Holiday Gift Guide for Women Over 50

This is the 2013 holiday gift guide you’ve been waiting for. Peruse at your leisure for Christmas shopping. We here at Midlife Boulevard wish you the happiest of holiday seasons!

Click the hotlink or photo to see specifics for each item on Amazon. All links are affiliate links, so your purchase provides us a small percentage-we thank you for your support!

Gifts for Writers

Keurig B130 DeskPro Brewing System Most of my writing is coffee-fueled. Imagine the luxury of not having to step away from your masterpiece for a fresh cup of joe, or cocoa, or tea, or…

12-count box of Palomino Blackwing pencils You might not have thought a pencil could be sexy until you hold one of these bad boys. Hide them from the non-worthy, because Blackwings make your every jot Shakespearian. Or at least it will feel like it. I bought these in September and they changed my life. If only they could erase regret!

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King One of my favorite books on writing, it’s both a guide and an autobiography from the contemporary Master of Horror.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott If you can’t learn about passion, craft and nurturing your voice as a writer from this book, hang it up and focus on tweeting more.

Gifts for Travelers

Rick Steves’ Guide to Italy 2014 Rick Steves, the darling of the PBS pledge drive, is great for books used to plan vacations both real and imaginary. His Guide to London once got me through a dark February in Virginia.

Belkin 3-Outlet Mini Travel Swivel Charger Surge Protector with Dual USB Ports, 5 Charging Outlets Total An absolute must-have for domestic travel. I’ve stayed in so many hotels with one available plug in the room. Never leave home without this tucked in your computer bag.

Scottevest Multipocket Travel Vest I’m married to a Scottevest evangelist who is building quite a collection of these clever travel garments. With 17 pockets, load it up this vest with your tech and anything you must have on the plane and it’s like having an extra carry-on. Really a genius product.

Samsonite Luggage Grounded Adapter Plug If you are going abroad, don’t forget an adapter that converts to the 110 volts your electronics require. This adapter from Samsonite is a great price and will be worth every penny when it keeps your phone from exploding in Tuscany.

Hot Tech

DISNEY INFINITY Starter Pack All you must have (besides one of the compatible gaming consoles!) to get started in the world of Disney Infinity. This is the new platform from Disney made to play over and over again. With Play Set mode and Toy Box mode, you and your family can explore, create, and play with your favorite Disney characters.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 III N9000 32gb It’s a phone. It’s a tablet. It’s a phablet! My teen daughter assures me this is “super cool”. Also, she tells me since it’s two devices in one, it will save me hundreds of dollars.

Bose® MIE2i Mobile Headset Designed for Apple products, these amazing headphones from Bose give you high-quality audio for calls and for music-even during exercise. Check into the additional carrying case to protect these from the earbud-stealers in your house.

PlayStation 4 The hottest console of the season, or so I am informed. It’s out of stock already at some big box stores. This is what you’ll be waiting in line to buy this month. Bring gloves, or just hunt it down online.

Looking for a tablet or a mini-tablet? Check out the six suggested by the Midlife Boulevard Tech Columnist, Jennifer Wagner.

For the Chef

Le Creuset Signature Round Wide 3-1/2-Quart Dutch Oven I cook dinner every night at my house, and if I could only have one pot it would be my Le Creuset dutch oven. Shown here in the classic Flame color, Le Creuset offers a rainbow of colors to fit every decor.

Victorinox 40520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife Sharp enough to shave years off your age. I bought this knife on the recommendation of America’s Test Kitchen, and I’m thoroughly pleased with it. Even after my husband’s visit to Urgent Care for stitches, this is my go-to knife.

Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste This is a little luxury every kitchen needs. I make a special trip for this vanilla bean paste, often to find it’s sold out at my local specialty market. Adds a beautiful flavor and color to any recipe calling for vanilla extract.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays by Ree Drummond From New Year’s Day to New Year’s Eve, Ree Drummond has complete holiday menus planned out for you. Lunches, brunches, dinners, special parties, and even leftovers get the Pioneer Woman treatment here. Expect humor and butter.

Happy Holidays from the Diva of Do-Ahead by Diane Phillips This is the most used cookbook in my collection. I’ve used recipes from Diane Phillip’s do-ahead Easter and Thanksgiving menus for five years now. Enjoy every holiday from Mother’s Day to Rosh Hashanah with dishes you can make weeks or days in advance. Easy and delicious food and beverages.

No-Tech Holiday Finds

Melissa & Doug 100-Piece Wood Blocks Set Recommended for age 3 and up, you can’t go wrong with this classic building set. No batteries required- just imagination.

Lalaloopsy Loopy Hair Doll Peanut Big Top A big player last year, Lalaloopsy is still a hot commodity for the dolly crowd. I’ve even seen my big kids playing with them in Target, but they claimed it was only ironically.

Chuggington Old Puffer Pete Kids love trains. Whether it’s Wilson, Brewster or Old Puffer Pete, these diecast figures guarantee hours of choo choo noises from your favorite little conductor.

Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils, 72 Colored Pencils With two artistes in the family, I’ve bought a million sets of colored pencils. These are the favorites, hands down. Bundle with some drawing pads and you have my kids’ favorite lo-fi gift.

Moleskine Classic Notebook, Extra Large Instead of a drawing pad, give your artist a Moleskine. This classic blank notebook makes every doodle special. If you have a budding poet, give the lined version. These seem to be required for entrance at my local coffee shop.

Gag Gifts

Pajama Jeans They are just as tacky and horrible as they appear to be when Seen on TV. She’ll laugh, but she’ll secretly wear them anyway.

The Mountain Unicorn Castle T-Shirt Sized from child small to adult XXX-large, imagine how fun these will be on every member of your family. I smell next year’s holiday photo!

Flarp! Noise Putty Kids love it; moms hate it. Give this fun putty that makes the rude noise to the children of that sister-in-law who called you fat.

Savory Maple Bacon Scented Air Spray Everything is better with bacon, or even just the smell of bacon.

For Your Favorite Nerd

Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter Live Long and Pizza! It’s unique and utilitarian.

Star Wars Movie Poster A very special gift for any fan old enough to have seen Star Wars in the theater the first time. For the love of womp rats, don’t call it Episode IV, A New Hope!

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition Monopoly If they made fish fingers and custard for The Day of the Doctor, they will enjoy this special board game. Geronimo!

Jake and Finn Adventure Time T-shirt If you yell “What Time Is It?” people under thirty will reply “Adventure Time!” instead of the correct answer, “It’s time to get ill!” or the alternative, “It’s Howdy Doody Time!” Whatever. Any fan of Jake the dog or Finn the human will like this shirt
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