Amy's Holiday Shopping Advice
After a couple years of getting screwed by paying more for shipping than on the actual holiday gifts I have to send to California and England, I finally got a system figured out last year. The trick is starting early and using free-shipping options at places such as Amazon.com. So that means now, folks. Get on it.

During a brain zone-out period over the weekend, I compiled a list of a few gift ideas and shopping tips for you all. Happy holidays.


The Cruelest Miles -- Heroic dogs, an epic blizzard and children dying during a diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska in 1925 after the last ship has just left for the winter. True story and a good read co-written by my friend Laney Salisbury.

Live from New York, an Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live -- One of my favorite Christmas gifts from last year.

Smart Mobs -- My favorite geek book of the year is now in paperback.

Vindigo -- As far as I'm concerned, having Vindigo on your phone or Palm is like the microwave, answering machine, ATM and Internet. I have no idea how I managed without it. $25/year.

Pacifica Candles -- Better than your average candle.

Mr. Bear Squash-You-All-Flat -- For the kids. It was out of print for decades, so most of the little ones - and their parents - have never heard of it.

New York Times Almanac 2004 -- Never fails.

For the cook -- Great kitchen gadgets: Zyliss comfort food chopper, Good Grips OXO long tongs and the Microplane grater/zester. Really fun cookbooks: Biscotti; the Garlic Lovers Cookbook; subscription to Bon Appetit - or as my husband calls it based on my reaction reading it: "food porn."

Old movies now on DVD -- Consider Chinatown, Manchurian Candidate, Network, Willy Wonka.

More stumping for my friends' stuff -- Not necessarily guaranteed in time for Christmas, but they're worth a try: New Corvids CD "Fought Down," which Tony Pierce calls "the best record of the year;" Tsar has pressed an actual 45 of "Straight" for only $5; Hugh McLeod sells framed prints of his edgy and clever works.

Gift certificate to a great local bookstore -- My faves here are Partners & Crime, Three Lives and Shakespeare & Co.

Museum-type shopping online -- MoMa, NY Transit Museum, NYC.gov CityStore, Met Museum, NY Public Library, Natural History Museum and coming soon, the Central Park Conservancy online store. Also check out framed New Yorker cartoon prints.

Tiffany & Co. -- Oh c'mon, who doesn't want to get something in that blue box? They're online and have plenty of things under $100.

Pier 1 -- They sell interesting little ornaments from around the world for a buck or two and they're great to tie onto packages instead of/in addition to the usual ribbons and bows. Last year they also had very cool boxes covered with satiny material so they looked like presents but you could just pop a gift inside and not have to worry about wrapping paper. Looked very expensive (but they weren't.)

Just for the New Yorkers:

Gift Certificate to the Institute of Culinary Education - most one-day classes are in the $65- $100 range and usually include a full meal with wine. I highly recommend Richard Ruben's Greenmarket class (listed under walking tours/market classes.)

Li-Lac Chocolates on Christopher Street -- They ship.

Pearl River Mart -- Just above Canal on Broadway. Great little do-dads for stocking stuffers and things to tie on presents.

Enchanted Forest -- On Mercer in SoHo for great stuffed animals without the FAO Schwartz and Toys R Us crowds.

Kate' Paperie -- Go here to get some fancy ribbon to jazz up your packages. Uptown has a better selection. They're expensive, so use it on small packages for big impact.

Just a few other things:


A little something-something for yourself: Kiehl's on 3rd Ave. -- go there pretending to get some great bath-soaky stuff or scented lotion for one of your gal-pals but really you're only buying it so you can load up on the free samples for yourself.

Perfect airplane reading to make you feel your family is no more screwed up than everyone else's: David Sedaris' "Holidays on Ice."

And since this has no chance at being concise anymore, here are my two favorite cheeky card shops: Nancy Nancy on 5th Ave in Brooklyn and that one on the north side of Christopher Street east of Bleecker. It's the one closest to the church. You have to go to the back unless you want cards bearing large penises. And if you do want those, too, well - you're already there.

In case you're my mom and you read this list and start thinking you're going to buy me stuff listed above - stop now. It's listed because I own it and think it's great. I have my own fancy Amazon wishlist right here. (Though gifts in little blue boxes or certificates from my favorite bookstores are never bad thoughts, either.) And since I'm stumping, let me put one last thought in your head about Amazon. If you do decide to shop there, please enter their site through my Amazon ad strip over in the right column of this site. If you end up buying something, I get a little kickback for sending you over. Any revenue then goes to help offset my costs of running this site. Happy shopping folks. Have fun.
- posted by Amy @ 11/25/2003 07:12:00 PM