2021 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Maldon Salt

That boring salt shaker on your table is so last year. Time to elevate everything you eat with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. A pinch on anything from a peanut butter and marmalade sandwich to buttered toast to baked potatoes and vinaigrette adds a delicious salty crunch. I was given a tub of Maldon as a gift, and now I keep a small dish in the kitchen, so I can take a pinch if I’m cooking or seasoning my lunchtime tuna. This is an excellent gift for anyone who likes to cook – or eat.

Jonathan Adler bowl

For your most stylish friend, this gorgeous gold-leaf-accented footed bowl makes a beautiful centerpiece or bookshelf object. Fill it with lemons or limes; pop in a plant or some pretty potpourri. Admire. Repeat. She’s expensive, but boy is she pretty.

Linnea Candles

I picked up a mint-scented candle in a pretty terrazzo holder on a bike ride last spring and loved how it smelled so much that I immediately went online, ordered more, and burned them all through the spring and summer. The mint-scented candles are currently out of stock (here’s hoping they reappear in the springtime), but you can sample candles and diffusers scented with lavender rosemary, satsuma sage, sea salt, Persian lime, harvest pumpkin and more.

Kate Spade Oak Sreet Menorah

I’ve got a bunch of menorahs. I’ve got a colorful, rearrange-able menorah made of painted ceramic blocks, a classic blue and white one, the brass one I inherited from my mom, and a glass menorah that was a wedding gift (and is now covered in melted candle wax because of course it is). But if someone got me this cute, funky Kate Spade menorah made of colorful porcelain vessels, all in a row, I wouldn’t say no!

Smoked Goose from Schiltz Farm

When my husband got me a goose for Chanukah, I’ll admit that my first thought was more along the lines of WTF than “thank you, honey!” I’d never tasted goose. Turns out, he hadn’t, either, but Bon Appetit recommended this particular bird, so he bought me one. It turns out that roast goose was, once upon a time, one of the traditional Chanukah dishes (I’d never had goose, but my mom remembered her grandmother making it). And I am here to testify that it’s some of the most delicious poultry I’ve ever put in my mouth. The birds are soaked in a brown sugar brine, then smoked slowly over hickory chips, and show up on your doorstep fully cooked and flash-frozen. What you end up with is rosy-pink meat that tastes like a cross between pastrami and the most succulent chicken in the world, topped with the most decadently delicious skin. Goose is a very fatty bird, so when you reheat your goose you’ll get a pan full of drippings. DO NOT THROW THEM AWAY. Use it to roast some potatoes. You’ll thank me later. Oh yes, you will.

LL Bean Women’s Rain Jacket

Does it look like it’s going to rain? Is it already sprinkling? Or do you just want an extra layer to cut the wind and keep you warm on your walk or your ride? LL Bean has you covered. This rain jacket is lightweight enough to stow in a handlebar bag or a backpack. It’s got zippered vents under the armpits for ventilation, a handy chest pocket, and Velcro at the cuffs to keep you dry, and it comes in a range of colors and sizes up to 3X.

Monogamy by Sue Miller

There are books that I read in one giddy gulp. I enjoy them, but when they’re done, they’re done. Then there are books that I find myself thinking about months after I turn the final page. Monogamy was a book like that. The rap on literary fiction is that nothing happens, and you could make a case that very little goes on, plot-wise, in this book: a husband dies (not a spoiler!), his wife learns some unpleasant truths about the man she loved, and considers how his larger-than-life personality shaped who she became. A provocative meditation on marriage and womanhood and the hard bargains that women make.

SmartWool Base Layer

I’ve done a lot of cycling in the past year and have learned the truth of the saying “there is no bad weather – just bad gear.” A bike ride in 35-degree weather, when you’re properly equipped, can be delightful. Do it without proper clothing and it’s straight-up misery…and finding what you need, then finding out it isn’t offered in your size can add an extra layer of suck. Behold, the SmartWool merino wool base layer. I found mine at REI, where they stock up to a 3X. It keeps me warm, it keeps me dry, and it’s cute. Who could ask for anything more?

John Derian Paperweights

At least once a summer, I’ll wander into John Derian’s shop in Provincetown and lose an hour or two, examining all the beautiful objects lovingly layered in the single small room. The decoupaged things are my favorites: Derian takes vintage illustrations and maps and uses them to create whimsical trays, plates and paperweights – the perfect gift for anyone on your list who wants something pretty. This is the paperweight I’ve got sitting on my desk, but there are options to please anyone!

Darn Tough socks

Another product I discovered after trial and error, where the error involved my feet feeling like immobile blocks of ice for the hour after I climbed off my bike. If you’re going to be doing any kind of outdoor winter exercise – walking, running, biking, hiking – you need good socks. These are my favorites. They’re colorful and comfortable; they come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from no-show to knee-high. Best of all? They’re guaranteed for life. If they rip or unravel, send them back for a free replacement.