What is the point of a holiday gift guide? For most of the major publishers, it’s all for affiliate-link-sales; for the more thoughtful newsletters, it’s a chance to share love with smaller, craft-focused producers, or show a bit of the writer’s personality, or just make a series of jokes.

But, in my case, it’s an easy topic for a weekly newsletter: I can just look and name things I like that you might like too!

Is it too late for a holiday gift list? Perhaps! But perhaps you can still buy a New Years’ gift for yourself. So here’s some things I like:

Bravado Spice Co

I like hot sauce! Most people underrate hot sauce! A touch of high-quality hot sauce adds so much flavor to a dish.

I learned about Bravado Spice Co from a podcast introducing hot sauce as a hobby. I picked the four pack because it includes ghost pepper-blueberry (!), though my actual favorite from the set is the creamy herb-jalapeno, which has a nice chunky salsa-y consistency.

Aerogarden

I don’t think I can call myself a gardener per se, but I have enjoyed my Aerogarden, which is supposedly the best hydroponic light and was recently saved from cancellation as a product line. You can have all the fresh basil, mint, and oregano you want!

For best results, avoid the Aerogarden-branded plant food and seeds. You can buy cheap “Aerogarden-compatible” pod kits from Chinese supplies on Amazon and fill them with normal garden-store (or even grocery-store) seeds. Then, every two weeks, drain and replace the water in the tank and put in a flat teaspoon of Maxigro. Also, make sure to trim the plants regularly to avoid outgrowing the Aerogarden; you can keep the trimmings in a bowl of water if you can’t use it regularly.

Miracle Berry

Miracle berry is a bizarre fruit that doesn’t taste like much, but does invert your sense of sourness to sweetness for about 15 minutes. You can power through lemons like they’re candy! mberry makes a line of concentrated tablets that are perfect for a holiday “flavor tripping” party.

Darn Tough

Darn Tough are the best socks. They’re mostly Merino wool, which keeps your socks toasty warm or nice and cool. Don’t your feet deserve the best socks?

Zojirushi Water Bottle

I recommended the Zojirushi SM-VA60 just a few weeks ago, and I still stand by the recommendation. Stay hydrated!

Also, in case you hadn’t noticed, it has Zojirushi’s adorable little elephant logo.

Winco Flat Spatula

Do you need to smash hamburgers or grilled cheeses? Do you want to feel like a master of the grill? Then buy this Winco spatula — it’s perfectly fit for purpose and it’s only $10.

Amazon Basics Foam Roller

At the start of this year, I had so much arch pain while running that I had to give up on one of my favorite hobbies. After a round of physical therapy, I learned that my posterior chain was badly ill-conditioned, and the solution to my arch pain was a combination of leg curls and rolling out my hamstrings with this cheap-but-wonderful Amazon Basics foam roller.