shopping is stressful

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An Assortment of Holiday Gift Ideas

Even though I am terrible at giving gifts (I tend to overthink and hem-and-haw until it’s too late to get the thing I planned, and then I panic buy something else), I do put a lot of thought into gift giving. I adore poring over gift guides and bookmarking things that might work for one of the people in my life. The ideas below are all things I have considered buying for people (or, ahem, for myself), but that doesn’t mean I have bought them. I hope you find something here that is exactly right for a gift recipient in your life (or, ahem, for you).

As always, if you are a person who expects to receive a gift from me this year, please read this at your own risk.

All images below from the accompanying sites linked to in the descriptions.
Some of the gift ideas below use affiliate links, which means I get a few cents if you click on a link and buy that product.

Moose Master Game: We are always on the lookout for new games to play as a family, and this one looks fun and chaotic.

Retro Arcade Runway Basketball: My daughter’s sports coach sent this suggestion and it looks like such a great way for kids to master hand-eye coordination or practice their shooting skills during those long, dark winter days inside.

Towels for the cabin: My brother and his wife have a little cabin they use as a getaway, and I think they would love these.

House pencil sketch: As a sentimental kind of gal, I love the idea of turning your home into art.

Watercolor pet portrait: Oh my goodness, or turning your beloved PET into art!

Song lyrics sweatshirt: My hair stylist told me she got a sweatshirt like this for her husband, with the lyrics to their wedding song. I love that idea. My husband might love it less, but maybe he’d enjoy getting the lyrics to one of the songs he’s composed on a shirt?

Smart pin map: This is another suggestion from my hair stylist, and I think it would be a great way for avid travelers to commemorate their trips around the world.

100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime: This book sounds like such a bucket-list builder for a travel fanatic! Or, if you know a traveler who prefers to travel around the US, this book might be a big hit.

Mini karaoke machine: I’m pretty sure this little karaoke machine has made it onto a past gift guide, but we haven’t yet gotten it for Carla and I think she’d love it, and it feels like she’ll age out of it soon.

Smug Owls game: This game has won all sorts of awards, and sounds cute and creative.

Fins: My daughter has long since grown out of her flippers for the pool, and these look like a good replacement pair.

An Admirable Point: A Brief History of the Exclamation Mark! by Florence Hazrat: I feel like a very specific type of person would get a kick out of this book; I am this type of person and I have another of this type of person on my gift list, so maybe you know one as well?

Bubble tea kit: Boba continues to be all the rage among the tween set, and this would be a fun activity for a sleepover.

The Uzzle puzzle board game: This game kind of intimidates me, but I have seen it everywhere and I’m intrigued.

The Book: The Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding a Civilization: This is kind of a niche book for my prepper friends, but I think it looks very cool.

Creature crash game: My daughter would LOVE this game (she’s a little obsessed with capybaras right now), even though it seems a little on the young side.

Dumbbell rack: This is something we already own, and I LOVE it; if I didn’t have one, I would want one very badly.

Whatever Happened to Janie? by Caroline B. Cooney: My daughter and I just finished listening to the first book in this series (The Face on the Milk Carton) and it was so good, we both wanted to read the second one immediately, but my library doesn’t have it!

Bad Best Friend by Rachel Vail: One of my daughter’s gift wishes this year was for “books about teens.” She read and loved Vail’s Well That Was Awkward, so I know she likes the author, and this one sounds perfect.

Princess matching game: My own little girl is much too old for this game, but I bought it recently for a friend’s four year old and it was a big hit.

Tea of the month club: Some of us love tea, and this subscription club would be delightful.

The Week Jr. subscription: Speaking of subscriptions, my daughter has been wanting this magazine for awhile now. I think I’ve persuaded her uncle to get it for her. (It didn’t require a lot of persuading; he asked for gift recommendations.)

Perfume discovery set for women: My husband has been really into perfume this year and subsequently he wants to get everyone perfume for the holidays. This discovery set comes from a very high-end fragrance company. This is the set we got for his mother.

Winter animals cards: I keep having this fantasy that I will turn into Engie and start sending people regular mail. In which case I would need some lovely notecards like these.

Hanukkah pack of big fat cookies: This company intrigues me – the name is irreverent, the cookies look kind of insane, and yet I kind of want to try the Hanukkah pack???

Car duster kit: Pretty sure this idea came from Elisabeth, and I’m pretty sure I need it more than my husband does… but he would use it more.

Book box: I love the idea of getting my kid a book that comes with all sorts of bookish goodies, and this one looks particularly fun.

Chocolate tempering machine: My father makes hand-dipped chocolates every year for Christmas, and this would be much nicer than his typical bowl-inside-bowl-with-heating-pad-in-between set-up.

Geller Cup Champion sweatshirt: My Friends-loving bestie would love this, I bet.

Flight Simulator for Playstation 5: My husband was a big fan of Flight Simulator back in the early aughts, and I think he would find this PS5 version super nostalgic and fun.

Book lover box: I find it amusing that this gift set of bookish swag doesn’t include a book at all, but it’s still delightful.

Book coasters: I am always on the lookout for cute coasters, and these have BOOK PUNS.

UV blocking sun hat: When Nicole mentioned this hat (or something similar), I bookmarked it right away for my mom.

Sun protective shrug: Nicole may have mentioned this as well, and it would be great for any number of people on my gift list.

Jellyfish bookends: I have become kind of fixated on bookends this year, and these are super weird and cool (and spendy).

William Morris patterned throw blanket: I adore William Morris wallpaper patterns, and I love that you can get them on a throw!

Volleyball training equipment: Perhaps my kid – or yours?? – would practice more if there were a way to keep the volleyball from rolling away down the driveway. (I do also worry a teeny bit about her hitting herself in the face with the ball, but that might be a Me Problem.)

Half zip cropped hoodie: My kid is all about cropped and oversized sweatshirts this year. The expression on the model’s face seems perfectly seventh-grade-ish.

Perfume discovery set for men: My husband requested a few perfume discovery kits for the holidays, and this one was on the list. So was this one. Such a great way to test out high-end fragrances without spending $$$ on a single bottle.

Reading pillow and lapdesk: I mentioned this on my list of bookish gift ideas, but I’m adding it here because we got it for Carla. She’s been doing her homework on the floor of the piano room, and I think this would be much more comfortable for her!

Loop ear plugs: My love for practical gifts is legendary (if only in my own mind), and I like the idea of these cool ear plugs to help my kid tune out all the chatter in study hall.

Spoon rest: Speaking of practical, I love this very simple, very useful spoon rest.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean: I can’t remember who recently read this one (Elisabeth? Birchie? Jenny?) but it reminded me that this book has been on my TBR for years.

Flip books kit: My kiddo is a creative at heart, and I think she would enjoy making little flip books.

Flashlight gloves: I feel like I have probably linked to these before, because they seem like they would be PERFECT for my dad, who likes to repair cars and help me with home improvement projects. The only thing that’s holding me back is a concern that they seem to be one-size-fits-all.

Mashed potatoes T-shirt: When Sarah said she was getting favorite food T-shirts for her whole family for Thanksgiving, I added this to my own wish list. Mashed potatoes forever.

Travel watercolor kit: My mother is a painter and I think she would find it helpful to have a travel set she can take with her to art class and/or on vacation.

Battery Daddy: My husband got one of these for himself a few years ago, and it’s extremely useful.

Miniature bakery set: Carla is a huge fan of miniatures, and I think she would be so charmed by this little bakery set.

Dinosaur pizza bites kit: WHERE WAS THIS WHEN MY KID WAS SMALL?

Bug a Salt: While I personally am pretty adamantly anti-gun – like, real firearms obviously, but also pretend ones – I have a person on my list who would LOVE this.

Axolotl squishies: Has the axolotl trend ended? If not, these squishies are adorable.

Frida Kahlo T-shirt: I love Frida Kahlo, and this is such a great quote.

Capybara light: I love these little lamps that look like adorable sleepy critters. My kid would shriek with glee if I got her this one.

Travel shoe bag: Every time I travel, I wrap my shoes in an old plastic Target bag so that they don’t touch anything in my suitcase. Wouldn’t it be nice to have real, zip-up bags dedicated to that purpose?

Milk steamer: In my ongoing quest to get my child to consume more protein and calcium, I have encouraged her to get milk steamers whenever we go out for coffee. But how nice would it be to be able to steam milk at home???

Torani flavored syrup: My daughter likes flavored steamers, and this brown sugar cinnamon flavor sounds yummy.

Foot spa for kids: One of the hard things about having a tween is that I still want to get her FUN things, in and among all the clothes and skincare. This foot spa looks FUN. It also looks a teeny bit young for her, so I’m still waffling.

Indoorsy sweatshirt: I need this sweatshirt.

Iconic women bookend: A bookend that doubles as art and triples as encouragement? Yes, please.

Owala water bottle: I feel like every year I am buying new water bottles. SOMEDAY it will end, right? Last year was the infamous Stanley. This year, it’s the much more leak proof Owala. The best thing I did with the Stanley was get it engraved with Carla’s name, though. There are so many water bottles and so many of them get left behind, it really helps to have it personalized. Well worth the extra $10.

The Magic Words by Joseph Fasano: I used to follow Fasano on Twitter and I loved the poems he would post, from people who’d used the prompts from his book. This year, I’m getting this for my niece, who is a writer and has developed an interest in poetry.

Poetry journal: And, of course, I am getting my niece a journal in which she can write all her poems. I like this journal because it comes with refillable loose leaf paper; perhaps that will prevent her from dealing with the pervasive fear I’ve always felt about committing words to paper.

Book handbag: This purse is SO CUTE.

Games for Nintendo Switch: Carla hasn’t played her Switch in ages, but she put a TON of Switch games on her wish list, including this or this or this or this or this or this. I have no idea how to choose among them, so I will defer that decision to my husband.

Resin jewelry making kit: Carla has dabbled in making resin… I hate the smell, but she really loves creating things.

Kangaroo pouch hoodie: I am pretty sure my brother needs this to lug around his cat. But it would work for any small creature. Probably not a human baby, though.

Wits and Wagers board game: My parents got this game a few years ago, and we’ve played it at Thanksgiving two years running. It’s fun and different and somehow my dad makes the best guesses EVERY time.

Butterfly kit: I’m pretty sure Carla got two separate butterfly kits over the years, and yet we never “grew” a single butterfly. Not sure why, because it would have been fun. And now we have a cat and I don’t think it would be a great plan to grow him his own snacks.

Bookstack note cards: I love these. That is all.

Sticker printer: I’ve seen these sticker printers on tons of gift lists, and I love that they are black and white so the recipient can color the stickers themselves.

Brush tip markers: These markers would be perfect for coloring in stickers.

Bookstore miniature kit: While I am not as into miniatures as my daughter is, this bookstore kit might make a convert out of me.

Cloud Nine hoodie with built-in stress ball: This was another much-requested gift from my daughter. It ships from Canada, so I’m not sure it would make it in time, but I know she would LOVE it.

Tiny baking kit: Wouldn’t it be fun to make teeny tiny baked goods?

Top with thumbholes: This is so pretty and I love that it covers the hands!

Paint your own photo: This is a fantastic way to personalize a craft for the person who loves painting!

Backyard bird journal: The older I get, the more I love birds, and I have several friends who are in the same bird-loving boat.

Adventure is out there T-Shirt: I already mentioned this shirt – and its hilarious brethren – but I keep thinking about this one.  (Just in case, here is a referral code for 20% off your order: LXZ-K7BIMBF)

Baked brie board: I ordered a charcuterie board for a long-distance gift recipient and then found myself drooling over this four-pack of baked bries.

YSL Libre eau de parfum: My sister-in-law is getting this for the holidays. In a delightful coincidence, she is as into perfumes as my husband is!

Holiday gift basket: There are always a couple of people on my list who completely stump me for ideas. Either I don’t know them that well, or they already have everything. This cozy gift basket would be such a nice gift in either case.

I have more gift ideas to share, and will do my best to share them while they can still arrive in time for Christmas!

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A Few Furniture Related Questions

We have come to the portion of Moving Into a New House where we are considering buying some new furniture. We have plenty of furniture, from the old house, but there are a few things that are missing from our collection. Plus, there are a few things that we’d prefer to replace because they just aren’t right for the current space.

The thing is, we have never really had to buy furniture before. We are deeply spoiled: most of the furniture in our house was handed down to us by my husband’s parents, who have moved several times over the years and who accompanied each move with gifts of furniture. Hand-me-downs from my in laws include two couches, two loveseats, an armchair, a kitchen table, The Piece, a desk, some filing cabinets, a baby grand piano, and lots of artwork. I know. We are very, very lucky.

This means that, aside from purchasing two bedroom sets and assorted furniture for our child, we have no experience buying furniture. But… buying furniture is kind of hard? And unpleasant? Like, how many couches do you have to sit on before you decide that THIS ONE is the right combination of firm and comfortable, that it is formal enough for the space, that it will fit in the room, that the quality is good, that the price is reasonable? And then you have to choose the fabric?! Yikes.

In an instance of great good fortune, my friend Jen (HI JEN) happened to send me a photo of her couch (it wasn’t really of her couch, it was of her beautiful and charming children), and I asked about it (because it looked comfy but also aesthetically pleasing) and she gave me the details. And THEN our local Macy’s had several of the very same couch IN STOCK. There was only one person working in the entire Macy’s so my husband and daughter and I were able to sit on all the different options and examine the different sectional combinations and look at all the fabric samples completely unbothered by salespeople or other customers. With Jen’s assurance that this couch is a good couch, and the evidence of our own sitting, we are now going to order this couch. SO. That’s one big thing to check off the list.

But we have other furniture needs and I don’t really know where to begin. You have Furniture Opinions, yes? Because I need your input please.

  • Where do you get lamps? We have looked at Target, and the lamps are… limited, and also a lot of them look kind of cheap. I am aware that Target does HAVE perfectly acceptable lamps; our old bedside table lamps were from Target, and they lasted a long time and I liked them just fine. We would not be looking for new beside table lamps had I not broken mine during the move. I have been suffering for my sins, lampless, since August. I looked at Crate and Barrel for lamps and it seems like you can’t get a lamp for less than $100, which is far more than I feel like I want to spend on a lamp. So maybe my question is not, “where do you get lamps?” but “where do you get nice, sturdy, aesthetically pleasing lamps that aren’t a million dollars?”
This lamp costs $350! $350!!!!!!
  • What is the deal with slipcovers? My husband and I had a hand-me-down loveseat in our bedroom for twelve years. Neither of us noticed until now that the loveseat is wearing a slipcover. The slipcover is not, as I would have assumed, covering anything; I would have thought you would have purchased a slipcover to conceal a fabric you no longer liked, for instance. But now that we KNOW, we feel like we might want to get a new slipcover. One that is more our style. That is as far as I’ve gone with this line of thinking because I don’t really know where to go next. And also, are we stuck with the skirt part?
Sheesh this is a terrible photo. And I couldn’t even straighten the cushions before taking the picture? YIKES. P.S. The side table is a hand-me-down and I hate it so much. I can’t even articulate why. I just HATE IT. But it has utility so I haven’t yet donated it. The lamp in this photo came from World Market, which no longer exists in our city.
  • Do you have a yoga mat you’d recommend? Does a yoga mat count as furniture? Let’s pretend it does for the sake of not wanting to revise the post title. One of my favorite parts of the new house is a dedicated room for exercise. But the flooring is Very Hard; my princessy bones have apparently grown accustomed to working out on a yoga mat on top of a plush carpet, and my tailbone and shoulder blades scream at me if I try to work out on a yoga mat on top of the floor. My solution was to get a nice thick yoga mat from Amazon. But, while the new mat is technically thicker than my old yoga mat, the material is much squishier, so it is not any more comfortable than what I already have. I tried to stack the yoga mats, one on top of each other, but they slide around. What I really want is a GIANT yoga mat that is also thick. Does such a thing exist? Rephrase: Does such a thing exist for under a million dollars?
Another terrible photo! And the floor is so dirty! Mainly because we had boxes filling this room until three days ago. But also because it is surprisingly difficult to clean this kind of flooring. Also, my husband and I discovered that the bottoms of his shoes, which are highlighter yellow, are shedding when he walks on the treadmill, leaving two yellowish tracks on the treadmill belt and a film of yellow dust on the floor. So weird.

Those are the most pressing furniture questions I have at the moment. Don’t even get me started on end tables. I think we’ll need at least one – maybe two – for the upstairs living room. We will also need couches and chairs and a rug for that space, but we’re living with our old hand-me-down couch and no rug for now. I don’t have the mental fortitude for ordering more than one couch at a time.

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In Need of Advice

One of the things I love about blogging – and this blogging community specifically – is that we are all roughly Going Through It at the same time. I feel very comfortable sharing the ups and downs of life, because it seems like you are going through similar ups and downs. Or have recently done so, or are in a stage I recognize quite well from being In It myself fairly recently.  The commiseration is so bolstering, and I find the helpful hints and advice that your share in posts and comment sections to be invaluable. 

Sometimes I need specific and mundane advice, like “what’s the best mascara,” and other times what I really need is more of Life Coach Guidance. Lately, I have some questions of both varieties that keep going round and round in my head with no resolution, and I am hoping that you might have some helpful hints or advice to share. Anything and everything would be useful.

Girls’ Weekend: I find myself in charge of a dear person’s Major Birthday celebration, or at least in charge of Getting The Ball Rolling (what I am hoping to do is come up with two or three really good ideas that I can then share with the birthday girl, and she can – hopefully! – choose one option.).  But I feel COMPLETELY OUT OF MY DEPTH. Yes, the all caps are necessary. You, however, are much more social and well organized than I am, so I am turning to you for help. WHAT CAN I DO for a low-key, not exorbitantly expensive girls’ weekend? 

The birthday girl is not particularly picky, which is good… but also, it would be nice to have more specific guidance… OH WELL, we do not have more specific guidance, or any guidance at all outside of the request that the four invitees “spend time together.” And also, children are not invited. 

Here are some things that are important but add to the challenge: The birthday girl does not drink. She does not really eat. She is not particularly outdoorsy. These things are helpful for ruling options out. My initial thought was spa weekend! That sounds lovely and doesn’t have to involve alcohol or lavish meals or hiking/biking/skiing/swimming. But I did some research into spas and/or hotels with spas and they are SO EXPENSIVE. I don’t even know what the budget should be, but it should not be LUXURY WEEKEND level, you know? For example, one hotel-with-spa I looked at was $788 per room per night. This is not even taking airfare into account, or the cost of spa treatments; this is lodging alone. AND THAT WAS ON THE LOW END OF MY RESEARCH. Oh: that’s the other thing. I would want us to all have separate rooms. I mean, I suppose some combination of the others might want to stay in a room together, but I require my own room. This could be four bedrooms in a rented house (although my husband says he no longer trusts Air BnB for reasons that are not entirely clear? Do you still trust Air BnB?) or it could be four rooms in a hotel. For ease of travel, the celebration probably should be near Chicago or New York City, which are relatively easy for each of us to get to via plane. (Are there awesome girls’ weekend options in Madison? Minneapolis?)

Do you have any ideas? Any ideas at all???? Literally the only idea I’ve had, aside from “spa weekend,” is “go to NYC and see a play.” But even THAT makes me hyperventilate because… Which play? Where would we stay? Where would we eat? What else would we do besides see a play? I honestly hate New York City. BUT. The birthday girl does not, and this is about her, not about me so maybe that will be one option to present her. Which still leaves me in need of at least one other option.

What would you want to do for a girls’ weekend? Have you been on any girls’ weekends or family trips or couple’s getaways or work events that were especially fun? Why do I keep thinking about axe throwing? I do not want to throw weaponry!

I have never been to a spa party. It sounds fancy and fun. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Protein Powder: Is there a protein powder that doesn’t taste like… anything? I really want a protein powder that has NO TASTE. I had a long conversation with a chatty nutrition expert in the supplements aisle of my grocery store the other day, and she recommended I try Epic Protein by Sprout Living. Mainly, I think, because I told her I wanted to try a sample before I spent $20+ on a giant tub of protein powder and the options were sort of limited. I got the chocolate maca flavor and also the vanilla flavor. It took me a long time to try either of them, and I have only finally tried the chocolate one. I blended it up with some coffee, ice cubes, vanilla extract, and skim milk and then threw in a tablespoon of mini chocolate chips for good measure, and it was… drinkable. Not good; I would not describe it as good. It was far, far less disgusting than the only other protein powder I’ve tried. It was a Garden of Life vanilla powder and I mixed half of a sample packet into a homemade Orange Julius (almond milk, orange juice, vanilla extract, ice) and it was so horrific that I had to pour it out without finishing it. The chatty nutrition expert said that all protein powders taste like something, but… really? 

You know this is a stock image because I would never put peanut butter in my smoothie. Nor would I… sprinkle oats??? all over the counter. (Photo by Leah Rolando on Pexels.com)

Annual Birthday Planning Angst: Speaking of birthdays, which I was awhile ago, Carla’s birthday is coming up and it is once again time for me to stress endlessly about her party. It always works out and yet I have so much anxiety around every aspect of her party each year. This year, Carla has Very Specific Ideas, which, as you might recall from several paragraphs ago, I was begging for. In this case, they are perhaps a bit TOO specific. She would like a wolf theme. She would like a three-layer cake; the middle layer should be chocolate, the other layers should be white; there should be raspberry something between the layers; the frosting should be GREY. Deep breaths. I cannot picture a grey cake, which sounds the opposite of appetizing, so I will do some googling after this. But the cake is honestly the LEAST of my concerns.

For her party, Carla would like to do a nature walk and then go to a park somewhere. Okay, so the reaction to that is probably, “Aww! That’s so cute! That sounds lovely and low-key!” And it is, it is lovely and low-key. She is such a nature lover and that makes me so happy and obviously I want her to have the party she wants. And yet… HOW am I going to pull this off?

Here are my concerns: 

1. My child is turning ten, and presumably will invite other ten-year-olds. Won’t they find a nature walk kind of boring???? Part of me says, it doesn’t MATTER what the other kids think, as long as Carla likes it. And this is partially true. It’s Carla’s party; it should be the party she wants. But also, we are inviting friends to join us, and I think that creates an obligation to entertain said friends. And also also, if her friends are bored, isn’t that going to make her feel bad? These kids are 100% at the age where one of them might announce, loudly, with an eyeroll: “This is the most boring party ever.” That would crush Carla! 

2. HOW am I going to arrange a nature walk? I don’t know about nature! Carla cheerily suggested that we bring her iPad and load up Merlin Bird ID so we can all see which birds are around, which is pretty much the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard, but deeply impractical when you are talking about hosting multiple ten-year-old children. We are fortunate to live near some beautiful nature preserves, but the parties they offer seem more specific (about bugs or about fairies, in one case) and also geared toward younger children. One local science center offers a bird-themed birthday, which could be okay… although part of the entertainment is dissecting an owl pellet. This is 100% in Carla’s wheelhouse, but once again I wonder: will her guests enjoy that? Even if they aren’t squeamish, they already dissected an owl pellet in school, so it won’t be new or exciting. A friend suggested geocaching, but I know NOTHING ABOUT THAT. Is “geocaching party leader” a job? Can you hire people to do that? 

3. We cannot do a nature walk and then go to a park. Just being adjacent to thinking about transportation logistics – not even actually thinking about it! – makes me dizzy. 

4. How do you wrangle/keep track of 10-15 ten-year-olds during a nature walk? Wouldn’t we need extra adults to help? A friend very kindly offered her services, but… can I do that to her? I could probably hire a couple of babysitters to join us, but then we have two extra people to fit into the planning. Are there… nature walk games that we can play? What would those be?

5. WHAT IS A WOLF THEME? What does that mean? Is that even a thing?! I have not googled yet, and I suppose that might help allay some of that particular worry, but… WOLF THEME?!?!?!?!?!

I am not sure I have mentioned it here, but I have a weird phobia of wolves. This photo gives me the newbie jeebies. (Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com)

Housewarming: If all continues to progress as needed, my parents will be moving nearby this summer. It is SO exciting. I would love to get them a housewarming present, but… what? They aren’t big on stuff, although they will need to buy all of the normal day-to-day items necessary for living in a house. For various reasons, things I normally think of as “standard housewarming” fare, like wine or candles, are off the table. I could splurge on some really fancy Champagne; they would probably like that. Maybe a big pile of books about local drives or local hikes? A welcome mat? New towels? (But how do you buy someone towels without knowing their color scheme?) When we moved into our house a million years ago, I would have loved a gift certificate to Home Depot or the like. But it feels a little weird to buy a gift card for one’s parents. I suppose “feels a little weird” isn’t a reason not to do it. But maybe there is a better idea? 

Is a welcome mat too personal an item to give as a gift? (Photo by Andrew Neel on Pexels.com)

So Many Gifts: Thinking about a housewarming gift reminds me that this is the time of year when I need to think of So! Many! Gifts! My niece’s birthday is coming up; she will be seven and likes Pokemon and STEM activities. Our Girl Scout troop leader is retiring; we need something for her, but I don’t know what says “thank you for expending a truly heroic amount of time and energy on my child over the past five years.” Probably we will contribute money to teacher gifts, and then maybe do gift cards for Carla’s activities coaches? And then Carla will be TEN, which feels like an opportunity to get her Something Special… but I’m not sure what that would be; she is very spoiled. (We are not getting her a phone.) Plus, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are coming up, and I am just… idealess on that front. Lots of gift giving opportunities and my brain is refusing to come up with anything reasonable for any of them. Have you given or received any really spectacular gifts recently?

Oh geez this photo reminds me that not only do I need to BUY the gifts, I have to WRAP them, too. (Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com)

Good Socks. All of my socks are terrible. I think I have only recently noticed this because I now wear shoes in the house every moment that I am not sleeping or showering. Every day, I wear a pair of ankle-height athletic socks. It seems like every pair either has holes in them or they slide down the back of my heel while I am doing normal things like walking. I tend to buy those big packages of Puma socks and the like from Costco, and maybe the solution is “spend more money on socks.” Is that what I need to do? What socks are worth spending money on? I do have two pairs of compression socks that I rather like. But I can’t find either pair for some reason right now. They are hiding. I would love to do a massive sock purge and replace all the crummy socks with new, super awesome ones. Do you have socks you feel particularly evangelical about?

These are not at all the kind of socks I am looking for, but they seem so cozy. (Photo by Lum3n on Pexels.com)

Okay, I think that’s it. I am both less stressed than I come across in writing, and more stressed than probably is reasonable, and I would LOVE your advice. Even if it’s just a CORNER of advice, like, “I have no idea where you should go for your girls’ weekend, but I just went axe-throwing over the weekend and it was so fun!” Or “Three years ago, I bought my dad THIS and he’s loved it ever since.”

And if YOU need advice, please, ask away. Perhaps one of the wonderful members of this community will have JUST the suggestion you need.