The One-Item Holiday Gift Guide
There's just one gift on this list, and that gift is butter.
Your holiday shopping, sorted.
Many years ago, I read about a guy who picked one thing—one small, somewhat luxurious thing—and gave that one thing to everyone on his holiday gift-giving list. One year it was a very fancy pair of red socks knitted by an Italian sock-maker who makes socks for the Pope. No matter what you think of the Pope, or of red socks, how could you not be impressed with that gift? I imagine that people wait every year to find out what curious object this man has chosen to give to all of them.
I know a guy who does something similar, only he does his shopping at the gas station: He buys a long roll of scratch-off lottery tickets right after Thanksgiving and just keeps them in his coat pocket. Whenever he runs into someone he’s on gift-exchanging terms with, he tears off a lottery ticket and hands it to them.
Done. Simple.
Another gift idea along those lines: What was the best book you read this year? (Or, what is the best book you’ve ever read?) Buy twenty copies of that book and give it to everyone. Who cares if they’ve already read it? Who cares if they like it or not? They’ll read it or they’ll pass it on. The real gift is to the author, who very much appreciates your patronage during the holiday season. (I guess this is where I should humbly offer up a list of my books and many books I’ve recommended in this newsletter over the years.)
In that spirit, may I offer just one item that you could purchase for absolutely everyone?
That item is, of course, butter.
Not just any butter. One of the world’s great butters.
I found this one in the cheese section of my local fancy grocery store. The cheesemonger loved it so much that he insisted that it be shelved and sold as a cheese. It’s better than Brie, he said.
So of course I had to try it. This butter is ridiculously, excessively, fantastically delicious. When you try it—and you will try it, you must—you will realize that you’ve never truly tasted butter before. You’ll see that your whole life has been a lie up to this point, butter-wise. You’ve only ever tasted butter in black and white before. Now it’s in color.
This butter is made in France’s Loire Valley by Rodolphe Le Meunier, who is descended from a long line of cheese and butter makers. It is cultured, which is to say that it goes through a fermentation process similar to yogurt. It is hand-churned and then hand-pressed into an adorable little mold. An abiding love and deep attentiveness to life’s pleasures is impregnated upon the butter through the hands of the French butter-presser, along with a charming impression of a cow, which will be revealed to you when you unwrap this masterpiece.
You can find Rodolphe Le Meunier’s Beurre de Baratte at many gourmet shops—I’ll just link to one as an example. Yes, it’s going to cost you twenty bucks or so, which is a lot for butter, but not a lot for a singular, sensational, revelatory culinary experience.
No, you’re not supposed to eat this much butter. Nobody’s supposed to eat this much butter. I guess we’re not supposed to eat any butter at all. But how fantastic would it be to make this the Year of Butter for everyone you love?
Is this gift sure to please everyone? Yes, yes it is. Will the Year of Butter ever be forgotten? No, it will not. When your loved ones think of you, will they forever associate you with mind-blowingly delicious butter? Yes, they will. This can only be good for you, and for them.
Paid subscribers are getting a fun, weird drawing lesson this week
I’m wrapping up the year for paid subscribers with a few more classic art school drawing exercises. These are great because they train your hand and your eye to talk to each other without letting your bossy, anxious, hovering brain get involved.
So this week, we’re drawing upside down. Join us and give it a try.
That’s it for 2023—see you in the New Year!
Have a wonderful holiday and I’ll see you in January. Meanwhile…
Come find me on Instagram, or see paintings for sale- Right here
Order signed copies of some of my books from my husband’s bookstore, or order my books and many books I love at Bookshop.org
Take one of my online writing or art classes here
Post your comments using the link below—I love to hear from you!
Great post, Amy! Companies follow this practice for gift-giving, so why not? Discovery is the gift. Last year I gave copies of one book to my entire posse of gal-pals. They loved it. (The Joy of Small Things by Hannah Jane Parkinson) Happy Holidays to you.
This post just made me the star of the cocktail party. Also tell Murray's Cheese in NYC they owe you a few points on the $300 cheese order I'm placing tomorrow.