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ALBANY DEMOCRAT-HERALD/CORVALLIS GAZETTE-TIMES THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 G1 MID-VALLEY NEWSPAPERS NOVEMBER 27, 2014 2014 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Gift Guide Inside... • The Best Gifts This Season for the Kids • Gifts for the Cooks on Your List • The Best Kind of Scrooge • Buying Tech for Kids How to make sure your gifts are terrific! H oliday Warriner Family... Warriner Family... Winners of Heritage Mall’s Facebook Cover Photo contest
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Holiday gift guide 2014

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Page 1: Holiday gift guide 2014

AlbAny DemocrAt-HerAlD/corvAllis GAzette-times tHursDAy, november 27, 2014 G1

MID-VALLEY NEWSPAPERS NOVEMBER 27, 20142014 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Gift Guide

Inside...• The Best Gifts This Season for the Kids

• Gifts for the Cooks on Your List

• The Best Kind of Scrooge

• Buying Tech for Kids

How to make sure your gifts

are terri� c!

Gift GuideGift GuideGift GuideGift GuideGift GuideGift GuideGift GuideGift GuideGift GuideGift GuideGift GuideGift GuideGift GuideGift GuideHoliday

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•••

Page 2: Holiday gift guide 2014

G2 Thursday, November 27, 2014 albaNy democraT-herald/corvallis GazeTTe-Times

MARLA R. MILLERCTW FeaTures

There are great gifts, and there are not-so-great gifts, and luckily for you, we know just what they are.

If gift-giving gives you anxiety, here’s a bit of good news: 70 percent of people polled in an online survey last year said they were happy with most of their gifts, with very few claiming to have returned or “regifted” a majority of the presents they received.

That said, cash remains king, with iPads, clothing, cars, vacations and jew-elry ranking among the best gifts by respondents of a survey of more than 6,500 online buyers via Bizrate Insights.

Socks and a sweater topped the list as worst presents – so, unless you have written or verbal confirmation that those wool or cotton items are desired, set them down and slowly step back!

In general, spouses and significant others did the best at selecting gifts, with women dropping hints and making lists to make sure they got what they wanted.

Parents ranked No. 1 as gift givers, accord-ing to Millennials, but at the same time, both Gen Y (the Millennials) and Gen X were the hard-est to please. Nearly half of respondents in those

groups returned at least one gift. They also were most likely to resell gifts on eBay.

For that very reason – the anxiety of pleas-ing – holiday shopping is usually met with indeci-sion and procrastina-tion. It’s hard to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list and stay within budget.

Some best bets from the 2013 holiday were tablets and TVs, along with electric tooth-brushes and athletic shoes, according to market research by The NPD Group.

But there are many thoughtful gift ideas to consider beyond the latest technology and national retailers, says Lisa Emmons, a personal shopper, professional stylist and owner of Posh Image Consulting in the Tampa Bay, Florida, area.

You can shop local artists and boutiques for unique jewelry, clothing and gourmet food, or buy a spa package or gift cer-tificates to a professional sporting event, play or concert.

Champagne or wine with chocolates for pair-ing, or gift cards for wine making or beer brewing courses are good for busy professionals, couples, singles and clients, Emmons says.

Other ideas for couples are things they can do together in their area and

will help them recon-nect, depending on their hobbies and interests. Emmons suggests spa treatments, dinner, dancing lessons, theater tickets, cooking classes or an outdoor event they can enjoy together.

Busy moms may enjoy books, a massage or other pampering treatment, a package to their favorite spa, or a luxury clutch, fashion scarf or shoes.

Ideas for men include tickets to a game, sport-ing good items, fashion scarf or dress shoes, cologne, devices, personal accessories and tools.

Seniors were the most enthusiastic about the gifts they received, according to the survey of online shoppers. Good gifts for grandparents are books, movie tickets or theatre shows, dinner gift cards, dancing lessons or home improvement cards.

Teens are often the hardest to buy for, but gift certificates for the movies or a concert, any tech-nology they are into or accessories are a change of pace from clothes, Emmons says.

“You really need to know what they like because teens are very difficult to shop for,” she says. “Actually gift cards may be a great option so they can pick out what they want. If not, always get a gift receipt.”

As children are more technologically savvy

than ever before and into electronics at earlier ages, parents are under a lot of pressure to deliver on their children’s wish lists.

Nearly 45 percent of people planned to buy toys as gifts last year, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2013

holiday consumer sur-vey. Children continue to ask for classic toys – Barbie, LEGO – but they also want high-tech gifts like tablets or iPads and game consoles like Xbox One and PlaySta-tion 4, according to the federation’s 2013 Top

Toys survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics.

For the first time last year, iPads were among the most popular gifts for both girls and boys, with demand among young girls being slightly higher, according to the survey.

Give the

Here’s how to be sure to give a great present

content That Works

A bit of preparation beforehand can help ensure that this year’s crop of gifts will leave everyone happy.

best gifts ever

RACHEL GRAFConTenT ThaT Works

Great stories – be they on a screen on in a book – all have a clear beginning, middle and end. But, just because the storyline con-cludes doesn’t mean that children necessarily have to say goodbye to their favorite characters.

Sales of licensed toys – toys that incorporate characters from popular movies, books or televi-sion series – accounted for nearly 30 percent of total brick-and-mortar toy dol-lar sales in 2013, according to a recent report by the NPD Group. That was a 3 percent increase over the previous year.

The popularity is due in part to children’s desire to interact with these fictional characters and immerse themselves in their world.

“The toys are really a great way for kids to engage with the characters and role play or even just play out favorite scenes from the movie,” said Lau-rie Leahey, senior editor of consumer site TTPM, which reviews toys and other kid-focused prod-ucts. “It’s all about letting them re-enact the movie and immerse themselves in that world.”

Overall, licensed toy sales reached $5.3 billion last year, according to the NPD Group report. In 2013, boys accounted for more toys than girls did, with boys ages 3 to 11 making up 44 percent of all licensed dollar sales, whereas girls ages 3 to 11 comprised only 26 percent of sales.

The numbers might be more equal this year, following the sweeping

success of Disney’s ani-mated film “Frozen.” Cur-rently, it is one of the top-selling licenses of 2014. Marvel licenses – “The Avengers,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” – tend to be successful, as well, but their popularity plateaus after the second or third movie because there are only so many versions of masked and caped char-acters with which children can play. Other popular lines include “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Star Wars,” “Dora the Explorer” and Disney’s “Doc McStuffins.”

These character toys are successful because they typically target a wide audience and are fun for the whole family.

“‘Star Wars’ was always very good at being able to create an experi-ence that appeals to all ages,” said Richard Gottlieb, CEO of Global Toy Experts, a toy indus-try con-sultancy in New York. “So I think that’s a real key – that the family together really enjoy it, that it’s

cross-generational.”“Frozen” certainly

meets the criteria of reaching multiple matu-rity levels, says Got-tlieb, as do items from “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Marvel’s latest box-office smash.

A successful movie or television show or book, however, is not always enough of a reason for toy stores to stock the latest, greatest licensed toys. Small, independent toy stores that carefully choose which toys they carry put a heavy empha-sis on a toy’s play value, says Kathleen McHugh,

president of the Ameri-can Specialty Toy Retailing Association. “If the child can’t do anything with it, then

[the specialty toy stores] wouldn’t

even consider having it,”

McHugh says. “Par-

ents don’t want to

spend money if their kid’s just going

to throw it in the toy box and never see it again,” Leahey says. “We also

look at things like is it some-

thing that’s interesting for kids to play

with and does it really help them interact with the character in a

fun way.”“Frozen” has had such

success with its licensed toys because of the wide appeal of both the movie and its soundtrack.

Although many fac-tors contribute to certain license’s success, such as its breadth of appeal, variety of toy types and a

bit of luck, the storyline likely has some influence as well. “Frozen” is one of the first Disney movies in which the story’s hero-ine does not rely on an external force to save her. Instead, Anna saves her own life with her selfless act of sisterly love.

“This is all about being

able to do it yourself and that the power’s in you, and I think that those that make intellectual prop-erty would be wise to pay attention to that,” Gottlieb says. “It wasn’t just that she was strange and she learned to use her powers. It was really about self-empowerment.”

The right cast of charactersToys from their favorite books,

movies and TV shows are

certain to please

content That Works

Characters from the movies “Frozen” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” will be popular gifts this season — but experts say to be sure that a toy offers the opportunity for hours of active play.

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Page 3: Holiday gift guide 2014

AlbAny DemocrAt-HerAlD/corvAllis GAzette-times tHursDAy, november 27, 2014 G3

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Page 4: Holiday gift guide 2014

G4 Thursday, November 27, 2014 albaNy democraT-herald/corvallis GazeTTe-Times

RACHEL GRAFCTW FeaTures

Fancy computers, tablets and video games quickly add up to expensive holi-day wish lists.

Although children will continually want the next big, expensive toy, gadgets will eventually break whereas experiences will stay with them for many years.

During the 2013 holiday season consumers planned to spend an average of $800 on gifts, according to the American Research Group, Inc. Instead of spending hundreds of dol-lars on presents, however, emphasize meaningful experiences and shared memories that will be just as impactful – if not more impactful – in the long run.

“What are your fondest memories?” says Barbara Desmarais, a parenting and life coach at thepar-entingcoach.com. “It’s not things. It’s the people you spent the time with, it’s the things you did together. It’s the love you shared, it’s the laughter you shared, it’s the joy you shared, it’s the craziness you shared.”

Consider investing in a family trip or a funny photo session with the

family rather than spend-ing money on material objects, says Meghan Leahy, parenting coach at positivelyparenting.com. Twenty years from now, those memories will be far more special than any new computer.

Of course, in the short run children might be disappointed that the pricey gadget on the top of their list is not under the Christmas tree. If that gift is unrealistic given your budget, be open and honest with your children about that reality. Parents often want to give their children the world, and, although this comes from a loving place, overly justi-fying purchasing decisions or feeling guilty might make parents appear inse-cure, Leahy says.

“At the end of the day [your children] love you and they just want your family to be whole and happy, and so you are the leader in that effort,” Leahy adds.

If children still really want a particular toy after having an honest conver-sation about its expense, they can pay for part of it. These children will quickly learn the value of a dollar and appreciate the item even more after earning it.

A predetermined bud-get also can be extremely helpful during the holi-days. Start saving early and you’ll be less inclined to shop impulsively and more able to spend time col-lecting meaningful gifts, says Stephany Kirkpatrick,

senior director of financial planning at LearnVest.

Regardless of your bud-get, though, the best gifts are usually those that come from the heart. The more thought people put into the gift-giving process, the better they feel emotion-ally about their money, Kirkpatrick says.

Do-it-yourself projects are great examples of meaningful gifts. A batch of homemade granola in a mason jar or an IOU for a fun day together are both great gift ideas.

“Just taking someone special in your life on a day where you can cre-ate a memory and you’re not spending money on things,” Kirkpatrick says. “So the cost of grabbing baguettes and cheese and a $10 bottle of wine can make a far better experi-ence.”

Pinterest and Etsy have plenty of simple, low-bud-get ideas for gifts that peo-ple can make themselves. Loved ones will receive a personalized present, as well as the knowledge that you took the time and energy to make it your-self. Especially during the holidays, when televisions and newspapers advertise hundreds of toys, consum-ers should remember that life is about experiences – not things.

“Everybody wants to have that moment where the child opens the gift and goes ‘Oh my god!’” Leahy says. “But that is a very brief moment in a very long life.”

Be the right kind of Scrooge

Create an awesome Christmas

morning - and stay on budget

content That Works

Sure, gifts are important, but remember that experiences and memories that families create during the holiday season can last a lifetime.

MARIA L. KIRKPATRICKFor Mid-Valley NeWspapers

Shopping for a reader this holiday season will be difficult; so many good books are available this year that it will be chal-lenge to choose just one.

Tiffany Harlan, man-ager and children’s book buyer at Grass Roots Books and Music in Corvallis, is busy keeping up with new releases and has looked over offerings to make suggestions to gift givers.

Nobody is too young to enjoy a good book, Harlan said, and Sandra Boynton’s newest board book will have toddlers and their grown-up readers “toe-tapping and singing along with the ‘ten terrific rab-bits’” as they perform a rhyming extravaganza with “The Bunny Rabbit Show.” (Ages 1 to 3)

“The Dragon & the Knight” chase each other with wild abandon through the land of fai-rytales in master pop-up artist Robert Sabuda’s imaginative new creation, aptly subtitled “A Pop-Up Misadventure.” Although the pop-ups are wonder-fully intricate, there are no small tabs to pull, Harlan said. “Even younger read-ers can enjoy the story lit-erally leaping off the page.” (Ages 5 to 9, but pop-up collectors of all ages will be interested in this one.)

Dr. Seuss fans of all ages will delight to discover a new collection, “Horton and the Kwuggerbug and More Lost Stories,” four stories previously pub-lished in magazine form but never in picture books. Beloved characters Horton and the Grinch join new friends in characteristic

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Rick Riordan fans have two new books for their holiday lists this season. “The Heroes of Olympus Book Five: The Blood of Olympus,” the final vol-ume in his epic fantasy series, returns readers to action-packed adventure at Camp Half-Blood. And “Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods” presents Percy’s version of the classic Greek myths in a lavishly illustrated collection. (Ages 10 to 14)

Everyone’s favorite wimpy kid, Greg, returns in his ninth adventure, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul.” Humor and comic book-style illustrations carry him and readers on a family road trip sure to bring laughs to anyone who’s ever spent hours in a car. (Ages 8 to 12)

Set in a fantasy world where plague has killed infected adults and left teen survivors scarred, some with strange new powers, “The Young Elites” will capture the interest and imagina-tions of teen readers who enjoy dystopian fiction series, such as “The Hunger Games” trilogy, “Divergent,” and “The Maze Runner.” “Dark and intense, the beginning of

Marie Lu’s new series pro-vides complex, thought-provoking reading,” Har-lan said.

And for adults who’ve never outgrown children’s books and who grew up with Little Golden Books, this holiday season brings a sequel to the bestsell-ing “Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from a Golden Book.” Diane Mul-drew’s “Everything I Need to Know About Christmas I Learned From a Little Golden Book” captures the spirit of the holiday season with contemporary spirit and nostalgic charm.

It’s not only new books making the holiday lists. Favored fiction from all eras returns to bookshelves again and again to enter-tain new readers.

“You can’t go wrong with Disney books for younger kids,” said Norene Nordby, store manager at No Garbage Books in downtown Albany. “And don’t forget about the classics.”

Nordby quickly lists “Oliver Twist,” “The Wiz-ard of Oz” and “Anne of Green Gables” as classic favorites that keep genera-tions entertained.

“Reading fairy tales out loud is great time spent together,” she said of the holiday season.

Nordby points out activity books also make great gifts. No Garbage stocks a collection of mini coloring books, “a perfect size for stocking stuffers,” she said. “We also have lots of how-to books on things like kite building and magic tricks.”

Maria L. Kirkpatrick is a free-lance writer who lives in the mid-valley.

Pleasures

Bookstores are bursting with great gift ideas

content That Works

The right book can make for a terrific holiday present — and can trigger wonderful moments, and memories, between parents and children.

of the page

KIM COOKassoCiaTed press

The holiday catalogs and gift guides are starting to pour in, full of wonderful stuff to wrap for friends and family. But what about those who don’t really want more stuff?

Small space dwellers don’t have room for much. Seniors may not either, or may just not want the bur-den of more things at this stage in life.

Instead, think about giv-ing something your recipi-ent can use, and use up.

Some consumable-gift options:

Food and drink, of course; unusual kits are creative options. For a culinary vegan, consider a box of sprouting seeds, with varieties of lentils, mung beans, adzuki and green peas.

You might make home-made vanilla extract to give in small, vintage-style bottles. Or consider giv-ing a week or two’s worth of surprise treats: Create a stack of little nesting boxes filled with favorite sweet and savory snacks.

Does a friend or family member love a particular shampoo? Put together a gift bag with a bottle; enhance it, perhaps, with a gift certificate from a blow bar, or a new hairbrush.

Or gather a basketful of

seasonally scented body products .

A photo calendar with pictures of the recipient’s family, favorite places or other personalized content makes a year-long gift.

ProsperityCandle.com offers the Forever candle, made by —and providing a living wage to — women artisans in developing countries, and when you’ve burned yours down you can return it for a free refill. Fragrances include vanilla bean and peppercorn, amber and orchid, and red-wood and patchouli.

For some, the best presents are experiences, including classes, lessons, gym memberships, vaca-tions, event tickets, mas-sages, charitable donations, and music or magazine subscriptions.

Gifts you can use Too much stuff?

This holiday, consider gifts to

use — and use up

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Page 5: Holiday gift guide 2014

AlbAny DemocrAt-HerAlD/corvAllis GAzette-times tHursDAy, november 27, 2014 G5

BEN LARRISONCTW FeaTures

This holiday season, when your family gathers around the table to enjoy a delicious home cooked meal, there’s a better-than-good chance a few people will be staring not at the food, but a screen.

Tech gadgets are now ubiquitous in American society, finding a place everywhere from the classroom, to the office, to the dinner table (how else are you going to Instagram that magnificent feast?). So it’s hardly a surprise that many parents will turn to the tech world for gifts this holiday season. Whether it’s a new smart-phone, tablet, gaming system or something else entirely, tech gifts are all but certain to be a big hit with kids of all ages.

But just as with all gifts, there’s a “right” way to introduce your kids to the newest tech gadgets, and then there’s the other way to do it.

With that in mind, here are three tips to make sure your gadget gift goes over great:

Don’t tech too young Yes, it’s tempting to

turn to new technology as a go-to holiday gift for anyone on your list. But just because you can get someone a tech gift doesn’t mean you should – at least, not until they’re old enough to be ready for it.

“The necessity for our kids to become computer literate and fluent with the technology is absolutely true, but it doesn’t need to happen as early as we often feel that it does,” says Dr. Katharine Heintz, Ph.D., a media scholar and lecturer at Santa Clara University.

There’s no real base-line age for when a child should be introduced to certain technology. But chances are, many experts say, there’s no need to rush to gadget gifting.

Dr. Jim Taylor, Ph.D., author of “Raising Gener-ation Tech: Preparing Your Children for a Media-Fueled World,” says par-ents should wait as long as possible before introduc-ing their children to things

like smartphones. “The earlier kids are exposed to technology, the more hooked they’ll be on tech-nology,” says Taylor.

Set ground rules Like with any new toy

or privilege (think “get-ting your driver’s license”) getting a new tech gadget should come with its own set of rules and stipula-tions. If not, things could easily spiral out of control. A Kaiser Family Founda-tion study found that, on average, kids between the ages of 8 and 18 spend an average of 7.5 hours a day in front of a TV, smartphone, computer or other non-school-related screens.

As such, it’s the par-ents’ responsibility to determine how and when the new electronics can be used.

“Set expectations about its use,” Taylor says. “So say ‘Only X number of texts a day.’ And set limits at home, such as ‘No tech-nology during homework or during dinner,’ (and) having disconnect time. Basically, the goal is to help children develop a healthy relationship with technology.”

What’s more, parents have to remember that their kids are watching them, and it’s important to set a good example with their own tech gear.

“We can’t be puling out our phones and texting when we should be having a conversation with our children, just as we don’t want them doing that to us,” Heintz says. “We have to remember that as the adult, it’s our respon-sibility. We don’t get to do what we always want to do.”

Parental controls also are a useful tool in the effort to ensure respon-sible usage. Most smart-phones and laptops come with either built-in con-trols or easy-to-download apps that can help parents control how, what, and when their child uses his or her new gadget.

Do your research You may want to just

buy your son or daughter whatever the hot new smartphone, laptop game system or tablet as a holi-day surprise, but be sure to do your research first. And not just for specs and price, but also to make sure the gift will fit into your household and not distract from other priori-ties.

Kid-tech successHow to make sure their first gadget is fun, safe and

appropriateDENISE RUTTANFor Mid-Valley NeWspapers

If you’ve got a home cook in your life, they’re likely already giving you the gifts of wonderful smells from the kitchen and freshly baked desserts.

So just what do you give that foodie who seems to have everything?

Loraine Kiest, assistant manager and kitchen buyer at The Inkwell Home Store in Corvallis, offered some suggestions for a shopping trip for just such an epicurean.

“Avoid super ‘gadgety’ things,” Kiest said. “Any-thing that’s designed for a very specific use prob-ably won’t be used by an avid cook.”

But if you’re in a real shopping quandary, she said, foodies always love cookbooks — and there’s quite a bit of variety in cookbook titles.

Other local places to shop for cookbooks include Grass Roots Books and Music at 227 S.W. Second St. in Corvallis and The Book Bin, 215 S.W. Fourth St. in Corvallis.

Aside from books, practical gifts are best. To even start browsing for such a present, “it helps if you know what kind of food they like to cook, what equipment they may already have and what is their skill level,” Kiest said.

As for items under $20 that cooks would find practical, Kiest recom-mended the following.

• Microplane grater• Garlic rocker — an

easy way to crush garlic — and peeler

• Recipe rock, a type of countertop recipe card holder

• A good spatula• Cooking thermom-

eterIf price is not a con-

straint, consider investing in a good chef’s knife for your favorite cook, Kiest said. That’s a workhorse gift that will serve a home cook for years to come.

But you might also have different kinds of food-ies for whom to purchase gifts. Kiest suggested the products below.

For a grill mas-ter: Spice rubs or fla-vor injectors.

For a vegetarian: Spi-ral veggie slicer or cheese board set.

For a college student: Electric water kettle or silicone steam case.

For a baker: Kitchen scale or Silpat bake liner.

For a cook with a small kitchen: A com-bination salt and pep-per mill or a collapsible salad spinner.

As the name suggests, The Inkwell opened in 1965 as an art supply and framing establishment, Kiest said. As part of the art and office department, the store began selling furniture and eventu-ally, kitchenware and home décor.

Denise Ruttan is a freelance writer and editor who lives in the mid-valley.

Recipe for

Need to find gifts for cooks? Let us help

content that Works

Think simple when it comes time to select gifts for the cooks on your list, experts advise.

gift-giving

CTW FEATURES One of Hollywood’s

most prolific abilities – for good or ill – is taking a beloved title or franchise and jolting it back to life in a new shape or form. Here are 5 that got a makeover in 2014

“Cosmos” The late astrophysicist

Carl Sagan presented the original guide to the universe, 1980’s 13-part docu-series “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage.” In 2014, the astrophysicist and Sagan protégé Neil deGrasse Tyson took com-mand of the “Ship of the Imagination” and pre-sented “Cosmos: A Space-time Odyssey,” a follow-up and update to the original.

“Cosmos: A Personal Voyage,” (Cosmos Studios, 1980), 7-disc DVD — $100

“Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” (20th Century Fox, 2014), 4-disc Blu-ray — $60; 4-disc DVD — $50

“Godzilla” The King of the Mon-

sters has spent decades terrorizing the world in movies, books and video games, the most recent of which is the 2014 Warner Bros. blockbuster featuring Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”). Just as impressive is Ishiro Honda’s 1954 original monster movie, which got a high-def restoration from the Criterion Collec-tion in 2012.

1954: Godzilla (The Cri-terion Collection) Blu-ray — $40; DVD — $30

2014: Godzilla (War-ner Bros.) 3D Blu-ray + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital — $45; Blu-ray + DVD + Digital — $36; DVD — $29

“Rosemary’s Baby” Roman Polanski’s

1968 horror classic, star-ring Mia Farrow as the titular Rosemary, is just as frightening today as it was 45 years ago. And like “Godzilla,” it recently got a high-def restoration from Criterion. This past year saw the adaptation of the Ira Levin novel take to the small screen in a four-hour miniseries starring Zoe Saldana.

1968: “Rosemary’s Baby” (The Criterion Col-lection) Blu-ray — $40; DVD — $30

2014: “Rosemary’s Baby: (Lionsgate); Blu-ray + Digital/DVD + Digital — $20

“Robocop” Paul Verhoeven’s 1987

sci-fi classic about a cyborg Detroit police officer (Peter Weller) got a reboot in 2014 with Joel Kinnaman (TV’s “The Killing”) filling the armored suit.

1987: “Robocop” (Fox Searchlight) Blu-ray/DVD — $15

2014: “Robocop” (MGM) Blu-ray + DVD + Digital — $40; DVD — $30

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”

Leonardo, Michelan-gelo, Donatello, Raphael. Splinter. Shredder. April O’Neil. And, of course, pizza! What else is there

to really say about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? The new reboot of the franchise, 2014’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” uses motion-capture technology for the most lifelike Turtles action yet. But, if you’re feel nostalgic for some vintage Cowabunga, look no further than the origi-nal 1990s trilogy that is,

well, less technologically advanced but just as fun.

1990s: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”/”Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II”/”Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III” Triple Feature; Blu-ray — $25

2014: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” 3D Blu-ray + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital — $55; Blu-ray + DVD + Digital — $40; DVD — $30

Reboots and remakes Hollywood’s

recycled projects make great

stocking stuffers

content that Works

Fans of either Carl Sagan’s original “Cosmos” or the 2014 reboot can find either version available for holiday shopping.

content that Works

Fans of the King of the Monsters can choose from the 1954 Japanese original, now out in a handsome Criterion Collection reissue, or 2014’s respectful remake.

“AvOID SUpER ‘GADGETy’ ThINGS. ANyThING ThAT’S DESIGNED FOR A vERy SpECIFIC USE

pROBABLy WON’T BE USED By AN AvID COOk.”LoRaiNe Kiest,

assistant manager, kitchen buyer at The Inkwell Home Store

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207/135 NW 2nd • Downtown Corvallis541-754-6444

peaksportscorvallis.com

canoes

skis

boots

poles

snow boards

bicycles

helmets

bike accessories

stocking stuffers

sunglasses

Giftskayaks

ski wear

casual wear

accessories

hiking boots

backpacks

climbing gear

and more!

Join us Tuesday, December 2 at 6:00 pm for a celebration of the lives of thosewho have died through the reading of their names, the displaying of photos, anda symbolic lighting of lights. Our gift to the community. Held at Dennis Hall atthe First Presbyterian Church, 114 SW 8th Street in Corvallis.

The community is invited to attend. Namesread include names submitted by peoplewho wish to honor someone who died. Formore information call 541-757-9616.

Benton Hospice Service of Remembrance

S e r v i n g p a t i e n t s , f a m i l i e s a n d c o m m u n i t i e s i n L i n n & B e n t o n c o u n t i e s s i n c e 1 9 8 0

Page 6: Holiday gift guide 2014

G6 Thursday, November 27, 2014 albaNy democraT-herald/corvallis GazeTTe-Times

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