(besides books, though KJ Charles rocks!)
I love this teapot I got for my Birthday last year. It is so easy to use and to clean, and it makes the right amount of tea for when you want, you know, a pot instead of just a mug.
Although you should probably not gift this to anyone, this home laser hair removal thing has been fantastic. I barely need to pluck my chin anymore at all (with the exception of a few white hairs that laser won’t get) and it’s been a few weeks since I’ve done even a touch-up with the laser.
I still really like my moleskin weekly planner, even though everyone else has switched to Google Calendar.
This Solo travel bag I got myself has been perfect for overnight travel without having to take a roller-bag. For those who cannot part with the roller-bag, one of my colleagues swears by these packing cubes and will be getting them for almost everyone on her list this year.
This amazing lamp was everything I wanted and more!
DH loves this little pocket pen. It is pretty clever.
Our in-laws love this ice cream scoop we got them, although it is not dishwasher safe.
#2 enjoys watching her DH play the latest Assassin’s Creed game.
Here’s a previous post on little things that just work. I still get a lot of pleasure from using a high quality pencil sharpener.
What stuff has been “sparking joy” for you over the past year?
Grumpy Rumblings (of the formerly untenured) 
November 27, 2017 at 9:29 am
Glad the laser thingy worked out – I remember you debating it (or a similar product).
I can’t think of anything specifically this year that is sparking joy. Maybe the new area rug we got, but I can’t quite recommend it because I am not convinced it will hold up in the long run because I didn’t want to pay $$$$.
Also, wool socks and a good raincoat.
November 27, 2017 at 9:39 am
DC2 has a really great raincoat. Very important! I wonder if I could get something similar as an adult.
November 28, 2017 at 1:41 pm
Here’s a longer update https://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/what-happened-when-i-rage-bought-the-450-laser-hair-removal-thing/
November 29, 2017 at 5:53 pm
Hmm, looks like i commented on that… Haha.
November 27, 2017 at 10:05 am
This from Swing Left is pretty adorable:
Q: What do you get for the progressive who has everything?
A: A Democrat-controlled House of Representatives!
https://swingleft.org/gift
They should totally sell packs of their holiday cards.
November 27, 2017 at 10:07 am
p.s. Call your senators about the tax plan again today. They want to vote this week.
https://5calls.org/issue/insurance-mandate-tax-reform
https://5calls.org/issue/tax-cuts-job-act
or
Republican Script: trumptaxscam.org: https://www.trumptaxscam.org/republican-call-script-to-stop-the-trump-tax-scam/
Democratic Script: trumptaxscam: https://www.trumptaxscam.org/democrat-call-script-to-stop-the-trump-tax-scam/
November 27, 2017 at 12:32 pm
I love my Envirosax. Also my Chums surfshort wallet (only wallet I use). Also my Contigo cup, which I use for tea, and my contigo water bottle . Also good flannel sheets. Also lock laces.
November 27, 2017 at 12:40 pm
envirosax are so nice. I’ve had one that’s worked well for my for ages.
Water bottles are so prevalent, but it’s hard to find good ones. Thanks for the tip! Does that one not get grody inside? And does it leak?
November 27, 2017 at 1:55 pm
What I love about the Contigo water bottles I have (each of which was left behind in my unit’s campus kitchen, so I just claimed them when it was clear they had been abandoned) is that they do.not.leak. The metal one keeps things hot (or cold) for hours on end (mostly a good thing, occasionally annoying) and actually “locks” (a button you can click or unclick that seems to be positioned in such a way that it doesn’t unclick accidentally) so that you can, say, toss it, full, in a backpack and cart it around without worrying about whether it’s upright or not.
I have not had problems with grodiness, though if I used the hot mug for coffee (which I take with lots of milk), I might feel differently about that. For tea/water they have been fine.
November 27, 2017 at 4:11 pm
Having two insulated water bottles – they’re great for not knowing when I’ll next be near somewhere to fill up on water! That’s the first thing that comes to mind. I don’t even know to re-buy them since we both got them from work. Thanks to these, we are donating all of our old water bottles because they’re just cluttering up the kitchen cupboards.
Also, we bought a second (and then a third) 1-cup liquid measuring cup because we seem to use them very regularly. I’m a firm supporter of having enough of something that the supply will last during your normal timeframe between dishwasher runs.
November 27, 2017 at 4:20 pm
Ha, I have the same teapot and ice cream scoop and love them both too. The teapot in particular I only recently acquired after cycling through a bunch of unsatisfying teapots.
November 27, 2017 at 4:25 pm
It is so great! I drink so much more tea now. Probably shouldn’t eat more ice cream though…
November 27, 2017 at 5:23 pm
I plan to get these as a means of cutting down on fights in our household over whose charger is where. https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/iphone-charger-sticker-faces-set
November 27, 2017 at 5:32 pm
HAhaha, that’s great!
November 28, 2017 at 10:04 am
Here’s another thing that’s been sparking joy for DH: https://www.tearunners.com/christmas (we don’t get any kickback on this, we just really like the tea).
November 28, 2017 at 11:22 am
November 28, 2017 at 10:53 pm
I feel like my answer has to be the house, for the next decade at least. The house and everything in it. We made a couple bad calls but surprisingly not that bad and surprisingly few considering the timeline we were on.
Actual small things – I love the huge roll of brown paper I’m still using as wrapping paper. JB and I are going to try to decorate them together after I do the wrapping. This may go badly but it’ll be some level of fun.
I’m still loving my tiny $25 Holmes space heater I bought about ten years ago. It’s a champ!
I’ve got a cool laptop stand thing I’ve been using as a desk since Prime day, maybe, and it’s been awesome for my bad pain days. I have a lot more flexibility in where and how I can sit up to work.
Likewise the hands free leash has been awesome at sparing my hands and wrists on bad days, letting me save energy for the actual walking of the dog.
December 2, 2017 at 12:13 pm
Liked the list, but I don’t have much to add. House refurbishment, I guess.