Winter Punch Recipe – 101 Cookbooks. Citrus, fresh ginger, gin and rosemary. Yum.

How candy canes are made by hand. at Kottke.

Gluing a gingersnap cottage (like a nerd), at Instructables. Directions on how to make your own sugar glue gun inserts.

Watch the Building of the Most Complicated Gingerbread House Ever | FWx. From the people behind Modernist Cuisine.

Holiday Music 2014 | The Amber Show.

How to Make Christmas Tree Napkin Fold – DIY & Crafts – Handimania. Via Swissmiss.

Why Tory MP is the father of all Bernards – Telegraph. Screenwriter Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Three Weddings and a Funeral, etc) nearly always has a character named Bernard in his films, a character who is treated quite badly, this is why. I’m delighted to know that Bernard and the Genie is also named for this reason.

twice-baked potatoes with kale | smitten kitchen.

The Food Lab: How to Make the Best Creamy Chicken Enchiladas | Serious Eats.

Sprinkle Bakes: Golden Gingerbread with Hard Sauce. So very very pretty and simple.

gingerbread biscotti | smitten kitchen.

Party Drinks: Easy and Elegant Smoky Sage Punch | Serious Eats. The smoky element is added by Lapsang Souchong tea, smart.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Cheddar Beer Sauce – Joy the Baker.

Gift Guide Spotlight: Gifts for the Geek Cook | Serious Eats.

Chicken Broth Taste Test – America’s Test Kitchen. One of the winners is the Better Than Bouillon base which is what I keep in my kitchen. I don’t cook very often so this is a great option as it keeps in the fridge for a very long time.

I love gift guides but, honestly, I find myself using them most often for the sources they draw from so please allow me to just go ahead and tell you about the spots I’m using for ideas this year:

Kickstarter at MoMA – That neat stuff that was on Kickstarter but you might have since lost track of? Here it is! Also see: the whole gifts section. (I’ve been eyeing that Bubble Necklace for a few years now. Not a hint. Ok, yes, it’s a hint.)

Good Gift Games at The Morning News – An annual curated list of tabletop games by Matthew Baldwin and one of those things I look forward to every year. I know the guy in person and can vouch that all these games have been well tested over rounds of beer with good people at good pubs. I’m going to throw my support on the Marrying Mr. Darcy: The Pride and Prejudice Card Game and also call up a past game that is a most-played in my house: Forbidden Island.

Cool Tools: Mark’s Picks and Under $10 – Have somebody on your list who is a Maker or very practical or just plain hard to shop for? Cool Tools will have a suggestion for that one thing that they might not already know about. Among the most well received gifts to family that I’ve given have come from past Cool Tools recommendations including a craft assistant setup for a model-making family member and guitar tuning devices for my part-time rock star husband. (If said giftee just likes knowing about neat things they might love the Cool Tools book, which I fully admit to becoming engrossed in myself, it’s huge like a coffee table book and packed with information like a catalog.)

Brit+Co Shop – Among the many awesome things in this shop I’m particularly in love with the Gold Leaf Valet Kit with Lovely Indeed, the customizable wood burnt Cheese Board with Design*Sponge and the wooden Pop-Out Ornament Cards. See also: the whole Tech (Bluetooth Camera Shutter Remote for an iPhone!) and Merrymaking Color Block Muddler!) selections. Full disclosure and blatant self promotion: this winter I have my own collaboration with Brit+Co for a set of mini gingerbread house mug topper cookie cutters which, as of me typing this, should be back in stock to purchase on Friday 12/12/14. Update: The DIY Kits have sold out, thanks to everybody who purchased one!

What are your favorite sources for the difficult to shop for?

Shapeways Blog – Target Opens Up Shapeways Shop With Customizable, Exclusive 3D Printed Gifts for Your Holiday.

The Stars Are Right | Neat Hobby. Possibly the truth behind what the series Cosmos with Neil Degrasse Tyson is getting to. Maybe. Dunno. But I’ll be ready.

Coming Soon – Butter Up. A knife that allows you to take refrigerator cold butter and get it spreadable with very little fuss. I know somebody for whom this will be the perfect gift.

‘Serial’ and White Reporter Privilege – The Awl.

Karl Stefanovic’s sexism experiment: Today presenter wears same suit for a year. Not one viewer noticed and all the while his female counterparts were being heavily judged on their outfits.

“That’s right, my little spider-egg-carriers, we are already on Take Level Meta and the podcast’s season hasn’t even finished. Life is truly a miracle.” Today In Tabs sums up how I feel about Serial.

I Tried a Bunch of Those Viral “Life Hacks” So You Don’t Have To— off the (meat)hook. I’m linking to this for one reason, which is to dispute the review of “Doritos as kindling”. At lady camp one of the tips we were given was that a small bag of Fritos was good for many things: 1. gluten-free food source, 2. kindling (oil in the chips is very flammable), 3. bag for reflecting sun (if needed for signaling to aircraft, and good luck). This past summer at a cookout in a public park we managed to prove #2 true, Fritos work as kindling in an otherwise damp-ish environment. Many hot dogs and veggie burgers were enjoyed.

How to fold the world’s best paper airplane, at Kottke.

Pamie » Barbie Fucks It Up Again.