I normally have a hard time shopping for my wife at Christmas. I’ve got to find something that’s thoughtful, of course. And it has to be something she wants, but it also has to be practical. I don’t score any points if it’s something that’s simply a luxury.
With this stupid COVID-19 pandemic going on, many of the ideas I’ve had in the past just won’t work. However, I realized it may have actually made it easier to come up with some good gift ideas.
Consider, for instance, the massive shift to outdoor recreation we’ve seen this year. It’s a giant hassle to go anywhere in town anymore, and some of the things you’d normally go to town for either aren’t open anymore or they just aren’t as much fun with all the COVID precautions. And am I missing something, or is the only movie you can see in theaters right now the Croods 2?
So a lot of people have turned to the outdoors for entertainment. Hiking, camping, fishing and mountain biking participation has all skyrocketed. And as those hiking trails become more and more snowy, options for Christmas gifts start to emerge. How about a set of snowshoes, or maybe some cross-country skis? Or go big and get a his-and-her set of snowmobiles. Any of those options could be augmented with some new snow pants or ski parkas, and you could stuff the stocking with wool socks and a new pair of gloves.
And you can build on this every year. Next year, you could give a new bow or a shotgun. Maybe a tent. A rifle or a pistol. A new fly rod or a mountain bike.
They say every cloud has a silver lining. Maybe this is the silver lining of the COVID cloud.
