Shopping

That damn month is here again. The one where I commit to a new part-time job, my regular "to-do" list punctuated with gift research. But not researching what to buy my loved ones, you understand. Researching what they can buy me. The panicked phone calls started in mid-November. “Darling, have you thought about what you’d like for Christmas? We’d really like to get it all out of the way as soon as possible.” “Babe, what am I buying you for Christmas?” “SOS. Grandma wants to know how much money to put in your card.” I know. An itemized list isn’t really in the spirit of things. But it makes them happy, so I gave up on that line of argument circa 2014. And hey, at least I can give you a few ideas while I’m at it.

Buying for your dad. The man you would quite literally be nowhere without. Should be easy. Never is. Ask him what he wants, and I’d put good money on one of these responses: "Nothing." "A winning lottery ticket." Or my personal favorite, "A break." But look, whether he’s a meat and potato kinda guy or actually quite surprisingly into *insert niche cuisine here*, start with something edible. The man’s got to eat. Next, think about something he might actually use — that he’d never think to buy himself. You might have to spend some time working his new gadget/tool/sweater into his routine, but once the work’s been done it’s generally a pleasure to introduce a cool new thingamajiggy into your old man’s day-to-day.

Being a travel journalist, I live out of a suitcase. Not in the anecdotal sense. I both love and hate that, but really, really good luggage has a huge hand in tipping the scale. The suitcase itself, well, it’s got to be excellent. I’m talking outside pockets to quickly stash liquid bags after security, charging ports built into the case itself, and wheels that actually wheel. Items worthy of a coveted spot on the packing list are distinctly above average. Life on the move has its inevitable snags, but investing in the right gear makes them a lot less painful. Say it with me: portable charger. Here are the things that inspire me to pack my suitcase in the first place, and the things I’m never without when I set off.

'Honey, could you run over to Walmart and pick up some Honey Nut Cheerios, some OJ, and a couple anal plugs?’ Walmart has been selling sex toys for a while, mostly online but also in its stores. Now 'America’s store’ is upping the ante. The Behemoth from Bentonville has contracted a small boutique manufacturer, Massachusetts-based Clio, to supply a range of high-tech sex toys, produced with 3D printing technology, for sale in almost all Walmart stores. Walmart got into the sex toy business late, but has dived decisively down that rabbit hole since acquiring the ‘hip' e-commerce site, Jet.com, in 2016.