Tonight we’re making the case for a recurring gift. Plus:
It is bitingly cold in Brooklyn this week, the sun set at 5:01 tonight, and we’re staring down what could be over a foot of snow this weekend. But it’s bright and cheery inside the cocoon of my apartment, where a bouquet of stunning ranunculuses, hyacinths, and tulips are stretching and spilling out defiantly, bouncing warm winter light off their petals. These flowers please me because they are gorgeous, but also because I forgot they existed until they arrived at my door. Months ago, buoyed by the joy of a perfect fall day, I signed up for a delivery subscription from a local florist to get me through winter. This small but mighty sense of levity and order — regardless of what’s going on in my life or the world, each week my buzzer will ring, and a burst of light will arrive — has been one of the best gifts I’ve ever given myself. I couldn’t agree more with my colleague Hannah Morrill’s take on the “frivolous, fetching ephemerality” of flowers — yet is there a time when one needs fetching ephemerality more than during a fleeting but frigid New York City winter? Perhaps you, or someone in your life, needs to start the year with the promise of regular surprise and delight?
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My husband is not really into many stereotypical gifts for men. He is a talented musician who plays guitars and writes songs as a hobby. He has also practiced martial arts for decades and holds black belts in three different styles. He is an amazing dad to our two kids. We loved traveling before we had them and are hoping to start taking them around the world as they get older. — V.P.Z. From gifting expert Mari Uyehara: A black-belt martial artist, guitar-playing songwriter, and world traveler! Perhaps your Renaissance husband would be captivated by The Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding Civilization, a beautifully hand-illustrated, 400-page tome on the many discoveries of ancient civilizations, from musical instruments to military arts. You could also start gearing up to travel again by giving him Lonely Planet’s Where to Go When, along with a durable, multi–compartment toiletry kit and a colorful, customizable bag tag. The guide is organized by month, so you can plan it around school breaks, and it has helpful categorizations like family-friendliness and budget. On the flip side, you could bring the world to him with some global mementos — say, some Muay Thai shorts from Bangkok as a teaser to see an actual fight in Thailand or a mariachi wall ornament as prelude to taking in the Fonoteca Nacional, Mexico’s National Sound Library. Spark the inspiration and motivation for you to travel again as parents, and you may have a bit of an easier time snatching up things that catch his fancy along the way.
Have someone who’s impossible to shop for? Submit your question here.
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