FOOD AND DRINK
TRIPLE D TOME
Join Guy Fieri, the spiky-haired, sunglasses-wearing darling of greasy spoons on a cross-country road trip with “More Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives: A Drop-Top Culinary Cruise Through America’s Finest and Funkiest Joints.” This is the second book helping from Fieri’s popular show on the Food Network.
$19.99 at Barnes and Noble stores or at www.barnesandnoble.com.
FROMAGE FOR YOU
Know a cheese fanatic? Enroll them in Cheese of the Month, which will deliver a trio of artisanal cheese to their front door. Selected by country/region or theme, each shipment, which is approximately 1 1/2 pounds, arrives with a description, wine pairings and serving suggestions.
$55 per month, at www.artisanalcheese.com.
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Bacon and chocolate belong together, and no one makes it tastier than Vosges Haut Chocolat. The company mixes applewood bacon with milk or dark chocolate in pancake mix, gift sets and even a flying pig-shaped chocolate bar, which is my personal favorite.
$7.50-$62 available at www.vosgeschocolate.com.
DO YOU KNOW THE NEW MUFFIN MAN?
Say goodbye to drive through breakfasts with The Muffin Man. This contraption poaches an egg at the same time it toasts an English muffin, bagel or croissant.
$39.95 at www.herringtoncatalog.com.
DROP SOME BOMBS
For someone very, very good who deserves a little naughtiness, this refrigerated Jagermeister dispenser is for them. It is pricey, but isn’t an instantly chilled — to 5 degrees — Jager shot priceless at the end of the day?
$345.95 at www.beertaps.com. w
MUSIC
SIT DOWN FOR A GAME
Grateful Dead-Opoly, released in time for the holidays, is the perfect gift for the Dead fan on your list. Developed by Dead associate Debbie Gold with contributions by Bob Weir and roadie Steve Parish, the board game includes a VIP Pass and tokens like a guitar, drum, amp, a tour bus and even Weir’s dog, Otis. Players circle the board, attempting to acquire album-themed properties. Along the way, they might catch a show at Winterland, hang in the Parking Lot or even get thrown Off the Bus. The money features the faces of Dead band members.
It’s available for $34.95 at Barnes and Noble and at www.bn.com.
FROM ME TO YOU
If there’s anyone that doesn’t like The Beatles, they’re probably not on your Christmas list because they’re somewhere in hell. This fall, The Beatles’ entire catalog was reissued following a four-year re-mastering process. The albums are available as a box set and individually and a collection of the entire catalog with both mono and stereo versions.
Prices vary.
DO YOU SAW WHAT I SAW?
Invite Julian Koster and his Singing Saw to perform for a friend! All you have to do is e-mail musictapescaroling@gmail.com, and Koster, of the indie band The Music Tapes and formerly with Neutral Milk Hotel, will bring his wacky band of carolers to you during their winter tour. (They prefer invitations where the hosts will allow outside guests to also be entertained and ask that you include in your e-mail whether you can offer the carolers a place to sleep.)
Last year Koster and the band, The Singing Saws, released “The Singing Saw at Christmastime,” a collection of Christmas tunes played by Koster on a saw, which you can find at Amazon.com
GOD REST YE METAL GENTLEMEN
“We Wish You A Metal Xmas And A Headbanging New Year” might make a nice stocking stuffer for the hard-rock fan on your shopping list. Released last year, it features heavy metal renditions of Christmas classics by Dave Grohl, Ronnie James Dio, Alice Cooper, members of Ratt, Queensryche and L.A. Guns and more.
THE WRITE STUFF
Guest edited by legendary rock critic Greil Marcus, “The Best Music Writing 2009” is the 10th such collection of rock journalism. The newest edition contains everything from a piece on Britney Spears by Rolling Stone’s Vanessa Grigoriadis to a commentary on the authenticity of reviews taken from Carrie Brownstein’s (Sleater-Kinney) NPR blog. Marcus also chimes in on the future of rock writing.
A suitable gift for the music-loving bookworm on your list, including a certain Weekender editor that would be thrilled to find this tome under his tree. Hint, hint.
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PETS
GIVE BATS A BELFRY
Use nature’s way of controlling insects with the Woodlink NABAT Audubon Bat Shelter. Made of red cedar, this house has a grooved landing platform for clinging for up to 20 bats. Who knows, maybe one will turn out to be Robert Pattinson!
$35 at www.amazon.com.
MAIL CALL FOR KITTY
Never run out of healthy goodies for your cat with the Monthly Cat Treat Delivery Program. Featuring a variety of items from fish-and-chips treats to catnip leaves, you can choose monthly or every two, three or six month deliveries.
Items start at $2.69, available at www.cattoys.com.
DREIDEL, DREIDEL, DREIDEL
Don’t forget your pup during Hanukkah’s eight crazy nights. The Hanukkah Loofa Dog Toy is made from plush non-toxic materials and features a squeaker and dreidel for added holiday fun.
$6.99 at PETCO stores or www.petco.com.
SCHOOL DAYS FOR BIRDS
Give your feathered friend a chance to play with the School Yard Play Pen for Parakeets and Cockatiels. The playground features a tetherball, swing, teeter-totter, horse and more.
$24.99 at PetSmart stores or www.petsmart.com.
FOR BAD DOGS
For bold canines who need to be punished embarrassingly, there’s Snuggie for Dogs. It’s made of machine-washable fleece and available in blue or pink and sizes extra-small to large.
$14.99 (plus shipping) with free recordable dog tag at www.snuggiefordogs.com. (Plus, like any “As Seen On TV” wonder, get a second Snuggie and tag for an extra shipping fee.)
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TECH
BOOK IT
Online retailer Amazon.com says the second version of its wireless reading device — the Amazon Kindle 2 — is its top seller and top gifted item. The Kindle 2, which holds up to 1,500 books, allows you to download books directly to it. New releases and New York Times Best Sellers go for $9.99 a download.
$259 at Amazon.com.
SMALL AND MIGHTY MUSIC
Though the SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player is tiny, it’s got mighty sound. Listen to FM radio or up to 2,000 songs. Make it even more personal with slotRadio or slotMusic preloaded memory cards. slotMusic has tons of popular artists, while slotRadio has 1,000 songs in 10 genres.
Players start at $39.99, slotRadio at $29.99, slotMusic $14.99 at www.sandisk.com.
NAUGHTY, BUT PRACTICAL
Is it a razor or a vibrator? The Tinge Razor is both: it’s a 32-speed toy cleverly disguised as a fully functional razor. It’s water-resistant and travel-friendly, so there won’t be any embarrassing airline security incidents.
$79.99, available at mytinge.com $79.99.
TRAVELIN’ TUBE
For the traveling TV addict on your list. After he or she connect the Slingbox SOLO to the home TV, watching favorite programs on the road, via computer or mobile phone, is a snap.
$179.99 at slingbox.com, Best Buy, CompUSA, Frys.com, Sears, Amazon.com, J&R.com, etc.
PICTURE PERFECT
Available from Dynomighty Design, the bottle cap tripod attaches to a bottle, allowing chronic self-snappers to take more natural-looking photos of themselves, avoiding that outstretched-arm effect.
$10 at DinoMighty.com.
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