I chose my kitchen wall calendar: it’s the Art of Valentina one I mentioned in this year’s calendar post. I put it up yesterday at midnight, after spending part of the evening doing my usual New Year’s Eve tradition of copying all the birthdays and anniversaries from the old calendar to the new. (I made a mistake right on the first page and had to scribble it out. Excellent.)

I also have a second calendar on its way to me: a Wallpaper calendar (photo from Amazon.com). I’m not sure about it, though; from the picture it looks like it might be iffy quality (the font does not inspire confidence, especially on the front cover), and there aren’t any reviews. I got it on a nice enough price that it was a gamble I was willing to take in case it’s awesome. In the meantime, I still have other choices in my Amazon cart, and as they drop to half price I might get a different one. It’s just for next to my computer, so I don’t need it first thing on January 1st as I do with the kitchen calendar.

Page-a-day calendars are the same way: I don’t mind catching up on the first couple of weeks all at once. Paul and Rob wanted puzzle ones this year, so I got two (photos above from Amazon.com) when they dropped to 50% off, and now Amazon keeps suggesting more page-a-days. I haven’t had one in recent years, but I might like to.
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I am in full Enjoyable Calendar Fuss Mode now. When I went to my Amazon cart this morning, one of my calendar options (the Wallpaper calendar, which I found after writing this year’s calendar post) had dropped to half price so I bought it—but I’m not really sure about it (the picture of it makes it look like it might be one of the cheap dollar-store ones that rips and curls), and also I still need a second one.

In the meantime, let’s exchange loot lists! Here are some things I got this year:

A Week in Winter, by Maeve Binchy (photo from Amazon.com). This won’t be released in the U.S. until February, so what I got was a note in an envelope saying it had been pre-ordered. Which is what I asked for: this is Maeve Binchy’s last book (she died this year) and I really really really really really want it the very first minute I can have it. I don’t want to patiently wait for the library copy, or for the next gift occasion.

Kiva gift card (screenshot from Kiva.org). Kiva is one of those places where you can give a tiny loan (like, $25) to someone else. Then that person pays it back to you, and you can loan it out again. And again and again. The idea is that sometimes people only need a small boost to make a huge difference in the way they make a living (especially in a country where a little cash goes a long way), but banks are not going to loan them $100. Four Kiva members can team up to loan it, though. I’ve been enjoying loaning and re-loaning so much, I put a $25 Kiva card on my wish list.
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This is my favorite post of the year. I usually prefer to do it the Wednesday after Christmas, because that’s when it’s nice to have something fun and interesting to help counter the after-holiday slumpy feelings, and because a lot of calendars get marked down to 50% off the day after Christmas. But on the other hand I like to have the calendar in my hands before New Year’s Eve, and not all of us have Prime shipping. Plus, even if we didn’t want to BUY the calendar until it goes on sale, certainly we’d want to be READY to buy it, rather than scrambling to decide as favorites sell out. And finally, calendars are not all that expensive full-price, and they make very nice last-minute gifts for anyone you still haven’t found something for.

All of this is to say, “Hi! We’re talking about calendars today!”

Little Critters calendar (photo from Amazon.com). I chose the 2012 version of this calendar last year, and I have enjoyed it very much and would recommend it to others. Each picture was cheerful and whimsical without feeling too babyish—and yet it would also be cute in a child’s room. (I used to put up a calendar over the changing table just to have something to look at as I stood there two dozen times a day.)

This is San Francisco calendar (photo from Amazon.com). I’ve visited San Francisco several times and I had such a nice time there that now I have a soft spot for it. This calendar is a frontrunner for me this year. I love the style of art. There’s also a This is New York calendar and a This is London calendar by the same artist.
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Here is the problem I run into at Christmas: I want to show you gift ideas, but some of my family members read this blog, and some of the things I want to show you are things I bought for them. Solution, after much brow-wrinkled concentration: tell family not to read blog this month.

Bent Objects (photo from Amazon.com). Paul saw this book somewhere and bought it for my brother’s wife (that sounds so biblical, but if I say “my sister-in-law” it could be Paul’s sister, and it would be less interesting that he’d impulsively bought a gift for her). He thought it seemed perfect for her. It seems to me that it would also be great if you need a fun and whimsical gift for someone who’s a little difficult to buy for. It’s a good “everyone will pass it around” book.

Miracle Fruit Tablets (photo from Amazon.com). Oh, these look SO As Seen on TV! But do you remember awhile back when it seemed like all the magazines/shows were doing pieces on this special berry you could chew that would make sour things taste sweet? There were, like, PARTIES where you could partake of this miracle berry? And I thought, “This sounds so cool! Where can I buy this product?” and the answer was “Nowhere! Someone has to bring it to you after visiting some other country!” OKAY THEN. But here is a packet of it! On Amazon! Clearly I have bought a packet, and we will have a party.
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One of my sisters-in-law loves cats and cat-related things, and I have been searching for a cat-related gift for her, so I have cat gifts ON THE BRAIN.

Chuvora Sterling Silver Cat Silhouette Earrings (photo from Amazon.com). I think these are pretty, without being too Cat Lady.

Black Cat Print Set by Kerry Beary on Etsy (photo from the shop). This is more than I want to spend, but I love them and want them FOR MYSELF. And there are a number of $20 prints I want to consider for my sister-in-law. And I’m going to go back later to browse more and put some on my own wish list too.

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Whenever I see something that seems like it would make a good gift, I make myself a note. Sometimes these notes clump into categories, and sometimes not. This is post of gift ideas I’ve been meaning to mention, but they keep not fitting with other posts.

Marmar Magnetic Necklace Sets (photo from the shop). Wait, because these are even neater than you think. FIRST, they’re neat because to change the pendant on the necklace, you just click a new magnet into place. But THEN, they’re ADDITIONALLY awesome because they work with all the Marmar refrigerator magnet sets! So, like, you get yourself a necklace, and you have magnets all over your fridge, and in the morning when you’re getting ready you can PICK A MAGNET OFF YOUR FRIDGE AND PUT IT IN YOUR NECKLACE. A squirrel one day, a cupcake the next! A famous scientist one day, a Santa-hatted cat the next! This idea appeals to me so much, I really really wish I wore necklaces. I would buy ALL THE MAGNET SETS.

Sons of Anarchy temporary tattoos (photo from fxnetworks.com). (I mean, clearly the photo is from fxnetworks.com. Clearly I do not have this nice young man in my living room posing for a photo for me.) I saw a mention of these in an interview with one of the cast members, and I immediately thought “OMG THAT WOULD BE SO COOL FOR A FAN OF THE SHOW.” Or for the partner of a fan of the show. Ahem. No-judging zone.
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I know many of us like to wait until after Thanksgiving to start thinking about Christmas, but today is the annual Melissa & Doug half-price sale on Amazon, so I urge you to consider making an exception. I think of Melissa & Doug as a highly reliable brand, as well as a brand that pleases people if I bring it to a birthday party. It SMACKS of Quality Family.

Now, when I say “half-price,” I think we all know that Amazon can be a little sneaky about that: some of these items are more like half off suggested retail price, which means more like a third off regular Amazon.com price. STILL. Others are truly half-off, and all are at least nicely on-sale. Every year I like to first see if there’s anything I want to buy for the kids for Christmas, and then I stock up on a few things for birthday parties, and a few more things to put in Christmas toy donation boxes. Some highlights of this year’s sale:

Melissa & Doug Ice Cream Set (photo from Amazon.com). My mother has this set, and it’s one of the hits of the playroom. The ice cream scoops are magnetic so they stick nicely to the scooper and to the cones; you can even do a double-scoop.
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I am breathing carefully and calmly through my nose as I think of playing board games with children: Monopoly, which goes on forever and makes children cry; CandyLand, which seems like it’s about to end and then someone gets sent back to the beginning.

I do have a few, a very select few, that I am willing to play. I look for a game that is fun for me as well as for the kids, and that doesn’t require me to hold way back in order to avoid trouncing my opponents.

Wits & Wagers Family (photo from Amazon.com). I prefer the grown-up version, which I first encountered at my brother and sister-in-law’s house, but the kid-friendly game is nearly as good. I am timid and suspicious of games, but this one won me over: it’s like Trivial Pursuit except you’re NOT SUPPOSED TO know the answers. The idea is that everyone will be guessing. The guesses are laid out in a row, and then everyone can bet on the likelihood that the guesses are correct; in this way, you can win points even if you didn’t know the population of Vatican City, or how many points an athlete scored in his best game. It ends up being a lot of fun and a lot of laughing, and as soon as I got home from that game night I ordered the family version to play with the kids.

Set (photo from Amazon.com). This game was recommended to us by one of the kids’ teachers, who had the kids make their own small decks to practice with. The point of the game is to find three cards that make up a “set”: the three cards can be different colors but the same shapes, or different shapes but the same colors, or all different colors/shapes. It took me a little while to catch on, but after that it was simple and addictive.
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I was so distracted by the election this week, I felt like the area of my brain that usually deals with Happy Shopping Things was completely knocked out of commission.

I was thinking maybe today we could talk about the resources we use to teach kids to get along with others—especially to prepare them for times when we’re apart from them and not able to coach them through a difficult interaction (”Now give that toy back to him. Now tell him you’re sorry for taking it so roughly. Now ask if you may have a turn after him”).

It has been hard during this election to explain to the children the rules that should be followed, when “shouldn’t” feels like kind of a stupid concept in the face of “look, everyone’s doing it anyway.” “Children, people shouldn’t state their views aggressively or smugly or self-righteously in forums where those views will hurt/anger their friends and family and cause pointless, unpleasant debates that lead nowhere and change no one’s mind about anything. Despite what you may have heard about Facebook.”

This morning before school we worked on the concept that people should be gracious losers and even more gracious winners.
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I had Thanksgiving at my house last year, and I’m planning to do it again this year. Last year was the first year I was interested in other people’s posts about what they were cooking, and I took notes: one person’s baked mashed potatoes recipe, another person’s roasted root vegetables recipe, another person’s pumpkin pie recipe. I liked being in the kitchen and thinking of how very many of us were ALSO in the kitchen, all making the same sorts of foods.

One of the upsides of hosting Thanksgiving is that I can buy a few accessory pieces: I have enough place settings of my grandma’s china, but I could use some new decorative things for the center of the table, some pretty paper napkins, more salt-and-pepper shakers. I’m not rushing it: everything went fine last year without those things. But it’s fun to have a gap to fill. At a consignment shop I found a good price on a serving dish in my grandma’s pattern; before, I would have thought, “Oh, it’s great, but I’ll never have a chance to use it!” This time, with Thanksgiving dinner in the future, I got out my wallet.

And when I saw acorn placecard holders at the store, instead of thinking, “I never use placecard holders,” I thought “Hey! I could use placecard holders! To hold placecards!” So it has been pleasant, is what I’m saying.

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