A Feast to Remember

Was it the popping of the cork?

(All photos by LBG.)

Was it the fizzy bubbles rising to the surface with their whisper of good things to come?

Was it the surprise treat that the husbands had mysteriously disappeared to shop for the day before?

Was it the Christmas crackers ready to be pulled apart to find the paper crown and little toy hidden inside?

Was it the sight of two handsome men bustling around the kitchen in a perfect storm of cheerfulness?

Was it the masterly carving of the roast goose, done with a skill and speed that astonished all who witnessed it?

Was it our friends' dining room which shimmered and glowed with the promise of the meal to come?

Was it the talking and laughing and interrupting and clinking of glasses?

Was it the heartfelt speeches of the children?

Was it the plates piled high with goose, stuffing, roast parsnips, potatoes, mushy peas and gravy?

Was it the sticky toffee pudding castle which broke coming out of the Bundt mold and was rebuilt with a heroic use of toothpicks? Was it the thick moat of toffee sauce that surrounded it?

Was it the candlelight?

In the words of the great man himself,

"And thus the evening passes, in a strain of rational good-will and cheerfulness, doing more to awaken the sympathies of every member of the party in behalf of his neighbor, and to perpetuate their good feeling during the ensuing year, than half the homilies that have ever been written, by half the Divines that have ever lived."*

It was a Dickens of a night.

* From "A Christmas Dinner", 1835

Happy. Holly. Daze.

I found a little note on the tree this morning.

The second sentence just kills me. It's so nice to know exactly what role you play in your child's life. (In case you can't read it, it says, "You are a wonderful, amazing help around the house.")

My family and I send you holi(wood)day wishes this morning, wherever in the big wide world you happen to be.

Today we're having a Dickensian feast with friends: roast goose, stuffing, parsnips, mushy peas and sticky toffee pudding (which I actually need to run downstairs and check on). Photos to come.

Count every blessing as a gift and every friend as a treasure -- we're going to have a wonderful 2012, I just know it!

xxx/lisa

20 Great Gift Duos Under $100

Here you go.

Twenty suggestions to make your holiday shopping a little easier.

All under $100.

All picked with you and the people on your holiday list in mind.

And all still deliverable by Christmas if you act promptly.

xx/Lisa

(No need to exclude yourself, either. As 24 Corners commented, "I'm sending it around to family and friends as the perfect hint-hint.") Love that.

1. FOR THE TASTEFUL CONSUMER

(A calorically responsible treatise with gorgeous illustrations by Maira Kalman.

$16.28. HERE.)

PLUS

(The one-and-only Royal Riviera pears from Harry and David .

$22.95. HERE.)

2. FOR THE CHIC NESTER

(I own it. I love it.

$53.55. HERE.)

PLUS

(Set of two John Robshaw dish towels.

$30. HERE.)

3. FOR THE DOWNTON DEVOTEE

(Get your fix until Season Two premieres on January 8th.

$19.79. HERE.)

PLUS

(Ian Mankin grain sack tea towels.

$20 each. HERE.)

4. FOR THE CLASSIC COOK

(What's old is new again.

$7.22. HERE.)

PLUS

(Brown bread ice cream? Rose sorbet? Honey and fig frozen yogurt? Why not?

$59.95. HERE.)

5. FOR THE INCORRIGIBLE ANGLOPHILE

(A gritty history of London from the ground down.

$16.50. HERE.)

PLUS

(Berry Bros. and Rudd's much-heralded No. 3 London Dry Gin,

with notes of angelica, coriander and cardamom.

$34.99 HERE.

Learn about it HERE.)

6. FOR THE FANTASTICAL WANDERER

(Wonder, danger, and magic in Portland.

$11.30. HERE.)

PLUS

(Gold Sven clogs.

$78. HERE.)

OR

(Kids Adidas Retro Gazelles.

$45.00. HERE.)

7. FOR THE JUNIOR SLEUTH

(Take part in a thrilling - and secretive - adventure.

$14.28. HERE.)

PLUS

(Boy's winter brim cap.

Handy for when you need to be incognito.

$22.50. HERE.)

OR

(Girl's Selima sunglasses.

No one will bother you with these on.

$49.50. HERE.)

8. FOR THE ARTSY ROCKER...OR ROCKIN' ARTIST

(Sex, drugs, and the music business. Well, allriiiight.

$14.86. HERE.)

PLUS

(Get your knit on, indie style.

Wool and the Gang Over My Shoulder knitting kit.

$85. HERE.)

9. FOR ALL THINGS YOUNG AND BRIGHT

(Oh, the glamour. Oh, the fury.

$18.58. HERE.)

PLUS

(All that glitters really is gold.

Sur La Table edible gold powder.

$30. HERE.)

10. FOR THE FRIEND WHO LOVED "BRIDESHEAD REVISITED"

(Love, loss and poetry in WWI England.

$15.74. HERE.)

PLUS

(Haunting. Unforgettable. I own it. I love it.

$11.76. HERE.)

11. FOR THE ENGLISH MAJOR DOWN THE HALL

(A sprawling Victorian novel reimagined for the 21st century.

$16.68. HERE.)

PLUS

(Jo Malone Orange Blossom body lotion.

Morning dew, water lilies and the scent of clementines.

$65.00. HERE.)

12. FOR FERVENT FRANCOPHILES

(Not new, but in my opinion, better than Antonia Fraser's.

$15.44. HERE.)

PLUS

(Mariages Frere Bouddha Bleu tea. With real blue cornflowers in it.

$22.50. HERE.)

13. FOR THE GUY WHO DIGS A GOOD BEAT

(Some things just keep on getting better.

$16.92. HERE.)

PLUS

(Already hailed as the album of 2012. I own it. I love it.

$10.99. HERE.)

14. FOR LIBERTINES EVERYWHERE

(Gotta love Pepys. He was brave enough to say it out loud.

$12.00. HERE.)

PLUS

(Set of three Serena and Lily inlay cheese knives.

$38.00. HERE.)

AND/OR

(Drunken goat cheese from Dean and Deluca.

$18.00. HERE.)

15. FOR LOVERS OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN

(Having grown up in Scandinavia, this is so on my wish list.

$18.45. HERE.)

PLUS

(Iittala Taika dinner plate.

$40. HERE.)

16. FOR THE HUMBUGGER

(You think things are bad now? Louisa Gradgrind would beg to disagree.

$11.64. HERE.)

PLUS

(A dash of bitters.

Cardamom, chocolate, grapefruit, lavender, celery, orange.

$15.95 each. HERE.)

17. FOR CAMPY NEO VICTORIANS

(With incredible illustrations by Donald Urquhart -- Bette Davis as Becky Sharp!

$26.40. HERE.)

PLUS

(Set of three Thackeray-approved teas from Fortnum and Mason, est.1707.

$38.95. HERE.)

18. FOR THE PERSON IN YOUR LIFE MOST LIKELY TO RUN OFF TO ITALY

(The NYT Book Review said:

"Provokes indecorous involuntary laughter;

"John Waters crossed with David Sedaris."

$10.17. HERE.)

PLUS

(The one and only.

Aromatic, spirited, feisty.

$27.99. HERE.)

19. FOR THE WORLDLY TRAVELLER

(Loyalty, passion and exoticism in war-torn Africa. $14.81. HERE.)

PLUS

(Handwoven by village women in Tanzania.

$64.50. HERE.)

20. FOR THE SOCIAL SYBARITE

(Free on Kindle. HERE.)

PLUS

(1.7 oz. eau de parfum, $95. HERE.)