Good Morning Hank, it’s Tuesday.

So you know how companies sometimes have like celebrity mailing lists  where they send their new products to a list of influencers. Somehow, since 2008 I have been on the   celebrity mailing list for Bananagrams?

This is actually my 11th edition of Bananagrams. Anyway it’s November which means that soon people will have to buy  presents for those we love and also those we don’t love  but do feel obligated to get gifts for and I am your one stop shopping guide. Like if you’re looking for a fun word game,  I genuinely recommend bananagrams.

You don’t need 11 copies of it, one will do. You got me Bananagrams you got me to give you free promo  It took 14 years, but you did it. Now I’m a bit biased, here But I think the best book every year  is books especially my books but also books by other people.

Like for the lover of non-fiction in your life I am absolutely blown away by  Siddhartha Mukherjee’s new book The Song of the Cell Like, I didn’t think I liked Biology, but it turns out I love Biology,  But also, get this I kind of AM biology If you love somebody  who loves video games Or just great novels  I am so in love with Gabrielle Zevin’s book Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow It’s one of those books that I’ve given to a dozen people  and all of them also fell in love with it. If you’ve got a friend who might enjoy a super steamy evangelical romance I really recommend Corinne by Rebecca Morrow.  WOW And if I had to pick a favorite Young Adult novel I’ve read this year  It would probably be All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir I’ve recommended her books in the past  but this is her first stand alone books and her first contemporary novel And oh my God, it’s beautiful Also, as evidenced by the fact that I just wrote one. I think essay collections make a great gift Like, I love The Source of Self-Regard and Hilary Mantel’s Mantel Pieces The title is by far the  worst thing about the book.

The book itself is incredible. Especially for the person in your life who loves history or culture. But maybe the vibe this year isn’t about physical goods at all Like maybe give somebody a one-year Patreon membership to their favorite  podcast or YouTube channel.

Or give them an online course in something they might be interested in. Like Sarah just made this course with Bright Trip about art appreciation And it’s so good! I enjoyed it so much I went and bought some other Bright Trips.

Oh and on that front, give the gift of a walking tour. Like here in Indianapolis we have this amazing public historian named  Samson Levingston who gives walking tours of Indianapolis neighborhoods,  especially historically Black neighborhoods and I just love learning from him. A lot of towns and cities have walking tours and I just think it’s a great way to deepen  your understanding of and appreciation for the place where you live.

Also, I always think it’s fun to find gifts that do double good. Like making the gift receiver happy but also making the world better in someway. Like, I’m buying the Kurzgesagt calendars for the Kurzgesagt fans in my life because–  One, the calendars are ridiculously impossibly beautiful, and– Two, they help Kurzgesagt in their mission  to reach more people with great educational videos.

Or, if you know causes that  your friends and family are passionate about you can donate directly to those  causes in their honor, as long as they’re not like weird  causes that conflict with your value system. Or, for the coffee loving person in your life,  get them a membership to the Awesome Coffee Club  so they can have carefully sourced,  perfectly roasted coffee beans and know that 100% of the profits  go to support better maternal health in Sierra Leone. Plus we now have single bags available if you don’t want a subscription just yet.

You can find links to all of this stuff in the dooblidoo,  but here at the end I’ll let you in on a little secret,  a lot of times the best gifts are not bought at all, but instead made. Weather that’s making a crossword puzzle just for someone  you care about. Or making art for people.

Like, Sarah made me this portrait  of myself in the form of a color palette  of my favorite things, and Oh God I just love it so much. Hank, Spoiler alert,  you’re getting a donation to Partners in Health for Christmas. I’ll see you on Friday.