Holiday Gift Guide, Cartoons and More

Nov 17, 2019

November 17, 2019

In This Issue:

Holiday Gift Guide
Merch Coming!
Thanksgiving Cards
Top Cartoons

Holiday Gift Guide

There are a lot of gift guides this time of year, and guess what? Here's another one!

These are things I've been enjoying, as well as things that are on my own personal wish list. My hope is that it will give you some ideas for your own holiday shopping lists.

For each section, I'm putting the pictures first, then the descriptions and links under that.

Let's start with...

Silence Is a Scary Sound: And Other Stories on Living Through the Terrible Twos and Threes by Clint Edwards: A great book for parents, especially those with little kids! Clint is such a funny writer, and has great stories to tell. I laughed out loud many, many times. At Amazon here, or check Indie Bound to see if it's available at an independent bookstore near you.

Am I There Yet: A Loop-de-loop, Zigzagging Journey to Adulthood by Mari Andrew: A thoughtful, insightful book about becoming an adult. A lot of illustrations and cartoons mixed in with short essays. Great for older teens, young adults, or anyone who likes to reflect on life. At Amazon here, or check Indie Bound to see if it's available at an independent bookstore near you.

Strange Planet by Nathan W. Pyle: If you've been reading this newsletter, you know I love the Strange Planet cartoons. The book comes out November 19, and I can't wait! At Amazon here, or check Indie Bound to see if it's available at an independent bookstore near you.

Poorlier Drawn Lines by Reza Farazmand: I loved his first two books, and I'm sure I'll love this one too. It comes out November 19. Reza's comics are called "absurdist and insightful," and they always make me laugh. At Amazon here, or check Indie Bound to see if it's available at an independent bookstore near you.

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson: I've always loved Bill's writing, and in this book he guides us through the body and how it functions. I'm reading it right now and it's so interesting! At Amazon here, or check Indie Bound to see if it's available in an independent bookstore near you.

Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manuel Miranda, illustrated by Jonny Sun: There's a little affirmation and illustration on every page, and I like to just open the book to a random page and see what it says. Then I consider that my pep talk for the day. At Amazon here, or check Indie Bound to see if it's available at an independent bookstore near you.

Why My Cat Is More Impressive Than Your Baby by The Oatmeal (Matthew Inman): Cartoons by The Oatmeal are crazy, hilarious and unlike anything else. This book is not appropriate for kids, but it is SO funny. At Amazon here, or check Indie Bound to see if it's available in an independent bookstore near you. And by the way, if you like games, The Oatmeal has also created three different card games (see them here). We've played Exploding Kittens and Bears Vs. Babies and they're both fun!

Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon: I like this practical advice for staying focused. A fast, enjoyable read for anyone creative in your life. At Amazon here, or check Indie Bound to see if it's available at an independent bookstore near you.

1. High Five This Sign: Each page is a funny poster you can hang around your neighborhood. Fun for the whole family! Available at Archie McPhee here.

2. Giant Playing Cards: My daughter Claire has these jumbo cards, and playing card games with them is hilariously tricky. There are different manufacturers who make them, so if you search Amazon for "jumbo playing cards," you will find options!

3. Tiny Hands Toy: These are so ridiculous. And so hilarious. Available at Amazon here. And there's a game! I haven't played it, but it looks funny. Here it is. (For extra fun, pair the tiny hands with the jumbo playing cards!)

4. The Shinesty Website: Looking for matching (and crazy) holiday outfits? This is a website that calls itself the "home of the largest collection of outrageous party clothing and themed party apparel." They have accessories, too. I got the catalog and it is REALLY something else. If nothing else, it's fun to look at the website and read the descriptions. Here's the site.

1. Holiday gnomes: I give these gnomes a prominent place in our house during the holidays. It's just so fun to see them. Available at Garnet Hill.

2. Joy the Reindeer: I own this and it makes me happy every time I look at it. Available at Sundance Catalog.

3. Holiday Birds: Another wildly cute holiday decoration. These little birds are available at Target. Pair them with the gnomes for a cute overload.

4. Advent Calendar for Dogs: We bought one and we're not even waiting until December! Our dog looks forward to his treat every day. I got this one at Trader Joe's, but I noticed that there are a lot of different advent calendars for dogs, so just search for one that's convenient for you.

These six gifts are from the website "Uncommon Goods," which has a ton of interesting things. These are the items that stood out to me.

1. Mindfulness Cards: I don't own these, but they look neat. There are 50 cards with different prompts and exercises. Available here.

2. World Map Coloring Tablecloth: I love coloring, I love maps, so you know how I feel about this. I guess I could let the kids work on it too. Available here. (The site also has a U.S. map.)

3. Terrarium Candle: These look really cool, especially the one with the cacti. Available here.

4. Birth Month Flower Necklaces: I didn't even know there was such a thing as a birth month flower! I like these because they look cool AND have a special meaning. Available here.

5. Sand Art: Number five above is called "Deep Sea Sand Art" and number six is "Ocean Sand Art." Claire had a sand art piece one time, and it was so mesmerizing to watch. Weirdly relaxing. The Deep Sea one is here and the Ocean Sand one is here.

1. Ratu Signature Rum: This rum promises to deliver a "breathtaking profile of orange zest, coconut, dark cocoa, cinnamon, clove, coffee, oak, and smoke." My taste buds aren't talented enough to detect all that, but I've had this rum and my reaction was, "Oh, that's good!" And I rarely drink hard alcohol. I heard about it because it was given to my friends, and they thought it was a great gift. It's available online and in some specialty wine & spirits stores. It costs around $45.

2. Barefoot Dreams Blankets: These are expensive, but amazing. Incredibly soft and cozy. They are available here and some are also for sale at Nordstrom. The blanket pictured here is $150.

3. Nespresso Machine: I love my Nespresso coffee so much! It's the only coffee I drink at home now. I used to drink drip coffee loaded up with flavored creamer. No more! The machines range from $130 to $170. Available here or in retail stores.

4. Liberty Puzzles: If you know someone who loves puzzles, you might want to consider splurging and getting them a Liberty Puzzle. These are wood puzzles with unusual shapes (as you can sort of see in the picture above). Two puzzle-lovers in my life have tried these, and they say there is nothing like them. They cost between $75 to $160, with some even more expensive than that. I know, it's crazy! But evidently they are THAT good. Available here.

Ideas that are free: Sometimes the best gifts aren't expensive at all. Here are some gifts I've created in the past that are free.

Write a note or letter, telling the person what they mean to you. Sounds simple, but it's really powerful. If you'd rather not write a whole letter, list out "20 Things I Love About You" or something along those lines.
Message jar: Cut paper into a bunch of pieces, and then on each piece write down a funny, encouraging or inspiring statement (search online for inspiration). Or write a humorous fortune. Fold all the pieces and put them in a jar or small container. Tell the recipient they can pick one out anytime they need a pick-me-up.
Music: If you and the gift receiver are both on Spotify, create a list of songs you think they will like, then share that list with them. (This might work on other music platforms too -- I only know Spotify.)
Printout: If you'd like to print out a cartoon image and fill it out for someone, you can use this one that I created (see below). Download it here.

Something else helpful...

Holiday Guide: Finally, over on Instagram, I love following an account called A Life From Scratch, run by Courtney Holsworth. I make her meals all the time, and they're great. Recently she put together a "Simplifying the Holidays" Guide with recipes, gift ideas, tips and more. I found it very helpful! So if you'd like a copy (it's free). And if you are into cooking, I strongly recommend following her!

OK, hopefully some of theses gift ideas help you! If you have any questions, or if you've got any gift ideas to share with me, reply and let me know.

Merch Coming!

I'm in the process of setting up an online store, and the first items for sale will feature this updated "Book Lovers" cartoon:

There will be prints and posters available, as well as journals and tote bags. I'll send out an email when the store is open (I think it will "go live" next week).

I'll be adding some additional items in the future, and I'll keep you posted as I go.

Thanksgiving Cards

Thanksgiving is coming up in the U.S., and I've got three greeting cards out on shelves. If you need one, check Walmart, Target and other retailers. Or just take screenshots of the images below and text them to your friends to say "Happy Thanksgiving!"

Here they are:

And here are two card ideas that got rejected...

For those of you celebrating Thanksgiving, I wish you all the best! Hopefully it looks like the "Fantasy" scene above.

And if it all goes wrong, just picture it being a humorous cartoon!

Most Popular Cartoons

I post cartoons regularly on Instagram, Facebook, and on my website. So follow along!

These two cartoons were the most popular since the last newsletter. First, this one one about the types of dates we go on as adults. Many people could relate to this!

This next cartoon was written by my friend Abby Has Issues, and I illustrated it. I think we can all agree it's difficult when it starts getting dark early.

Now if you'll excuse me, it's 4:30 and darkness is falling, so I'm headed to bed.

Coming Next Time: Gift Tags

In my December newsletter I will be including some downloadable gift tags, so watch for that!

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