my favorite things

It's the weekend before Christmas and all through the land, frantic shoppers are fighting their way through malls, last-minute shopping lists in hand.... 

I, however -- being one with a lot of free time on her hands these days -- finished that cray-cray (wrapping included) weeks ago and have instead spent the last week sitting on my sofa, watching PGA movie screeners and recovering from what I hope is my only cold of the 2012-13 season. 

While taking a break between Beasts of the Southern Wild and Hyde Park on Hudson on Wednesday, I turned on ABC and caught Katie Couric's "Katie Gives Back" show... or what I realized within five seconds was Katie's version of Oprah's infamous Favorite Things disguised as helping Hurricane Sandy Victims get ready for the holidays. 

The show made me think of some of my favorite things to give and get at the holidays (other than home improvement store and Starbucks gift cards of course ;). They all elicit a feel-good, warm-fuzzy feeling in different ways, and are great for last minute gifts.

Slatkin & Co "Winter" candle

I've written about this before. This is my favorite candle ever. It screams Christmas to me, even though it's called "winter." It should actually be called "warm & cozy" because that's how it makes you feel... just add a cup of tea and a warm blanket to cuddle up under on the sofa and you're all set for a warm, relaxing, cozy night at home in front of the tree. 

Owls

Okay, owls are not warm and fuzzy. And I don't really love them. But I love that they are now an awesome in-joke that keeps on giving for me and three of my friends.                                        

A year ago on a day trip to Solvang, in a store selling something with an owl on it that I don't remember, my pal James commented that owls were going to be the next big thing. Was he ever right. This year, they are everywhere on everything! (I even found a ceramic one with "Venezia" painted on its chest while wandering through Venice, Italy... which I promptly purchased for James!) And now, everywhere our group of friends goes, if we happen to see an owl, we must stop and comment: "Owls -- ya know, they're very trendy this year."



We all bought owl Christmas ornaments this year to commemorate the "trend." (That's mine on my already-dead Christmas tree above.) And while shopping this year, I've seen them on mugs, tees, phone cases and journals, which are another one of my fave things to give and receive. I have a stockpile of them, waiting to be written in. There's one I take when I travel and another one I write in when something monumentally depressing happens. I need to start just jotting happier ideas down in another one of them... maybe one day it will turn into that book I want to write but never get around to.

Scarves

I freely admit I'm a little bit obsessed with scarves. They are soft, keep your neck warm and are great for jazzing up a solid shirt or sweater, so who wouldn't love them? Certainly not any of my gal pals (which is a good thing since there are four scarves straight from the stalls of the Florence, Italy Central Market sitting wrapped under my tree right now ;) 

In fact, a year or so ago, I remember a male co-worker commenting that, "Apparently, you have to love scarves" to be on my team ... and therefore he would never be on my team. (Boring boys!) Erika, Sarah, Lisa, Molly, Malinda and I LOVE scarves. As does my crafty friend Diana, who crocheted this beautiful, soft, sparkly, purple scarf for me this Christmas. I wore it to a party last weekend and every female there complimented me on it!

I love homemade, crocheted scarves. I love long, light, cotton scarves (I find some great ones, surprisingly, at Coldwater Creek when shopping for sweaters for my mom). And I love super-soft pashmina wraps -- my black one is my go-to neck warmer.

BTW, did you know there are more than 50 ways you can tie a scarf? I've gotten into a rut with the slip knot and loose wrap. Maybe in 2013 I'll make a resolution to try a different knotting technique with one of the 20+ scarves and wraps I own ;)

Fun Dining Experiences

Who says a gift has to be a thing you wrap? Some of the best gifts I've had recently have been time spent enjoying good food and great conversations with friends. For years (three to be exact), some of my friends kept promising to take me to Ford's Filling Station for my birthday. I'd never been, and when we finally coordinated the big dinner, one might fear it wouldn't live up to three years of expectations. But it did. It was great to be out somewhere nice and new with friends, enjoying amazing food and great service.

And just last week, I had afternoon tea at Scarlet Tea Room with a long-time friend I hadn't been able to spend much time with recently. We spent two hours talking about our families, the holidays, job hunting and my trip to Italy, while eating scones and finger sandwiches. It was a lovely, lovely afternoon. And a great holiday treat!