Struggling with what to get that special someone for Christmas? Here’s some ideas from the things that I love!
Birding:
Do you enjoy feeding the birds, but dislike feeding the squirrels? I tested out a number of squirrel-proof feeders and can report that they actually all work as advertised. The squirrels don’t even waste their time anymore trying to get at the seeds. See my reviews at Who Won The Squirrels vs Feeder Contest? and New Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders.
Here’s some of my favorites:
- Squirrel Stopper Pole
- Stokes Select Squirrel Proof Double Suet Feeder
- Brome 1057 Squirrel Buster Standard Wild Bird Feeder (although I wish I had bought the bigger version so I didn’t haver to fill it as often)
- The Nuttery Classic X-large Peanut/Sunflower Seed Feeder (NT066)
If you want to know what you are seeing at your feeders, my favorite ID guides are:
- Birds of North America: A Guide To Field Identification (Golden Field Guide from St. Martin’s Press)
- Warblers of the Great Lakes Region and Eastern North America
- Hawks and Owls of Eastern North America
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology Waterfowl ID Pamphlet Guides (Set of 3)
- Audubon Bird Guide App (now free and recently updated for iphone and android)
- Also always good are binoculars. Unfortunately mine by Eagle Optics are no longer available after the company went out of business after 30 years. So I don’t have a personal recommendation to offer, but there’s lots of good review sites to help you pick your perfect pair.
Gardening:
I love my plastic Tubtrubs. I’ve had mine for years and use them to use them to move things all over the yard. I’ve found the 7 gal (26 l) and 3.6 gal (14 l )particularly useful.
My Felco #8 Pruning Shears are pretty much with me all over the yard as well. Oftentimes in my Tubtrub, which is a safer place for them than setting them down in the grass. They may be a bit pricier than other shears, but these really will last you a lifetime. I have #8, which have an ergonometric handle, but I’d also recommend #11, same as the original #2 but with a replaceable blade, or #6 for smaller hands. I’d also recommend a leather holster to keep your investment safe and convenient to carry around with you.
A nice set of garden tools is always appreciated. There’s nothing worse than a cheap shovel that literally bends in your hand trying to transplant something in my awful midwestern clay soil. I’ve had a set of stainless tools for over 20 years, but I do like the cushioning on the Fiskars tools I’ve bought more recently. So far, I haven’t had any issues with breakage like some have reported in the reviews.
Growing seedlings indoors? The 2 ft Hydrofarm T5 Grow Light Systems have worked great for me. Spacious, energy efficient and adjustable. It’s made all the difference in growing healthy seedlings indoors.
What to wear in the garden? I think nothing is better than my Slogger garden shoes and rain boots. I have both styles and they are comfortable, easy to get on and waterproof!
Garden cocktail cookbooks are a fun (and tasty) gift. Two favorites on my bookshelf are The Cocktail Garden and Summer Cocktails.
Not sure what they might already have? A gift certificate to a local garden shop would always be appreciated!
Cooking
I have a couple of go-to pans that I just love:
My Calphalon hard-anodized 13″ stir fry pan is excellent for sautéing my garden fresh vegetables as a side- or main dish.
One of my first pieces of Le Creuset enameled cast iron cookware was a 3.5 quart Chef’s Oven in flame. I love this pan for sauces, soups, risotto, sautéing, pretty much anything. I thought it such a perfect pan I got one for my daughter when she moved into her own apartment. It is on the smallish side but there are larger versions available (and other colors).
I invested in a spiralizer and love spiralizing all kinds of vegetables. The spirals can be used as a base for a sauce, part of a stir-fry or just as a sautéed side dish. So many options for a starch alternative! I wrote about my experience with the Paderno World Cuisine Spiralizer Pro in “A Fun Garden to Table Kitchen Gadget-A Countertop Spiralizer”.
I also love kitchen gadgets. Probably have far too many single purpose things, but they are just so handy! What are some of the things I use all the time?
- OXO Good Grips Angled Measuring Cup 1/4 cup
- Kyocera ceramic slicer
- Zyliss Herb Scissors
- Kuhn Rikon Mezzaluna Knife
- Breville variable temperature kettle
- ChromaLabel Color-Code Labeling Tape | 5 Assorted Colors-great for labelling things in the fridge and freezer!
Reading
I love to read. Always have since I was a little girl taking out a stack of books from the library. I think books always make a great gift and you can follow what I’m reading by the list on the right side bar. Don’t worry, if I wouldn’t recommend a book I’ve read I won’t put it on the list!
Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays!
(Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission from purchases you make through the links in this post. All reviews are my own and are not influenced by any compensation I may receive.)