I’ve never done a holiday gift guide in any of my spaces before, but this year I was inspired by Kottke and a few other bloggers to create my own. As I write this, it’s literally December 13th; you’ve probably bought most of your gifts already. Still, these are out there, and everything I’ve listed should ship in time for December 25th (again, at the time of writing).

This is stuff I love that your loved ones might love too. (Say that three times fast.)

1. Let’s start here: if your loved ones are as worried about the upcoming year as I am, it may help to support real journalism that will genuinely speak truth to power. Consider ProPublica, The 19th, The Markup, Grist, Reveal at the Center for Investigative Reporting in addition to names you probably already think of like your local NPR station. And then consider which non-profits might support vital services that could be under attack over the next four years, like reproductive health, equitable criminal justice, and medical services for vulnerable populations.

2. I started making personalized calendars for my mother when my parents moved back to California and I was still in the UK as a way of sharing photos of things she’d missed. It became a holiday tradition. We unfortunately said goodbye to her three years ago, but I still make the calendars, which these days feature my son, and recipients seem to really love them. Over the years, I’ve found that Shutterfly gives me the best results.

3. A colleague turned me on to Sugimoto Tea this year and I’m a convert. I’m particularly a fan of the sencha and the hojicha, but I tried a few varieties and they’re all great. Sugimoto sells fresh, farm-direct loose leaf tea, grown in Japan, at reasonable prices. I have a few cups a day at least.

4. Julia by Sandra Newman was one of the best books I read this year: a novel that doesn’t just add a new dimension to George Orwell’s classic 1984 but reframes it entirely, deepening it in the process. That doesn’t sound like a possible task, but here this novel is, making it look effortless.

5. Curious Reading Club sends hand-picked non-fiction to your door every month and then backs it up with intimate Zoom calls with authors and experts. It’s all beautifully chosen and you get pristine hardback editions. In truth, I haven’t always made it to the calls, but I’ve loved the selections. This month’s was Kyle Chayka’s Filterworld, about the effect of algorithms on culture.

6. Is your loved one more of an audiobook person? You can’t go wrong with a Libro.fm subscription. The service works as well as other audiobook services you can think of, but proceeds support local bookstores. With my subscription, I choose to support Harriett’s Bookshop, named after Harriett Tubman, which celebrates women authors, artists, and activists. Honestly, I’ve stopped listening to podcasts and burn through my monthly audiobook credits instead. It’s great.

7. Daily-use kitchen gadgets that are also great: the Zojiruchi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker, the 8-cup Bodum French press, the one-cup Aeropress coffee maker, the Thermapen ONE digital thermometer. And, okay, this was an extravagance, but this year I bought Peugeot pepper and salt mills, and it’s hard to describe how much better they are than any other mill I’ve ever used. Peugeot made mills before they made carsand their expertise really shows.

8. The Tuneshine is a fun addition to my bookshelf. It connects to your wifi and your music services, and displays the album cover of whatever you’re listening to as you stream. It’s quite lovely.

9. Creative Action Network’s See America posters are lovely. Each one is by a different independent artist, and proceeds help support Earthjustice. I have framed posters for Yosemite, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Cape Cod National Seashore hanging in my entryway. Creative Action Network has a few other poster campaigns; I particularly like What Makes America Great (hint: it’s immigration) and Recovering the Classics.

10. Some of our favorite tableware is by Heath Ceramics. Pass the Plate sells them secondhand at a more affordable price.

11. Another book! Infinite Detail by Tim Maughan was published a few years ago but was new to me this year. It’s about what happens when the Internet goes away, and also something much more than that: the exploration of humanity as content between advertising, the questions about what happens next post-revolution, the overlapping mysticism and open-source pragmatism, the breathing, beating characters, the class politics woven throughout. I loved every glowing, gripping word. It may have been written pre-pandemic, but it’s got a lot to say about our current moment.

12. Uncle Goose alphabet blocks are the best blocks. Like, absurdly nice. These are luxury children’s blocks. Our little one loves them. We love them. Love all round.

13. Speaking of absurdly nice kids’ toys, our little one was gifted this Montessori Wooden Switch Boardand he’s obsessed with it. Turning on each light is a challenge: different switches, dials, a key, and a wire connector. The only trick is to go back and turn all the lights off again once he’s done with it.

14. We have an Ooni pizza oven and love it a lot. Ours is a gas-fired Koda 12, but friends have mentioned that they love their various models. Making your own pizza this way is a lot of fun, and we usually turn it into a family activity: everyone gets to choose their own toppings. (The thermometer accessory is a must.)

15. If I could wave a magic wand, I’d bring back the Electric Company Magazine my parents subscribed me to (shipping it all the way to the UK!). Failing that, Highlights is pretty cool; we’ve been getting Helloand will upgrade to High Five. Similarly, I was delighted to see that the publishers of Cricket are still going, and publish a range of magazines for different ages.

16. The Kobo Libra Colour has been a game-changer for me: I can read books in bed once our little one goes to sleep. Book lights were all taken as toys; I am tethered to the bedroom for a good portion of every night. So this was a liberating device. The screen is beautiful, the refresh rate is just right, and it’s pleasant to hold in my hand. It also gets frequent active updates and supports borrowing ebooks from the library.

17. Maybe consider giving your loved ones a 1Password family plan and Mozilla VPN? Privacy and security are good things to have.

18. Haymarket Books publishes radical books on a series of progressive topics. It’s a great company. And it has a book club! Subscribers receive every new book published during the duration of the club, and there are both ebook and print options. Take a look at the author list and you’ll get a good sense of what’s in store.

19. My office is full of Yoko OK prints, and you might find that your loved ones appreciate these lively works of art too (also: don’t overlook the zines). Many of them have a San Francisco theme.

20. Despite what you may have heard, it’s still a good idea to mask up in public places. If your loved ones struggle with wearing masks comfortably, the FLO Mask is likely to help: it’s by far the most comfortable mask I’ve ever used. I have the Pro. This is a particularly great gift if you have a loved one who is immunocompromised, or if you care about immunocompromised people anywhere.

21. AirPods Pro were always pretty great — there’s very little that compares — but the clinical-grade hearing aid capability is a big deal. Hearing aids cost thousands and getting them tuned is a pain. Something that approaches that utility that can be tuned on an app and costs an order of magnitude less is a game-changer. Just don’t drop the case on the ground.

What else am I missing? Do you have recommendations? I’d love to read them.

Buying from some of these links may result in a small affiliate fee that helps pay for my web hosting. Hey, we all live under capitalism. Also, it’s really just the book links.