Andy… if I hadn't been playing football with you and your brothers and your dad for the last 10 years, I'd ask if you were a plant!! Our e-commerce team always has me put together this list every December, but I am DELIGHTED that you're the one to ask for it this year. I love you.
And for everyone else reading, Andy has caught more game-winning touchdowns than anyone over the fifteenish years we've been playing the Turkey Bowl at Thanksgiving. He's the best. So speaking of bringing it home… here are my favorite things in our gifting lineup.
(Side note for those looking for a feminine perspective: Ann puts together her own list on her own blog, which I will be checking out… shortly.)
A punchy cashmere sweater for the guy who has everything… this color is crazy beautiful and the shape is classic enough that he'll have it for the next 20 years.
Hubs Peanuts forever and ever amen. My very favorites are the chocolate-covered kind — which have gotta be like 50 calories per peanut, you've never tasted anything so good — but the classic salted variety is solid, too. And there's a special happy hour party mix that they only make during the holiday season. No one is ever sad to get a tin of these.
We've already blown through the green version of this ping pong paddle, but our team is aces and snagged a few alternative colors for the final weeks before Christmas. The blue is nice and sporty. The early days of the shop, when there weren't so many customers, gave me a lot of time to refine my ping pong game... the shirts were probably overstraightened in those days, too. Anyway, I think this makes a great gift for the table tennis enthusiast in your life. Unless they've already got their own paddle already, in which case... watch out.
I love these Italian staplers, especially the flag colorway. I'm not asking for one for myself, because I've got one I've been stapling with since the 90s. It was a gift from a couple of girls at Ratti, a textile house we really love, and the design is really beautiful. The staples themselves are important, too… 6mm x 4mm. Kind of a distinctive size. I think it makes an awesome gift for anyone who likes design, or anyone who likes to stay organized.
I like everything about the Welcome Soap. The color, the size, the fish shape, the rope. What man doesn't love soap on a rope?
Speaking of stuff men are into… vests. The Cashball vest in the bark color is fan-tastic. I continue to marvel at how soft and lightweight these are. They're sleepers.
Beaded belts are bad to the bone. The Pink/Red Toto color is especially bad to the bone, but know your audience. (Editor's note: more of these are landing any day now, so if you don't see your size in the pattern you like, sign up to be notified when it's back.)
Okay, sure, a shirt is a no-brainer, but this one just landed and it is one of my favorites of the whole season. The colors! Mamma Mia!
Not to get too heavy, but I have been thinking a lot about civic responsibility lately and what it looks like to take more pride in our cities. Monocle is excellent at going deep and so I really want the Monocle Guide to Building Better… it feels like it'll be inspiring and hopeful rather than preachy.
I like the LOVE & HAPPINESS Swiss Army Knife a lot. We've been shipping stuff out with this packing tape since 2011. It's one of my favorite songs of all time and it's one of my favorite sentiments of all time. On a more functional note, the size is aces. I tend to lose the smaller ones to TSA (they've confiscated more pocket knives than I care to admit,) but this one's big enough that I'll remember to leave it at home.
Soaps without the rope! I use the original Sea Salt scent, but there's also Sea Aster, and we added Lemon this year. Primary colors! Give 'em the trifecta… more powerful together than apart.
I loooove Diadoras. Iconic… Italian… worn by Björn Borg… what do you gotta know? He was a B.Elite guy, not a Conquest guy, but these are so good. I love the color. In fact, they could be great for next year's Turkey Bowl.
Andy, thanks again for the note. Merry Christmas to you and your family. And Merry Christmas to the rest of you!
