 |
|
|
|
| COLUMNISTS | |  |
|
|
|
| Last updated at 11:55 AM on 17/12/07 |
Christmas wish list 
LEN RICH
Advertiser
I'm a little too old to believe in Santa Claus, although I was almost fooled by Tim Allen in the movie "The Santa Clause" a few years back.
His belly grew almost as large as mine overnight, and if my beard grew as fast as the special effects crew had us believe then I'd never make it far from a barber shop.
But I digress. If you have an outdoors person on your Christmas list and are wondering what to get him or her, then I'm hoping this little column may be helpful in offering some suggestions.
For stocking stuffers you can come with all sorts of suggestions. As we all know, much of a woods experience consists of playing cribbage on those days when inclement weather might confine us to the indoors, so how about a new deck of cards and cribbage board to replace the old ones that have been worn out? It's a thoughtful and practical gift to consider, and inexpensive. Bet you didn't think of that one!
I know one chap who receives a fly tin filled with a selection of salmon flies every year for Christmas. It may be months before he can use them, but just think of the anticipation he goes through after Christmas! Talk to a local fly tyer and get some ordered before the big day.
Some electronic devices are coming down in price substantially, especially those GPS units. You can buy a decent unit now for about half of what they were a few years ago, but if those are out of your price range then look for a good compass. Every year there are a few people who become "disoriented" (rather than admitting they were lost) and a GPS or compass could mean the difference in getting back to civilization in one piece.
There are some excellent DVDs available from "Canada In The Rough", a hunting show that relates the adventures of outdoors persons hunting in various parts of the country for everything from waterfowl to big and small game. Not only is the show entertaining, it is educational and informative. This is a great gift that can be watched many times over.
If you enjoy the antics of Dwight Blackwood and Gord Follett, take a look for their videos, and get your hunting and fishing companion a subscription to their magazine, The Newfoundland Sportsman, for outdoor entertainment you can read about throughout the year. What a nice gift and a super stocking stuffer.
Some clothing items for the outdoors person can be a personal choice, but you can consider accessories such as insulated gloves or mitts, perhaps a new hat or toque, a wool hunting shirt, or maybe just some handy gadgets such as a knife sharpener, a new axe, or something he or she has mentioned in the past, such as " that damned thing broke again!"
It only takes a little imagination and a keen eye to come up with a list of things that can be found in most retail outlets.
To be honest, on my Christmas list I don't have too many items. Over the years I've been fortunate to collect just about everything that I want or need to make my outdoor life more pleasant.
However, just in case there is some truth to the rumor that Santa does indeed exist and Tim Allen was not that far off in his performance, there were a couple of little things that I could use.
If you have room on the sleigh and can make it down the chimney with them (or leave them in the garage), there was a 16' boat and 20 hp outboard I was looking at recently up at Islander RV. You know the one. Santa knows everything!
Seriously, let me wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Holiday Season. Remember, it's your outdoors - take care of it!
|
17/12/07
|
Comments: |
|
This Conversation is Moderated. What is moderation?
|
| What does moderation mean? |
 |
Advertiser is committed to encouraging intelligent discourse among our readers and to creating a forum where diverse views and opinions on a wide range of topics can be aired. The forum you are in now is a result of our continuing efforts to facilitate a dynamic online conversation among our readers.
This is a moderated conversation. Once a reader follows the steps to register and submit his or her comment it goes to a moderator for the website. Once it has been approved, your comment will be displayed on the website. A comment may be edited or deleted for reasons of content or language.
All readers wishing to join a conversation must first sign in and agree to the Terms of Usage, which explain the rules of acceptable content.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- there are currently no comments for this story -
|
|
|
|
|
1
