There is no winter without snow, no spring without sunshine, and no happiness without companions.
Korean Proverb
Though it sometimes may feel more like a season to be reminded of all that separates us, this winter is finally an opportunity to gather with the ones we love, and most importantly: Eat, Drink, Work, and Play your way through the holidays.
As always, we’re here to save the sweat on the small stuff: all the essentials for Winter 2021, so you can get back to the larger stuff, like single-handedly assembling and ornamenting an entire tree . . . .
Winter Eat Essentials
Perfectly giftable for loved ones (including yourself), the Ita Cheese Dish & Spreader by ANNA New York is colorful, cheerful, and ready to display your holiday cheese selection in style! Because this is what’s called a “natural product,” each and ever one is as unique as the person who purchases it. This is appropriate for anyone who prefers their serving ware to be elegant while still lstanding out from a crowded food table!
Cost: $95.00
If I know one thing, it’s that there’s nothing worse than scrolling through an ad-laced online recipe with dirty, food-covered fingers! Ditch your device and opt for the real thing: a classic cookbook for your Christmas dinner.
Your favorite recipes will look rustic yet refind on this adjustable Wooden Cookbook Stand from Joy Meets Home! Whether it’s an old index card scrawled upon by a precious family member, passed down through generations, or a hefty cookbook that has been collecting dust, you’ll be able to display recipes big and small on this pine stand.
Cost: $52.00
From cookies and milk to hot cocoa and marshmallows, Christmastime is full of perfect pairings for every palette, but are any as iconic as wine and cheese?
You have enough errands to run this season, so make your imbibing that much easier by ordering a complete Red Wine Lover’s Collection set from Murray’s Cheese! Each package provides Murray’s Cave Aged Gruyere, Murray’s Young Manchego, Bayley Hazen Blue, Piedras de Chocolate, Murray’s Membrillo, Rustic Bakery Olive Oil Sel Gris Flatbread, and Kalamata Olives. Dig in! This gift box is bountiful, but sure to be consumed as quickly as it’s opened!
Price: $95.00
Okay. . . . maybe I misspoke earlier.
Surely, the only partnership that makes my taste buds tingle and twinkle like the tinsel on my tree this time of year is that of wine and chocolate. Pair them together? Well, like so many other holiday traditions, you’ll get a match made in heaven.
These wine truffles from Torn Ranch truly exceed every expectation, as they are made from far more than just fine European chocolate! Each truffle is filled with an assorted wine selection including champagne, cabernet, chardonnay, and port to suit your preference. Handmade & decorated freshly with each order, this is the ultimate seasonal selection.
Price: $28.00
Winter Drink Essentials
Part serving tool, part modernist sculpture, Estilio Living’s Santa Rosa Crystal Glass Wine Decanter will be the centerpiece of any Christmas dinner table worth its salt! More than somewhere for your special vintages to sit pretty, this vessel is the answer to all the aeration issues you never knew you had.
Eco-friendly, hand-blown crystal glass ensures a sensational sipping experience from start to smooth finish. Its holding capacity of 1.5 liters means it can take as much as you’ll give it, and in this season of gifting, I know you’ll be feeling mighty generous!
Price: $57.95
For your most stylish and upscale spirit-lovers, give the gift of smoke! A smoked cocktail, that is. This kit, by Viski, is simple, sleek, and unparalleled at imparting the rich, woody flavors you crave in your cocktails. Complete with enough smoking pellets for 50 infusions, this set should last all season long! Compact and user-friendly, this is the space-saving alternative your home bar has been needing. No fuss, just fun experiements. Here’s to a season of smoky spirits!
Price: $80.00
Obviously, if you give someone a cocktail smoker, they’ll need glasses to drink from! From Manhattans to Mules, these mouth-blown Coupe Glasses from Caskata are your holiday must-have. All the way from the Czech Republic, these rosey rummers will display your Christmas concoctions with care and class! Made with lead free crystal, these glasses will look glamorous on your dinner table or in the hands of your honored guests.
Price: $90.00
One holiday tradition I truly cherish is gathering with family for a friendly (or fearsome) game session! Combine all that energy with some alcohol, and you’re in for a Christmas to remember (provided you don’t forget your own name first). This Blind Wine Tasting Board Game isn’t playing around. You’ll take turns guessing varietals and countries of origin all while learning the art of sommelier level tasting. Simple, silly, and surprisingly informative, Sommify is suitable for novices and oenophiles alike.
Price: $49.99
Winter Work Essentials
Tis the season . . . .to lose your earbuds. Again. Not this year! With this Personalized Airpod Case, you’ll be able to customize your carrier with your name or initials down to the font. Designed with durability in mind, your new case may look all leather, but is really made from high impact resilant plastic! Your order will even include a loop clip for secure fastening to purses, keychains, belts, or anything you have on hand.
Price: $22.90 to $42.90
Who has the patience for multiple wires these days? Between tablets, phones, laptops, Kindles, and all the other screens, there are never enough outlets available for all my devices at once. I thought this was inevitable until I learned about this 3-in-1 Charging Stand for iPhones, Apple Watches & Airpods! Finally, there’s a hassle free way to get connected without any cords! Simply lay your tech down on its respective surface and watch your devices come back from the dead.
Price: $65.00
Listening to music may be a treat for the ears, but that doesn’t mean your speaker should be hard on the eyes! Commuter 2, the newest Bluetooth speaker by Kove Audio, comes in five beautiful, understated colors and is equipped for seamless connection to all your smart devices. Small but mighty, these perfectly portable powerhouses boast both superior sound quality and battery life! The more, the merrier; this speaker splits in two for more optimal auditory experiences. Either cmbine them for surround sound or keep them separate for a binaural effect!
Price: $87.00
The holidays are often hearalded as a time for rest, relaxatin and renewal, but with all the running around I have to do, my feet end up looking more Grinch-y than glamorous.
Give yourself a real chance at renewal with a set of Toe Spacers. Made for feet of all shapes, sizes, and conditions, a set of spacers offer a return to your feet’s natural alignment. Get them for yourself or as a stocking stuffer for a fellow sufferer of plantar fascitis, bunions, blisters and the like!
Price: $39.95
Just because you’re seated all day, doesn’t mean you have to be completely sedentary! With the Balance Disc by Gaiam, you’ll be working more than just your inbox. Improve your posture while you sit by engaging your core muscles in your abdomen without even trying! With your own inflatable disc you’ll be able to complete multiple strengthening exercises from the comfort of your own office chair.
Increase the firmness for the ultimate WFH (Workout From Home)!
Price: $21.98
Winter Play Essentials
Because a bottle won’t fit in a stocking! Grab a set of these ultra-hydrating 3-layer pulp sheets and soak your skin in the luxury of red wine and rosemary extract with soothing thyme, jasmine and anise for maximum moisturizing. Available in a multitude of flavors and scents, these are the perfect accessories while you snack on truffles and taste your way through Sommify!
Price: $6.00 each
Winter is the ultimate season for self-care. Being that we’re still mostly indoors and isolating, this is the perfect opportunity to pamper yourself like never before. Go back to basics by drawing yourself a hot bath full of Suzanne Kauffman Essential Bath Oil. This bottle of actual liquid gold contains a blissful blend of ylang-ylang, patchouli and lavender, AKA the holy treat yo’-self trinity. This isn’t just aromatherapy either; the potent formula will leave your skin feeling silky-smooth as essential oils battle winter dryness and other skin-stressors!
Price: $42.00
We’ve been banned from travel for so long, I’d forgotten you could do so in style! Whether you’ll be home for the holidays or flying to be with faraway family members, be prepared with a Leather Passport Cover.
Passports are one of those important documents we have, and yet they’re surprisingly easy to misplace. With these eye-catching designs, you won’t be able to look away form these cute little cases. And they will carry your precious cargo conspicuously enough that you’ll never lose it again!
Price: $58.00
Heads, shoulders, knees, and freeeeeeezing toes are the typical names of my winter games.
What do you do when, despite layers of socks, your tootsies still can’t manage to get toasty enough? Get some microwaveable slippers, I say!
Officially one of Oprah’s favorite gifts, these Warmies stack up as a seasonal necessity in my book. Simply toss a pair in the microwave and enjoy hours of heat. Every slipper is scented with 100% authentic dried French lavender, so be careful not to fall asleep standing up!
Price: $24.99
Stacy Kopper
November 29, 2021Oh dear, I’m sensing a “need” for the cheese board and the wine masks…fingers do the shopping…