Some Christmas gift ideas, while there is still time…
For the Hillary supporter still weeping with grief… a mail order from the Trump Winery (I recommend New World Reserve (red) or their award-winning sparkling wine). Also fun to bring to dinner parties (assuming you don’t want to be invited back).
A custom photo puzzle from Ravensburger (they will do up to 1500 pieces from your own photo or photos (you can collage them on their site)).
For the photographer with children… Sony A6500 (great image quality and good autofocus).
For a favorite dog: Chuckit Kick Fetch ball.
For the chef: this amazing $12 bread knife.
Readers: Perhaps based on stuff you’ve bought recently and enjoyed, what are your best Christmas gift ideas?
Best serrated paring knife. Ever. And cheap. Buy a handful, and clean them in the dishwasher: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0067VLY24/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I can also recommend the Roomba 650. Makes vacuuming much less of a chore.
A photo puzzle depicting your smiling self will be the perfect gift for the wife.
When it comes to bread knives, longer is better. A longer knife allows you to get thru the loaf/bagel in fewer strokes. A couple of inches more makes a surprising difference in how easy the knife is to use. The sweet spot is a 10″ knife.
Cook’s Illustrated likes this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PS1HS6
but the Dexter-Russell in that size would be fine also. I have a 10″ Dexter-Russell scalloped knife in their “Sani-Safe” series that I use as a bread knife and it’s great.
Re: Serrated paring knives, why would you want one? For the type of work that paring knives do, a (sharp) straight edge knife is almost always best. A properly sharpened knife will cleanly cut a tomato, etc. Another name for a serrated knife is a “saw”. Saws are good for cutting wood, not food (other than bread).
to follow a theme: a good sharpening stone. See Lee Valley Tools.
Great makeup mirror for your lady. Two mirrors in one. Battery powered and rechargeable. It is pricey for a mirror but there are just not many with good features that have clear vision like this one. I got one at Macys.
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/6387869/?catalogId=32&sku=6387869&bnrid=3380801&cm_ven=Google_PLA&cm_cat=Shopping&cm_pla=Feed&cm_ite=Google%20Base-6387869&kwid=productads-adid^154026493677-device^c-plaid^91799592091-sku^6387869-adType^PLA&gclid=COX6g6O97dACFRdsfgodD2sKwg
I use a serrated knife to cut off slices of plastic-wrapped tubes of refrigerated dog food.
The kids have been enjoying playing games on the $50 Amazon Fire tablet. Note: the Amazon app store is very limited, and I *strongly* recommend getting more than 8 GB of RAM, even with an SD card (most apps require use of the native memory, even if you use the SD card, and it fills up quickly).
A great little tablet for the money, and Amazon is pretty good about returns, if you don’t like it.
The MiP robot has also been a hit with my STEM-focused 8 year old ($60).
any Gerber pocket knife, Aeropress coffee maker, HD-screen Chromebook, iPad mini or if you already have one, a Brydge backlit keyboard
Amazon Echo Dot! Unfortunately they are out of stock right now…
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015TJD0Y4/ref=fs_ods_fs_aucc_bt
I’m hopelessly out of touch I suppose, but any experience with Amazon Echo? While I have my reservations about a surveillance device listening to all that is said in my home, it still seems um nifty.