Posts tagged gift guide
IN PRAISE OF TROPICAL FRUIT

For two decades, I’ve clung to the rules of local and season—aiming to eat citrus, dairy, meats and eventually, grains, too, that came from 100 miles from my home in New York. But when winter hits hard and the CSA box is a repeat of celeriac and red cabbage, when the kids are plowing through more Kleenex than I can count and the nights come at 5 PM, there’s only one thing that can turn this ship around: tropical fruit.

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* GIFT GUIDE || 8 AMAZING FOOD GIFTS (UNDER $60)

Every year for Christmas during my childhood, my dad would receive hundreds of holidays gifts from his patients—almost always food— tins of handmade peanut brittle, lush boxes with freshly baked pastry and pies, and cello-wrapped baskets brimming with crackers, cookies, sparkling wine and cheeses galore. It was one of the perks of being a family doctor. For my siblings and I, it was one of the perks of being his kid—those sweet December days when the atrium (where we ate breakfast and dinner every day) ran over with an endless parade of sweets.

I tend to still love food gifts for the holidays—handmade or carefully curated purchased ones—boxes of perfectly ripe pears and tins of caramel popcorn still harken Christmas to me. They speak of love and —even if not perfectly matched to individual taste, thoughtfulness. Maybe you don’t have time to bake this season—I hear you. That’s where this guide comes in. These Eight Practically Handmade goodies can make their way to the houses of your dear ones in just one click. They’re worth every penny.

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* GIFT GUIDE || 12 GORGEOUS CHEESEBOARDS (under $100)

I think we all know by now that a cheeseboard (or meat board, or fruit and veg board) is the easiest, fastest way to serve a crowd. It’s the best trick I learned from my own mom back in the 80s, and though the boards have gotten more beautiful (she used carved wooden boards shaped like leaves, with grooves and curves for dips), the concept is the same: fast, easy, filling, beautiful, abundant snacking for all. With the right board, even the simplest spread can ready fancy. Here are my favorite ten (+ accessories) under $100.

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GIFT GUIDE || BLUSHY + BEAUTIFUL COFFEE SERVICE

The blush theme continues—then I’m done, promise—because pink and all things feminine are still having its moment, and I’m still totally on board. If you’re rolling your eyes right now, then go straight to GOOP’s brilliantly-titled NOT PINK SHOP, where everything is, actually, pink!

Today we’re applying rose-colored-lenses to your favorite morning ritual—coffee, or tea.

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* GIFT GUIDE || MORE BLUSHY + BEAUTIFUL Ceramics (+ Kitchen tools)

I can’t imagine a better way to start the day than with something beautiful in your hand, making a meal for people you love, or even just yourself. I’m a stickler for practical, usable items in the kitchen—and durable, but if it’s something I’m going to use every day and leave on my counter and look at regularly, I also want it to be lovely to look at. Call me crazy (or frivolous) but I believe the way we start our day matters, and surrounding myself with beauty helps me rise above the fray of urgent-feeling emails, milk spills and a thousand tiny dried rice crumbs on the floor from last night’s dinner.

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