My Holiday Gift Guide Here!Â
Newsletter #28
Gift Ideas Here!
OK, guys, a little something different this issue. Instead of a bunch of cartoons, I'm doing a gift guide! (Don't worry, we'll be back to cartoons in the next issue!)
I walked through my house with a notepad and made a list of some things that I really like. Then I sat down and thought about MORE things I like. Then I organized all these things into categories.
And here we are! My holiday gift guide, based solely on stuff I enjoy. Hopefully you'll find it helpful and/or inspirational. And if you have any gift ideas to share, reply and let me know! I'd love to hear them.
Let's dive in. We'll go by category, starting with the weird stuff: Novelty Items.
Novelty Items
1. Chicken Mask. You guys remember how much I love masks. I'm telling you, it's a fun, entertaining thing to have around -- and something that people likely won't buy for themselves! See it here.
2. Horrified Movie Victims. These are little toy figurines that are striking surprised and horrified poses. It's great fun to pose them around the house or office. See them here.
3. Custom photo coasters. You can pick any pictures and put them on coasters. A friend made some for me and I love them. Shutterfly is one site that does it. See them here.
4. Doll Eye Glasses. These are fun for the whole family and even the pet! You can see them here. And JJ recently wore them...
Gifts for Women
1. Bobeau High/Low Cardigan: So soft. Great cut. Comes in several colors. I own it and love it. See it here.
2. Rosie Jane Leila Lou perfume: I almost left this off because perfume is so personal. But I really love this scent, so I decided to tell you about it. I bought it at the store Anthropologie. See it here.
3. MAC Lipglass in color PRRR: Fun color to use alone or layer over others. See it here.
4. NARS Bronzer Powder in color Laguna: I'm fair-skinned, and I love this bronzer. I just brush it on with a big face brush. (Really technical description, huh?) See it here.
5. Trader Joe's Lavender Lotion. Smells so good! So relaxing. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, check it out.
Stuff for Kids
1. Whiteboard and markers. Claire LOVES her whiteboard. She writes things, erases them, writes more things. It's like being in a corporate meeting, but A LOT stranger and more entertaining.
2. Bill the Cat Story. I totally love Bill the Cat, and this picture book does not disappoint. See it here.
3. Pastels. It's so fun to draw and color with pastels. Such vivid color. So satisfying. You can get them at any art store. I got them one year for my kids (along with a sketchpad) and they loved them.
4. A Light-Up Trace Pad. You can use this to trace anything. It's really fun to throw an illustration, cartoon or picture on there and then trace away! See it here.
5. Foodstirs Baking Kits. As some of you might remember, I did some cartoons for Foodstirs this year. This is not an ad, though. They don't even know I'm writing this. They sent me a bunch of kits to learn about the product, and we loved them. Claire did the baking, I did the eating, and it was so fun! I really like this company. See the products here.
Books
1. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Really interesting book. Stayed with me for a while. See it here.
2. Cooking Comically: Recipes So Easy You'll Actually Make Them. I'm not the best cook, so I like easy recipes. This book delivers, along with comics and cursing. A lot of cursing, actually. Good stuff. See it here.
3. Little Victories: A Sportswriter's Notes on Winning at Life. I read this and loved it. Good for anyone on your list. See it here.
4. We Rate Dogs: The Most Hilarious and Adorable Pups You've Ever Seen. A book from my favorite Twitter account. Love, love, love. See it here.
5. This Is Ridiculous This Is Amazing: Parenting in 71 Lists. This isn't a new book, but it's a fantastic choice for anyone with young kids. I laughed so hard. See it here.
Games
1. Bears Vs. Babies. A monster-building card game. It so ridiculous. So crazy. Very funny. My kids love it. See it here.
2. Taboo. This is an old game, but a fun one! Good for all ages. We got it out earlier this year and my kids loved playing it. See it here.
3. Magnetic Dart Board. We got this a couple years ago and had a ton of fun with it. But lesson learned: hang it somewhere you don't care too much about. When darts miss the mark, they hit the wall! See it here.
Miscellaneous
1. Yaktrax Women's Cozy Cabin Nordic Crew Socks. Hands down the coziest socks you will find anywhere. Crazy. Here's one place that sells them in the U.S. But if you Google them you can find other places too!
2. Burt's Bees Ultra-Conditioning Lip Balm. A small thing, but I love it. This is my go-to lip balm now. So soothing, but also glossy and looks good. I keep buying it over and over. See it here.
3. Therapeutic Head Massager. Oh my gosh, this thing. It's a huge hit with everyone who tries it. See it here.
4. New M&M Flavors. Claire and I have painstakingly taste-tested all the different flavors of M&Ms and we are here to tell you that the best ones are caramel and coffee nut. In case you want to add a pack of M&Ms to your gift!
Stuff On My List
Finally, here are some things that have caught my interest. I don't own this stuff and I haven't tested it, read it, etc. But it looks promising. Let's take a look.
1. I Miss My Dog hat. For when I'm away from my pup. See it here.
2. Sunday Sketching and Abstract City by Christoph Niemann. His illustrations are so witty, creative and surprising. Really love his work. See Abstract City here and Sunday Sketching here.
3. Tasting Room. A wine-shipment company that is based on what you like. Not about what's expensive, what's supposed to be good, etc. -- just what you personally like. More info here.
Best Holiday Treat Ever
My friend Krista gives out the BEST holiday treat EVER--and people highly anticipate it every year. Well, guess what? I got the recipe from her so I can share it with you. Now you can give it out as a gift and people will love you! Guaranteed.
In fact, her candy is the inspiration for this cartoon:
Incredibly Good Holiday Candy
Ingredients:
- 1 sleeve of Saltine crackers
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 sticks of butter
- 2 cups of chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped almonds
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray
- Then line cookie sheet with foil (up the sides too)
- Melt brown sugar and butter and bring to a boil
- Once boiling, let boil for three minutes
- Meanwhile, take sleeve of crackers and lay them on the foil, side-by-side, filling the cookie sheet
- After the brown sugar and butter are done boiling, pour the mixture all over the crackers
- Bake for 5 - 6 minutes
- After 5 - 6 minutes, take out and dump chocolate chips all over
- Put back in oven for 1 - 2 minutes to melt and soften chips
- Smooth them out with a knife
- While warm, sprinkle almonds all over the top
- Refrigerate for 2 - 3 hours
- Break into pieces
- ENJOY! (Try not to eat it all! Remember: This is a gift!)
Cartoons
OK, a quick look at cartoons. In the past two weeks we've covered weird transportation, farts and big ideas. If you missed any of this, head over to my website to check them out.
The most popular cartoon in the past two weeks was this one, about a fun "couples activity" suggested by my friend Simon Holland.
Keeping the Cartoon Going
My Hedger Humor cartoons are supported by you! Head over to my Patreon page to learn about pledging $1 (or more) per month toward my cartooning. I send out behind-the-scenes information to patrons, and different rewards for different levels. THANK YOU to all those who already support my work! My goal is to entertain you!
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