Gift List

With Black Friday(and Cyber Monday)having come and gone, my wife has been on me to provide her with my Christmas list, which I usually do on her so I can provide a link or two.  It's not the most romantic thing to do, but it ensures that when we go 'functional' with Christmas gifts, that we really get what we are intending to get.  Finally, providing each other with lists helps to minimize the chances of heart ache from 'returning' gifts. 

Starting out totally functional, I wouldn't mind a 48" Hi-Lift Extreme Jack.  Commander Zero has sold me on the virtues of these before.  While he decided to go with the 60" because the 60" can do everything the 48" can, but the opposite is not true, I think space/weight limitations will make the 48" option much more user friendly. 

For when the zombies come(and our bug out bags) I keep drooling over the Ontario Knife Companies SPAX 16.  From all reviews and reports, it's an extremely solid piece of equipment, with a hatchet blade, and a solid spike on the back, good for puncturing steel sheeting, or aluminum, or zombie heads.  One video I saw had some guys using the spike on the back to break up cinderblocks.  In addition to that, the specially shaped holes in the blade can be used to open/close valves on fire hydrants and urban gas lines.  This COULD be handy, but it's also requires some caution, because Ontario makes the very similar SP-16, which has the hatchet and spike, but not the special valve operating openings.

The SPAX-16 is not cheap...mostly around $110 on Amazon, but I have seen it on ebay for closer to $70.  If that is out of the question, there is always a more basic tomahawk...something like the SOG Fasthawk or Tactical Tomahawk, or the United Cutlery M48 would with the bill and are widely available on amazon.  Why a tomahawk?  Well, they are useful tools...and sometimes the fact that they look cool should be enough, right? 

Another step down(or up) the reality scale would be this SOGfari set, which has a folding shovel, hand axe, machette and knife.  That's probably a more useful setup than a tomahawk...even if it's not as cool looking. 

In the kitchen, space is limited, but luckily, we don't really need anything big.  I wouldn't mind getting a meat grinder attachment for our kitchen aid mixer, and my wife would like to get the vegetable strainer/grinder, to help make jam preperation easier.  Of course, that could go on her list...

When in doubt, I have always told my wife, and will continue to do so, that any type of decent quality flashlight or knife is an appropriate gift.  This year in particular, I COULD find a use for a nice rechargable spot light.   It doesn't need to be that fancy, but a few settings would be useful. 

I can't really think of any music or entertainment stuff I need.  There are no books I'm waiting for, although this might be a good excuse to get started on the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, or something by Neil Gaiman(like Good Omens or American Gods.) 

Oh...there is also that peace on Earth, Goodwill to Man thing.