The task of Christmas gifting doesn’t have to be such a challenge if you choose to follow one simple guideline: “make it a practical gift.” Keep it simple, where the stress of Christmas shopping can effectively be avoided by sticking to a combination of three gift categories, them being beer, cheese, and hardware.
The handy-person combo, consisting of a leather nail pouch, along with a local craft beer (or Tims card) in the right-side pocket, new tape measure in the middle, and block of cheddar cheese in the left pocket, is always a winner, and a classic first option. Or, consider the carpenters’ travel bucket, comprised of one utility pail, containing a six pack of domestic ale, Tims card, work gloves, safety glasses, and a bag of St. Albert cheese curds. Essentially, duct-taping together a Heineken, multi-bit screwdriver, and a 500-gram container of cottage cheese, or any beverage, tool, and cheese combination thereof, will reward you with a twinkle in the recipient’s eyes, and a heartwarming smile that’ll stretch from ear to ear. Two things to note. One, the age of the recipient will need to be factored in when choosing the beverage/tool/cheese combo. Those persons not yet of legal drinking status will have to be satisfied with an age-appropriate beverage ranging anywhere from root beer to a Red Bull, while toddlers might be better served by the chocolate milk/large Lego block/Havarti cheese combo. And two, although terms such as “a traveller,” and “one for the road,” have been used in reference to alcoholic beverages, driving or working while under the influence is definitely not recommended. Next, although the term nail pouch basically describes what a handyperson would put around his or her waist before commencing a task, the more appropriate term these days is carpenter’s apron, essentially because the unit in question is no longer a simple pouch, and instead has a number of pouches, or storage divisions, and because it’s rarely filled with loose nails, due to the trade having moved to air tools, which use nails in either a strip or coil format. Not to sway too far from tradition, but instead of hanging a sock, which doesn’t do so well to safely contain drill bits and circular saw blades, one might want to consider hanging a carpenter’s apron from the fireplace mantel, filling it every Christmas Eve with a few handyperson necessities. What types of hardware items might be included in your handyperson gift apron? Most handypersons waste time looking for the little things, like a decent pair of work gloves, sharp utility knife, or No. 2 driver bit that isn’t too badly worn and will still hold a screw. Tight fitting, polyester-type work gloves have especially come a long way from the cowhide relics of years past. Available in both winter and summer styles, they’ll be a very welcomed relief for your handyperson. Utility knives? Most handypersons buy themselves the snap-off blade models because they’re cheap and convenient. Regardless, do them the favour of gifting them a quality knife with a retractable blade. The blades on a retractable knife stay sharper longer, and are safer to use. On the subject of safety, you can never have too many pairs of safety eye goggles hanging around, and, don’t forget the ears, where every handyperson should have a quality pair of earmuffs, or headphone-type ear protection, hanging close by the lawnmower and whipper snipper. Next, jig-saw blades, drill bits, and circular saw blades, are regular-type items that get used well past their peak of sharpness. Check the existing shop blades for style, size, and tooth count, as a reference before purchasing. Other good and always handy carpenter-apron stuffers? Foam sanding blocks, paint brushes, roller refills, paintable caulking, pint of joint compound, all things the handyperson in your home might need in a pinch, and will be scrambling to find. Otherwise, stop by your local building supply dealer for more ideas. Merry Christmas. As published by the Standard-Freeholder
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