These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
Monday, December 6, 2010 at 4:00AM in Alafair Burke Ah, the joys of holiday shopping.
It took only a few images like these for me to head straight to the safety of my desk for all my holiday shopping needs. Part of me does feel guilty about missing out on the special experience of holiday shopping in Manhattan, but, wow, it's so warm and comfy in my apartment (and much closer to the refridgerator.) I love that the gifts get wrapped and mailed by invisible elves, complete with return instructions so my friends and family members don't even have to tell me if they opt for another selection.
Ironically, though, holiday shopping online may not actually save time, at least not in my case. In a store, I'm so eager to leave, I grab what I want and get the hell out while I'm still alive. But online? I browse and browse and browse, because the choices are infinite. And so very, very odd.
I thought you might enjoy seeing a few of my favorite (mostly ridiculous) online finds this year.
10. Blink Ketchup and Mustard Bottles
Your hotdog and hamburger eaters will love these. The eyes close when you flip the bottle over!
9. Fire Bell Alarm Clock
From one of my favorite modern design stores in New York, this clock looks incredibly cool and is supposed to be as loud as a fire bell.
8. Girly-Girl Roller Skates
Okay, that's not really what they're called, but that's what I've dubbed them. As a kid, I used to skate until my feet bled. These make me want to spin in circles until I fall from dizziness.
7. Bacon Soap
We all know someone who says everything is better with bacon. (Come on, people, you know who you are!) This soap, which looks and smells like bacon, will put that theory to the test.
6. Toph Daddy Area Code T-shirts
A few of my readers were sweet enough to bring these to my attention after my most recent book, 212, was published. I love my 212 shirt. They also have ones for Boston, LA, and Chicago.
5. Edible Gingerbread Playhouse
Every year I love to peruse Neiman Marcus's "Fantasy Gifts." Nothing will ever beat last year's Cupcake Car, but this $15,000 edible gingerbread playhouse gives me a new understanding of how rich, crazy people make weird, bratty kids.
Last year's cupcake car. Check out the creepy description: "Ever had a crowd of kids chasing after you just for the crazy gleeful heck of it?"
4. Mystery Solver Trucker Hat
This hat is actually an homage to Frank, the trucker-hat wearing writer on 30 Rock, but I suspect we've got a few pals here at Murderati who might just rock a Mystery Solver hat without any irony. 
3. Keurig Coffee Maker
Okay, no comedy here but what writer doesn't need a coffee maker that brews single cups with no muss, no fuss? Total time saver.
2. Soda Stream
No kidding around here, either, folks. I like to think my home carbonation machine makes up for all those K-cups I'm throwing away thanks to the Keurig coffee maker. Soda Stream even has a delivery service to send back your CO-2 tanks for refill. Anyone who drinks sparking water should own one of these. (Added bonus: The carbonating process makes a noise that the seven year old boys in your life, or in my case, the husband, will find absolutely hilarious.)
1. Gee, what would I suggest as the #1 gift for the holidays? How about... BOOKS! You know how fun it is to discover a new writer with a backlist so you can read all the books in order? Consider introducing your friends to new writers by buying them the first few paperbacks in a series. Books are inexpensive, personal, and a cinch to wrap with all of those convenient right angles!
So how much online shopping are you doing this year? And what are some of your favorite holiday finds?
