Gift Guide 2023: It’s All About the Pets. And Some Humans But Mostly Pets.

There are many people who can be difficult to buy for. I struggle with some gifts every year. So this is a collection that I hope will find you some ideas for people who baffle your gift-giving impulses.

But the pets? They’re very easy to buy for, and sometimes they like the box the gift comes in even more than they like the gift itself!

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So let’s start there. Claudia told us she made her cat the cheapest cat toy ever after seeing it on TikTok:

“I hid a few treats on the bottom of the box and in between wads of paper and she went to town.”

So I had to try this myself with some boxes that had just arrived.

Now he’s obsessed with finding the treats in the box (after I drop some in there) and then taking a BIG NAP on all the paper in the box. It’s especially satisfying if I am recording at that time, so the crunchy paper noise is on the mic (I may have made a strategic error in putting this box in my office).

So let this be an inspiration: place orders of treats and toys so that the box they came in is the most popular item in the house!

I’ve heard this strategy works very well with toddler humans, too.

Amanda: Toast LOVES this toy.

He doesn’t know how to play with people yet so this keeps him entertained by himself while spooking him. It was also how we knew he was playing. We kept him separated in the spare room and he’d spend most of his early time hiding, but at night, we would hear him batting this around.

Sarah: Awww, what a clever, nifty boy!

Here in my house, the heating pads are popular, and have multiplied.

Katie still loves the heating pad I put by the window.

I had to get another so Wilbur could have his heating pad time, too. So now there’s two in my office, one by the window and one on the futon of concealment (so named because if a cat is under the futon, they cannot be seen).

 

Thermo Kitty Heated Cat Pad, $34

I also put a heating pad under a blanket on top of Buzz the Anxious Elder Dog’s bed, and I can tell when he’s comfortable because we will receive the most Top Tier Old Dog Groan as reward.

Elyse:  Not a toy, but this is m favorite comb for deshedding cats with a dense undercoat:

It’s great for getting small mats out of fluffy pantaloons.

As for toys, our cats really like this one:

They will sit by it and stare at me like “turn it on, mother!”

Sarah: I have been added to some truly awesome promotion email lists, so thank you to all of the hardworking publicists who made sure I knew about these pins from Little Shop of Pins:

I cannot even with how cute that is.

 

 

 

 

 

They have Labyrinth pins and Fraggle Rock pins and my goodness. SMOKEY THE BEAR EVEN. Be ye warned: everything is adorable.

If you carry a small pharmacy in your bag like me, from headache to muscle pain to digestion to antihistamines and anti-anxiety meds, you might enjoy MyPillyPal as much as I do:

The PillyPal is very small and lightweight, and comes in two models – one with 10 compartments, and one with eight. I have the 8 compartment one (some of my pills are horse-sized) (like, literal horses in my purse galloping around) and like that it’s light-colored so I can spot it in my bag when I need it.

Oh – and there’s a coupon! Get 10% off with code PP10.

I was pitched this cap as a hangover relief tool, but when I’ve got a bad, bad headache, the cooling effect paired with the light and noise blocking are relief-inducing enough to make me teary-eyed.

The cap is gel, and I keep mine in a bag in the freezer so when I get a bad headache, it’s ready to escort me to a world of cool darkness and quiet. I love it there. I also have a giant head and this isn’t too tight in a bad way.

Then my older child tried it on the day after he got his flu and COVID shots and felt miserable, and he let out an extremely long, almost alarming groan of relief: “This is aweeeesome. Mom. I want one of these. Please. Can I take it back to college with me?”

So I’ll be ordering another, clearly.

I also want to re-recommend my favorite splurge hand cream, Cashmere Moon Whipped Hand Lotion ($24) which I just ordered more of, and keep on my desk so I’m the only one who knows where it is:

I was sent a sample bottle of the Whipped Hand Lotion last year, and it’s one of my true favorites. When my hands are red and itchy, and then I use lotion, it usually stings and turns my hands even more red.

Not so with the Cashmere Moon lotion.  It doesn’t sting, and it feels lovely and absorbs quickly. I am happily entering my “always looking for good hand cream” era, and this is still my indulgent fave.

And – since this gift has already been received (woo!) – anyone you know who has wireless earbuds, a phone, and a smartwatch might like one of these 3-in-1 charger stations

Note that the phone and earbud connectors are both USB-C, not wireless (there are other wireless models) but as a gift for someone who loves gadgets (and likes them charged) this is a nice present.

What’s on your shopping list this week? Any presents for others or for yourself? 

Happy holidays y’all!