With Christmas a mere twelve days away, might I suggest some gifts that will keep the recipients on your list full, satisfied, and entertained during these long winter months?  Here are some ideas for dinner and a show – gifts they can enjoy from the comfort of their living rooms.

For the baker…

Give your favorite baker a copy of the film Stranger Than Fiction.  In this movie Harold Crick, played by Will Ferrell, discovers that his mundane and ordinary life as an IRS agent is actually being scripted by an author who is known for offing her main characters.  My favorite scene in this far-fetched story involves Crick trying to woo a local baker, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal.  Instead of bringing her flowers, he brings her several bags of different varieties of flours.  Talk about knowing your audience!

Put the DVD in a mixing bowl or pretty pie pan with a copy of Joy of Vegan Baking or Vegan Pie in the Sky.  Then package them with a lovely bouquet of flours (whole wheat, oat, teff, chickpea, and rice!).

For the greasy spoon-lover…

There’s something quintessentially American about diners.  Those greasy spoons epitomize comfort food with their pies, waffles, over-sized sandwiches, mashed potatoes and gravy, and of course, a side of ranch.  In the spirit of diners, give the gift of a diner movie like When Harry Met Sally.  For those who prefer TV, reach for a season of Gilmore Girls with its cozy Luke’s Diner or Seinfeld with its regular coffee shop.

Then surprise your diner-loving pal with Vegan Diner and pair it with a big jar of nutritional yeast flakes or vital wheat gluten for making seitan loaves.  Include a donut pan, waffle maker, or a (wheat) meat slicer (if you’re feeling extra generous) for making thin deli slices for Hasson’s amazing reuben.

For the travel enthusiast…

For those who have their carry-on luggage down to a science, embrace their wanderlust with movies that have a theme of travel.  Might I suggest Sideways, about two men going on a road trip through California’s wine country, Up in the Air about a man whose job is to travel the country firing people, or Forgetting Sarah Marshall about a man who travels to Hawaii to detox from his recent break-up, only to realize that he’s vacationing at the same resort as his ex and her new boyfriend.

Pair these travel shows with exotic flavors that are sure to have your recipient checking the internet for good travel deals:

Papa Tofu Loves Ethiopian Food zine, joined with teff flour, Soy Curls and a cast iron skillet for making injera bread.

Viva Vegan combined with a tortilla press, microplane zester for making garlicky Latin Baked tofu, an empanada maker, a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or corn husks for putting together some tasty tamales.

Other spicy ideas?  Put together a present of pretty dipping plates with salsa, hot spicy mustard, tamari, and/or sriracha.

For the health conscious…

Inspire the health conscious-curious on your list with Forks Over Knives (reviewed here) or Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, a movie about a man who travels across the country juicing for 30 days and talking to people he meets along the way about their ideas of health.

Then make them a starter kit with 30 Day Vegan Challenge, a Tofu Xpress, an immersion blender, a pretty salad bowl from a local artisan, a jar of grains, and/or dried beans.

Or set them in motion for green smoothies aplenty with Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen, a gift card to their local grocery store or co-op, a glass straw, a spiralizer for making zucchini noodles, a glass water bottle, or a jar of raw cashews.  If you’re feeling especially generous how about a juicer, dehydrator, or Vitamix?  (Oh, and Santa, if you have an extra dehydrator or Vitamix in that sleigh of yours, I’ll gladly take them off your hands…)