Rubber Bands That Are Doggone Cute

Item: Animal Rubber Bands

Price: $4.95 (24 rubber bands)

Where to Buy: Brainchildproducts.com

Review: An office supply that's practical and cute at the same time?

These animal rubber bands are molded into the shape of dogs, cats, pigs, ducks, rabbits and turtles. Stretch them out and they look like a normal, albeit colorful, rubber band. Take them off your item and they revert to their natural animal shape.

How can you resist that?

Best yet, the purchase of these animal rubber bands is sure to help the environment at least a bit. Who's going to toss a rubber band in the shape of a kitty into the landfill?

Additional themed rubber band packs: basic shapes, zoo animals, and -- get this -- underwear.

Image from: Brainchildproducts.com

Stop the Home Fires Burning

Item: Fire Extinguisher

Price: $19.99

Where to Buy: Amazon.com

Review: It's not the flashiest gift, but a fire extinguisher may be the best gift you'll ever give.

My husband and I got a small fire extinguisher as a housewarming gift from a friend, and I thought it was a great idea. It's one of those things you just never seem to get around to buying. We had lived in separate apartments for several years, and neither of us had a fire extinguisher.

This is one of the the few gifts you hope never to use. And luckily, we haven't. No, a fire extinguisher is not a romantic gift. But it's one that the newlyweds or new homeowners just might thank you for one day.

Image from: Amazon.com

Keeping Drinks Cold in Style

Item: Spherical Ice Tray Set

Price: $16

Where to Buy: MoMA Store Online

Review: Not much of a bartender? With spherical ice cubes, the star of the show isn't the liquor but instead what's keeping it cold.

No more humdrum square cubes or crushed ice that quickly waters down fine libations. But talk-of-the-town ice cubes come with a price-- namely, time. Since each tray molds only two spheres, you're either going to spend two weeks making enough cubes for your backyard barbecue, or you're having one small party.

Image from: MoMA

A Good Gift with a Cord: Immersion Blender

Item: Immersion Blender

Price: $39.99

Where to Buy: Sears

Review: An immersion blender might be the best gift my husband has ever bought himself.

He loves to cook, so he considers it a toy. I love to eat, so I get to enjoy the butternut squash bisque, fruit smoothies and other concoctions he whips up.

Immersion blenders come in different styles and price ranges, so do a little research to find the best for you or the recipient. Our immersion blender is easy to store and easy to clean-- I love kitchen gadgets that are dishwasher-safe!

Image from: Sears

Eating Safely ... In Any Language

Item: Food Allergy Cards

Price: $8.50

Where to Buy: SelectWisely

Review: When you have food allergies, the scariest place in a foreign country can be its restaurants.

It's hard enough to get some servers in the US to understand that my husband is deathly allergic to nuts. Now imagine trying to express it in another language.

That's where these food allergy cards come in. Available for dozens of allergies, the cards describe the allergy in any of 15 languages. And they're laminated for easy conveyance in your wallet or purse.

Relying on pantomimes isn't a good idea when it comes to food allergies. A food allergy card can make the difference between a relaxing vacation and one spent in the hospital.

Image from: SelectWisely

Laundry on the Road

Item: Laundry Soap Sheets

Price: $4.95

Where to Buy: Irv's Luggage

Review: Long vacations are great except for one thing: laundry. I hate doing the laundry with a passion even when I'm home, so why would I want to waste precious seconds -- let alone hours -- doing it on vacation?

At least you don't have to carry a heavy bottle of detergent with you, or buy an expensive bottle that you will promptly leave behind.

These laundry soap sheets dissolve in water and come in packs of 50. The dryer sheets are up to you.

Buying a gift for a backpacker? Consider the sheets of shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

Image from: Irv's Luggage

A Gift Full of Shiitake

Item: Shiitake Mushroom Log

Price: $43.95 (includes shipping & handling)

Where to Buy: ShiitakeMushroomLog.com

Review: I can guarantee with, oh, 99% accuracy that the person you are buying a gift for does not have a mushroom log. Go ahead-- be the person who changes that.

Surprisingly, the mushroom log doesn't have any special lighting or temperature requirements. You get your first mushrooms 6 to 10 days after soaking the log in cold water.

The kit also comes with an 8-recipe booklet. Bonus!

My husband got a mushroom log as a gift several years ago (not from this company, I believe), and admittedly it didn't work well. I'm not sure we ever got more than a handful of mushrooms. But I will also admit that we kinda forgot about it and I'm sure we never watered it as we should have.

Anyway, a mushroom log is the epitome of a gift that keeps on giving. The receiver gets shiitakes for four years besides an excellent topic of conversation at all future potlucks.

Image from: ShiitakeMushroomLog.com

The Perfect Pet

Item: Cat tape dispenser

Price: $12.50

Where to Buy: Pylones

Review: You've read about my love of the store Pylones. This cat tape dispenser is one of the reasons why.

And I don't even really like cats.

Despite their occasional attempts at being adorable, my ... ahem, my husband's ... two cats, Will and Grace, are always under my feet whenever they take a break from knocking over full glasses of water.

But one look at this tape dispenser and I can't help but remember how cute kitties really are.

Sometimes I wish I could turn Will and Grace into quiet, stationary office supplies. Until that day comes ...

Image from: Pylones

A Greener Sandwich

Item: Reusable Sandwich Bag

Price: $5.50

Where to Buy: FreshSnackPack.com

Review: This reusable sandwich bag just may be my next gift to myself.

I can talk the talk about saving the world, but what I really need to do is walk the walk. I bring a peanut butter sandwich to work each and every day. That's about 20 flimsy plastic bags that I'm personally responsible for sending to the landfill every month.

The reusable sandwich bag appears durable and easily washable. And maybe my peanut butter sandwich will taste even better when I remember I'm being good to the earth, too.

This present isn't for everyone. But pair it with a copy of "An Inconvenient Truth" and you've got one green gift.

Image from: FreshSnackPack.com

Plan Your Dream Vacation from Your Armchair

Item: Budget Travel magazine

Price: $12/year (10 issues)

Where to Buy: BudgetTravel

Review: I subscribe to one magazine, and Budget Travel is it. And why not? It combines two of my passions: traveling and saving money.

I love the tips, like packing a deflated beach ball to blow up on a plane, balance on your lap and use as a pillow.

I love the articles, which even teach me new things about Brooklyn, my new abode.

I love the pictures, taking me to places I'll never visit and maybe even a few I might.

Budget Travel really is for the everyday person who has a few weeks of vacation and wants to make the most of them. They don't ignore the major tourist attractions of the US and Europe, but they also visit places you may never have considered. A recent spread on Kuala Lumpur comes to mind.

For a gift the keeps giving all year long, I highly recommend Budget Travel for travel pros and armchair travelers alike.

Image from: Budget Travel

Lip Balm for Girls of All Ages

Item: Softlips lip balm

Price: $3.99

Where to Buy: Your nearest drug store.

Review: Chapstick: Bad gift.

Softlips: Great gift.

I've been a fan of Softlips lip balm for nearly 10 years, when I discovered it in college. Love the scents, love the tubes, love the way it works. And the price is right, too.

The first thing you'll notice is how the balm makes your lips tingle -- in a good way -- as soon as you put it on. Even after that feeling wears off after a couple of minutes, you're still left with a pleasant smell and, yes, noticeably softer lips.

The tubes are long and slim, and they easily slip into your pocket or purse. The simple, classic design doesn't look childlike, like so many lip balms available today.

I currently have two Softlips: the vanilla flavor as well as a rose-tinted balm that provides a barely-noticeable color. As an added bonus, the two balms were sold together for $4 at Rite Aid. I've noticed that this is a common promotion for Softlips.

If you're looking for a small token or stocking stuffer for a girl from age 17 to 70, Softlips would be it.

Image from: Mentholatum.com

Cold Nights, Warm Hands

Item: Wonder Warmers hand warmers

Price: $14.99/pair

Where to Buy: WonderWarmers.com

Review: I'm not often into romantic gifts, so I was pleasantly surprised when my husband got me the small Wonder Warmers hand warmers for Christmas a couple of years ago.

We'd marveled at them at a holiday fair about a month before: Each pouch is filled with gel and a single, small, flexible disc. Flex the disc and the gel crystallizes and immediately heats. The small ones stay warm for about 30 minutes. That's more than enough to time to keep me warm as I wait for the subway on a cold winter evening and trudge through the snow on my way back to our apartment.

The best part? They're reusable. Surround the pouch with boiling water for 5 to 12 minutes and it's as good as new.

More than anything, I wish I would have had some Wonder Warmers as a high schooler attending all of those football games on chilly Friday evenings. Wonder Warmers also makes different sizes and shapes, even one specifically for the neck and shoulders ($29.99).

Image from: WonderWarmers.com

Duct Tape Wallet

Item: Duck Tape Wallet

Price: $21.95

Where to Buy: Ducti

Review: When I used to wrack my brain for a gift for my boyfriend-now-husband, my mom would suggest a watch or a wallet.

No doubt those are classic gifts, but why not go for something a little more unique but still in the same vein?

The duct tape wallet is sure to get a smile and a second glance from your guy and anyone who's around when he pulls it from his pocket.

The best part? When the wallet starts to fall apart -- as all billfolds eventually do -- it's easily fixable. With duct tape.

But no need: There's a lifetime replacement warranty.

Image from: Ducti

Wind-Up LED Flashlight

Item: Wind-Up LED Flashlight

Price: $8.99

Where to Buy: Amazon.com

Review: Out of all of the holiday and birthday gifts my husband has received from my family, the wind-up flashlight that he got for Christmas has to make the top 5 list.

Yeah, it's a practical gift, but also surprisingly old-school and fun. A few cranks (the whoosh of the gears make it sound just like a toy from your youth!) and you'll have an extraordinarily bright white light for the home or the car.

My favorite part? The weight. I mug full of water is at least twice as heavy.

My second favorite part? It never needs batteries. The energy-conscious cheapskate in me loves that.

Image from: Amazon.com