FUN FACTORY (from $19)
Not a call goes by with your mother, whose tender devotion to her vegetal menagerie grows more fervent with each passing year, that doesn’t include a mention of the weather — specifically, the hope of a phantom rain that never materializes. And when the skies do let forth the occasional downpour (or, more likely, a tepid drizzle), you never hear the end of it: “It rained! But only for about 30 minutes last night. Is that enough for the garden, you think? Would it be too much if I watered them again today?” Give her the gift of 24/7 showers with this 3D-printed rain cloud, designed to allow water to gently drip onto your potted plants over the course of a couple hours. You can choose between a freestanding design with spikes to drive into the soil, or one with a stand for nestling your pots into.
For your dad who misses your cat:
COOL CLEO CAT ORNAMENT - GUMPS ($40)
There’s something sacred about the bond between a cat and the dad who insists he never wanted him — every Christmas, without fail, he would accidentally shatter an ornament, and for all his grumbling my dad would still come home with a surprise new one to replace the casualty. The ol’ boy finally kicked it this year, at the ripe old age of 16, and you don’t like the idea of an entire December going by without a single new addition to the tree. So gift him this hand-crafted, made-in-Poland ornament, which bears a striking resemblance to your orange tabby, to celebrate the memory of the de facto fourth member of the family.
For your little cousin who’s into science and sea monsters:
MORRIS THE REVERSIBLE FISH - MORRIS THE FISH CO ($40)
From the outside, he looks like your standard sweet, adorable, oh-so-cuddly stuffed angler fish. But turn him inside out, and Morris suddenly becomes a mass of sinewy embroidered veins and odd-looking organs, crafted from scraps of felt, chiffon, sateen, and sherpa. Perfect for your little cousin who was a bit too enthusiastic about the frog dissections in biology class.
For your friend who needs some support in the kitchen:
THE FOOD OF SICHUAN - FUCHSIA DUNLOP ($37)
You were born 6 months apart, spent every weekend at each other’s houses, went on family road trips and cruises together, traded clothes and books and Barbies. She’s not your sister by blood, but she is in spirit. Ever since she moved to Texas for med school she’s gotten really into cooking, likely due to the dearth of quality Asian restaurants nearby, and her mom tells you (with a tinge of exasperation) that she’s been bombarding her with a volley of questions about how long meat needs to marinate, whether black pepper can substitute for peppercorns, etc. etc. So I’m sure both she and her mom would appreciate the gift of Fuschia Dunlop’s classic cookbook The Food of Sichuan, a love letter to the region’s dazzling gastronomic delights, filled with recipes for dishes we grew up eating together.
Tried one of my recs and loved it (or hated it)? Wanna get something cool on my radar? Drop me a line at kittylguo@gmail.com or swing by my Twitter @kitguo!