Adam Nguyen's Blog: Practical(ish) gifts for holiday 2016

I’m old, so there aren’t many things I “need” anymore. But for Holiday 2016, here are a few ideas with “real people” appeal. Stuff I bought for myself this year… or that a family or friend bought and raved about. Not necessarily “retro” or “renovation” oriented, but hey. Note: All the links in this story are affiliate links.

What is more classic than family and friends sitting around the kitchen playing board games? This Thanksgiving, we were introduced to Catan. It was super fun — I adored it! And when I got home, I bought the whole getup, the basic set and a bunch of the extensions.

Link: Catan 5th edition

Plus, there are are extensions to add 5-6 players … to add Seafaring real estate … and more.

I am also kind of obsessed with playing Connect 4 right now.

I bought this for myself and LOVE it. I’m calling it “retro”, because I spent my college junior year abroad in 1980 in Madrid, Spain. There, they put steamed milk in their morning milk. Steamed milk makes your coffee all that more delicious. My brother had one of these, so I bought the same kind. I’ve been using it daily since October and yummmmm, my coffee is betttttttter than ever.

Link: Nespresso Aeorccino Plus Milk Frother

Okay, so my brother had the Nespresso maker too, so I got one. For my afternoon espresso. I also buy the pods for the espresso online.

Link: Nespresso VertuoLine Coffee and Espresso Maker and espresso pods

I bought one of these classic George Nelson ball clocks for my brother and sister-in-law as a housewarming gift. It’s beautiful. There are other colors, too.