By Morf Morford, Tacoma Daily Index
Almost every tradition this time of year involves gift-giving of some sort.
To put it mildly, this has been a strange couple years for everything – including gift-giving.
One of the perennial questions is what to give people that they want and probably don’t already have.
In these times, we have gathered a few gift-giving suggestions for that difficult-to-please aficionado of the unlikely who might be on your holiday list.
For the puzzle nerds you know
Costco aims to please (or maybe torment) – in a way that only Costco can. For 2022, check out their jigsaw puzzle with 60,000 pieces that could take up an entire room when it’s finished.
As you might guess, the sprawling What a Wonderful World puzzle is not, technically, one puzzle, but is actually 60 (!) interconnected 1000-piece puzzles which fit together to make assembly (somewhat) feasible. Each one features a painting from the Dowdle Art Studio of a fascinating landmark from different parts of the world, like The Great Wall of China and The Eiffel Tower. Once each section is completed, it can be connected to the larger project. When complete, the puzzle measures 8 feet by 29 feet. Costco has declared this puzzle the world’s largest commercially available jigsaw puzzle.
If that is a bit much for you or your puzzle-obsessesed friends, you might consider the Memorable Disney Moments puzzle from Ravensburger that has over 40,000 pieces and measures 6.2 feet by 22.3 feet, or a Kodak puzzle landscape that has 51,300 pieces, depicting 27 wonders of the world and is a mere 6.25 feet by 28.5 feet.
On the water
If you or someone on your holiday gift list has increased access to water on a future agenda, I have a set of gift options for you.
You’ve probably seen paddle boarders out on the water or on a screen, but if you’d like to try it, check out Isle for a whole catalog of paddle boards and related water products.
Not everyone has a truck or a rack or room in a garage for a full-sized board or kayak. In response, several companies have developed inflatable, even origami-style fold up kayaks and convertible paddle boards and water craft for all sizes, abilities and, of course numbers of users.
You might think of a kayak as an ungainly, awkward, difficult to store and transport watercraft, but imagine a kayak that fits in a box – and almost any standard closet, hallway or car. You can see one review here.
And if you want to get out on the water but you can’t decide to pack a kayak or a paddle board, check out this combo package.
CBD products?
CBD products have become semi-mainstream in the past few years.
You can find all kinds of CBD items in stores or online from bath bombs to gummies and muscle balms.
Here are just a few I have used and can recommend.
FYI: CBD products will not get you high, but they can, and probably will, relax you. Further questions on CBD may be answered here.
Beatles for sale
And if you have any Beatles fans among your circle of friends and family (and who doesn’t?), you can find all manner of Beatles related products from tote bags to vinyl LPs and clothing (and much more) here.
Giving unto others
If those you know have altruistic leanings, you could donate funds in their names to worthy local or global organizations.
There are many worthy organizations and causes. Here are just a few.
On an international basis, you could make a difference by supporting any of these organizations; Heifer International buys farm animals for self-supporting families in poverty stricken areas. You could buy, for example a flock of chicks for $20.
To assist with hunger in the USA, you could support Feeding America.
For about fifty years, Bread for the World has worked to end hunger across the globe.
If you’d prefer to support local organizations that address local needs, be sure to check out Greater Tacoma Community Foundation.
And if you and your circle support education – especially for those groups who have not traditionally had access to higher education, you could support the American Indian College Fund or scholarships across America here.
No matter what you end up doing, this season of giving, especially in these difficult past couple of years, just might remind us who is most important to us.
