Midnight Madness-- too many choices!

Wow-- this is one of the toughest blogs I've written so far.  Why?  Because there are so many great shops and restaurants participating in Midnight Madness and Kindle Fest tonight!  So I just had to choose one of my favorite shops, and go for it!  And the winner is, Hollander's Kitchen Store.

When we travel, one of the first things that I always look for, is the local kitchen shop.  I have hauled items home from kitchen stores in Boston, San Francisco, Paris, Oslo, and many more-- you get the picture.  The other half of my buying committee particularly loves that I'm attracted to so many things that are heavy and breakable.  (He's also the sherpa....)

If we had discovered Hollander's kitchen shop while on vacation, I'm afraid I would have had to pay the extra baggage charge to get back home!  Lucky for me, it's just a short drive home with my new treasures.

Hollander's has a great selection of all kitchen must-haves, along with many "I must have this because it is cute" -haves.   And they also have a fantastic selection of gift items.

One of my favorite gift ideas, is to buy someone the supplies and food items to make a new dish.  For example, I have given a paella pan, paella cookbook, and a nice bag of Spanish rice (Sparrow Market has a great selection downstairs), to complete the gift.

It's fun to buy, and gives the person who receives it something to do during the long month of January--

Important safety tip:  make sure the expiry date on the food items is further out than the expiry date on any New Year's weight loss resolutions.  (For most people, 3 weeks will be sufficient.)

Best selection of Ekelund linens
outside of Stockholm airport

Cute Santa decorations

 Cookie cutters are a great small gift for a Secret Santa, stocking stuffer or hostess present.  I especially like the Michigan mitten in the lower part of the center picture!

Generous selection of Le Creuset