November 20-26, 2003

cover story

Love Letters

Holiday gifts from A to Z

A is for Afghan

Chuck Soldano's new shop on Pine Street, Work in Progress, is his studio, too; most of the crafty, kitschy items have been created by Soldano himself, and if he didn't make it, someone he loves did. The multicolored afghan pictured ($200) was handmade by Soldano's 90-year-old granny, as were most of the afghans on sale, including an American flag and a super-soft baby blanket.

Work in Progress, 1135 Pine St., 215-925-9675.

B is for Boogaboo

Once upon a time a little creature named Boogaboo traveled the world in a single day. This lucky Boogaboo caught waves in Hawaii, went cycling in Strasbourg and made friends in Reykjavik -- and got back in time for a good night’s sleep. American Mortals’ What’s New Boogaboo? book and doll ($20) started as a fun project for design-savvy adults, but quickly became a toddler’s plaything. And, like any kids’ toy worth its salt, the book’s got something clever for the young hipster parents as well (Boogaboo, ahem, tripping in Hyde Park). —Lori Hill

American Mortals, 729 Walnut St., 215-574-1234.

C is for Chocolate

For the 99 percent of the population who love all things cocoa-related, you can easily find a gift that satisfies the sweet tooth and the eye. Anthropologie offers two such presents. First there's your traditional chocolate bar, but wrapped with colorful and sparkly images of decked-out society ladies ($14). For those long winter nights ahead, pick up some MarieBelle Aztec Hot Chocolate, presented in a lovely brown-and-blue tin and complete with instructions for making hot cocoa the American and European ways ($22). —Debra Auspitz

Anthropologie, 1801 Walnut St., 215-568-2114, www.anthropologie.com.

D is for Doggie Fashion

South Street's Chic Petique lives up to its name -- the shop is loaded with party dresses, tuxes and the like to spruce up your favorite canine for the holiday season. Two items stood out as particularly fabulous: A pink hat festooned with feathers and rhinestones ($30) and a leopard-print set with a hat and a wrap complete with a rhinestone brooch ($30). Your pooch will get a lot of attention at the dog park's holiday party. —Debra Auspitz

The Chic Petique, 616 S. Third St., 215-629-1733, www.chicpetique.com.

E is for Earrings

Specifically, Betty Page earrings ($9). A tiny piece of vintage-inspired jewelry goes a long way toward Varga Girl-style, saucy cool. These delicate drop earrings, featuring pinup Betty Page in one of her striking poses, do the business. Their maker, Winky & Dutch, produces kitsch jewelry for every persuasion, from Elvis pinkie rings to cameo-sized Kahlo portraits. —Juliet Fletcher

Blendo, 1002 Pine St., 215-351-9260.

F is for Foie Gras

Here's something I'd never buy for myself but would enjoy receiving: Rougie foie gras ($29.50 -$250). Prepared with goose or duck liver and sometimes truffles, foie gras is an impressive appetizer when served with petit toasts and a fine wine. Foie gras (pronounced foa-gua) was recently featured on the Bravo show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy -- it's sophisticated and fun. —Amy L. Webb

Caviar Assouline, The Shops at Liberty Place, 1625 Chestnut St., 215-972-1616, www.caviarassouline.com.

G is for Grill

Get out and grab the APW Wyott gas charbroiler. It's a grand gift for the gourmand (or the merely gifted griller). With its twin burners throwing off 80,000 BTUs (that's a whole lotta British thermal units), the model GCRB-24H ($950 retail/$575 at T.C.P. Restaurant Equipment) is large enough to handle the indoor tailgate party yet small enough to fit in a moderate-sized kitchen. Oh, and it's healthy, too. "A flat grill leaves too much fat," says Sam Eidelson, the big cheese at T.C.P. "The charbroiler lets the fat drip away." —Howard Altman

T.C.P. Restaurant Equipment, 101 N. Second St., 215-627-1268.

H is for Hats

This holiday season, buy that special someone a Sconi. These handmade hats created from denim, fleece, fur, leather, wool and even lambskin are the perfect addition to any eclectic hat collection. Take your pick from scull hats, tams, caps or classic "gangsta rims" ranging from $10 to $125, in every color of the rainbow. —Debrorah Bolling

South Street Hats, 810 South St., 215-829-1600.

I is for Ice

Buy her flowers every so often? Good boy. An attentive listener all year? Caring man. But when she opens up that cute, gift-wrapped box only to find a nice chunk of ice, no best friend in the world will compare to you, my man. Love might not come cheap, but the diamond bezel-set anklet (.18 ctw, 14k gold) and diamond as-seen-on-Sex-and-the-City pretzel pendant (.25 ctw, 14k white gold) are only $199 each. —Brian Hickey

Robbins 8th & Walnut, their name is their address, 215-925-1877, www.robbinsdiamonds.com.

J is for Jalapeños

When you think hot peppers, you think first of the Southwest, but a fast-growing local company out of Rehoboth Beach, Del., is looking to change the way you look at, and buy, that fiery touch for your food. Chip Hearn founded Peppers 15 years ago, growing hot peppers at a nearby farm in Milton, Del., and manufacturing his own sauce. Now Hearn ships sauces all over the world via Peppers' website, and features more than 6,500 different sauces at his retail store and hot sauce museum in Rehoboth Beach. Hearn is also a hot pepper expert, and will gladly walk you through the process of selecting just the right sauce to set your face on fire. —Daryl Gale

Peppers, 1815 Ocean Outlets, Rehoboth Beach, Del., 302-227-4608, www.peppers.com.

K is for Knitting Kit

With balls of yarn and darning and knitting needles, all in groovy colors, you're on your way to becoming a knitting expert. Your grandmother will be touched when you present her with leg warmers or a striped scarf. Or make a tie for grandpa. Better yet, give the gift that keeps on giving: the knitting kit itself ($15). —Helen i-lin Hwang

Foster’s Urban Homeware, 124 N. Third St., 267-671-0588.

L is for Lavender, Lemon, Lotion and Lip Balm

You get drawn into Kiehl's for the fun free samples and yummy-smelling products, but they can also put together excellent gift boxes (which always include a couple of samples, natch.) For our alphabetically inclined purposes, the friendly staff in the Rittenhouse Square store selected lip balm, which comes in a strawberry-colored or natural hue ($7.50); lemon verbena liquid body cleanser ($13); lavender hand lotion with aloe and oatmeal ($11); creme de corps, a deluxe body lotion with olive oil and beta carotene ($15); and talc-free lavender body powder ($14). Whatever products you choose, Kiehl's wraps 'em up in a nice shiny box. —Debra Auspitz

Kiehl’s, 1737 Walnut St., 215-636-9936, www.kiehls.com.

M is for Moroccan Lanterns

Light can change a room, a set, even a mood; take the risk and give it as a gift. Indigo Arts is selling all manner of Moroccan lanterns and votives ($29-$42) in different sizes, shapes and colors. The lanterns, made of pierced tin and colored glass, are elegant and antiqued. Hung from the ceiling or on the wall with a tea light inside, they'll give off a warm, speckled glow on a cold winter's night. —Lori Hill

Indigo Arts, 151 N. Third St., 215-922-4041, www.indigoarts.com.

N is for Noah's Ark

At SOTA, you'll find numerous hand-cut wooden puzzles in every price range, from giraffe tree ornaments to lizard jigsaws. None are as intricately fun and fascinating as Russell Greenslade's 3-D Noah's ark ($84). The artist uses all nontoxic oils and vegetable dyes, making it a swell gift for a tot, but it's aesthetically pleasing enough to be a great gift for grown-ups too. —Nancy Armstrong

SOTA: Spirit of the Artist, 1022 Pine St., 215-627-8801, www.sotagifts.com.

O is for Origami

Remember being in third grade and watching in awe as your teacher turned a sheet of construction paper into an exotic bird? What better gift to give the artist in your life than an assortment of beautifully colored (and packaged) origami papers ($2-$5), complete with easy instructions on how to make birds, fish, boxes and baubles.—Deborah Bolling

Pearl Art & Craft Supplies, 417 South St., 215-238-1900.

P is for Purse

The newly refurbished Fairmount Water Works, with its classical columns and colonial sensibilities, is a pretty impressive bit of architecture. But somehow, it doesn't work so well crammed onto a necktie, scarf, tree ornament or coaster. The lone exception in the gift shop is the silk purse ($56), which features an appropriately horizontal and vaguely impressionistic likeness of the Works on a simple, strapless design. It's not tacky -- it's pencil-case chic! —Patrick Rapa

Fairmount Water Works, 640 Waterworks Dr., 215-685-4908, www.fairmountwaterworks.org.

Q is for QVC Outlets

The home-shopping ethos revolves around us wanting the thing we see on TV. But what if we want the actual item, like the exact nigh-designer watch the host is poking at? Check it: In addition to overstocked, returned or discontinued crap and manufacturers' samples, at the QVC Outlet you can buy the actual product you wanted! All they did was put it back in the box! It's like owning Urkel or something! Luckily we have one such store in nearly nearby Frazer, Pa., and it's done up to look like a warehouse with high ceilings, big shelves and a "simulated concrete floor." They call it a "warehouse theme." Don't forget, Tuesday is senior discount day and right now they're in the middle of a costume jewelry and linens blowout. How much would you pay for costume jewelry or linens? I think they can beat your price! I do. —Patrick Rapa

Frazer Outlet Store, Lincoln Court Shopping Center, Route 30 and Malin Rd., Frazer, 610-889-3872, www.qvc.com.

R is for Robot

Walk past the Chris Mars paintings (close your eyes if you're nightmare-prone) and descend the staircase at the rear of Northern Liberties gallery Tin Man Alley, and you'll find a room filled with nostalgia-conjuring bric-a-brac, from a Krusty the Klown jack-in-the-box to a dozen of these little metal fellas. Better go quick, though, since the gallery is divesting itself of all but space toys and tiki mugs, which means everything else (excluding art and art books) is half-price. —Sam Adams

Tin Man Alley, 608 N. Second St., 215-923-1418, www.tinmanalley.net.

S is for Schiaparelli

The Philadelphia Museum of Art's current show featuring the fabulous fashions of Elsa Schiaparelli (open through Jan. 4) also features a slew of tie-in merchandising. For those who love museum gift shops, you'll think you've died and gone to heaven at the selection of posters, mugs, scarves, clothes and more. The best item is definitely the boy-cut pink underwear, emblazoned with an S! on the butt ($25). The skivvies, designed by the museum's product-development staff, led by Alain Frank, are the most "shocking" of all of the Schiap merchandise. If you're too lazy to go look at the exhibit, you can order the bloomers and other gifts on the museum's website. —Debra Auspitz

Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th St. and the Parkway, 215-763-8100, www.philamuseum.org/store.

T is for Trees

If you've ever hauled a Norwegian fir for 20 blocks in the biting wind, then you -- or someone like you -- will appreciate a neat solution to arboreal traditions. The Papery offers gorgeous, almost ethereal holiday trees, made of twine, woven with tiny leaves and dusted in crystals ($32.95). Made by Midwest, they stably stand about a foot high, slenderly adorning a side table or dinner display, and the twine branches can hold hanging decorations. And hey, your friends will thank you doubly: You're giving them back their living rooms. —Juliet Fletcher

The Papery, 57 N. Third St., 215-922-1500, www.thepapery.com.

U is for Udon Noodle Soup Bowls

The Farmer's Almanac predicts this winter will be six degrees colder than last year. Udon noodle soup bowls might be just the ticket to warm your loved ones. With wide mouths and plenty of room for steaming broth and thick noodles, these ceramic bowls ($11.50-$14.75) range in design from simple colors to flowering blossoms to circular, modern designs. —Helen i-lin Hwang

Gourmet of Olde City, 26 N. Third St., 215-627-8890, www.gourmetofoldecity.com.

V is for Veterinary Services

You might not think of giving a gift certificate for veterinary services, but the folks over at VCA Cat Hospital wish you would. If you have a friend whose best friend is a feline, they'll appreciate it. Carol Swenson of VCA says she'll be happy to cut gift certificates in any denomination using your credit card. The certificates cover any service the hospital offers, from food to wellness exams to surgery, and are good for one year.—Daryl Gale

VCA Cat Hospital of Philadelphia, 226 S. 20th St., 215-567-6446, www.vcai.com.

W is for Wine Accessories

For some inexplicable reason, people frown on those who drink wine from paper bags. Help your favorite wino avoid disdainful glares with classy accessories like a $60 colored-bead-decorated Jillery wine rack or a $24 bottle stopper with glass-encased pansies, daisies and violets. Want them feeling really proper? A $62 crystal wine glass furthers the illusion of refinement (as does the $26 Jillery variety). —Brian Hickey

American Pie, 327 South St., 215-922-2226, www.americanpiecrafts.com.

X is for X-treme Nostalgia

Wish you never threw away those Day-Glo stretch pants? Yearning for "Pac-Man Fever" -- on vinyl? Atari has re-released 10 classics including Pong, Yar's Revenge, Centipede and Missile Command, already programmed into a retro joystick. Forget the game console. Just plug the joystick in to your television and play. You can buy the Atari video-game system ($32) for someone who came of age in the '80s or someone coming of age now. Eighties chic is back! (Though for some of us, George Michael and leg warmers never went out of style.) —Amy L. Webb

Urban Outfitters, 1627 Walnut St., 215-569-3131, www.urbn.com.

Y is for Yaktrax

You can laugh at the tracks on my feet, but, come the snow, I'll be laughing at the tracks of your tears as you try to make your way around the city that plows you in. The tracks on my feet will be the Yaktrax ($20) -- an opposing-coil system that fits over shoes and boots. The metal coils dig into the surface and give the wearer traction in packed snow and ice.—Howard Altman

Eastern Mountain Sports, University Square, 130 S. 36th St., 215-386-1020, www.ems.com.

Z is for Zzzzzz

Fahoo doray my ass. If the holiday season is about anything, it's stress, and lots of it. Give your honey the chance to sleep through the night with a massage from Terme di Aroma, starting at $45 for a half-hour neck-and-shoulder workout. Who knows? It might lead to tossing and turning of a distinctly unstressful kind.

Terme di Aroma, 32 N. Third St., 215-829-9769, www.termediaroma.com.—Sam Adams