BJT Holiday Gift Guide 2018

How is it possible that 2018 is already coming to a close? It feels as if just yesterday we were lighting the menorah candles and trimming the tree. But once again, it’s time to get the decorations out of storage, make schedules, menus, and travel plans—and buy presents. We know the holiday season can be as stressful as it is joyful, so we’ve done the gift shopping for you.

Time Well Spent

For the person in your life who is always trying to beat the clock, a sand timer can serve as a gentle reminder to stop and enjoy the moment—at least for half an hour. The silent tracking of seconds through an hourglass has a soothing, tactile effect not available from a smartphone and is a potent symbol of our most precious commodity: time.

$33 at justhourglasses.com

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Hide the Diamonds

For the jetsetter who wouldn’t think of leaving her jewels at home, the Mara Travel Jewelry Box from Smythson offers an elegant and durable solution. Covered in navy-printed leather, it contains several compartments to organize rings and earrings and keep delicate necklaces untangled. Complete with a lock and key, the box can be personalized with up to three initials.

$1,895 at smythson.com

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Puppy Love

Raising a puppy is not for the faint of heart, but if you know someone who is ready to commit to a best friend for life, this is a gift that will surely never be forgotten. Greenfield Puppies (greenfieldpuppies.com) is an organization committed to humane breeding practices, and it’s a good place to start if you’re looking for a specific pedigree. Another resource is the American Kennel Club (akc.org), which provides tips on how to find a reputable breeder in your area. You might also consider adoption—plenty of animals are in need of rescue, though finding the right pet to adopt isn’t as easy as you might assume. We recommend reaching out to a reputable no-kill animal shelter such as North Shore Animal League. (animalleague.org)

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Safety Has Never Been So Stylish

Know someone who has a cool motorcycle like this one?  The Helite Adventure Jacket might be the only gift that is cooler. This sleek jacket is waterproof, windproof, and breathable, and it comes with airbag technology, meaning it will inflate in 0.1 seconds in order to break a fall.

$799 at helitemoto.com

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Budding Gourmet

Little kids love feeling like grown-ups in the kitchen. A subscription to My Little Sous encourages children to start their exploration in the culinary arts. Each month, a themed box will appear in the mail containing a step-by-step cooking lesson, recipe and activity cards, puzzles, stickers, and a culinary tool. Learning to cook helps to tune fine motor skills, develop patience and confidence, and promote healthy eating. Snack time has never been more fun!

$24.99 at mylittlesous.com

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It’s Five O’clock Somewhere

Is your special someone a design-savvy shaker of cocktails? This sleek bar cart from Pernod Ricard is guaranteed to get the good times rolling. The fully stocked cart comes with champagne, Glenlivet 18, Waterford glasses, a copper cocktail shaker, and many other essential items to create the perfect aperitif or nightcap.

$2,400 at reservebar.com

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Moving on from the Frat House

This Cristallino gold foosball table will satisfy the gamer in your life who still longs for college but now lives in an impossibly chic abode. The limited-edition table—only 50 are being produced—is embellished with 24-karat gold-plated figurines.
$24,438 at duplexdsgn.com

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Rare Find

It’s not often that we come across jewels that take our breath away like Elli Saraan’s. Surprise the sparkler in your life with a creation like the Athiya ring (pictured)—titanium metal meticulously handcrafted around a 5.54-ct Burma ruby with assiduously set 2.38-ctw melee diamonds and a smattering of additional rubies. Founder/designer Meg Gupta’s family has been in the gemstone business for over four decades, and she named her New York City–based company after her beloved grandparents, with whom she lived during her high school years in India.

Pricing and further information available upon request at [email protected]

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Wing It

For the aviation aficionado: this sleek, weighty desk will take the dread out of sitting down to face those 500+ emails. The design, which mimics an airplane wing, was inspired by WWII fighter planes and features an aluminum patchwork exterior. The piece is part of a wider furniture collection that includes shelving and side tables.

$2,795 at restorationhardware.com

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Silver Tooth

Is there a newborn on your gift list? A personalized sterling-silver baby rattle is sure to delight everyone involved. It’s beautiful to look at, doesn’t take up much room, and is probably the best thing on the market to sooth teething gums (tip for new parents: chill first in the refrigerator or under cold water). Once the little angel gets big, this silver rattle (complete with tiny teeth marks) will serve as a priceless heirloom and a sweet reminder of simpler times.

$200 (includes personalization) at allsilvergifts.com

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This Ain’t the Airlines

A hand-woven 100 percent cashmere travel blanket and case from Hermès will ensure comfort and warmth for any passenger on your business jet.

$2,925, at Hermes.com

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Ride This Bike to Get a Jump

Help someone get a jump on 2019 fitness goals with a state-of-the-art stationary bike. The Peloton indoor cycling system earns consistently high marks for its high-quality equipment and live-streaming online sessions, which allow riders to participate in spin classes (and compete with others) from home as if they were at the gym.

$2,644 “essentials package” includes bike, shoes, weights, and headphones, at onepeloton.com

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Music Boxes

by Jeff Burger

Imagine: The Ultimate Collection, John Lennon. The word “ultimate” is overused but it surely fits this collection, which expands Lennon’s excellent 10-track, 40-minute 1971 album to a whopping 149 selections on four CDs and two Blu-rays. Though the package includes a few singles and other extras that didn’t appear on the original Imagine (most notably the likable “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”), the vast majority of this box is devoted to alternate takes and previously unavailable mixes of the original 10 songs, which include the classic title cut and other gems like “Jealous Guy” and “Oh, Yoko!.” As such, this is not a package for casual fans, but if you’re a Lennon aficionado, you’ll likely find it revelatory and fascinating. Ditto the accompanying 120-page hardcover book.

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Forever Changes (50th Anniversary Edition), Love. Half a century after its release, Love’s Forever Changes remains one of the most memorable records of the entire rock era, thanks to complex, absorbing melodies, intriguing albeit cryptic lyrics, and inventive use of strings and brass. This box devotes two of its four CDs to excellent remasters of the original stereo and mono albums. A third disc offers alternate mixes and an outtake, while a fourth features 14 related recordings. The package also includes the album on vinyl, a DVD that delivers a high-resolution stereo version, and a booklet that presents track-by-track notes, session credits, and more.

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Battleground Korea: Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War, various artists. “War—what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!” argues Edwin Starr, on his 1970 hit, “War.” In fact, numerous wars, including the Korean conflict, have been good for at least one thing: music. Witness this four-CD, 121-song collection, which features a preponderance of country but also includes a good deal of blues and pop, plus a bit of gospel, R&B, folk, and jazz. Interspersed with the music are sound bites from newsreel announcers and snippets from key political figures that help to conjure up the period.

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Days of Future Passed (50th Anniversary Edition), the Moody Blues. The original 1967 version of this record—which includes the sublime hit “Nights in White Satin”—spawned countless other classical/rock fusions and was also among the first concept albums. This new package contains the LP’s original stereo mix, plus alternate mixes, period singles, and radio performances. Most notable is a DVD that features a 5.1 surround-sound mix that improves dramatically on the original album.

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The Joshua Tree (30th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition), U2. One of the most famous songs on The Joshua Tree is called “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” yet musically, this is the LP where U2 found exactly what they were after. Commercially, too: this was the fastest-selling album of all time in the U.S. when it debuted in March 1987. It topped the charts and went on to sell 25 million copies worldwide, thanks to its anthemic melodies, gripping performances, and intense, introspective lyrics. This 30th anniversary edition adds B-sides, outtakes, remixes, and a fine, previously unreleased 1987 concert recording.

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More Blood, More Tracks, The Bootleg Series, Vol. 14, Bob Dylan. Fans have been waiting years for the release of this material, from the sessions that resulted in Dylan’s emotional 1975 masterpiece, Blood on the Tracks. The 87-song, six-CD set—which consists entirely of previously unreleased performances—is consistently engrossing, because, typical of Dylan, it includes versions that lyrically and musically depart significantly from the ones we’ve heard.