Let’s Shop!
It’s less than a hundred days until Christmas and
high time you started planning your gift lists.
Catalogs are arriving daily, making choosing the right gift for friends
and family more difficult with each mail delivery. I will help you. Here’s a partial list of what has attracted my attention as either “Cool”
or “OMG!”
Hubby is at the top of
my list. Edumnd Scientifics
(scientificsonline.com) features “The Wizard’s Wand Universal Remote”
a must have for your favorite guy. The vibrating wand can be programmed for 13
commands that will control all your home entertainment systems. Wizard hat not
included. Smithsonian (smithsonianstore.org) has a cool book, In the
Cockpit: Inside 50 History Making Aircraft that enables the reader to get
behind the controls of “groundbreaking domestic and military airplanes, jets,
and helicopters” with incredible photos and textual explanations. BasBleu (www.basbleu.com) offers Twelve Days of Christmas Regulation Golf Balls
for the festive husband-athlete. The Paragon (www.theparagon.com) can spruce up the outdoor guy’s auto with a set of Car
mats that resemble tree bark or river stones. Finally American Science&Surplus (www.sciplus.com) can spiff him up with a red German Military Beret,
slightly used and made to fit snugly. Used?
Pets are family
too. There are a plethora of Warm
Coats and Sumptuous Beds—from an army style cot to four poster—for the dog
in your life available from Harriet Carter (www.harrietcarter.com). I must confess that
I do worry about some of the offerings for cats. There are cat toys that seem a
bit sadistic, but I am not now nor have I ever been a cat owner, so maybe they
like stuff like this: Harriet Carter’s Electronic
Cat and Mouse Chase is a battery operated toy with motion sensor that
detects your cat’s presence causing a mouse to race around the track so that
the cat can see the mouse, but can never catch it. Acorn (acornonline.com) has
the Fling-ama-String Cat Toy that you hang on a door nob, enabling kitty
to stalk, pounce and leap for it, while never quite succeeding. It is battery
operated with two speeds. Why cats are
considered superior to dogs I will never know, but the following from both
Young Explorers (YoungExplorers.com) and Mindware (www.mindware.com) reflect that inequity with the Pet Science Dog School
(read remedial) and the Pet Science Kitty College products that
challenge dogs to problem solve (?) and obey commands while the little kitties can improve their memories and
fine motor skills… You can determine
your dog’s IQ with BasBleu’s book How Smart is your Dog? (No refunds on that one, I suspect!) Of
course the Mensa-eligible cats get a book too:
Why Cat’s Paint from The Paragon.
Grab Bag Gifts are
always tricky, especially when the exchange group is at work or your in-law’s
holiday gift exchange. Fear not, be the
first to give the Solar Powered Waving Queen from Collectibles Direct (www.collectablesdirect.com) a
source for all things British. Imagine the fun everyone will have to see Queen
Elizabeth II giving a dignified royal wave. Head moving Corgi sold
separately. The same company also offers
two sound machines, Cartoon Classics that will have you rolling in the
aisles with sounds like the banging of a head, falling down stairs, and
gunshots. Applause will provide your favorite narcissistic with hours of
clapping, laughing, drum rolls. Keep this one in mind if you draw your boss’s
name. If you want something a bit more
dignified consider these two products from American Science&Surplus: Wind-up Walking Teeth (with legs) will
bring a smile to your “secret Santa” friend.
No office should be without the Screaming Parachute Monkey. Be sure the boss is out of the office before
you launch this baby into the cubicles, sling-shot style. The pièce de résistance is Edmund
Scientifics’ Hand Runner. Imagine a fully operational severed hand
crawling up you walls, walking across the ceiling or the kitchen table. AND it
comes with a comic book!
Enough suggestions for now. Coming soon, gift ideas for the lady in you
life, the home, and, of course, the kids.
There may be some overlap between toys for kids and items for hubby in
case you haven’t quite settled on what to get for your better half. Watch this space for more!
NOTE: Caveat emptor! Although I have purchased different items
from most—but not all—of the companies mentioned I have no relationship with
any of them except as a customer who has been generally satisfied with her
purchases. I can make no claims on the quality of any of the items mentioned
above; I make no profit if you purchase anything. There are many nice products featured in these
catalogs—some I really like—that I have not mentioned. Visit the company websites if you’re curious. The items I have featured should not be
regarded as a recommendation of either the item or the company. I gain nothing
if you decide you wish to do business with any company. My list is intended to
be fun.
