Gift ideas for holiday

home cook · keepsake

A durable, do-everything pot for slow cooking, bread, soups, and Sunday dinners.

A considered, personal choice. Warm and easy to enjoy over the holidays.

Buying note: A 4.5–5.5 quart round pot is the most versatile size for most homes.

coffee drinkers · a small thank-you

One bag of beans from a named farm, roasted recently enough that the bag still has a roast date on it.

Warm and easy to enjoy over the holidays.

Buying note: Buy whole bean and check the roast date, not the best-before. Anything older than a month has lost the thing you paid for.

a card that lasts · gardeners

Card stock embedded with wildflower seed — it gets planted rather than recycled, which is a rare thing for paper.

Warm and easy to enjoy over the holidays.

Buying note: Check the seed mix is native to where they live. Some mixes are sold everywhere and are invasive in half of it.

long evenings · a host

Beeswax burns slower and cleaner than paraffin, and smells faintly of honey without any added fragrance.

Warm and easy to enjoy over the holidays.

Buying note: "Beeswax blend" is usually mostly paraffin. Look for 100% beeswax and a cotton wick.

adventurous eater · grill night

A flight of small-batch heat for adventurous meals.

Warm and easy to enjoy over the holidays.

Buying note: Look for a range of heat levels rather than only novelty-hot sauces.

offices · north-facing rooms

A plant chosen to survive a north-facing desk and an irregular waterer, rather than one that looks best in the shop.

Warm and easy to enjoy over the holidays.

Buying note: Snake plant, pothos or ZZ for genuinely low light. Check it comes potted with drainage, or it will drown on the first watering.