Holy Betta Poop: The AquaFarm Makes Kitchen Gardening Easy

These kids are enjoying the cycle of growth in action!

I think that, at this point, almost everyone has had a Betta fish living with them. As pretty as these fancy fish are, they don't usually add much to your home's productivity. Until now.

Introducing the AquaFarm. This aquarium/home and kitchen garden operates on a simple concept. The fish lives in the aquarium below, living its fishy existence, while the plants of your choice (if Fish lives in the kitchen, herbs would be nice) live on top, and prosper and thrive on the water and fish poop below. Apparently, the AquaFarm is even self cleaning (which is more than I can say for the ultra cool, but algae prone, stackable modernist fish bowls my fish occupy). This would be a wonderful gift for an apartment dwelling child: she'll enjoy the fish, and learn about growing foodstuff too. That's a pretty green gift. 

The AquaFarm comes with aquatic supplies and plant seeds, the owner supplies the water and fertilizing fish. $59.99 at Back To The Roots.

Yafah Menorah

Rock your candles and spin the dreidel in style.

This year, the festival of lights comes early, say around Turkey Day, so the lighting up and the continuous nights of presents are coming up quickly. And are you and yours prepared with a yafah menorah?

Yafah means beautiful in Hebrew, which is exactly the word to describe this handmade, handcarved, elegant menorah. Made of gorgeous walnut with a classic grain, this menorah would fit in just about any decor (but would truly shine in modernist setting). Created by Portland, OR designer Niles Snyder, this isn't a menorah you'd just pick up at Judiaca For Less. This is a keeper to light up your Chanukah table year after year.

The yafah walnut menorah is $75, a pittance for a potential family heirloom. At Canoe.

Cross Stitch Some Holiday Snark

It's not your mother's DIY project. Or, maybe it is!

I remember my mother needlepointing a very groovy, geometric pillow when I was a kid. It took her forever, and required multiple trips to the "Needles N' Tees" store for thread and accessories. It was a project.

Well, that was then, but this is now, and what's very now is turning those needle skills into something more suitable for the times. Subversive Cross Stitch has that covered. Every one of its seemingly traditional, suitable for framing cross stitch kid designs is snarky and off putting, which of course makes it perfect to hang in your bathroom or gift a crafty yet sarcastic friend. The sayings range from the profane to the merely sardonic (see above), and from holiday themed to everyday rant. On top of all that "humor," a monkey could learn to cross stitch, so the giftee should be fine in that arena. Alternatively, you could stitch that sucker yourself and give the finished product.

At just $20 per kit, this gift is a bargain for a piece of, ahem, decorative art. Find out the myriad messages of self expression at Subversive Cross Stitch.

Permanent Turkey for Holiday Avian Decor

Roasty, toasty, and juicier than most real birds!

Thanksgiving isn't always about cooking. Sometimes, it's just about showing up somewhere and eating the fruits (or birds) of someone else's labors.

That's all well and good, but how can you participate and bring a gift suitable for both occasion and table? In the case of Thanksgiving, look no further than this handy dandy inflatable turkey. Folded neatly in a tin box, this plastic turkey inflates in minutes and adds definite drama to the holiday setting. Place it in the center of the table to sub for the real thing. Let it hang out on the sofa with guests (it makes a fine headrest in a pinch). Or, hang it from above the front door, as a sort of Thanksgiving themed mistletoe (perhaps mutual gobbles instead of kisses?).

At just $11.99, this is a holiday bird you can afford and use, time and time again. An added bonus: terrorizing vegans with it. At Perpetual Kid.

Scare Your Favorite Child with This Terrifying Stuffed Gobbler

Potentially one angry bird.

Sure, Halloween has come and gone, but there's no reason to not try to terrify the youngsters. Traditionally, Thanksgiving isn't a scary holiday, except for the turkeys who, if they had any inkling of what was coming, would immediately get passports and jet off to the safety of Canada or Europe.

Still, I find this ultra realistic stuffed turkey to be a bit menacing, especially if posed in the middle of a child's room a week before Thanksgiving. Trying to create a little vegan? It's never too soon to start! In years past, this particular site has boasted a gigantic version of the bird, standing at least three feet tall and bursting with avian ire. That version was over a grand, which seemed a bit much for a huge party trick. 

This little guy, on the other hand, sells for a comparatively low $160. And who knows: yours could be the weird kid who imprints to Gobbler and sleeps with him until college. Stranger things, including Indians helping out invading Puritans, has happened on Thanksgiving. At Chasing Fireflies.