Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
Interesting

A plethora of pandemic gifts available this holiday season

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 19 Oct, 2020 06:35 PM
  • A plethora of pandemic gifts available this holiday season

From masks and fresh reads to outdoor gear and Christmas tree ornaments, the pandemic has inspired a slew of holiday gifts for all.

And after the recent trend of cozy, comforting hygge, there's another Scandinavian state of mind to embrace. It's the pandemic-perfect friluftsliv (free-loofts'-leev), which means “open air living” in Norwegian.

Some ideas for giving in the time of coronavirus:

___

MASK & SPEAK: There's at least one mask out there for anybody on your gift list. One company has gone a step further with the MaskFone. It comes with wireless earbuds attached and built-in volume controls. The black, breathable fabric is water-resistant. Not on a call or listening to music? It doubles as a voice amplifier for mask-on conversation and comes in two sizes, with replaceable filters. Available at MaskFone.com and Amazon. From $49.99.

SLEEP & LISTEN: Coronavirus anxiety is no joke. Who hasn't lost more than a little sleep? Enter SleepPhone, a soft headband of fleece or wicking fabric (for exercise) that includes two flat speakers built in. Wireless, corded and wireless rechargeable versions exist. The SleepPhone comes in two sizes and four colours, including black, blue and lavender. Available at SleepPhones.com and Amazon. From $99.95.

PANDEMIC TREES: Yes, we'd all like 2020 to go away. A little something for the Christmas tree may be just the keepsake once it does. Pandemic ornaments are abundant, including a set of three with snowman, reindeer and gingerbread person in masks touting rolls of toilet paper. The set goes for $35.99 on Amazon. Ornament king Christopher Radko has a Dr. Santa in scrubs holding this message: “We stayed at work for you. You stay at home for us.” $60 at ChristopherRadko.com and Amazon.

KID BOOKS: For kids up to 5 and fans of “Goodnight Moon" parodies, there's "Good Morning Zoom,” written by a mom isolated with her kids in April, soon after the pandemic took hold. One page reads: “Good morning room. Good morning Zoom. Good morning friends you hope to see soon. Good morning light. And a world not quite right.” By Lindsay Rechler and illustrated by June Park. Widely available. $14.99. Another possibility: The kid boredom buster “The Highlights Book of Things to Do.” Hundreds of activities between covers for $24.99. Widely available.

LIFE BOOKS: What better time to ask, “Um... How did I get here?” as 30-year-old entrepreneur Kathi Sharpe-Ross does in her book “Re:Invent Your Life! What Are You Waiting For?" The self-published, self-help guide i ncludes 30 interviews with executives to artists on their a-ha moments. Quincy Jones writes in a short foreword: “I believe that we are the biggest barriers to our own creativity and growth because of paralysis from analysis.” Available on Amazon and elsewhere. $19.99. Need to go in another direction? AcroYoga instructors Max and Liz Lowenstein are out with “Yoga for Inflexible People,” a beginner's guide to Zen. $19.99. Not available until Nov. 11.

THE WORK WONNIE: Waist-up dressing remains a thing, but one still has to dress. Enter this work onesie for the Everyman. It's a button-down, suitable-for-meetings, striped work shirt attached to comfortable sweats on the bottom. It's made to look like the shirt is loosely tucked in. And, wait for it, there's a flap in the back. $55. Head to Workwonnies.com to pre-order for a Nov. 1 release.

EXOTIC SWEETS: With the world at home in extended, close proximity to kitchens and pantries, snacking is an ever-present pastime. Mix it up for a lucky loved one with a monthly subscription to the Japanese snack box service Bokksu. Each box is themed and includes tea. Among past themes is the Otsukimi Moon Festival box, with mochi puffs and red bean doughnuts among the offerings. Items sourced from Japan. From $36.99 on a year's subscription at Bokksu.com.

WARM HANDS: As we live our best friluftsliv lives, we'll be pulling double duty with gloves. The rubber ones may ward off germs but not do the trick when the weather goes frigid. Gifting nice gloves is usually a welcome thing, with options everywhere. For women, try a pair in cashmere and animal print from Amicale. $95. Widely available. There's a matching headband for the same price. Plenty of cashmere-lined options for men, too.

FRILUFTSLIV LOVE

Along the lines of the great outdoors, the folks at Oceas have on offer a fleece-lined waterproof blanket that comes with a carry pouch. In blue, gray and red. $33.99 at OceasOutdoors.com, Amazon and Walmart.com. At UncommonGoods.com, there's an eco-friendly instant grill made for a single use out of cardboard, bamboo and lava stones. $15.

ULTIMATE EXERCISE

Have you got a luxury-level gift budget? Do you know a homebound exerciser with a design bent? Technogym notes its sleek Cross Personal elliptical trainer was designed by Italian architect and designer Antonio Citterio. The thing sure is pretty with its mirror-like steel finish. It has a live console with on-demand content and surround sound built into its handles. And it costs $14,815 at Technogym.com.

MORE Interesting ARTICLES

Ships not complying with whale rules: study

Ships not complying with whale rules: study
A study of ship speeds in the Cabot Strait shows that two-thirds are not complying with a voluntary speed restriction meant to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales that migrate through the area.

Ships not complying with whale rules: study

How does COVID-19 affect kids? Science has answers and gaps

How does COVID-19 affect kids? Science has answers and gaps
What role children play in the coronavirus pandemic is the hot-button question of the summer as kids relish their free time while schools labour over how to resume classes.

How does COVID-19 affect kids? Science has answers and gaps

Tom Hanks used as physical distance marker

Tom Hanks used as physical distance marker
It could be "A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood" if you come across a life-sized decal of Tom Hanks in downtown Toronto.

Tom Hanks used as physical distance marker

Fishermen catch a barracuda far from hom

Fishermen catch a barracuda far from hom
A commercial fisherman knew he was staring at a fish out of place when a barracuda landed in his net on Vancouver Island, far from its typical habitat in southern California.

Fishermen catch a barracuda far from hom

Campaign brewing to get Hindu god Brahma off popular beer

Campaign brewing to get Hindu god Brahma off popular beer
An interfaith coalition is pressing the world's largest brewer to remove the name of a Hindu god from a popular beer that dates to the late 1800s — a dispute the beermaker insists is a case of mistaken identity.

Campaign brewing to get Hindu god Brahma off popular beer

Burger King addresses elephant in the room, and it's a cow

Burger King addresses elephant in the room, and it's a cow
Burger King is staging an intervention with its cows. The chain has rebalanced the diet of some of the cows by adding lemon grass in a bid to limit bovines contributions to climate change. By tweaking their diet, Burger King said Tuesday that it believes it can reduce a cows' daily methane emissions by about 33%.

Burger King addresses elephant in the room, and it's a cow