40 Gifts Under $40

November/December 2008 Issue | Posted by Lori Hadacek Chaplin in Features

Fabulous Christmas Gifts on a Budget

Faith & Family wants you to have your most relaxing Advent ever — to spend more time with family and preparing for the Christ Child’s coming — not fighting the crowds at the mall. We’ve found 40 fabulous gifts to please everyone on your list.

In this year’s guide, you’ll find new games, new music, new books, new gadgets, and lots more to love. Look no further — this year’s Christmas shopping list is right here!

by Lori Hadacek Chaplin

*Prices subject to change.

Especially For Ladies

Clare & Francis is the latest in inspiring films from the production company that made Saint Rita, Pope John Paul II,andSt. John Bosco. Significantly better than Franco Zeffirelli’s insipid (1972) version of the duo’s saintly lives, this film is touted for its historical accuracy and for its strong portrayal of Clare.

Clare & Francis

$24.95, from Ignatius.com

or (800) 651-1531.

Give her the gift of a beautiful Rosary bracelet. This five-decade Rosary bracelet is handy for praying the Rosary whenever she wants. Hand-woven with fire-polished Czech beads in turquoise and ending with a sterling silver cross and a Madonna with child.

Rosary bracelet
$34.95, from
CeresCollection.com

Seven Trappistine nuns of Tautra Mariakloster, located on an island in central Norway, make natural skin care products to support the building of a new monastery. Their Autra Kloster Krem facial day cream is made from cucumber extract, oils of avocado, juniper berry, and Shea butter. The cream is light and delicately scented.

Autra Kloster Krem facial day cream

$16.95 for 1.75 ounces, from

MonasteryGreetings.com

or (800) 472-0425.

Laura K Designs’ Small Cross Charm Earrings from Christian jewelry designer, Laura Kramer, will please women of all ages. These elegant sterling silver earrings are decorated with a clear crystal bead and an ornate cross dangling from a French earwire hook. Small Cross Charm Earrings

$14.99, from Psalm23Bracelet.com

or (877) 256-0023.

This nylon Greek Zipper Bag from Greece is perfect for the woman who doesn’t like to lug a big purse around. It’s just the right size for carrying a checkbook and a few makeup items.

Greek Zipper Bag

$7.50 (8 inches by 6 inches), from
GreekFleaMarket.com or (888) MYKONOS.

If you haven’t seen the movie,Bella, Tim Drake’s new book, Behind Bella:The Amazing Stories of Bella and the Lives It’s Changed, will make you want to! The book provides the inside scoop on the film’s conception, its making, all about its stars, and about how Bella has changed and saved lives. Teens and adults will be touched when they read about the profound ripple effect this movie has caused.

Behind Bella: The Amazing Stories
of Bella and the Lives It’s Changed

$17.95, from Ignatius.com

or (800) 651-1531.

The movie Bella was voted the Top-Rated Film of 2007 by a New York Times Readers Poll. When Nina (Tammy Blanchard), a waitress, is fired for being late, she tearfully reveals to José (Eduardo Verástegui), a chef at the same restaurant, that she is unexpectedly pregnant. José leaves work to comfort her, and the day they spend together changes both of their lives in unexpected ways.

Bella

$19.95, from Ignatius.com or
rent from PiusMedia.com

For The Cook

Kransekake Cake Set makes a traditional Norwegian “wreath tree cake.” This chewy, almond-flavored cake is made up of 18 layers to create an 11 1/2-inch-tall cake. Set includes six non-stick rings and Kransekake Cake recipe. Kransekake Cake Set

$34.95, from KingArthurFlour.com

or (800) 827-6836.

Cookie-lovers will be delighted with Martha Stewart’s Cookies (Clarkson Potter, 2008) cookbook. Besides the mouthwatering pictures of cookies, one of the best aspects of this book is how it is arranged. The first few pages of the book include small pictures of each of the 175 cookies (Lime Meltaways, Cashew Caramel Cookies, and Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies are among the many) with their corresponding page numbers, so it is easy to spot and look up the desired cookie recipe. Each of the recipes is then organized by textures: Light and Delicate, Rich and Dense, Chunky and Nutty, Soft and Chewy, Crisp and Crunchy, etc. The book also gives decorating, baking, and packing tips.

Martha Stewart’s Cookies

$16.47, from

Amazon.com

The antithesis of fast food, “Slow Food is anything that uses ingredients carefully raised and tended and that tastes of where it’s from. Most important, it bears the stamp of the hands and the kitchen that made it.” Read more of what Corby Kummer has to say about the Slow Food Movement in his new book The Pleasures of Slow Food (Chronicle Books, 2008). Kummer includes a variety of appetizing recipes, such as Roasted Fresh Ham with Salsa Verde and Buttered Crepes with Caramel and Pecans.

The Pleasures of Slow Food

$24.95 (paperback), from

ChronicleBooks.com

For the health-conscious individual, the Yolife Yogurt Maker means fresh yogurt every day. Just mix milk or soymilk and the active yogurt cultures, and let the mixture rest in the Yolife for 12 hours.

Yolife Yogurt Maker

$34.95, from

Amazon.com

Especially For Gentlemen

Even grizzled baseball historians and fans will learn something from George Vecsey’s Baseball: A History of America’s Favorite Game (Modern Library, 2008). The most interesting and clever chapter is “Six Degrees,” whereby the author deftly weaves the thread of boyishly-ebullient Hall of Fame St. Louis Cardinals left fielder, Stan “The Man” Musial’s career into the tapestry of earlier players, like classy St. Louis Browns’ first baseman, George Sisler, and modern players, such as the Seattle Mariners’ unparalleled right fielder, Ichiro Suzuki.

Baseball: A History of America’s

Favorite Game

$11.90 (paperback),

from Amazon.com

“Chant: Music for the Soul” began with a fabulous YouTube clip of the Cistercian monks chanting in their monastery, Stift Heiligenkreuz, located near Vienna, Austria. Universal saw the clip, and in June the monk’s album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Chart and No. 9 on the U.K. pop
chart. The monks said the recording was a “deeply religious experience.” It was done in the church where a relic of the True Cross is housed. “In the midst of the microphones and other paraphernalia, we always kept the reliquary in sight, and we faced the tabernacle, where the Blessed Sacrament is kept. … Thus the recordings were not just musical productions but rather continuous prayer.” Stift Heiligenkreuz is the oldest continuously active and inhabited monastery in the world; it has 77 members and 180 students.

Chant: Music for the Soul

$17.95 (CD), from MonasteryGreetings.com

or (800) 472-0425.

Christmas Soap from Tautra Mariakloster, Norway is a glycerin soap scented with essential oils of cloves and cinnamon. The soap comes in a decorative box featuring artwork of the ruins of a 13th-century Cistercian monastery located on the Island of Tautra. Inside the box it says, “This soap is made as a prayer for peace.”

Christmas Soap

$7.95 for 2 1/2 ounces, from

MonasteryGreetings.com

or (800) 472-0425

Quikpod makes it easy to take pictures without having to leave a family member out, or having to ask a stranger to take the picture for you. The Quikpod is like an extension of your arm. Just attach the camera or camcorder to the telescoping handle, set the self-timer; and center the picture using the built-in viewfinder, to take natural looking pictures or video.

Quikpod

$24.95, from

QuikPod.com

The Pocket Album 1.5-in. Keychain Digital Photo Viewer allows you to carry around as many as 74 pictures of loved ones — which can be scrolled through or viewed with an automatic slide show. Photo Viewer Software included with the album allows cropping and rotating of photos before transferring from PC or Mac to Pocket Album. Its nine-hour Lithium-ion battery is rechargeable.

Keychain Digital Photo Viewer

$29.95, from DigitalFoci.com

or (888) NOW-FOCI.

Especially For Teens

Cool Catholic Tees from Romantic Catholic — whose mission is to bring the Gospel message to the secular world by creating tools of evangelization for everyday living. Romantic Catholic offers tees with images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Michael the Archangel, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Miraculous Medal and other Marian art, plus many more — perfect for either male or female.

Cool Catholic Tees

$14 to $24, from

RomanticCatholic.com

Penelope (Christina Ricci) has been hidden from the world since her birth 25 years ago because a family curse caused her to be born with a pig snout. Only true love will end the curse, so Penelope’s wealthy parents are trying to find a blue blood to marry their daughter. Penelope, rated PG, is a charming fantasy appropriate for the whole family.

Penelope

$19.99, from

Amazon.com

In The Midnight Dancers by Regina Doman, med student and part-time ninja Paul Fester (from Waking Rose) intervenes when 12 girls from a strict Christian family take a walk on the wild side. Doman explores the possibility of a cure for teens who are “bored with being good.”

The Midnight Dancers

$17 (paperback), from

FairyTaleNovels.com

J.T. Turner and the Colonial Radio Players give a rollicking performance of eight of G.K. Chesterton’s mysteries from his book The Father Brown Mysteries, featuring: “The Blue Cross,” “The Secret Garden,” “The Queer Feet,” “The Arrow of Heaven,” “The Three Tools of Death,” “The Flying Stars,” “The Point of a Pin,” and “The Invisible Man.”

The Father Brown Mysteries

$40 (4 CDs) or $34.95 (4 tapes),

BlackstoneAudio.com or (800) 729-2665.

Especially for Art Lovers

This Angel Family Mobile and other creations by Flensted Mobiles are made on the island of Funen in Denmark (Hans Christian Andersen’s birthplace). Though mobiles are a traditional craft in Denmark, the invention of the modern mobile was credited to Christian Flensted in 1954. A Flensted Mobile (not intended for children) is a delicate piece of artwork made out of heavy cardboard and perfectly balanced to move without tangling.

Angel Family Mobile

$25 (14 inches by 14 inches),
from GiftModerne.com

Iconographer Christina Dochwat designed the icons for Washington, D.C.’s National Shrine. Now you can own a copy of her Mother of God Icon. The reproduction, protected by non-glare glass, is framed with a solid wood frame handcrafted by Nelson Woodcraft in Steubenville, Ohio.

Mother of God Icon

$29.95 (10 inches by 13 inches), from

Ignatius.com or (800) 651-1531.

The Illuminated Lettering Kit: Materials, Techniques, and Projects for Decorative Calligraphy (Chronicle Book, 2004) by George Thomson includes the basics for learning about and creating illuminated lettering. The book demonstrates basic lettering and how to add decoration and pattern to the letters; there are also step-by-step projects to make greeting cards, boxes, and more. The kit includes book, paper and ink, paints, brush, and calligraphy pen.

Illuminated Lettering Kit:

Materials, Techniques, and Projects

for Decorative Calligraphy

$24.95, from

Amazon.com

Especially For Kids

The Chronicles of Narnia Monopoly Game (Collector’s Edition) is like the original Monopoly, but it looks cooler. Narnia fans will enjoy the visually pleasing movie stills from the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian films that cover the board game. Players buy, sell, and trade locations featured in both films, such as Cair Paravel, the White Witch’s Castle, and Aslan’s Camp. Recommended for ages 8 and older; 2-6 players.

Chronicles of Narnia Monopoly Game

$34.59, from

Amazon.com

Skeleflex Skelelab allows children (6-9 years) to build their own dinosaur. The lab comes with the bones for building a T-Rex and a battery-operated lab. By pulling or pushing a lever on the lab, little scientists can make their creature move.

Skeleflex Skelelab

$29.99, from

ToysRUs.com

Danielle Dufour, her grandmother, and little brother fled their French village when invaders came. After the end of WWII, the trio returns to claim their home only to find a town crook has stolen their valuable land and refuses to pay an old debt. The children’s parents are still missing and Danielle wonders if she’ll ever be reunited with her childhood friend, Marc, to whom she is betrothed. Danielle’s resourcefulness and determination help put things right. That Girl of Pierre’s, by Robert Davis and illustrated by Lloyd Lozes, is recommended for ages 12 and older.

That Girl of Pierre’s

$11.95, from BethlehemBooks.com

or (800) 757-6831.

In honor of the Year of St. Paul, give children Oldrich Selucky’s page-turner, Adventures of Saint Paul. This biography, for children ages 7-9 and vividly illustrated by Zdenka Krejcova, shows that becoming a saint can be anything but boring.

Adventures of Saint Paul

$9.95, from Pauline.org

or (800) 876-4463.

When Spy Trackdown’s Spy Phone rings, kids will feel like they’re real secret agents. This new board game combines technology, deductive reasoning, memory skills, and role play. The object of Spy Trackdown is to be the first to locate the Mastermind hiding in one of 52 cities across six continents. The Spy Phone tracks each of the players and provides tips to discovering where the Mastermind is hidden. For ages 8 and older; 2-4 players.

Spy Trackdown

$26.99, from

ToysRUs.com

Hyper Jump gets kids moving. Played solo or with up to eight players, the game’s objective is to carry out the commands that come from a speaker in the base of the game. Players bend, stretch, hop, and jump to push the numbers and colors on one of the pods connected to the base — all to lively music. The game has varying levels of difficulty; beginning levels ask for colors and numbers; more difficult levels include double and triple digits. For example, the speaker calls out “423” and the player must press the three numbers simultaneously with two feet and a hand. The command is repeated until the player gets it correct; the base keeps score and declares the winner.

Hyper Jump

$24.99, from

ToysRUs.com

No more arguing about who is out! WipeOut, an updated version of freeze tag, has players tag one another with a dart gun that shoots foam darts filled with chalk dust (washes out of clothes). Includes two dart guns, two protective goggles, and a practice target. 8 years old and up.

WipeOut

$38.44, from

Amazon.com

Especially For Little Ones

Water Babies feel like a real baby. Fill the baby with warm water with the included funnel to give your baby warmth and weight — just like a real baby. Includes 13-inch doll and water-filled teddy bear.

Water Babies

$24.99, from

ToysRUs.com

Green Toys’ Tea Set is environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and made in the USA. Made from recycled plastic milk containers, the tea set contains no Bispenol-A (BPA) or lead. Set includes a tea pot with lid, sugar bowl with lid, creamer, 4 cups, 4 saucers, and 4 teaspoons.

Green Toys’ Tea Set

$24.99, from

Amazon.com

Fold-out plastic Knights Castle with king, standing knight, and knight on horseback, wizard, dragon, 2 ladders, and a table. Kids will enjoy lowering the drawbridge and playing with the hidden staircase. Castle has a latch closure, and all the pieces fit inside. Recommended for 18 months and older.

Knights Castle

$32.99, from

IntPlay.com

Teach little ones about their supernatural family in Meet My Family by Father Daniel Lord. The booklet includes vintage-looking, full-color images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the Holy Family, and saints like St. Thére`se and St. Anthony — perfect to take along to Mass.

Meet My Family

$9.95, from LittleFlowersFamilyPress.com

or (613) 278-2618.

Baby can look at familiar faces while he plays. Stack n Smile Photo Blocks are large (4 inches by 4 inches) foam cubes that hold family photos.

Stack n Smile Photo Blocks

$14.95, from

OneStepAhead.com

Babyish Baby Onesies are the perfect gift for the baby who has everything. The Rock Me, Roll Me, Rock ’n Roll Baby! is decorated with silver stud lettering in silver, gold, and bronze. All of Babyish’s onesies are made of soft, heavy 100% cotton.

Babyish Baby Onesies

$24-$28, from Weddingish.com

or (866) 933-3386.

Delicious Gifts

British Tea Sampler from India’s British Tea Company is a storage chest that includes four types of loose teas (Earl Gray, Jasmine, Darjeeling, and English Breakfast teas) in sachets packaged in an individual pyramid-shaped box. A short history of each tea is printed on the underside of the lid.

British Tea Sampler

$24.50, from Williams-Sonoma.com

or (877) 812-6235.

Wolfgang Dipped Cranberries Gift Box (12 ounces) features fresh, tart cranberries covered in dark chocolate with a bit of syrup surrounding the berries (similar to that found in chocolate-covered cherries). Also from Wolf-gang is their Chocolate Buffet (24 ounces) arranged on a reusable buffet tray. Wolfgang’s chocolates are smooth and creamy, with a chocolate flavor that isn’t too intense.

Dipped Cranberries Gift Box $10 and

Chocolate Buffet $15, from

WolfgangCandy.com

or (800) 248-4273.

King Arthur Flour’s Traditional Shortbread Cookie Mix makes the best shortbread you’ll ever eat — friends will love this gift. The mix contains only natural ingredients and is simple to make; just add butter, knead, shape, and bake — and decorate, if you wish.

King Arthur Flour’s

Traditional Shortbread Cookie Mix

$5.95, from KingArthurFlour.com

or (800) 827-6836.