2013 Holiday Gift Guide

H OLIDAY

Gift Guide Thursday, Nov. 28, 2013

INSIDE Gift ideas for kids, travelers, book lovers, quirky people, officemates and more.

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, November 28, 2013

2013 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE ECLECTIC GIFTS

WORK GIFTS

Practical gift ideas 10 quirky presents for quirky folks for your office B Y

By Kristi Mexia Creators.com

By Julia Price Creators.com

our co-workers can be the hardest people to shop for during the holidays, or — if you just have a little fun with it — their presents can become the easiest gifts to cross off your list.

For the co-workers whom you either spend the least amount of time with or aren’t as close to, a simple gift card can cover the bases. Even a card for as low as $5 to Starbucks, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf or any other cafe can go a long way; it is easily tucked into any wallet and will feel like a nice little surprise the next time they purchase tea and remember it’s your treat.

For a co-worker who drives a long way to work, a gas gift card is another practical yet thoughtful present to pass out.

A more personalized yet cost-friendly gift idea is to personalize office supplies, such as pens and pencils. On average, you can find a 12-piece engraved pencil set for roughly $9.99. It may sound simple, but people get excited when they feel important, and because pencils and pens are used often, your gift will be a constant reminder that you took the time to make them feel special and will surely add a smile to their faces. You can find more information at: www.personalizationmall.com.

Perhaps you work at a startup or a smaller company where the whole group of employees is really close. You may want to suggest a secret Santa or grab bag situation with a price limit so that everyone can splurge a little more on one bigger present rather than spend the same amount on lots of smaller ones for everybody. This also creates a sense of camaraderie among your co-workers. A secret Santa allows you to focus on the person whose name you picked and start paying atten-

tion to what that person likes.

You will start to notice more about the person and the photos he has on his desk, the electronics he uses most often and what his favorite pastimes are.

If you decide to try the grab bag approach of gift giving instead, you can reach out to your fellow employees and brainstorm with excitement about what type of gift you should get. There is definitely more risk involved here, but you get to be more spontaneous. Some gifts that tend to work for everyone are fleece blankets (that could even be kept at someone’s desk), a personalized T-shirt with a work-related inside joke or funny slogan, a gift card to a popular restaurant and a coffee table photo book — for example, one with photos of the area. This type of book is not usually something someone would buy for himself yet is a warm and interesting read for guests who visit a home.

Don’t forget to take care of the cleaning crew, the mail crew, the security personnel and everyone else who helps keep your office running smoothly behind the scenes.

You can collect cash from your co-workers and pool these funds together to give out in cards or envelopes. Another idea — and this also could be used for your co-workers — is to bake for each person and wrap your goodies a festive way. (Just make sure you are aware of everyone’s allergies.)

When it comes to your boss, don’t pull a “Christmas Vacation” — you know, the classic movie in which the evil boss has an office filled with identical gifts. If your boss loves scotch, sure, go ahead and gift him a nice bottle, but don’t stretch beyond your budget.

Again, pay attention to what he expresses he likes, and remember that in this and any case, thoughtfulness always leads to a great gift.

eing a gifted gift giver is no easy task. Giving is an art form, and like all other forms of art, not everyone is good at it. While the toenail clipper you bought your sig-o and the Starbucks card you got your best friend last season may be gifts they needed (we all know foot hygiene can go unchecked and people need their lattes in the morning), they might not have been something your friend wanted. This year, some innocent cyberstalking and a few caffeinated conversations might be in order to unearth what your loved ones love. Up your gift ante by getting ideas for “The Godfather” fans and the “Dexter”-obsessed cooks in your life.

1) For the overeager wilderness pragmatist: the Wenger 16999 giant Swiss army knife. Weighing more than 7 pounds, this Swiss army knife will not fit in your pocket. It has more than 140 functions and 87 implements. Tools include a telescopic pointer, a golf-club cleaner, a cigar cutter, a universal wrench, and a fish scaler, as well as the more traditional pocket knife functions of a corkscrew and a 2.5-inch blade.

Available at Amazon.com.

2) For the I-have-petsnot-kids person: a petcam. While there are lots of options out there, with simple to elaborate solutions, Netgear’s VueZone systems allow for remote video monitoring. Owners can record their pet’s most adorable moments for later playback, take pictures and view any of their friends’ shared cameras for hours of furry fun. Pet lovers can

The Wenger 16999 giant Swiss army knife weighs more than 7 pounds.

Creators.com photo courtesy of Amazon.com

This year, some innocent cyberstalking and a few caffeinated conversations might be in order to unearth what your loved ones love. also create their own personal pet monitoring network that is viewable from most smartphones, tablets and Internet browsers.

Available at Amazon.com, Best Buy and Target.

3) For “The Godfather” enthusiast: a horse head pillow case. Let your favorite “Godfather” fan re-create “going to the mattresses” by waking up next to a bloody horse head. While this may be a gruesome wake-up call, it will also probably make your friends and family early risers. Available at www. gadgetsandgear.com.

4) For the dirt-loving shower-hater: a nose shower gel dispenser. Usually, if it drips from a nose, you shouldn’t rub it all over your body. However, these giant nostrils ooze shower gel, not snot. Mini suction cups stick this big sniffer to the wall in your shower, and the device offers good clean fun for the dirty rascal in your life. Available at Amazon.com.

5) For the wine-guzzling

sommelier: the wine bottle wine glass. Part bottle, part glass, this cheeky product offers a bigger, bolder sampling for the budding wine taster. No longer must the wine lover in your life limit him or herself to a mere glass. They had a tough day at work? Bottles up. Available at www.gadgetsand gear.com.

6) For the avid nudist swimmer: The Skinny Dipping Report. Exhibitionism, while still scandalous, has become an art form.

If you like to swim and be naked at the same time, then this calendar is for you. The Skinny Dipping Report showcases a photo each month of a skinny dipping adventure. Half social experiment, half commercial product, “every image in (the) calendar is of a real person from a real place with a real story.

Each image was captured and presented for public consumption on Flickr” and ended up in The Skinny Dipping Report to communicate “what the person in the photograph is feeling, to understand the particularity of the place and the moment through the lens of skinny dipping.” Available at www.theskinnydipping report.com.

7) For the “Dexter”-obsessed cook: the person-piercing knife holder.

It sounds dangerous and slightly criminal, but this five-piece knife set by Italian industrial designer Raffaele Iannello is actually quite nice. It boasts five

t g e p r ca ani n c le p e c ia l s

different kitchen knives, including 8-inch chef ’s, bread and carver knives.

Available at Amazon.com.

8) For the bacon-crazed hog addict: a bacon air freshener. Bacon-wrapped chocolate and bacon cocktails exist, so why not bacon air freshener? If your bacon lover can’t get enough of those crispy, greasy morsels, then keeping that fresh bacon smell with him or her at all times is the next best solution. Available at www. offthewagonshop.com.

9) For the Yoda impersonator: the Yoda bathrobe. Yes, they never got over their obsession with “Star Wars,” but at this point, why should they?

Fuel the passion and you’ll have your Yoda soothsayer not only speaking but also looking the part. Available at 80sTees.com.

10) For the sneaky college drinker: the Beerbelly stealth drink cooler. A college student can’t always take his or her favorite tasty brew into the stadium on game day. So the company Cooler Fun invented the Beerbelly. Made for hot or cold beverages, the Beerbelly holds up to 80 ounces, includes a bladder and adjustable sling, is machine-washable, and fits nicely under your clothes.

According to the product description, “the bladder even has a wide mouth opening for adding ice for Margaritas!” Now that’s drink versatility. Available at BigKitchen.com.

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, November 28, 2013

2013 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, November 28, 2013

2013 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE CHRISTMAS ON DUTY

GIVE GREEN

The top eco-friendly gifts

By Sharon Naylor Creators.com

H

Homemade munchies are a nice way to thank the people who are on duty to protect you and your community. Creators.com photo courtesy of D. Ortiz Santa

Thanking those who serve

By Chelle Cordero Creators.com

P

ost offices and banks are closed on Christmas Day, as are many other private businesses, which close early on Christmas Eve, also. It’s a celebrated day off for many hardworking Americans and time to spend with family and friends.

Then there are those who work 365 days per year, 24 hours per day. Emergencies and unexpected illnesses don’t abide by the calendar. First responders, our police officers, emergency medical personnel (both pre-hospital and in hospital) and firefighters are on call despite the list of federal holidays. Our military service personnel, here and abroad, also stand at-ready every day, on call to defend our nation.

Still, enjoying the festivities seems an ideal and there really is no reason for our on-call duty personnel to miss out. Here are a few ways around it: • If visitors are permitted, party at the work site, but be sure to verify with administrators in advance. One ambulance corps hosted an “impromptu” party organized by family members of the duty crews; trays of hot food were brought in by the families and they all got to spend the evening together. Not all locations allow visitors, or are physically close enough to families, but having holiday meals delivered to

the crew at the station is always special.

One firehouse known for its great cooking took a poll just before last Christmas to find out how many firefighters and Emergency Medical Service personnel would be working the holiday at local stations. Enough holiday meals were prepared for everyone, as well as the firehouse itself and deliveries, which were arranged to drop off the meals.

• If you are having a holiday home party, think about extending the invitation as an “open door” to duty crews in your neighborhood. Let them know they are welcome to stop in for food and nonalcoholic refreshments.

Don’t try to pin these emergency responders down to time or commitment; they never know when they will be called out on the road.

Having to-go containers ready may come in handy when call tones suddenly go off. There are also service-specific holiday greeting cards (usually found at online retailers) that can be handed out to an officer walking the beat on Christmas to let him know he is appreciated. If you can’t find these cards, a computer printout or a child’s drawing is a good way to go.

• Many military families have found that if their beloved won’t be at home for the holidays, they can reschedule the holiday for their convenience. One wife said she had a small household-only holiday dinner before her husband left for a tour and a second one upon his return with the entire extended family.

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igh on the priority list for many gift givers this holiday season is the earth-friendliness of the presents they’ll give. Gifts have to be made from sustainable materials, be manufactured in fair-trade situations and perhaps even support a charitable organization or artisan co-op in a developing country when a percentage of each sale benefits a group making a positive difference in the lives of many.

“I love to give gifts that give not only to the recipient but also to the artisans who made the gift. It’s just a perfect way of creating good energy by supporting and elevating other women,” said Sophie Uliano, author of “Gorgeously Green” and creator of the green lifestyle site of the same name.

She regularly posts her reviews of eco-friendly gifts with a supportive benefit to each buy.

“I love the bloom travel tins at ProsperityCandle.com,” Uliano said. “The soft and spherical tins are hand-painted. The candle wax is a natural soy blend with a cotton wick.

It can be cleaned and reused forever as a trinket box, and it comes in an eco-friendly gift box with a story card sharing the mission of the company.

Prosperity Candle is an amazing organization (that) helps women in the aftermath of war or natural disasters to rebuild their lives.”

The key to many eco-friendly gifts is the sharing of the artisan’s story, often a story of triumph over adversity or a compelling tale of an artist’s leaving a six-figure corporate career to pursue her passion of supporting rain forest preservation or a community of artists in a far-off country to which she has traveled. A tag on an eco-friendly gift adds the element of connecting the recipient to this artisan, knowing her name, feeling wonderful that this pretty shawl or braided bracelet or bamboo coaster set makes her a part of a flow of positivity in the world.

Eco-friendly gifts can be healthier gifts, when they’re made without toxic chemicals or chemical-laden fragrances or dyes. Top choices in this category include BPA-free drink bottles in bright patterns and spa and pampering products such as organic sugar scrubs, soaps, organic facial creams, beeswax foot creams and even nail polish sets.

Also popular are items to make a home smell fabulous, such as aromatherapy candles or scent spritzers made with 100 percent natural ingredients, not toxic chemicals that studies say may contribute to respiratory disease or allergies. An organic tea candle set beneath an aromatherapy wax disc can make a home smell lovely, and the recipient may enjoy not only that gift item but also his or her future purchases of safe and organic aromatherapy wax discs from the brand’s collection for a healthier home throughout the year.

Uliano said that eco-friendly gifts can introduce people to healthier products in a subtle way. It’s just a pretty, flo-

Go green with eco-friendly presents. Creators.com photo courtesy of VivaTerra

“

When it comes to the toys and games kids are playing with (and oftentimes chewing on), parents are more conscious than ever of what toys are made of and of what toys they bring into their homes. A great way to ensure that play time is free of harsh chemicals and BPAs is to gift environmentally friendly toys and games.”

Dr. Stevanne Auerbach, an expert in the best toys on the market

ral-scented candle, given with a tag or label explaining its green qualities, given without any judgment or instruction to “live a greener lifestyle.”

Bamboo is one of the bestknown eco-friendly materials because it grows so quickly and is sustainable. In recent years, artisans have found amazing ways to create products using bamboo, including bamboo serving bowls, dishware, writing instruments and ultra-soft garments, including robes, pajamas, yoga pants, T-shirts, socks and other popular gift items. You’ll find everything from pens to picture frames made of bamboo, which can make it easy for you to shop eco-friendly for everyone on your gift list.

Quirky gifts such as clocks that run on water, or hydro-powered clocks, have made their way onto the top holiday gifts lists and have won awards at gift shows across the country, and edible eco-friendly gifts include organic gourmet-flavored popcorn — a top trend this year — organic chocolate collections, organic fruits delivered every month and organic preserves and jams.

Living gifts such as potted herbs, tree seedlings, flowers and green plants that clean the air inside a home naturally get to the heart of green gift items.

And gift cards to local organic nurseries can let your recipient pick out the pepper, tomato, pole bean and herb plants he or she would like to plant in an eco-friendly home garden or in planters on an apartment

terrace. One big trend in living gifts is the glass-domed terrarium, which can be purchased already planted or made as a DIY project with family members.

Also in the living gift category is a donation made to a reputable organization, such as the Arbor Day Foundation, that will plant trees in your recipient’s name, perhaps helping to replenish a ravaged forest fire region and of course creating an ecological home for birds, butterflies and other living creatures of the wild.

For children, eco-friendly toys can be safe and educational. “When it comes to the toys and games kids are playing with (and oftentimes chewing on), parents are more conscious than ever of what toys are made of and of what toys they bring into their homes. A great way to ensure that play time is free of harsh chemicals and BPAs is to gift environmentally friendly toys and games,” said Dr. Stevanne Auerbach, known as Dr. Toy and an expert in the best toys on the market. Dr. Toy’s most recent list of eco-smart toys includes a plant-a-bean kit with a vertical wooden maze for the beanstalk to grow and arch through, wind-powered toys and eco-friendly craft kits.

Whatever the gift you give, be sure to wrap it in eco-friendly wrapping paper, made with 100 percent post-consumer recycled materials and toxinfree dyes, to create a fully earth-friendly gift presentation.

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, November 28, 2013

H5

2013 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE OUTDOORS GIFTS

Buying for the camper, climber or hiker in your life

By Eric Christensen Creators.com

M

any of us have friends or family members who love the outdoors. They disappear for days at a time to hike, climb or camp. For those of us who are unfamiliar with that lifestyle, buying gifts for them can be difficult. A trip to an outdoor supply store can overwhelm us with space-age materials, clothes for every climate and technical gear that looks downright alien.

But if you think small, focus on the fundamentals and get creative this holiday season, gift giving will be easy.

The first tip is to think small: Focus on the small but useful accessories fans of the outdoors use. Brendan Leonard, who has written for Backpacker, Outside and Men’s Journal and runs the website semi-rad.com, recommends water bottles, headlamps and multi-tools. Specifically, he recommends the CamelBak Podium Chill insulated squeeze bike bottle ($12), Hydro Flask standard-mouth vacuum bottle ($26) or the Klean Kanteen insulated stainless steel wide-mouth Bottle ($30). Leonard suggests the Petzl Tikka Plus 2 ($40) or the Princeton Tec Vizz ($50) headlamps, saying, “A good, basic headlamp is useful for trail runners and hikers who stay out after sunset or start before sunrise, anyone who camps, and when you’re not outdoors, you can use them when fixing things around the house.” For multi-tools, he suggests the Gerber Suspension Multi-Pliers ($35) or the Leatherman Skeletool ($65).

The second tip is to focus on the fundamentals: Look for highly rated gear and clothing that are light, compact and waterproof, such as tents, backpacks, compression sacks, sleeping bags, sleeping pads and clothes.

These tend to be more expensive because of the high-tech materials and activity-specific modifications.

And many users can be picky when it comes to gear or clothing, so it helps if the person you’re buying for can provide you with a list of specific items. But if you don’t have such a list, Geoffrey Conner, a gear expert, or “gearhead,” for the outdoor gear site Backcountry.com, said, “Don’t be afraid to call and pick a gearhead’s brain. We all love to help people get the right gear for their trips and activities.”

If the site you’re using doesn’t employ similar experts, Conner said,

Outdoors expert Brendan Leonard recommends focusing on small but useful items, such as water bottles, when you are shopping for the outdoorsman on your list. Creators.com photo courtesy of PatitucciPhoto “Quality is key. Generally, if you spend a little bit more, you will get a product that will last much longer and perform much better. But this is not always the case, so doing research and checking out gear review sites before purchasing can go a long way.” In regard to clothing, Conner advises, “Probably the most important thing when buying for others is knowing that person’s measurements beforehand. I would say a majority of the returns we see are because the wrong size was ordered. ... Important measurements would be chest size, sleeve length, waist, inseam, torso length and foot size. ... At Backcountry, we can set up orders for multiple sizes and set up free returns so that a customer can check out a variety of options.”

The final tip is to get creative:

Instead of buying an item, buy an experience. Leonard suggests state parks passes or national parks passes ($80), saying, “A national parks pass gives the holder access to all of America’s national parks and monuments for a year. State parks passes can be just as expensive, but give the holder access to lots of wild terrain closer to home. If you’re going to state parks more than two or three times a year, they’re a value.” He also suggests guided adventures, such as whitewater rafting ($100-$200 per person) or mountain climbing. And many rock climbing gyms sell day passes if you want to give the gift of a first climbing lesson. Outdoor supply stores such as REI also sell once-in-a-lifetime travel packages such as a Mount Kilimanjaro climb and safari or a cycling trip in Vietnam. However, some of these

“

Probably the most important thing when buying for others is knowing that person’s measurements beforehand. I would say a majority of the returns we see are because the wrong size was ordered. ... Important measurements would be chest size, sleeve length, waist, inseam, torso length and foot size.”

Geoffrey Conner, backcountry.com

trips also come with once-in-a-lifetime price tags.

Buying outdoor gear for a loved one shouldn’t be about getting the shiniest or most complex gadget. It should be about keeping your friends

READER REVEILLE

Gifts for the book lover on your list

By Sharon Naylor Creators.com

B

ook lovers can often the easiest people to cross off your holiday list, since there are so many products on the market geared to readers both young and old.

For instance, Dana Holmes, editor-in-chief of Gifts.com, recently announced the winner of the popular gift idea site’s annual Giftee Award in reading. The award this year, given to the most innovative and no-fail present in each category, was a set of polyresin bookends designed as two halves of an adorable, curly-tailed gold pig. Giving book accessories removes the concern that a book lover has already read a particular tome you have in mind for their present.

In addition to bookends, here are some of the top gift ideas for book lovers: • E-reader covers and cases. Designers such as Jonathan Adler and Lilly Pulitzer offer their signature designs in protective and stylish covers for Barnes & Noble Inc.’s Nook e-book readers and other devices, adding a sense of fashion to this practical gift.

• E-reader stand. Making it easier to read for a long duration, e-reader stands prop up the device for easy use. Stands and their covers come in a range of trendy bright colors, basic black or gray, and in patterned designs.

• E-reader sleeves. Your avid reader can slip his or her e-reader device into this padded fabric sleeve, which a growing number of Etsy artisans are crafting in eco-friendly fabrics, as well as fashion-forward patterned designs and monogrammed styles.

• Book light. Clipped onto a book or e-reader, this LED light allows for easier reading in dark rooms, such as when a partner or child is sleeping.

• Lap desk with a cush-

ioned bottom. The bottom is cushion, and the top of the lap desk is hard wood or plastic, with a ridged edge to hold a book or magazine in place for easier reading. The lap desk surface also allows the reader to take notes or answer a book’s worksheet questions in a notepad or journal as they work through the latest self-help best-sellers.

• T-shirt with a favorite book quote or a humorous take on a book title or theme.

These can be found in catalogs, such as Signals, or online.

CafePress.com offers creatively

designed shirts featuring “Pride and Prejudice,” “The Hunger Games,” “50 Shades of Grey” and many other titles. You can also create a custom bookthemed tee, personalizing your design and slogan with your recipient’s favorite novel.

• A gift card to a bookstore, whether chain or independent. Your book-loving friend will get the added thrill of a guilt-free shopping spree while rifling through piles of books, magazines and other bookstore finds. This gift is a favorite of book lovers who love being in a physical bookstore or who have

had their eye on a pricy coffee table book or book series.

• A gift card to a comic book store. “My husband collects comic books, and I saw that the comics shop had a collection of the rare and valuable ones. I didn’t want to spend $100 on a rare ‘Spiderman,’ not knowing if my husband already owned it, so the gift card let him get the one he’s really wanted for so long,” said gift-giving newlywed Shae Blake. “He was like a kid in a candy store, so I’m getting him gift cards to the comics shop for future holiday presents.”

and family safe, warm and dry when outdoors. Whether you provide them with a critical accessory or the tent that keeps them out of the rain, if you use these tips, they’ll definitely be happy campers.

H6

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, November 28, 2013

2013 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE IT’S A WRAP

Creative ideas for present wrapping

By Kristen Castillo Creators.com

T

he holidays are hectic, and gift-wrapping may seem like a chore.

Sure, you could cover the gifts in store-bought paper or slip them into gift bags, but think again. This is a great opportunity to get creative in wrapping your gifts.

“Creatively wrapping a holiday gift shows the recipient that you took time to prepare their gift, that this wasn’t a last-minute gift,” said Alyson Dias, consumer experience director for iLoveToCreate.

“With life so often running at warp-speed, it’s nice to remind family and friends that you took time to carefully craft something just for them. It

Wrap presents in these sparkling gift boxes, which you can make using a few craft supplies. Creators. com photo courtesy of iLoveToCreate

is often the wrapping that is more appreciated than the gift itself. If the gift inside is also hand-crafted, that just makes it even more special. Happiness is handmade.”

Creative wrapping usually

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giving by adding some sweets to the top of the package. Tie different candies to the gifts’ bows and ribbons. Candy choices include candy canes, lollipops, Pez dispensers or mesh bags filled with small chocolates or gummy bears.

• Cookie-cutter creations.

While you don’t want “cookie cutter” holiday wrap, it’s fun and creative to make gift tags by tracing cookie cutter designs onto card stock or plain gift wrap. Consider using cookie cutter designs like stars, trees, snowmen and angels. Then cut, glue, layer and decorate the cutouts any way you want before affixing them to the present.

• Season’s greetings. Got a stack of last year’s used or unused Christmas cards? Give those festive designs a new purpose by trimming the wording, images or characters from the cards and turning them into gift tags. For example, cut out a card’s sparkly tree and glue the cutout to the wrap. From the

texture of the cardstock to the color of the images, this form of upcycling can dress up a gift.

• Add some shine. Tie a Christmas ornament to the top of the gift or tuck one onto the handles of a gift bag. The ornaments can be standard fare or personalized. Either way, they’ll look great on the gift and can be reused on the tree, year after year.

• Get scrappy. Use Christmas scrapbook paper and stickers to create gift labels or to decorate wrapping paper and gift bags. Since scrapbook paper is generally made of a thicker cardstock, it holds up well when used alone, or glued or taped to wrapping paper.

• Pick a theme. Choose one color, texture or pattern as a gift-wrap look with maximum impact. For example, wrap gifts in one color like festive red; focus on the feel of your wrap using smooth paper and satin ribbons; or choose a pattern such as snowmen or reindeer to unify your gifts.

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• Get inspired online.

Search craft websites for ideas on ways to create memorable holiday wrap. For example, you can make iLoveToCreate’s “Glitter Gift Boxes” using gift boxes, glitter, foil, glue and a few other supplies.

Dana Byerwalter, editor of All Free Christmas Crafts, shares her holiday wrap ideas, including finger-painted gift wrap, which is easy for kids to create using their thumbprints as lights, and making gift boxes out of Christmas card boxes you already have at home.

• Eco-friendly. “Since I don’t get to wrap gifts often, I like to be creative and eco-friendly by using either chic, reusable tote bags, colorful scarves or old, patterned shirts,” said DIY fashion blogger Tanya Thamkruphat.

Use your own fabrics, or buy them from online retailers such as Wonderful Gift Wrap and www.bobowrap.com, which sell fabric wraps to easily and stylishly cover a gift.

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takes a little (or a lot) more time than traditional wrapping, but it’s not always very expensive. Plus, you can involve the kids because many wrapping projects are family-friendly.

• Kid creations. For Malia Britton, an environmentally conscious mother of two young children, holiday gift wrap is as simple as recycling her children’s artwork.

“That way, the recipient gets unique, one-of-a-kind gift wrap, my kids get to share their art, and I get to offload the ever-increasing stack of paintings. It’s an all-around win!” said Britton, noting her solution is green and a cost saver.

Gift recipients love the artwork-as-gift-wrap, too.

“By using my kids art on the outside of their gift, they get a little glimpse into my kids’ creativity and can elect to save it for their walls or keepsake folder if they so choose,” Britton said.

• Sweet inspiration. Add some holiday flair to your gift

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, November 28, 2013

2013 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE KIDS GIFTS

The top toys for tots Batman, Robin, a Bat flight suit, a Batwing, a Batcycle and two projectiles.

Younger boys who liked the Disney movie “Planes” will have fun recreating the movie’s action with Wing Control Dusty Crophopper Radio Control Plane. The plane moves when they do — just push the button to set its propeller spinning and move it forward. Then use the two controllers — one for each wing — to tilt the wings and control its movement through mimicry.

For another flying toy that really takes off, Byrne suggests EB Brands Iron Man Flying Remote-Controlled Extreme Hero. “This is a real innovation in flying toys,” he said. “It’s a tad expensive and for outdoor use only, but we were really impressed by how easy is it to fly.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be a modern Christmas season if kids didn’t ask Santa for electronic games. Byrne suggests the LeapPad Ultra tablet. “There have been lots of tablets for kids, and LeapFrog really invested heavily in updating theirs for this year,” he said. “It’s a bit more expensive, but for younger kids, I think it’s definitely worth it.”

Two video games to watch are “Disney Infinity” and “Skylanders Swap Force,” he adds.

And who says toys are just for kids? For Christmas, Byrne always picks a game that a family can play togeth-

Creators.com

B

arbie’s moving up in the world, and Elmo’s back in a big way, as is Furby, according to toy experts who are predicting what kids across America will be listing on their letters to Santa this holiday season.

“You know, everyone always asks, ‘What’s the next Elmo?’” said Christopher Byrne, known internationally as The Toy Guy. “This year, there is one: Big Hugs Elmo. I’m not sure if it’s going to the cultural phenomenon that it was in 1996, but this is the most interactive Elmo ever.”

Hug Elmo to have him hug back. Move him to see him dance. Lay him down to hear a lullaby and sleeping sound effects. Kids will love him, Byrne predicts.

This year, Wal-Mart let a team of kids pick their top-20 favorite toys and Big Hugs Elmo came out a winner there, too, as well as the new robotic pet Furby and a new Barbie Dreamhouse play set, among others.

“Barbie’s newly renovated, three-story Dreamhouse will debut as every girls’ dream,” said Margaux Vega, public relations representative for Fisher Price and Mattel. “The new house features six fabulous rooms and luxury details that any doll will appreciate with pink ‘stainless steel’ appliances and not one but

Barbie’s Dreamhouse features six rooms and many luxury details.

Creators. com photo courtesy of Mattel

er. For 2013, he’s suggesting Spin Master’s Boom Boom Balloon, which allows each player to take turns throwing a dice while attempting to keep a balloon from popping.

The person who pops the balloon loses.

“This is my favorite game of the year,” he said. “It is so

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two elevators. It also features the ultimate closet and a bathroom for quick outfit changes.”

For older girls, Monster High continues to be a big hit in the form of Monster High 13 Wishes doll assortment, she said. Among the dolls are Twyla, Gigi Grant and Howleen Wolf. Dolls come with a pet, diary, brush, doll stand and character-specific accessories.

For girls who want to craft their own fun, Byrne said the Shimmer ’n Sparkle Cra-Z Loom rubber band bracelet maker is totally popular.

“This is probably the hottest arts and craft toy out there,” he says. “Rubber band looms are huge!”

Little girls are going to request Doc McStuffins toys, he predicts. “Doc McStuffins continues to be the ‘it’ girl for the preschool set,” said Byrne, who is director of content for TimetoPlayMag. com. The Doc McStuffins Get Better Check-up Center will be extremely popular, so get it early.

Batman continues to be fun for boys ages 3-8, Vega said. “The best-selling Imaginext Batcave has been fully redesigned for 2013,” she said. The set features a Bat computer, a Bat pole, a secret button to open the jail door and two turn disks — one that opens the Bat door so that Batman can ride out on the Batcycle. The set comes with

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Thursday, November 28, 2013

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

2013 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE HOLIDAY TUNES

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

Tips to keep your shopping trip safe

By Chelle Cordero CREATORS.COM

P

Crosley’s Advance turntable features USB technology to transfer the music to digital files. CREATORS.COM PHOTO COURTESY OF CROSLEY RADIO

Enjoying a musical time warp

By Chelle Cordero CREATORS.COM

B

aby boomers remember spinning discs of music on record players that sat like status symbols in scores of living rooms. Teenagers danced to the Billboard chart’s top hits and young couples danced to songs of love and moonlight. It was an era of romantic melodies, bubble gum music and dirty dancing. Music happened when a lightweight robotic arm with a pin-like needle made contact with a vinyl platter, which turned at 33 1/3 or more revolutions per minute.

In recent years, the turntable became a favorite of DJs looking to mix and modify tunes. The music industry went the way of eight-track and cassette tapes to CDs and MP3s.

Just like the record going round and round, it’s now come full circle. Purists and music connoisseurs longing for the record sound quality are bringing vinyl back. Newer records are being pressed and old albums are resurfacing for sale. Sales of vinyl albums are at an all-time high and more than twice as high as the ’90s. But don’t go dusting off that old phonograph player that’s been stored in the attic just yet.

Vinyl is fragile; it can scratch, break and warp. Don’t risk doing permanent damage to your collection of great

tunes by putting an old, dull needle or an unbalanced turntable to work. The evolution of the record player brings us an a la carte menu for a record-player system. Except for portable record players with generally limited potential, the “turntable” is just that, it is no longer a one-pot meal of turntable and speakers. The newer versions hook up to your home entertainment system making use of an amplifier, more versatile speakers, remotes, USB and Wi-Fi connections. Swing-arms are featherweight with diamond pointed needles, the speed switch is often variable between the 33 1/3 to 45 to 78 RPM range. And the USB connections make downloading vinyl quality music to CDs or MP3 players easy for preserving a favorite song.

If you are ready to enjoy a bit of nostalgia and want to add a turntable to your home entertainment system, do your homework first. What kind of records do you plan to play? Make sure that your preferred unit plays the speed(s) you need. Do you have an existing sound system? Read the manual to make sure that your new purchase is compatible. Are you planning to take your turntable along with you to parties or leave it in a set place?

Portable units have lighter housing, often times plastic, built-in speakers and tend to be more economical. Sta-

tionary units may be built on wooden bases, which tend to stabilize better against vibrations and need to be matched up with external speakers and amplifiers. External speakers usually allow for greater sound personalization.

Turntables are either belt driven or direct drive. The belt driven is less expensive and the belt is usually relatively easy to replace. That being said, the belt does sometimes need to be replaced. Belt drives are often not automatic and manual placement of the needle is necessary. The direct drive tends to be more consistent, provides better speed control and is the preferred choice for professionals.

Fully automatic, the motor starts the turntable spinning and gently places the needle on the record. The noise from the motor can cause interference when digitizing the sound track.

A USB turntable will connect to your computer or MP3 player and a software system will help to digitize the music to take the warm vinyl sound with you anywhere. An analog turntable does not alter the rich sound of a vinyl record but does require a computer conversion sound card if you want to digitize your music for prosperity. In addition, the majority of analog turntables are more expensive than USB models.

reparing for the Christmas holiday usually involves making a list and checking it twice (at least), and lots of trips to shopping centers. All of that money changing hands and bundles of merchandise just waiting to be gift-wrapped can prove to be a temptation for the naughty people on Santa’s list and potential danger for the shopper.

From the FBI to local police departments, many of the cautionary tips for holiday shoppers are the same: • Park your car in well traveled and well lighted areas.

Always lock your car doors and trunk, and set the alarm if you have one. Be aware of your surroundings. When returning to your car, have your car keys ready in your hand. Do not use a “clicker” to unlock your car before you reach it.

• Visit the shopping centers during the day if possible and preferably with a shopping partner, especially if you shop at night. Carry a whistle with you to use for attention if needed.

• Dress casually and comfortably; wear shoes you can easily walk or even run in. If you are carrying a purse, hold it close to your body. Avoid wearing flashy jewelry or wearing headphones.

• Don’t carry a lot of cash; do most of your shopping with a credit card or check. If you do carry cash, put it in your front pocket and don’t flash it around. Ensure only your salesclerk can see any necessary ID you need when making a purchase and do not toss receipts with credit card numbers.

• Do not load your car with packages and then go back into the stores to do more shopping. Even if you put your packages out of sight, such as in the trunk, thieves may be watching and can break into your car as soon as you are out of sight.

• Be wary of strangers who approach you to ask the time, directions or to start up a conversation. Do not give any

strangers access into your vehicle. Carry a cellphone and call for professional help if your car is disabled.

Shopping with children in a crowded store adds another level of danger. Children are easily fascinated by bright decorations and displays and can easily wander off. A parent, intent on fulfilling special holiday wishes, may get distracted for just that one moment and suddenly lose the child. If this happens, immediately notify both law enforcement and the store manager. Many stores have trained their employees to follow “Code Adam” steps: • Obtain a detailed description of the child, including what he or she is wearing.

• Page “Code Adam.” Describe the child’s physical features and clothing.

• Designated employees will immediately stop working, look for the child and monitor front entrances to ensure the child does not leave the premises.

• Ensure that law enforcement is notified.

• If the child is found and appears to have been lost and unharmed, reunite the child with the family.

• If the child is found accompanied by someone other than a parent or legal guardian, make reasonable efforts to delay their departure without putting the child, staff or visitors at risk. Immediately notify law enforcement and give details about the person accompanying the child.

• Cancel the “Code Adam” page after the child is found.

Shoppers are also cautioned to be careful when shopping online. Do not click on links or attachments in unsolicited emails. Go to the retailer website directly to conduct any transactions. Don’t send any personal information via email and don’t supply credit card numbers by phone unless you initiated the phone call.

Verify the website URL with every step of the transaction to make sure you haven’t been redirected. If you believe that you’ve been scammed, contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

GUY GIFTS

The top presents for men this season

By Sharon Naylor CREATORS.COM

W

hat to give to the guys on your list?

Men can sometimes be vague when you ask them what they want, and you might get a sweet reply of “I have you, and that’s enough” from your sweetheart. But you’ll still need to wrap something fantastic to make him smile when he opens his gift from you, and you might want to shower him with multiple presents if you know he’s giving you a collection of goodies. And there are likely other men on your list: your dad, your brother and your best guy friend.

Chris Easter, founder of

The Man Registry, includes among the top gifts for men a variety of items featuring the top trend: personalizing. The man’s name or initials appear on an enormous variety of “guy gifts” this year, including personalized barbecue toolsets, personalized pilsner glass collections and items with a dream lifestyle twist, such as the personalized surfboard-shaped bamboo cutting board. Also big in the personalized gift picks at The Man Registry is the customized wooden bar or grill sign to hang above the space he considers his domain.

Because beer is such a hot trend, top gift picks this year include beer recipe kits for the

home brewing hobbyist. Add a fun FYI to his gift by printing out the White House-shared recipes of what may have been the first beers ever brewed at their location — a honey porter and honey ale — found at the website AskMen. An extra little factoid gift adds interest to his beer recipe or beer glass gift, and it gives him an FYI to share with company during your next get-together with friends or during the family holiday dinner.

Scotch and bourbon are also hot gift picks this year, especially small-batch distillery liquors from a well-known brand. A collection of those bottles in his bar would give him extra status by having

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them to serve to friends.

For your sports fan, there are always pro-style jerseys of his favorite player, especially if the player has just been traded to a new team and your guy’s entire jersey and T-shirt collection is outdated. Load him up with NFL, NBA, NHL or FIFA gear such as team logo coasters, drink cozies and coolers for his sports-watching fandom.

Speaking of sports watching, you might get him an upgrade in your cable television plan to the full sports package or NFL plan that expands his game-viewing access.

And then there are always tickets to a professional game, which he’ll appreciate when he knows how hard these

are to come by. You might buy them through the team’s official ticket purchase site, or acquire those two great seats via a colleague or relative who owns season tickets. (Be wary of online auction sites, since a disreputable seller could be hawking fake tickets!)

Gadgets are always a hot category for men’s gifts, from an upgraded heart monitor for your runner guy, to a GPS golf watch giving the golfer in your life the edge on the links.

A gadget timing his grilling will help him pull those filet mignons (which you can give him with the grill timer!) off the fire at the perfect time. And home improvement-type guys love laser levels and other tools

Gadgets give guys better game. CREATORS.COM PHOTO COURTESY OF GARMIN

that help them get weekend projects done faster. In that category, a gift card to the home improvement store never fails, but these tech “toys” are often something guys wouldn’t indulge in when they’ve gone to the store for fertilizer, furnace filters and light bulbs.

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, November 28, 2013

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2013 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE LUXURY GIFTS

GIFTS FOR THE SPIRITS LOVER

Holiday present ideas for the well off

Recycled wine industry presents

By Leanne Italie Associated Press

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EW YORK — They own yachts, big ol’ French chateaux and collect fine wine, so what’s left to buy the one percenter for the holidays when your budget is more cook-at-home than caviar?

We’re not talking fantasy gifts or bespoke anything because, really, we can’t afford that. Five ways to please your moneybags, from one 99 percenter to another: • Make them airport security kings. There’s first class, then there’s Globalent ry.gov. It’s a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program offering pre-approved clearance upon landing at participating airports for international travelers. Your gift recipient must do the work of obtaining pre-clearance but need only head for the nearest Global Entry kiosk and scan those fingertips once they do. A receipt is generated for easy exit.

You can foot the $100 fee and let your VIP know approval comes with the Transportation Security Administration’s TSA Pre check program. It allows for shoes and belts to stay on at departure through special security lanes using a barcode on boarding passes issued by participating airlines. See Tsa.gov/tsaprecheck for details.

• You know that sailing doohickey from the Robert Redford movie? Yeah, that. The Got Rockses have the yacht they like to sail themselves, but they may not have that old-fashioned thing that at least entertained Redford’s solitary man in “All is Lost” before his watery demise. It’s called a mariner’s sextant. It’s a simple instrument for celestial navigation that determines the angle between an object in the sky and the horizon — whilst in a pickle on the open sea.

By Leanne Italie Associated Press

Celestaire.com has a nice selection, including less reliable but still useable plastic varieties starting at $149.

Metal versions begin at $659, but there’s one called the Cheapest Sextant your giftee can build out of laminated cardboard with real mirrors. The site promises the kit “yields a remarkably accurate instrument.”

Make sure you choose one intended for navigation, as opposed to just looking cool, if you’re really worried. Vintage that may be decorative only is available on eBay. Throw in a copy of “Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen,” just like Redford’s character Our Man in the movie, and hope for the best.

• Buy them luxury trinkets. You and your sensible luggage might be invited occasionally to take a spin in the private jet or helicopter, alongside all that Louis Vuitton stuff, so you should probably take a hint. The luxury French brand has wildly priced gifts but also more doable trinkets and baubles, like the Porte-Adresse Bill Clip at $220 or the Iconic Noe Bag Charm at $375.

There’s no getting off the hook in the bargain basement.

See Louisvuitton.com for more ideas, from sunglasses to cufflinks. And keep in mind other luxury brands will always have a token or two to that might amuse your people-who-have-everything without insult.

• Send their wine to jail.

They may have what it takes to dodge country club prison when their white collars get dirty, but behind bars is a good look for their bottles.

Sure, they already have a wine cellar, but there’s likely a spot elsewhere for the Soho Wine Jail, available at Wineenthusiast.com.

It’s a funky look in steel with a distressed finish.

There’s one that stores up to 96 bottles at $499 and another for 64 bottles at $199.95.

Monograming is free.

N

EW YORK — Looking to please a wine lover this holiday season?

You can always spring for a special bottle or wrap up the latest and greatest corkscrew, but why not play off the passion through a recycled gift instead?

From sunglasses made of old wine barrels to colorful wind chimes created with bits of bottles, the reuse, repurpose, recycle crowd has been busy with wine industry materials for gifty products.

Some ideas:

This product image released by The Oak Barrel Company LLC shows a dog bed made from a recycled wine barrel. Associated Press

Candles and candle holders Several makers package up handmade candles in cut off, spiffed up wine bottles, but Adam Fetsch at Rewinedcandles.com based in Charleston, S.C., takes his offerings a step further. He and his crew mix scents into natural soy wax that evoke the notes of 10 wine varietals when you light the all-cotton wicks.

There’s Sauvignon blanc, for instance, with hints of basil and mint. Each hand-poured candle sells for $28 and has a label with a bit of sealing wax bearing the date it was packaged and by whom.

Fetsch started the company four years ago and it now sells nearly half a million candles a year.

“In the first year I made the candles myself in the backyard,” he said. “This has all been somewhat of a surprise to me.”

Rescuedwinecandles.com in Truckee, Calif., also mimics wine notes in soy wax for candles packaged in old wine bottles. Unwinedcandles.com outside of Baltimore also uses recycled bottles but goes for non-wine scents, including pumpkin pie and moonshine.

In addition to candles, wine barrel staves come crafted as candle holders. Theoakbarrelcompany.com has a curved, votive centerpiece that holds five for mantel or

table.

Sunglasses

Garden and yard

The site Woodzee.com makes sunglasses out of wood. In November, they’re teaming with Northern California’s Robert Mondavi Private Selection to offer glasses made of repurposed barrels, wine stains included. The wood is smooth and the aroma heavenly. They come in four different lenses but the same wayfarer-esque shape.

“We have these barrels on hand. Why not turn them into something,” said Sally Campion, associate marketing manager for the wine label.

The glasses retail for $120.

Feeders for hummingbirds and other bird species are available online made of recycled bottles painted to suit a range of recipients. So do wind chimes. See Sterlingwineonline.com, Etsy.com and Modernartisans.com.

The Oakbarrelcompany. com sells a tree swing made of three curved oak barrel staves, for $139.

Or offer the gift of herbs grown indoors in snazzy, soilless hydrogardens made of reclaimed wine bottles.

There’s basil, mint, oregano, chives and parsley in the contemporary-looking kits that sell for $36 from Pottingshedcreations.com.

Each bottle is cut in half and the top inverts and nests into the bottom.

“For the holiday we have a paperwhite bulb and Christmas tree that use the bottom half of the bottle,” said Ann Killen, the Idaho company’s co-owner.

For the hydroponic herb gardens, a natural wool wick (included) is threaded into the inverted bottle neck to draw up nutrient-rich water from the base, creating a self-watering system. Seeds and plant food also included.

The company offers replant kits for $8.

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Seasonal wreaths for door or kitchen show off grape leaves, vines and wine corks.

Sterlingwineonline.com sells one with vintage corks, silk grape leaves and realistic-looking purple grapes for $87.99.

The site has numerous other wreaths and centerpieces with a wine theme, including one centerpiece in a wood wine boxes filled with dried sorghum, myrtle, nigella pods, wine corks and faux grapes, for $75.95. The box bares the word “salute,” which is Italian for cheers!

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Pottery Barn offers oversized wine and sunflower oil bottles purchased from a collector who selects them from restaurants throughout Central Europe. They were used for storage and range from 10 inches to 24 inches high in clear glass and green hues. Prices range from $99 to $199. Offered in limited supply online only at Potterybarn.com.

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Home decor is definitely a specific gift for just the right person. So are housewares made of wine parts, mostly barrels.

Theoakbarrelcompany. com has a variety of furniture. Wineenthusiast.com offers a rustic, tone-down end table for $349, along with reclaimed barrel lazy susans of all styles for $109 and up. There’s also a kit for $129.95 in mahogany for collecting wine corks for display under a piece of plexiglass.

Trays and other servers

Vintage bottles

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Furniture, kitchen, dining

made of old wine barrels are plentiful, as is glassware using the bottom, or punts, of wine bottles.

For dogs, try an oak barrel bed. They come in different sizes.

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H10

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, November 28, 2013

2013 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE TRAVEL GIFTS

Keep comfy, organized and connected He also loves the Orvis businessman’s backpack ($150$200). Among the things he stashes in it are a bottle protector from TravelSmith ($24) to bring home wine or olive oil without worrying about spills; and a Belkin power strip ($20).

With a power strip, he can charge five gadgets with one hotel room outlet. If he’s traveling internationally, he only needs one adapter.

By Beth J. Harpaz Associated Press

N

EW YORK — Today’s travelers want to be comfortable, organized and connected. With those themes in mind, here are some gift ideas, starting with suggestions from three folks who travel for a living.

(Prices were found online mid-November, but will vary by purchase date, retailer and model.)

Polaroid and lavender

GoPro and a power strip Brian Stacey, director of new product development for Tauck, the cruise and tour company, says his musthaves include Creative Labs noise-cancelling headphones for air travel ($60), and a GoPro camera, which he describes as “the hottest thing out there” (newest model, HERO3+ Black Edition, $400). The tiny digital camera can go underwater or “attach to pretty much anything — your helmet, arm, leg, canoe” — and

Harriet Lewis, vice chair of the tour company Overseas Adventure Travel, recommends the new digital Polaroid camera ($178). She can take photos of people she meets and print copies on the spot, which is a nice way to engage with locals who don’t have easy access to printed images. The 21st century Polaroid also prints multiple copies, offers a choice of borders, previews photos before printing and saves images to upload.

Lewis’ personal comfort items make great stocking stuffers: scented herbal wipes (Herban Essentials, $16), pocket hand-warmers for cold places ($2), and lavender oil ($10 in health food stores).

She sprinkles lavender on bed sheets and in her bath, and rubs it on her temples and wrists. (Some travelers sprinkle it on luggage and clothing, as it’s said to repel bed bugs.)

This image from the travel gear retailer Flight 001 shows the company’s 4-in-1 adapter, with four color-coded plugs, good for 150 countries. The adapter works as a holiday gift for folks who travel a lot internationally. Associated Press take video and photos while

you’re moving.

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Edward Piegza vowed never to check bags again after an airline lost his family’s luggage on a trip to London. Piegza, founder of the small-group luxury tour company Classic Journeys, now uses a carry-on zippered Victorinox bag ($235), which won’t tear when stuffed.

For kids and teens, he recommends a High Sierra wheeled backpack with detachable daypack (AT7 model, $176). His sons have used their High Sier-

ra bags for more than 10 years in two dozen countries.

Piegza also recommends Nike Free running shoes — lightweight, comfy and quick-drying ($100); fun, customizable luggage tags from Zazzle.com ($10); and a Gorillapod stand ($20-$30) that secures iPhones to anything “from a tree branch in a Costa Rican jungle to a cliffside terrace in Amalfi.” Combined with a timer app, “you can take some great selfies in spectacular settings.”

Finally, for the ladies, Piegza suggests a pashmina wrap. His wife treasures hers because it’s soft, light and easily accessorizes various outfits. It also folds up small but is big enough to serve as a blanket.

Staying organized Cellphone, iPod, tablet, Kindle, camera — many travelers carry them all, plus chargers and cables. GreatUsefulStuff.com sells Kangaroom storage bags to protect and organize gadgets. A two-sided cord pouch ($25) has 10 seethrough compartments with slots you can label and removable dividers so compartments can be enlarged. The compact personal media pouch ($13) has six small pockets and can fit a Kindle or iPad Mini too.

Kohl’s carries toiletry kits for young travelers with Batman and Superman logos, and for men, a Dockers brand ($40).

ToiletTree has a classy black leather kit ($20), while Flight 001 offers colorful Avery cosmetic bags with Eiffel Tower and white cross-on-red logos ($35).

Staying connected For charging gadgets overseas, Flight 001 sells a compact adapter with four color-coded plugs, good for 150 countries ($25), along with a dual wattage converter ($30) to use North American appliances overseas.

To keep cellphones working

on the go, give the gift of backup power, like Anker’s Astro Slim2 external battery ($33).

Charge the battery beforehand, and when the phone dies, plug it into the battery. For sunny climes, consider a solar-powered charger. Popular brands include Anker, Solio and Goal Zero, but do your research.

Consumer reviews suggest some don’t work as well as advertised.

For bikers Gifts for bikers — whether long-distance or day-trippers — include DeFeet Blaze wool socks ($12-$15); a handlebar bag like the waterproof Topeak DryBag with map cover ($75); a multitool for repairs and adjustments, like Pedro’s ICM ($34.50); and a phone case that can be mounted on handlebars, like the Topeak RideCase ($50).

For fun, comfort and convenience For the traveler who wants to fill a home away from home with music, consider a small portable speaker. The NudeAudio Move M, about the size of a fat wallet, has an eight-hour battery, is Bluetooth-enabled, and has rich sound that rivals much bigger, pricier models ($70).

Travelers who want to show off where they’ve been might like Flight 001’s Scratch-Off Map ($20). A layer of gold film rubs off to reveal countries visited in blue; available in December as a scratch-off 3-D globe puzzle ($32).

For kids, here’s a freebie: Travelzoo’s “Map the World,” a new iPad app with nine puzzles that teach geography.

Women can shrug off rainy days while traveling light with the hooded Rainrap ($60).

Water beads off the silky fabric; it weighs under 9 ounces, drapes like a cape and is reversible, available in eight two-color combinations.

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, November 28, 2013

H11

2013 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE DID YOU GET MY GIFT?

COFFEE TABLE BOOKS

The etiquette behind asking

This book cover image released

by Smithsonian Books shows “Smithsonian Civil War: Inside the National Collection.” The holidays bring out the innercoffee table book obsessive in gift buyers. They’re easy, weighty and satisfying to give.

By Sharon Naylor Creators.com

I

Associated Press

15 gift-worthy reads

By Leanee Italie Associated Press

N

EW YORK — The holidays bring out the inner-coffee table book obsessive in gift buyers. They’re easy, weighty and satisfying to give.

You’ve done your job with your pricey treat.

A few to consider for music lovers, history buffs, foodies, fashionistas and more:

Music • “Soul Train: The Music, Dance and Style of a Generation,” by Questlove, Harper Design, $45. Aretha, Smokey, Ike and Tina, Marvin, Michael, Diana — and plenty of photos and text covering the work of Don Cornelius, host of the longest running syndicated program in TV history. The frontman for the Roots takes us on the journey through the show’s debut in 1971 to 1993, the final episode Cornelius, the creator, hosted.

• “Legends, Icons & Rebels: Music that Changed the World,” by Robbie Robertson, Jim Guerinot, Sebastian Robertson and Jared Levine, Tundra Books, $29. For young readers, the music industry vets offer an introduction to 27 legends, including James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding.

Includes two CDs totaling 27 tracks.

History and media

Film and photography • “Guillermo del Toro, Cabinet of Curiosities: My Notebooks, Collections and Other Obsessions,” by del Toro and Marc Scott Zicree, Harper Design, $60. Notebooks, sketches and interviews from the mind of the “Hellboy” and “Pan’s Labrynth” creator.

• “Humans of New York,” by Brandon Stanton, St. Martin’s Press, $29.99. Includes 400 color portraits from the meandering chronicler of the New York condition.

• “The Wizard of Oz: The Official 75th Anniversary Companion,” by Jay Scarfone and William Stillman, Harper Design, $40. Production stills, munchkin and Dorothy hair and wardrobe tests. Mock certificates for a brain, courage, heart and home are included in a back envelope of memorabilia, along with a death certificate for the Wicked Witch of the East.

Should you call if you didn’t get a thank-you note for your gift? Creators.com photo courtesy of Planet Creative Studios

them out. Whatever the reason, time passes, and soon it’s weeks or even months after Christmas, and those notes still have not been sent.

If you were to call a few days after Christmas asking whether your gift had arrived, it could make the recipient feel terrible that he or she hadn’t sent a thankyou note. Or the recipient could take your phone call as a chastisement, a way of putting them down for not having good etiquette. Neither of these is a desirable outcome. So the answer to your question of “Should I call?” is this: Yes, but wait awhile.

You certainly can make yourself feel better by checking the tracking on gift orders you made

Food • “The Photography of Modernist Cuisine,” by Nathan Myhrvold, The Cooking Lab, $120. Composed dishes levitated to reveal every delectable part. Food bisected in ovens and pots and beautifully scrutinized microscopically. The photo-scientists at The Cooking Lab offer lush, oversized spreads and all their secrets on how the work was done. Not a cookbook.

• “Fruit: Edible, Inedible, Incredible,” by Wolfgang Stuppy and Rob Kesseler, Earth Aware Editions, $35. Similar microscopic cross-sections focused on fruit, seeds and nature’s seed dispersers from the toucan to the fruit bat.

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online, and the U.S. Postal Service now puts tracking numbers on first-class packages. (Visit www.usps.gov to track your parcels.) This will show you when the gift was delivered, and that answers that question: The gift you paid for arrived safely.

You might then feel insulted. You put a lot of time and thought into the gift you chose, and you spent a pretty penny buying it and having it shipped. How ungrateful of the recipient to fail to thank you properly! Or you might feel disappointed, because

1416506 11-28-13HGG

• “Smithsonian Civil War: Inside the National Collection,” edited by Neil Kagan and Stephen G. Hyslop, Smithsonian Books, $40. From the story of Winchester, the swift-footed horse of Union commander Philip Sheridan, to Winslow Homer sketches.

• “Vanity Fair 100 Years: From the Jazz Age to Our Age,” edited by Graydon Carter, Abrams, $65. Anything you ever wanted to know about the magazine in archival blackand-white, color covers and illustrations, all spanning the arts, war and politics.

• “Vietnam: The Real

War,” by The Associated Press, $40. Mostly black-and-white, up-close photography of the fog and debris of war, including an injured John McCain and the cut of a knife into the belly of a Viet Cong prisoner under interrogation by a South Vietnamese soldier.

f you’ve sent a holiday gift to a faraway friend, relative or client, and you haven’t received a call or email thanking you for it, you might get anxious. “What if it got lost in the mail?” could be a worry. “What if the company I ordered it from never sent it, but they have my money?” is an angrier possibility. With these concerns swirling in your mind, you might wonder whether it’s a good idea to make a phone call and simply ask whether they received it.

Don’t pick up the phone just yet, and hold off on that “Did you get it?” email.

Give the recipient at least two weeks to get around to writing a thank-you note, says etiquette expert and “Bridal Guide” editor in chief Diane Forden. After all, the post-holiday time can be as busy for people as the pre-holiday weeks, with holiday decor cleanup and the practical trend of visiting with relatives the week after Christmas keeping people’s lives hectic. The end of the year is also a busy time in many careers, with well-intentioned recipients simply too busy at work to tackle thank-you messages.

While it would be lovely if people sent out thank-you messages the moment they receive a gift, not everyone does so. And here are some reasons why: They might have ordered custom thankyou notes featuring a photo of their child, and the notes haven’t arrived yet. Or they might fully intend to send thank-you notes, and might even have the pack of new cards on their dining room table, but they haven’t yet gotten around to writing them by hand and mailing

you really wanted to hear how much they love the very special and sentimental gift you chose just for them, one you spent weeks hunting down online, or something you made with loving care.

That’s understandable, but don’t let it rush you into making a call too soon.

When it comes to etiquette, what matters most is how you ask. “I’m just checking to make sure your gift reached you” is perfectly to the point, with the unspoken message being that you care about their receiving a gift. If you were to call and say, “I never heard from you about your gift,” that has a condemning feel to it, and you’ll get an uncomfortable apology instead of a glowing, happy thank you.

If the recipient says it never arrived, then it’s time to call the company you ordered the gift from to inquire about a replacement delivery or your money back. “It doesn’t hurt to ask,” said Forden, but it could hurt a relative — especially a child — whose gift never arrives, and they never hear from you, leaving them in a confusing and awkward situation. So don’t just let it go and simmer over their bad etiquette. They might think you failed to send something this year.

Make the call, communicate clearly, and never ever post a “Did my give arrive?” message on someone’s Facebook page. It is extremely poor etiquette to shame someone in front of everyone they know, and it makes you look terrible in the process.

H12

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, November 28, 2013

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