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Easy Brew
Last Christmas, my mom bought me a Keurig, which is less involved than a traditional coffee pot. I just have to pop a K-cup in and pour the water, which is really convenient. I usually make a cup while I'm letting my dog out in the morning. Now that it's getting cold out again, coming inside to a hot beverage will help jumpstart my morning and give me incentive not to crawl back into bed. —Mark Robinson
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Clever Contraption
My dad went through this kick one year where he bought a lot of his gifts off television infomercials. One of the gifts I got was a personal air-purifier that you wear around your neck while traveling, which I do quite a lot. The gift sounds weird, and people often me what it is, but it's actually really great. When I'm sitting on a plane – really, a speeding germ farm – I think my immune system likes having that extra little weapon. —Christie Griffin
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It's a Wrap
Nearly 20 years ago, when my mother-in-law presented us with the Stretch-Tite® Wrapmaster 2500, I immediately wrote it off as another unnecessary kitchen gadget. But after just one use, this ungainly plastic contraption was a game changer. It’s a great gift for the home cook who has everything and will be a revelation to anyone who has ever struggled to find the end to the roll of Saran wrap, or fought to keep the film from sticking to itself. The Wrapmaster has become such an integral part of our daily routine that we wore out the original and promptly replaced it with a new one last year. One caveat: It can only be used with Stretch-Tite wrap, which is readily available at local grocery stores. —Jessica Haddad
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Mother-Daughter Idea
One of my favorite, unexpected gifts was a Christmas present from my husband: tickets for me and our then-6-year-old daughter, Olivia, to go see "My Fair Lady" (with Sally Ann Howes of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as Mrs. Higgins) in January 2008 at the Kennedy Center. He drove us to D.C. from Richmond, took us out to eat on the way at an Indian restaurant in Fredericksburg, and then picked us up afterward. We got dressed up, and it was such a fun mother-daughter outing at this landmark venue on the Potomac. If you're contemplating such an excursion yourself, through Nov. 30, you can catch the world premiere of the Kennedy Center's musical "Little Dancer," inspired by the story of Marie van Goethem, a young ballerina who became famous after she posed for Edgar Degas, resulting in the sculpture "Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen." And while you're there, go see the sculpture at the National Gallery of Art. —Tina Eshleman
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Delicious Deliveries
If you're looking for a perfect gift for the chef-friend who has everything, might I suggest a monthly subscription to the culinary club, The Fare Trade? Each month the service delivers a box of small-batch and artisanal goods from across the country, with video tutorials and recipes from featured chefs like Minneapolis' Jamie Malone, Alexandria's Cathal Armstrong and Nashville's Matt Farley. —Stephanie Breijo
Our November 2014 issue features great gifts from Carytown and staffers joined in the holiday spirit by sharing some of the most surprising, best gifts they've received (in life, not necessarily from Carytown).