Christmas Wrapped

I am having the pronounced urge these days to detox from all things electronic, battery-operated, or otherwise backlit. And that goes for my holiday shopping list too.

No doubt Nate would be thrilled with anything with the letters PS and the number 3 in front of it, and my daughters go nutty for demonic dolls imbedded with voice chips that activate when you’re least expecting it. But still, I think there’s something to be said for the good old-fashioned fun found in a classic board game.

I think fondly of the game night we had in my family as a kid, long before there was such a thing as Game Night. We all convened around the big glass coffee table, set up the board, and played until it was well past bedtime while the hot chocolate flowed. As I recall, we never once complained that we were missing some TV show or that our Atari was calling; we were having way too much fun. Unless of course we were playing Monopoly, in which case my dad and my brother always ganged up on me and bankrupted me within like four seconds, then refused to loan me a single white, crinkly dollar bill so that I could stay in the game. Tears ensued.

This is like three years ago, by the way. Monopoly in my house is not pretty.

I’m hoping the friends and family on my list is feeling the same sort of unplugged nostalgia because some of their gifts are going to reflect it this year. Here are a few that I’ve got my eye on:

*If you don’t have a good game of Scrabble (with all tiles still intact) you can’t even begin to call yourself a game-player. Scrabble just came out with a
Deluxe 60th Edition Game although I really am getting all excited and twitchy about the Premier Wood Edition. I’m loving the prospect of sitting down to play an actual game with an actual person, and not some stranger on Facebook who’s claiming to take a phone call while checking his cheating dictionary.

*There is no better $5 gift for a child than Candyland, with Chutes and Ladders a close second. $5! Really! Kids as little as two will enjoy moving their pieces around on the board and playing with the cards, even if they’re too young to really understand the rules. Did I mention $5?

*Okay so Operation doesn’t entirely live up to the no-batteries requirement, but I still love the low-tech fabulosity and the $10 price tag. Kids will love it provided they don’t lose all the pieces under the couch and try feeding the adam’s apple to the dog.

*If your kids are already tic tac toe masters,
Connect 4 is the next logical step. It’s also awesome in that you get to say “Pretty sneaky, sis” every time you release all the checkers, and no one under 30 will have any idea what you’re talking about. That’s okay – just keep doing it. It will be our little secret.

*I didn’t actually discover dominos until I met the inlaws, who were serious domino junkies. Now, I count myself among them. A really nice set packaged in a beautiful burled wooden box makes an original family gift or hostess gift, and will last a whole lot longer than the fruit basket. Similarly, a beautiful backgammon set feels somehow indulgent. Especially when it’s only a backgammon set, and not some multi-game deelio that flips over to become a checkerboard.

*Do you know how hard it is to find just regular old Monopoly? You have to weed through shelves of Bass Fishing Monopoly, Elvis Monopoly, Fantasy Baseball Special Edition Monopoly, Disney Villains Monopoly, the Olsen Twins Goes Shopping on Upper Bleecker Street Monopoly…you only think I’m exaggerating. Traditionalists (like me) will appreciate the time that you take to track down the classic. The new library edition of Monopoly hasn’t changed a bit from your own youth, except that it’s packaged in a more bookshelf-friendly box. To be honest, it’s about time that someone figured out how completely annoying it is trying to fit those old board games on your regular bookshelves.

*Finally, I have to give a shout-out to Risk, which is not only the best ever rainy day killer, it’s also the reason I know how to find Afghanistan on a map. Be warned: It’s definitely not for sore losers. When your opponent is on the verge of world domination, it’s way too easy to slap your hand down on the board and say, “oops!” as all the teeny little armies go flying everywhere. Not that I’d know of such things.

So what am I missing? What are your favorite classic games that I should be adding to my list? And were there any games that made you cry as a kid (or a sensitive adult) or is that just me?

With all the holiday parties on the calendar comes the constant need for simple, affordable and unique hostess gifts. There seem to always be a few standards – bottles of wine, plants, some kind of holiday snack – but why not give something that can be cool and practical? Why not give the hostess with the mostess some … coast-ess? Er…. coasters.

Coasters can be an incredibly useful and unexpected gift, and you can even break them out and use them at the party right when you give them! Here are some you can keep on hand that will suit a variety of hostess personalities and styles.

These Estate Coasters are great for a hostess with a more traditional style. I love that outside of their wooden holder, they look very vintage.

If your hostess has a more modern flair, try these sleek stainless steel coasters.

These photo coasters would work for any hostess, and you can score some bonus points by printing special pictures and inserting them in the coasters before you wrap them up to give.

The crafty gal in me is in love with this set of felt “placemath” coasters. The colors and designs are all kinds of cool, and I love the graphic quality of the mathematic symbols.

Finally, for the music-loving friends, try these Pink Floyd or Beatles coasters.

I’ve been steadily doing my Christmas shopping, and am happy with some little nuggets I’ve found while shopping online. My list is slowly dwindling, and I’m feeling the nice holiday buzz that comes from knowing I won’t have to rush around like a madwoman for the next 30 days.

My boy loves sharks and is obsessed with Jaws, which makes perfect sense on a cattle ranch, don’t you think? He’s going to love this shark-themed “archeological” dig, which will eventually unearth a huge shark jaw and make a total mess of my kitchen floor…but who’s counting?

Oh, man. Can anyone guess who this is? It’s Goliath, which my baby (well, he’s four) is going to love since he’s seriously obsessed with the David and Goliath tale from the big book. An old testament action figure? How cool is THAT? But…is Goliath actually…smiling? He never struck me as the smiling type.

My nine-year-old daughter is neat, tidy, and loves nothing more than to have a project that requires her to use her hands in some creative way. She also meticulously marks days off the This scrapbooking kit will allow her to create her own 18-month calendar. This’ll keep her out of trouble for at least a couple of weeks!

Finally, for my oldest child, my firstborn, my eleven-year-old girl, who’s not only 5’6” and already wears a larger shoe size than me, but who’s also gone from pink-loving little girl to discriminating sophisticate (well, sorta) overnight, there’s this awesome bedding:

How awesome can bedding get, I ask you?

I’m thinking I could do all the kids’ bedrooms in this theme.

Think my boys would go for it?

Nah. I didn’t think so.

It’s T minus (mumble mumble) days to Christmas and in our home that means the salivary glands are gearing up for some holiday cookie action.

We have the tasks divided pretty well: My sigOth, the true gastronome of the family, seeks out the recipes for the finest sugar cookies, the lightest lemon cookies, the most perfectly spiced gingerbread men and women, while I scour the web for the decorating inspiration.

The food blogs are always a good stop (oh, thank you Tastespotting – thank you, thank you.) but I also find the myriad cookie photo groups on Flick’r are a fantastic resource for inspired design that I myself might even be able to replicate.

Some of the groups totally worth a look include Holiday Cakes and Cupcakes, Pretty Sweets, and The Cookie Jar. (But I warn you, steer clear if your culinary ego can’t handle it.)

From there I start making mental notes about color schemes, cookie cutter shapes, and of course, those shiny metallic edible balls that kids go nuts over. I fantasize about gift tins and big red tartan plaid ribbons; about presenting the cookies on crisp white dishes to visitors, or tucking them into little mesh bags and tying them to bottles of wine as hostess gifts.

And yeah, I think about eating them.

Here are just a few images recently that have sparked some ideas that I think I could actually do. I mean inspiration is nice and all, but not when executing it requires $600 worth of equipment, a professional convection oven and a culinary arts degree.

From Dano: I love how simple and elegant these trees are. Definitely something I could do myself without messing it up too much.

 

Evanrudemi:

I also adore how this baker sprinkled some sparkly clear sugar over top to make the snowflakes glisten. I never would have thought of that and it’s a really smart touch.

 

From Amy_B: It is highly unlikely that I will pull off something like these clever Thanksgiving cookies, but they don’t seem all that complicated, provided you have some pilgrim heads lying around. They’d be great with Santa heads too, swapping in green and red sprinkles.

 

From finna dat: Once in a while, more is more. I think it’s cool how absolutely covering these trees in sprinkles and red-hots works better than sprinkling them on sparsely.

 

From Solyanka: Gingerbread people get so elegant with stark white piping over a deep brown cookie. And I love those little cars! Makes for a speedy getaway when you’re trying to bite off their limbs I suppose.

 

But alas, I have kids. Which means we all know the reality of the cookie decorating situation.

 

Oh well. At least they taste just as good going down.

What are your holiday cookie plans? Is it a big deal in your house? Does everyone get to pitch in or are you all control freak-y and want them to turn out perfect as only you can make them?

We still have Halloween candy in the house and leaves to rake, but the holidays are right upon us. I hate “Christmas creep” and resist even glancing at the decorations lined up right next to the clearance beach gear before the leaves even start to turn, but now, before the craziness kicks off with Thanksgiving, is a good time to plan out any holiday entertaining you’re planning to do.

First thing is to figure out what, in fact, you’d like to host. Family stuff? Neighborhood potluck? Fancy New Year’s Eve bash? Figure out what’s within your space and capabilities. For example, I’ve realized I must never host a fancy dinner party again. Last time we tried, there was smoke, and weeping, and hissed, hasty fights with my now-husband.

I’ve found cool party ideas at Real Simple, Cooking Light and Evite, which also has planning lists, budget and drink calulators, and cute favor ideas.

Then get the word out quickly. People’s calendars fill up fast at this time of year.

Next up, figure out what kind of partyware, serving pieces, glassware, and linens you need. Drag everything you’ve already got out of anywhere you keep it — this will give you the chance to figure out what needs to be cleaned or replaced and what you still need. All of the stores are having sales right now on items for entertaining, so make sure your party budget includes some cash for that.  And if you have kids coming, think of several options to keep them entertained and out from underfoot. Cookie decorating, movies,
helping out with table setting and the ever popular movie watching are all things that can entertain a wide age range.

Then, lists, lists, lists. Lists of what to buy — I organize this by where to buy it — who’s coming, what to set up where, what needs to be dragged from the basement, cleaning lists, meal lists, and so on. Keep it in one place, in one notebook or pad of paper, so the one of you who is the Party Drill Sargeant (aka me) can avoid snapping at the one who is all chilled out and thinking this is supposed to be fun (aka my husband) when they ask “What can I do?” I come by this honestly. My brother and I still tease my mom for her Thanksgiving morning meal lists that invariably start out “turkey” — or at least I did until I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time and did the day’s meal game plan and yes, turkey topped the list. If you’re doing something more involved, like Thanksgiving dinner or a New Year’s Eve party, I’d also recommend writing in your planner or online calendar what you can do what days — like ironing tablecloths and napkins several days ahead, preparing dishes that can hold or freeze each night the week of the party,
and shopping for things like drinks and paper plates as far ahead as you can.

Mock the lists if you will, but if you plan well enough, by the time your friends start showing up, you’ll be calm, socialable, and ready to party. 
Amy Kuras’ entertaining skills are now mostly limited to what can be done after the children go to bed and the occasional all-comers blowout. She blogs at www.savvysource.com (among other places), writes, edits and wrangles two lovely children in Detroit.