The holiday season once again has arrived. This year’s festivities may be most memorable for the socially distant way people are celebrating … and shopping.
Never mind Cyber Monday: All sorts of special online deals have been dazzling gift buyers since Halloween. My husband, Jae, happily trotted into my work area on Saturday to inform me that equipment he must absolutely have for his photo studio has been heavily discounted for the holidays. I nodded absently, commenting that he should add it to his list and I’ll check it out on Black Friday.
Wrong answer. “Black Friday has become Black November! Haven’t you been noticing all the deals??? All the emails? You need to get this for me NOW! Ummm … please?”
Truth is I had indeed noted the uptick in emails being filtered off to my Promotions email folder. I had also ignored the entire lot (sorry, vendors!). I have now shopped for my husband (shhhh! it’s a surprise!) and for my youngest son, with the family elders next on the list. But before I get to them, I must share my top five favorites from the many poultry-related gifts I’ve discovered online.
Call them Bawk Friday deals!
When the Wrapping Is the Gift
Forget about what’s inside the box. How about what’s on the box? This adorable gift wrap features more than two dozen different breeds of birds illustrated in full color and ready to pock … errrr, perk up any gift!
Available in baby blue or teal, each sheet measures 700 mm by 500 mm (roughly 28 inches by 20 inches). Sheets are sold individually or in sets of two, four or eight.
Your loved ones will easily identify which gift came from you.
Give yourself the gift of a subscription to Chickens magazine!
A New Tradition
This ceramic holiday ornament from Trending Custom is one of my favorite poultry-related gifts. This 3-inch ceramic circle features a snowy barnyard in the background with the message “Merry Cluckin’ Christmas” in festive letters across the top. The foreground features up to seven chickens, each decked out with either a festive scarf, Santa hat or Christmas lights.
Buyers not only select how many chickens appear on the ornament but also choose from 15 different chicken illustrations, including a White Crested Black Polish, a White Silkie, a Barred Rock, a Turken and more. Customization includes the names of the featured chickens.
It’s the perfect gift for a flock-keeping friend … or a way to remember your birds as the years go by.
I’ll Drink to That!
Many of us may not readily admit this, but we might just prefer our chickens to other people. Chickens don’t hog the bathroom, cut us off in traffic, leave the stove a mess, or drone on endlessly about perceived slights.
Our love of chickens may already raise some eyebrows … which is why this etched tumbler makes an ideal gift for us!
This double-walled, insulated cup keeps beverages at the temperature you want and does so with style! Choose from 14 different colors, including teal, coral and light blue.
Whatever the color, your stainless-steel cup will be emblazoned with the silhouette of a hen and the phrase: “Chickens. Because humans are annoying.” Available in 30- and 20-ounce sizes.
Read more: Urban chickens bring some cluck to the city.
The Backyard Gang
Raising chickens is an everyday occupation. You rise early to release them. You’re home at sundown to lock them up. You muck out soiled litter, scrub and sanitize feeders and waterers, haul 50-pound sacks of feed, perform maintenance on the coop, collect and pack eggs, and are continually vigilant for predators and parasites.
And nobody knows this because, from the street, your home looks like any other house in suburbia.
The UPS courier has no clue you tend chickens in your backyard. Neither do the newspaper carrier, the take-out delivery driver, that new couple across the street … nobody! It’s time to let the world—or at least your neighborhood—know who you are with Chummy Tees’ Backyard Chicken Farmer T-shirt. Available in a variety of sizes and also as a hoodie and a tank top, you can proclaim your calling in comfortable style.
Do the Math
Jae and I learned about chicken math our very first week as flock owners. The same holds true for our friends Bill, Carol, Jeremy, Rachel … well, pretty much everyone we know.
We say we’re going to start out with only three chickens. By the end of the week, we’ve got six or eight (in our case, 34). Gosh darn it, how can we resist those fluffy little birds? It’s nigh impossible!
That’s why, when it comes to poultry-related gifts, this sign by Bigtime Signs is perfect for the chicken lover in your life. Measuring 9 by 12 inches, it proclaims your proficiency at chicken math. Hang it on your coop, on your run fence, on your gate, pretty much anywhere.
And don’t worry … nobody will judge you!
