joreth | Holiday Gift Ideas (Reply)

I somehow manage to get on everybody's catalog mailing list whether I've ever bought anything from them or not. And although I hate the waste of paper for junk mail, I have always enjoyed going through catalogs. I methodically read every one and highlight or circle the items I would like. If you see a catalog at my house, chances are you can open it up and find my markings.

I started this habit as a kid, to help my mother do her holiday shopping. Just naming items on a list was never sufficient - she never seemed to have any idea what I was talking about or where to find it. So I'd comb through catalogs and dogear the pages, circling the items on each page. Even though I have an online wishlist now at The Things I Want that serves this purpose, I still take a great deal of pleasure going through catalogs and circling items I will never own.

In today's mail, I got a catalog for a company called What On Earth. I've never heard of this company, but some of the items were amusing. They were not quite interesting enough to put them on my already overly-large online wishlist, but I liked them nonetheless and I thought some of you might find them amusing too.

Here's what I circled:

LED Umbrella

Jellyfish Glass Paperweights

Storming The Castle Card Game

Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide

Wrench Ware

Mother Mobius Bracelet

Mostly I like this because it's a Mobius strip, and I recently created the Poly Purple Mobius symbol

, so I'm glad to see it does translate into jewelry

Friends Forever

I like this one because it's poly-friendly. Even in platonic friendships, there is some pressure to have only one who is Above All Others, and this statue is inclusive of multiple loves.

Heart-Shaped Hinged Ring Pendant

This one is also poly-friendly. It suggests that it is for keeping family heirlooms close to your heart even if they don't fit on your finger, but the description reads "The mod pendant swivels open, allowing you to add as many rings as you like...", which makes me think this would be a great alternative for such symbols as wedding rings. This way there's no issue about how many rings fit on your "wedding ring finger" or how many rings on a hand, or whether everyone's ring matches or whatever.

My Cat Walks All Over Me