HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

AV50 NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES THE LINUS BEANIE

By ZVOX $149.99

The ZVOX AV50s noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones sound wonderful - immersive, realistic, high-fidelity sound including tight, accurate bass. But that’s just the beginning. With advanced noise cancellation technology, noise from jet engines, wind, crowds, and air conditioners are all reduced or eliminated. Try them on your next plane trip - you’ll be amazed at how relaxed you feel when the plane lands. The AV50s use ZVOX AccuVoice technology to give a boost to voices while they reduce unwanted noise. So, you understand dialogue clearly, without having to turn up the volume. You can connect the AV50s using the supplied cord, or connect to your phone, tablet or laptop computer using aptX Bluetooth technology. With an optional Bluetooth transmitting device, you can also connect to your TV. Light and comfortable. The AV50s are lighter than many noise cancelling headphones - less than half a pound. The AV50s have a microphone in the right ear cup that allows you to make hands free phone calls with your cell phone. You hear the caller - but not the crowd around you. The slim carrying case, only 2.5” thick, and fold-flat design, makes travelling with your AV50 headphones a breeze.

Visit www.zvox.com for details and sale offers.

By SH*T THAT I KNIT $80.00

The Linus Beanie can be worn by anyone who wants to look chill, but still feel super warm. The Linus Beanie has an added brimmed and matching non-removable pom pom. It offers a completely new look. This beanie is made with a unique merino and alpaca wool blend, making it equal parts cozy and functional, and zero parts itchy. Sh*t That I Knit creates high-quality knitwear and accessories that make you feel good. Their products are sustainably sourced, eco-friendly, and handmade by women in Peru who are working moms earning a fair wage. Donating “Knit Kits,” the company helps teach young adults undergoing cancer treatment how to knit.

It’s an all-around feel-good purchase! Visit www.shitthatiknit.com.

BEAR BLOCKS

$49.99

For the fitness buff on your list, Bear Blocks are a revolutionary body weight fitness device that protect your wrists and maximize the focus on your muscles. When not in use, the blocks slide together to create a cube that is 3.5 inches deep and 4.5 inches wide. This makes for easy storage and easy packing. When you slide the cube apart you have two incredibly strong and comfortable blocks to support your wrists and hands for many different body weight routines – push-ups, planks, mountain climbers, burpees, bear crawls, handstands, downward dog, chaturanga dandasana, and many more. Bear Blocks were designed with the correct angle and surface to protect the wrist bones and ligaments from pain, fatigue and possible injury.

For more on the story of Bear Blocks and to order yours, visit www.bearblocks.com.

NEFT VODKA

$37.00 (750ml)

NEFT is packaged in a container that is as unique as its taste: a portable and unbreakable barrel that closely resembles a small oil drum, which conveniently keeps NEFT cold for hours. This is a premium vodka with a crisp, distinct flavor, blending perfectly into your favorite handcrafted cocktail. The purity of NEFT’s two clean ingredients – pristine, oxygen-rich spring water from the Austrian Alps and only four, gluten-free, non-GMO ancient rye grains farmed in lower Saxony – means minimal impurities, which is reflected in the need for only one distillation. The result is a creaminess on the tongue, a rounded earthiness, and a slightly smooth finish so good you’ll want to sip it neat. NEFT has supported the LGBTQ+ community through donations and sponsorships for organizations such as Project Angel Food, GLAAD, and others. Since debuting in the U.S., NEFT has received multiple accolades and awards including: “Best Vodka” out of 170 other global entrants, back-to-back Double Gold medals at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition and a 98-point rating from The Tasting Panel magazine.

Visit www.neftvodkaus.com for all the information and in-store or online purchase options.

FUNCTIONAL CHOCOLATE

$7.49

Functional Chocolate bars are made with dark chocolate (60% cacao) that offers the best of both worlds - less fat, less sugar and more flavor. Crafted in Idaho from raw fair trade cacao, these bars are 100% plant-based, vegan & gluten-free. They are formulated with a focus on effectiveness, by pairing chocolate with active nutraceuticals and clinically researched ingredients, creating an indulgent and especially effective experience, as the natural healthy fats in the chocolate act as a carrier to improve bioavailability of the other ingredients. Each condition-specific bar has been crafted based on years of research and development. Bars include: Energy, Sleepy, Brainy, Stress & Anxiety, Sexy, and more. One of our favorites is the Espresso Crunch Energy Chocolate, formulated to promote sustained energy. This 60% Cacao formulation is designed to lift energy and vitality for when there are too few hours in the day. With a combination of Chocamine®, a patented cocoa-based ingredient shown to provide sustained energy without jitters, alongside a blend of vitamins, taurine, L-tyrosine, schizandra berry and green tea extract, Energy Chocolate offers a full day boost without the side effects associated with many other types of energy supplements. Featured ingredients include: Maca Extract - Native to Peru, maca is believed to improve energy and stamina. Maca acts like a stimulant, but doesn’t actually contain any stimulants like caffeine. Ashwagandha - Used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine and wellknown for its rejuvenating and adaptogenic properties, ashwagandha is effective at regulating hormones and the immune system, relieving stress, increasing energy levels and improving concentration. Schisandra Berry - Schisandra’s purplered berries are described as having five tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, pungent and sour. Green Tea Extract - A naturally mild source of caffeine as well as plant compounds called catechins, including epigallocatechins-3-gallate (EGCG), green tea extract is associated with sustained energy without jittery side effects. Chocamine® - A patented cocoa-based ingredient that delivers the best of chocolate - its taste, aroma and health benefits - without the guilt, sugar, fat and dairy, Chocamine® consists of standardized theobromine, amino acids, nutritious minerals, biogenic amines, anandamides and polyphenols.

Visit https://funcho.co.

*Any health, wellness, medical or cosmetic claims contained in this feature should be verified with the product provider and your healthcare professional.

BOOK IDEAS:

SASSY PLANET: A QUEER GUIDE TO 40 CITIES, BIG AND SMALL

By Authors David Dodge, Nick Schiarizzi, Harish Bhandari, and Illustrator Braulio Amado $24.95 (Paperback)

For decades, LGBTQ travelers have congregated in predictable places: queer-friendly cities like New York and Berlin, or beach towns such as Mykonos and Fire Island. But as progress and visibility expand across the globe, so do queer people’s travel options. Drawing on their own extensive travel experiences, as well as the perspectives of local DJs, artists, activists, drag performers, DIY historians, and longtime residents (many of them found through the biggest advantage gay travelers have over their straight counterparts: ‘hookup’ apps like Grindr and Scruff), the authors of Sassy Planet offer up the latest on what’s hot in 40 cities around the world. Traveling in the US? Check out RuPaul’s Drag Race star Alaska’s recommendations for Pittsburgh, where she first got her start. Planning a trip to Japan? Read about the 300+ queer bars packed into Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood. Even in countries where homosexuality is sanctioned, you’ll read about emerging pockets of queer acceptance and culture. You’ll also find the very latest info on where to go in major destinations, from the Por Detroit parties in Mexico City to new Brooklyn hot spots. The book features interviews with local celebs, best-of lists, and little- known hideaways all packaged with helpful insights, cool bits of regional culture, queer lore - and of course, plenty of sass to spare.

WINE A TASTING COURSE - FROM GRAPE TO GLASS

By Marnie Old $25.00 (Hardcover)

The ultimate course for wine lovers! Learn your sauvignon blanc from your chardonnay and your merlot from your grenache. Smell, swirl and taste your way to transforming from wine novice to expert. The pages of this wine book make a comprehensive, no-nonsense wine tasting course that covers every aspect of wine from grape to glass. Explore the nuances of your favorite red and white and discover new cultivars. It explores fun wine facts and explodes myths, giving you everything you need to talk, taste and enjoy your favorite vintage. Can’t smell honeysuckle in that glass of sauvignon blanc, or wondering which end of a bottle of Chianti is the “nose?” With this immersive guide to all things wine, you’ll soon become an expert. Pour over vibrant infographics and learn through “Did you know?” boxes as you try out a selection of taste tests and get a handle on grape varieties and regions. This wine guide is a beautiful gift for the wine lover in your life, or the book for beginners you’ve been searching for to enjoy, understand and appreciate wine.

Visit www.penguinrandomhouse.com

ANTONI: LET’S DO DINNER

By Antoni Porowski $30 (Hardcover)

Queer Eye star Antoni Porowski shares exuberantly easy dinners for every night of the week in Let’s Do Dinner. Dinner with Antoni means satisfying meals full of clean protein and loads of vegetables, with splurges of carbs and decadence. Simple, yes, but always special. Antoni keeps shopping lists short and steps and pans to a minimum. Pulled chicken nachos, pasta carbonara with scallions and peas, or pan-seared steak with harissa butter and crispy potatoes - it’s all good for post-work evenings or casual entertaining. Antoni shows how to crank the flavor, make exciting suppers from pantry staples, create new takes on classics by swapping in one surprising ingredient, and build a rousingly flavored vegan grain bowl. Plus, he lets you in on the secret weapons in every kitchen that get great food on the table fast. Antoni tells us a little about the book, “My dinners throughout the week tend to follow a pattern. On Monday and Tuesday, I typically stay plant-based, with a white bean chili, crispy tofu on an arugula salad, or a one-pot cauliflower and chickpea curry in a gingery, creamy broth made with coconut milk. By Wednesday, though, I want something more substantial, like meatballs and eggplant, made uber-easy by that “fast cooker” hiding in plain sight: my broiler. At the tail end of the week, I lean into decadence with a skillet-seared steak luxuriously slathered with spicy butter. I pair that with a fresh parsley salad, one of the sleeper hits in this book. On other nights, I fall back on another one of my secret weapons, eggs, and make a soft scramble with shrimp and scallions.”