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A Gluggle Jug
20th November, 2025
This is not a gift for everybody. As a jug, it’s impractical: it doesn’t hold a lot of liquid, and is tricky to clean. As a vase, it’s usable but not great. Not many people need a jug in their lives. And some people would look at this jug and think it’s hideous.
But listen: the jug gluggles. It makes a glugging sound as you pour water in and out. It’s delightful and unexpected.
A towel
23rd November, 2023
Beware: This is advanced gift-giving. Everybody owns a towel already, and nobody is excited to unwrap a towel on Christmas Day.
But an unusual day got me thinking. The day had two showers, with two towels. The first was with an Ikea towel, and it was fine. Utilitarian. The second, though, was fluffy and soft: fluffy and soft enough for me to notice the contrast.
That fluffy and soft towel was a gift for my first Christmas in Canada, received from a wing of my partner’s family. We’d just moved in together. I didn’t realise it at the time, but in retrospect this was talented gifting. They barely knew me and they didn’t know much about our life. But they could give cosiness, and warmth, and a little luxury.
Chopstick Rests
17th January, 2022
Many things in life fall on a continuum, and crockery is no exception. Consider the axis of “required” to “unnecessary”. Do you need plates? Yes, absolutely, you need to own plates. If you eat off paper plates every day you’re a monster or a student. Do you need to own champagne flutes? Hmm; not necessarily, but they’re nice. If an occasion calls for champagne, the correct glassware would not go amiss. Do you need to own fish forks? No, absolutely not, a regular fork or cake fork will be fine.
A Memory Elephant
11th November, 2021
You put the elephant on the table inside your front door - the one with your house keys, takeaway menus, and a stack of unopened post. And now you can leave notes for each other. It’s nicer than a whiteboard.
The utility of this gift is probably dying out: family group chats have made it obsolete. Plus, with the pandemic, I expect it’s more likely that there’s always someone at home.