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Dec. 6 - Dec. 12, 2002
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Tony
The 1990 Acura Legend is getting old and Tony has his sights on the big time. With its automatic five-speed overdrive and fully-independent suspension, the Lincoln Aviator (starting at $39,000) is a perfect blend of luxury and utility. A variable-speed, sensitive-assist rack-and-pinion steering system reduces the effort for low-speed maneuvers and parking, plus it’s smaller than its big brother, the Lincoln Navigator, making it easier to drive in San Francisco. But forget maneuverability, the real deal is the Aviator’s premium leather seats, analog timepiece encased in satin nickel finish and a handsome, genuine leather-trimmed and wood-grained steering wheel, all of which say loud and clear: This man has class. What you should get him: Fini Balsamic Vinegar
Samantha
Samantha thinks the best gifts are those that other people make for you, so help her start outfitting her friends by getting her this Kenmore Free Arm Sewing Machine ($179.98 at Sears). It features 34 stitch functions and offers an easy push/pull clutch system for bobbin winding and color-coded pattern selection. Give this gift and Samantha will be returning the love for years to come.
Samantha says her favorite gift last year was a pair of “little girls” underwear her friend made her, but if you aren’t too adept at underwear-making, check out Urban Outfitter’s great selection of muppet boy-brief undies ($12). I think the Gonzo and Kermit ones would be most fitting. Justin
Some of us dream of luxurious cars or trips around the world, but Justin — our fearless production assistant — just wants a robot to vacuum the floor. Is that too much to ask? This dancing robot vacuums and sweeps automatically — even when you’re asleep or out of the house, and doesn’t even have an attitude like Rosie from The Jetsons. It’s cordless, rechargeable, great on many surfaces and maneuvers around obstacles. Guided by infrared sensors, this floor cleaner dances about like a pool-sweep to clean up dirt, dust, spilled cereal and more. Hey, when you’re bored you can just call your friends over and set up an obstacle course of dirt and trash just to see how the Roomba vac will react. Bets anyone? Get the Roomba at Sharper Image for $199.95. What you should get him: Pants and T-shirts
Carlie
Carlie’s in her senior year of high school and the time keeps going faster and faster — a digital camera is the perfect gift to capture all those memories. Nothing will do that better than the Canon PowerShot G2 ($699.00 from www.cdw.com), one of the most user-friendly high-end cameras now on the market. This camera has a 4.1-megapixel CCD, a 2,272x1,704-pixel image at its largest resolution — which is huge — and has tons of fun special features like a three-point auto focus system which will allow for clear focus no matter what your subject may be doing. An added color effect allows you to choose between vivid, neutral, sepia or black and white.
This fashionista knows just what to ask for. Fossil’s warm, fuzzy corduroy sherpa jacket has the classic jean jacket look lined with warm piling and is now $39.99. Add on some funky old school Gazelles, redone even better in 2002, in sky blue or hemp and she’s good to go. Gazelles run $60 or $70, depending on the color. Len
With its slick design, G4 processor and option of the superdrive with a CD-RW and DVD player, this computer will have Len organized and ultra-modern. Get the deluxe version with the 17 inch LCD screen for $1,999 from www.apple.com.
What you should get her: Cough, Cold & Wellness PackInstead of grabbing that first fake-flower-infused lotion set you see on the shelf at the mall, why not show you really care by giving Len something useful and all-natural? Tom’s of Maine has been providing real natural care to their customers for over 30 years; this gift set includes Adult Nighttime Decongestant, Ginger Orange Echinacea Tonic and a special Cough and Cold Eucalyptus Rub. ($31.49 from www.tomsofmaine.com.) Cindy
If it was good enough for Austin Powers’ father, well, then it’s good enough for Cindy. This British import is ideal for San Francisco streets, being only four feet high, four feet wide and 10 feet long. Originally designed by England’s Sir Alec Issigonis in 1959, the Mini is a classic beauty. Not only that, but it’s as fun to drive as an adult go-cart. Racing up and down the hills in this thing will be just the way to get around. For just $16,850, this dream might even fit nicely in a stocking.
Who needs a car, a job, hell, who needs to leave the house with these ultra-soft PJs from Nick and Nora ($68)? Featuring billowy white clouds in a pristine blue sky, rubber duckies or even bagels and lox, they’re made from the coziest cotton flannel to make her feel as though she’s relaxing on cloud nine. Cut in the classic boyfriend style, the button-up top has two oversized pockets, and the full-length pants have a comfy drawstring waist and snap fly. With PJs like these, lounging could become a lifestyle. Pick up a pair at www.pajamasseenontv.com and find out which celebrities sport these pajamas on your favorite sitcoms. Sandra
A large-scale, personally-created tattoo by tribal originator Leo Zulueta is a fantasy for any body art afficianado. True, you’d have to fly Sandra out to Ypsilanti, Mich., on top of shelling out the $400 to $1,000 this one-of-a-kind design would cost, but come on, it’s more permanent than any other gift on this page.
The classic Kangol shape in tan cordorouy adds a little something to any outfit. Perfect for our office hipster. $40 from www.kangol.com. Genn
This cabin has a view of the Pacific , a window seat, heated Jacuzzi tub, two bedrooms, two baths and north and south facing decks. If you really love Genn, you’d buy up this $595,000 beauty right now.
With a gift certificate for $50 to San Francisco’s historic City Lights Bookstore (261 Columbus Avenue) Genn can catch up on everything from the post-modern modernists to the Beats, especially since City Lights has one of the most comprehensive Beat collections in the world. Allison
Allison isn’t looking for a roll in the hay, she just wants to start caring for her health, and what better way than a water bed providing total body support, minimal surface pressure for greater comfort, a genuinely hygienic surface (dust mites can’t swim), a controllable sleeping temperature and remarkable durability? This Strata Season #5 ($1,469 at www.mywaterbedshop.com) features a removable/reversible duvet-style pillow-top, filled with a blend of pure lambswool and hollow fiber, along with generous layers of viscous memory foam. The Seasons also has dual-solid state temperature controls which are accurate to within 1/10th of one degree. And of course, the Seasons comes standard with a solid wood foundation and the best waveless mattress available.
Allison’s about to go off to college and nothing livelies up a room like black light bottle dripper candles. Just stick these colorful guys in an old wine bottle (or hey, even a 40 bottle will work), throw on the black light and voila, instant psychadelia. Get these bad boys for just $5.90 at www.discountcandleshop.com. Caroline
Forget that Highway 66 stuff, that’s for beginners — Caroline wants to drive from Fairbanks, Alaska to the tip of Chile: crossing the spare Alaskan countryside, the Canadian wilderness, hugging the rugged California coastline until Los Angeles, where she’ll cut over to Las Vegas and then hit the Southwest, until Arizona, where she’ll cross into Mexico at Juarez and then make her way through Mexico, mostly sticking to the West Coast. The drive through the Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica will be bumpy, but amazing, so she will have to take a rest at the Panama Canal. After that, it’s smooth trucking through Columbia and Peru, and a long ride through Chile, until the car comes to a rest at Cape Horn. She’ll need a good sturdy jeep, nothing too fancy, and she can pick up a nice 1997 Wrangler at www.webejeeping.com out of Athens, Ala. for just $12,400. She’ll also need a serious navigational device to keep her on her path in the dustiest of backroads, like the Garmin GPS III Plus ($315.89 at www.sureneeds.com) and a couple thousand in gas money for the 16,000 mile journey.
So maybe the road trip isn’t going to happen this year, but she can pretend like it did with this handmade journal from www.amanobooks.com ($32), made with textured paper and found objects. Neela
Nothing makes you feel more like a writer than hearing the clickety-clack of the Underwood’s keys. Help Neela feel like Ernest Hemingway by tracking down an Underwood that’s in excellent condition, like this one for $175 from www.goantiques.com.
What’s more festive then a little alcohol to take the edge off? And none of that fruity stuff. Neela likes her martinis dry and heavy on the olives. Get a bottle of Skyy Vodka for $35 at your corner liquor store. Carlson
Carlson is looking for some challenges on his time off and heading south to Joshua Tree for a rock climbing vacation would be just the right thing. The basic rock climbing weekend offered by Joshua Tree Rock Climbing School is a great way to get started, in a location that offers over 4,000 rock climbs. For just $165, Carlson can get the full course. Also, staying at the nearby Joshua Tree Climber Cabins adds just $125 to the bill. Contact the climbing school at 760-366-4745 or go to www.rockclimbingschool.com.
According to Carlson, the best gifts are practical ones that you would never buy for yourself. Unicef’s water-themed note cards ($12.50 from the Unicef catalog) not only feature the photography of Marcel and Eve Malherbe but are on recycled corrugated cardboard, ensuring that they are like nothing else out there. Plus, each item you buy from Unicef goes toward helping a child in poverty. Keeping in touch has never been so unique and socially important. Ji
With the Audio Stream 222 Karaoke Party Box, Ji can take the party wherever she goes. This next-generation system is a portable Karaoke Disc player (CD+Graphics), a CD player, MP3 player and a VCD movie player, all in one. It is designed to connect to the TV or the speakers in a home entertainment system. Plus, it even has a digital echo control and allows you to mix your own microphone and music levels. At eight pounds, it is easy to transport and comes with two audio stream microphones and some 75 songs. They even throw in the Shrek VCD. You better watch out, with this in her hands she may show up on your doorstep and force you to sing “I Will Survive.” Only $179.00 from www.seattlekaraoke.com.
Ahhh, the sweater. Perhaps the original holiday gift. This Old Navy v-neck is made mostly of merino wool, keeping it lightweight and cool for San Francisco’s microclimates. ($19.50) May
May’s headed straight for Everest. The round-trip plane ticket is just $2,000 on United Airlines and the new and improved Vasque Gore-Tex Sundowner MX2 boots ($210 from www.rei.com) are made of full-grain nubuck lined with waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex for dry comfort. These babies come with new winged tongues that wrap insteps to minimize lacing pressure and extra padding in the heel area to secure the rear foot. What’s more, “Aggressive Super Hiker” polyurethane outsoles have multi-directional and “out-swing” lugs to give intense traction on a multitude of terrains. These boots will have her climbing like Tenzing Norgay in no time. What you should get her: Everest, The Movie, on DVD Jennie
In her dreams: Yamaha CRW-F1ZDX CD-Recorder
Having flunked calculus twice in college, Jennie has a bit of a math block — tiny calculators made for elf fingers don’t help either and graphing calculators are completely useless to her. That’s why, at almost a foot tall, the Brookstone Super Size calculator ($20) is easy to use and even easier to read. Everything about this calculator is extra big so you never misplace it, strain your eyes or enter the wrong number. Problem solved. |
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