Christmas Gift Ideas for Everyone and No One in Your Life!

Happy Hanukah! 


Listening:  New White Panda!  Yay!  Party songs

Looking:  At a very old painting of trees and colours.

Eating:  A very large coffee with butter in it.  APPARENTLY butter helps your body absorb the caffeine faster. I'll let you know.





Well!  Hello December!  I've been waiting for you my favourite of all the months!  Okay, well I just met the exclamation point quota in the first paragraph, which is a bummer because I love a good exclamation point.

It has been a busy month of all sorts of things.  The biggest and freshest of news is that I am halfway done the book, and I didn't even need to have any near death experiences for that to happen!  Oh shoot, an exclamation point.

I am pretty proud of myself I have to say.  I have been working full time, undergoing a move of cities, finding a place to live, training for a 10km run, having to say goodbye to some friends, AND my dairy intolerance has come back.  

Sure you don't have as many assistants and helpers, but you have the same time frame!

Needless to say, through all of this I have still found time to work on this little guy.  I wish I had more time, I do.  I wish I could commit fully to the writing of the book and live on Saltspring and worry about nothing but what type of fish I was going to buy at the market on any given day.  But that's not reality for most.  I was told as a child, as most in my generation were, that I could be anything, and that nothing could stop me.  We were a spoilt generation to say the least.  I use the word spoilt rather than spoiled because I believe this mantra that was set into us, spoilt us in a way.

A lot of us expect things.  A lot of us expect things without hard work.

Well, I am here to remind you, buttered coffee in hand, that hard work pays off.  And most of us who don't have a never ending savings account have to work.  A lot of us pretend we don't have to work for what we have, a lot of us fake it til' we make it.  A lot of good that did us.

The future looks bright..

We're a bit of a lost generation, so let's just remember what we are on this planet for.  We are here to

Live.

So live.  Make that dream happen.  Do it at night when no one is around to bother you.  Do it in the morning when the sun is coming up and you have a chance to start your day off for you.  Do it not for the fame, or the money, or the success, do it for you.  Do it so that when you look back on your life, you can say "at least I gave it a shot."  



Oh, so sappy.  I think it's because Parks and Rec is going to end soon, and I am nervous and confused and scared. 

As happens when I haven't shared a blogpost for a long time, I tend to make lists of what has been going on in my life.  This is the easiest form of blog making, writing lists, and I understand that it can look cheap.  Like a girl with those shoes with the PVC toes that won't quit.  However, sometimes all you need is proverbial vinyl shoes to get you back into the swing of things, so below, is a list.  There are some great gift ideas included for loved ones and the like!  So check it out:

What is Shaking?

1.         I am officially living back in Vancouver.

Sometimes she gets dressed up.

2.         I am officially living in a very trendy neighborhood in Vancouver.  Does anyone have a Herschel backpack or pair of cats I can borrow?  It is literally called “The Drive” here is a short film they made about it, you be the judge watch the link here.  They also sell umbrellas with their logo on them.  So there's that.

3.         Carly Rae Jepson has a Christmas song?  Don't buy it.  If you're buying someone's Christmas music, make it classic.  If it doesn't have a fedora, don't do it. 

4.         I have a lot of blog posts stored on my computer, but, like not talking to an old friend for a long time, it gets harder and harder to post until you’re malbec-ed up and make plans for brunch the next day.  So I guess this is brunch.  It’s definitely malbec-ed.  Maybe thinking about buying that online tech person in your life a Hootsuite subscription?  I am not even sure if they do subscriptions.  I am not even sure if I am online.

5.         I was going to cut my hair into a power bob, but I’ve decided to keep the mane long, because let’s be honest, hair only thins out after 25.  Plus, I want to prove that women with high maintenance hair CAN indeed be just as business-y as women with power bobs.  I am going to grab some bumble and bumble hair chalk for my niece's Christmas gift, I might get santa to slip some into a stocking of my own...

The hair says "Don't f*** with me," the face says "I need a taco."

The hair says "I just had the best taco of my life," the face says "Can I have another one?"

6.         I keep getting texts telling me I remind them of the song “Blank Spaces.”  No comment.  No gift idea here.  Maybe some mace?

7.         I am looking into buying a really nice ring for myself, because YOLO.  Don’t tell my father, he’ll think I should put the money into savings for a down payment on the cabin I want to buy.  Which I guess I should.  “You can’t go for a vacation in a ring,” he’d say, “You won’t be able to have a mountain view out of a ring” he’d say, “You won’t be able to host parties from a ring” he’d say.  I figure, if rappers can bling out after major successes, so can I gad dammit!

LOVE.  If you're like, looking for a Christmas gift for me or your significant other who obviously has amazing taste or whatever, you can find the above ring here

8.         I’ve been eating a lot of chicken wings lately.  I am not sure why but I am really liking this recipe.  Maybe it’s because I wish I had wings, maybe it’s because I wish I had feathers.  I don’t know my logic regarding cheap pieces of meat let's get real:

Click here for Alton's Buffalo Wings 

9.         Perrier and San Pelligrino have started putting their bubbly water in plastic bottles.  THAT”S IT, I AM DONE.  SODA STREAM HERE I COME.  Great gift idea.  Mum, forget you read that last sentence.

10.       I had a Christmas party in my hometown; we had a secret santa exchange where mostly books were exchanged, which makes me love my friends even more.  I served the hot chocolate recipe (below) as well as baked cheese, spinach and artichoke dip (listed below) and bacon wrapped water chestnuts.  Also, rum and eggnog, which I love, confirming the fact that I indeed lived in the 1940’s for a past life; I think my name would have been Violette but who knows, maybe it was Kurt.

HOT COCOA 

Ingredients

1 litre of milk
1/2 litre of cream
1 cup of good melting chocolate
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp cinnamon

Place all ingredients in slow cooker.  Turn onto low and let heat up for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Put on warm when guests arrive and serve in a cute little teapot.  Serve with marshmallows, whipping cream and little candy cane stir sticks.

SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE DIP

Ingredients

1 tin of artichoke hearts
1 package of frozen spinach, thawed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup good mayonnaise
1 cup of cream cheese
1/2 cup of parmesan, plus extra to top
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Drain tin of artichoke hearts.  Squeeze excess liquid out of spinach.  Heat cream cheese for 20 seconds in microwave until it is at a manageable consistency.  Blend all ingredients together and place in oven safe bowl. Top with extra parmesan and bake at 350 until heated through and melty.  Serve with fresh baguette.   Use leftovers in paninis. 

12.  I am going to be living with a straight man for the first time in my life.  I hope he keeps as much ice cream in the freezer and dances in 1980’s Calvin’s as much as past male roommates, but somehow I doubt it.  I do know he makes a mean mac and cheese and loves football, so I predict a magical future.  For your male roommate I would buy him a copy of The Notebook, a box of tissues, and 4 bottles of wine.  Just for those nights where he needs to be that shoulder. 

13.  Parks and Rec is entering into its final season this year.  Let us share in a moment of silence.  After that moment is done, go buy the box set IMMEDIATELY. 

I couldn't pick just one.  I couldn't.  I have a file on my computer of these gifs.  It's my happy place.

14.  I have replaced sex with running and yoga.  Same same but different?  YYoga has a deal on until the 31st of December where you can buy a ten visit punch card for $110 dollars.  AMAZING deal.  AMAZING gift.

15. I am almost in my mid twenties now, so, there’s that. Whatever. It’s fine. I've still got a mighty big spring in this old step.  And plus, this exists:

The perfect gift for anyone in your life.  



So there it is.  A list for the holidays!  Use it at will, or not at all!  It's your choice!  In the meantime, I am going to go and try to invent another piece of punctuation that can replace the exclamation point but have the same desired effect.


xo


-B