Who else is gonna bring you a broken arrow?
Who else is gonna bring you a bottle of rain?
I had my annual Christmas dream last night… it was Christmas morning and the stores were closed.. and I wasn’t done my shopping.
Some people are so easy to buy for (especially those who tell you what they want, hint hint).
Others.. not so much.
This Christmas, more than ever, I look around and see that those gifts that are lasting and most meaningful are not always the most expensive. Most precious, of course, are the hand-made gifts… paper Christmas tree ornaments, pencil holders and cards glued and crayola scribbled over with love, love letters… Notwithstanding, I also treasure those gifts that were unexpected and heartfelt, given so thoughtfully in a grand whoosh of surprise on Christmas morning…
I favor found objects as well, they are reminders of places I’ve been and those I was with at the time… heart-shaped rocks, driftwood, sand, feathers, and shells rest in various spots around my home… and it’s gives me a simple moment of quiet pleasure each time my eyes alight upon them.
I’m crazy about books and have a solid collection of those I can’t and won’t ever part with (just bury me with my Keats..) and nothing gives me greater pleasure than spending hours in a bookstore selecting the perfect read for someone else. This year my favorite quick read is a book called “Racing with the Rain”. It’s a touching story of a dog’s life…and filled with metaphors about a life well read… it brings smiles and tears all in one little book. You’ll never look at dogs the same again, either, one look at my little pupster and I see Enzo. Little Enzo’s story is filled simple, beautiful wisdom. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t loved this one.
Of course… being a self-proclaimed “foodie” there are so many stocking stuffers that I think would make lovely gifts for anyone who enjoys cooking and baking as a hobby. Here are of few of my favorite kitchen items, “stuff” that I have found to be either indispensable or that make being in the kitchen such a pleasure…
Perhaps you know a foodie who’d love one of these:
l-r: anthropologie timer, 12″ whisk, anthro measuring spoon, cookie dough scoop, Starbucks heart cup/saucer, 4″ sifter, salt “pig, metric scale, anthro measuring cups
l-r:efferve rose limonade, Wilton sprinkles, Fleur de Sel Herbes de Provence, Orange Blossom Water & Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract Double Fold, mortar & pestle, weck jars with star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, organic No 3 Dark Maple Syrup, Tahitian vanilla beans, red Hunter boots
…o.k. I know some of these items are too large to stuff in a stocking, but they’re still awesome…
(Ummm.. not sure how those red Hunter boots get in there… but wouldn’t it be fun to bake while wearing your gumboots?)
And finally, I mustn’t forget… another new favorite this year… the Gifts of Hope website from Plan International. Click here and you can purchase a garden (as I did), Winter Child Survival Kits, One Year of Survival, a goat, or a mango tree for impoverished children throughout the world.
As for me.. this year I truly would be content to wake up Christmas morning with just a book under the tree, fireplace on, surrounded by loved ones with a cup of coffee in hand, Morning Wife-Saver baking in the oven and smiles all round.
(In the meantime, this little Smidge would greatly appreciate and would be open to the dropping of any and all hints regarding those most desired Christmas packages and parcels that a few certain loved ones would be thrilled to discover under their tree this year… Please, have mercy! Even the tiniest of hints will do, I beg of you…)
Or you just might find… a bottle of, um, snow under the tree…
I’ll take some snow in a bottle! I very much dislike rainy Christmases 😛
I’ll let the “big guy” know;)
On that note, please remind him of my list. It’s only 6 pages long, i’m sure the little elves can help out ;D
I pushed the like button, but only because love wasn’t an option! : )
I laughed (in sympathy) over your annual Christmas dream. I love the looks of Racing with the Rain and will order it when I leave here. I so appreciate the idea of the kitchen scale as a gift – I love mine. and the Weck Jars filled with whole spices, brilliant. Who wouldn’t love baking Christmas cookies in her red Hunter boots!? And the Gifts of Hope – absolutely perfect! Thanks so much for this post Smidge! We’ve got to talk to the powers that be about adding a “love” button!
You are just the sweetest.. thanks and sending “love buttons” back your way!!
What a fabulous post yet again, darling! I love the photos of recommendations (and can just picture you flitting around in the kitchen wearing red gumboots, of course)–pretty, yet truly useful, kitchen tools and treats. And I love the opportunities afforded by resources like Gifts of Hope.
‘Racing in the Rain’ must qualify as my “six degrees of Smidge”–I read it because it was given to us by a dear friend (one of Richard’s most beloved mentors), because, in turn, the book was written by a former student of his. And yes, it is a sweet book. Wouldn’t be a bad thing if more *people* were more like Enzo!
xo,
Kathryn
Wow, six degrees… that’s really cool, isn’t it?! I love that it was written by a former student, what a pat on the back to a teacher! Yes… looking for Enzo type people everywhere these days;) Hmmm… I think you might be one? xo
Actually i will have the red gumboots please!! Mine are getting rather tired looking.. c
I’m with you, I think a girl should have black for chores, red for baking, perhaps green for gardening, pink for dancing…
I love all the foodie gifts. Thanks for the book recommendation – I hand’t heard of it before. I love books too and I find browsing around a good bookshop a lovely way to pass an a few hours. Thanks for highlighting Plan International – there are a few charities here that do something similar, I must check them out.
Plan International was so easy, and quite neat being able to select from such a wide range of ideas:) Thanks for all your compliments xo Smidge
Oh what to chose – it is SO difficult to make a choice out of so many magnificent gift ideas! Beautiful post!
🙂 Mandy
Oh, just forward this to your friends and maybe you’ll get them all;)Thanks, Mandy!
Love your post & photos bu, I must say how pleased I am to see people support. and encourage others to support, charities like Plan International. Many of us have enough “stuff” and I personally love the idea that my gift is going somewhere to help improve the life of a person/family. Thanks for spreading the word.
It’s more important than ever now… we have so much.
p.s. I think I’m getting the flu and wish I had a bowl of your soup..
So sorry to read that you’re not feeling well. Believe me, if we lived nearer each other, I’d be over in a flash with enough soup for all of the stages of your recovery. Mom taught me well!
Boy, did she ever.. you could write a book about that, I think! It is needed these days:) I would have loved a bowl of this soup!
One of my favorite stocking stuffers was a nutmeg grater and nutmeg. Just one of those lillte things you don’t think to buy yourself.
Oh, yes, my grater was in the pile to be photographed but I ran out of room (heehee, red gumboots made it instead) aren’t they just the best!!!??
Curious which book you’d most like to find under the tree! Lovely post, as always.
Hmmm… I’m reading “The Mistress of Nothing” and have just ordered “Mr. Emerson’s Wife”. I’m going to have to go with a book of poetry (a girl can dream) but probably March, by Geraldine Brooks..Here’s what it’s about: “From Louisa May Alcott’s beloved classic Little Women, Geraldine Brooks has animated the character of the absent father, March, and crafted a story “filled with the ache of love and marriage and with the power of war upon the mind and heart of one unforgettable man” (Sue Monk Kidd). With “pitch-perfect writing” (USA Today), Brooks follows March as he leaves behind his family to aid the Union cause in the Civil War. His experiences will utterly change his marriage and challenge his most ardently held beliefs. A lushly written, wholly original tale steeped in the details of another time, March secures Geraldine Brooks’s place as a renowned author of historical fiction.
This post is really nice… while i don’t celebrate Christmas i do love everything about it… and i love your ideas especially supporting the charities…
nice blog you have here 🙂
I love that many people have embraced their own rituals and traditions… so important to hold true to your own beliefs and values. I have just found your blog and look forward to reading all about your world:)
Wow, you pick such great stuff!
Umm, I do have a thing for kitchen stuff.. that’ s my one weakness when shopping!
i love this post! your measuring spoons are the cutest, would love those! but i am a sucker for cutsie stuff like that! 😉
So am I.. I was at Anthropologie and our Calgary store hasn’t got much of this department, I’m worried that it wasn’t selling so I’ll have to resort to on-line shopping!
Pretty please, can I have the Red Hunters. Hunters are the best wellington boots ever. And red is my favourite colour.
The wellington boot of choice here in Australia is the Blundstone, they are expensive, as are Hunters, but they are not a patch on the style and comfort of the Hunter.
You’ll see me out in the garden, shorts and vest, sporting sexy over sized Blundtones, it’s quite a look you know! Can’t beat a sturdy wellington boot when working in long grass, they protect from bramble prickles and the rare encounter with a disturbed snake!
I’m off to Amazon to order a certain book about a dog.
Yet again, a very enjoyable post, thanks Smidge xx
Well, there you go, I’ve never heard of Blundstone! I’m off to google it, would love to see them in action:) If I had snakes you can bet I’d go with function before form in a heartbeat!!
Enjoy your reading:)
And you are always welcome xo
I love books too! And indeed a warm Christmas morning buried in a book is a good idea! 🙂 except that I won’t lit up a fireplace because here’s it’s summer for Christmas! 😛
Lol, I guess that would be way too much heat!
GUM BOOTS *pleading look* 🙂
😉
Those measuring spoons are really sweet. Far more exciting than regular stainless steel ones.
They’re fun to play with, whimsical:)
I love all the ideas but its the books that really got me
I will look up that book, I finished the one I was reading and was looking for a new good read to sink into
It’s a good “feel good” quick read, I hope you enjoy it:)
Always leaving everything to the last minute, I also have nightmares that I haven’t got everything done by Christmas morning.
I just hate those dreams.. last night I couldn’t find my car in the parkade.. will this ever end?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUgQpUNDHcg
Dear Barbara, what a beautiful post… and you, how nice. A Bottle of Rain and Broken Arrow almost dragged me in this song… I wanted to share once again with you too. Thank you so much. The books are the first thing always to hit me too! I wish to read these books, I will search them. I always find gifts so beautiful, especially to give a gift and to make someone happy… But to have a gift has a wonderful meaning too,…. I love these days of a year… On the other hand to meet with you was my one of great gifts of this invisible universe… Blessing and Happiness, with my love, nia
Nia… this is my “bottle of rain” gift from you! I had no idea a video like this existed and it’s everything that I love all in one! Photography, heart symbols, food, rain, trees, flowers.. and at the very end, a child angel holding a heart… It is a very touching gift to have put this on my blog… xoxo to you Nia!
Any of these would make me a happy camper on Christmas morning. 🙂
I hope you find one in your stocking;)
I loved Racing in the Rain, too! Especially if you’re a dog person (like me), it is so meaningful and heartbreaking all in one. On another note, I always stuff Hub’s stocking with foodie stuff – and I actually am hopeful that this year, he’ll do the same in return. Hugs!
I am sure he will, you’ve been cooking and baking up a storm! Your blog will attest to that:) xo
Oh I just LOVE those glass canisters.. they are beautiful. Yeah, I would definitely love any of these in my stocking this year :). Wonderful post
I love these Weck jars.. not too crazy about the separate pins, I could see myself losing a few, but they are pretty and come in so many shapes and sizes. Thanks:)
Oh, what an eye you have – I fell instantly in love with those anthro measuring cups and spoons!
I love their store, browsing online is safer:)
Fantastic Christmas ideas – I need to show this to my hubby for ideas 🙂
Yes.. I was thinking that was my mistake, I should have posted kitchen stuff that I DON’T have;)
Well Smidge, I managed to order in the “The art of racing in the rain” from the library in Emerald.
I shed a tear at the very beginning and shed a fair few more at the end.
Thanks for introducing me to this wonderful book, I am going into 2012 looking where I want to go, not looking at what I want to avoid!
Isn’t it the best?? I feel like crying just remembering it… I gave it to everyone in my family. It’s a book with so many different levels of understanding, for something so simply stated.
I’m so glad to have shared it with you… If you come across any books you love, please let me know:) I’m always looking for a new great read!
Cheers, Barb
Have you read the well known book “Fish”
I have also read “Fish Sticks” but I felt just sticking to “Fish” would have done.
“Fish” along with “Who moved my cheese” and “The Present” have shaped the way I live my life now.
Oh.. Thank you, I didn’t expect to get a response so quickly! I will check this one out! BTW… Thanks so much for the 7-Links:)) grinning!! It will be fun!! Xo Smidge/Barb