Shameless Plug #5: Pets and People by Carla Reed

Know someone who has everything?  Oh no, s/he doesn't… Yeah, yeah, s/he has the this and the that and the other, but now that we have arrived at the Season of Shopping (SOS), all of this matters.  'Cause you're supposed to come up with something else, something new, something very cool and different, for that special someone.

A few suggestions:

First up, travel to a non-Christian country for the month and avoid the entire issue. That is what my best guy fervently hopes for each year, conveniently forgetting that scary food poisoning episode in Thailand a few Christmases back. Or maybe, in his belief system, a near death experience is just a minor trade-off. You'll have to ask him.

Marbles the ButtHead, 1990-2007

Secondly, don't give your loved someone a pet, unless s/he has already agreed, and gets to pick out the animal. (That means you, Ann. And Kira concurs.)

But if you ignore that advice, or if s/he already has a pet, consider a pet portrait by Carla Reed. I met her when she was making the most fabulous lampshades; she went on to design and paint many of the fabrics that, over the years, have been wrapped around our bodies and lives. Heck, she even painted Marbles, the Butthead of the World, so she can paint anything.