No gun shaped gifts were found under the tree. There is one gun-related item that I will address at a later time.

First, I was in need of a decent headlamp, so I gifted myself this:

It comes with 40, 150, 490 and 1,000 lumens which just about should cover needs from looking inside a cabinet for a fix to tag something at 100 yards. For having a solid aluminum, it does not feel unfailingly heavy.  That it is rechargeable or could use a couple of good old C123 batteries was a big selling point for me.  You can detach it and use it as a hand light and it even has a magnet to use as base on metal surfaces.

Next and courtesy of the In Laws: The Smoker!

It is a new version of the old one I had and collapsed of use and Miami weather. About 60% more expensive than the old one, but they improved on many little things to give it a stronger structural strenght. The chip pan is bigger and I believe thicker and the overall finish is better, and I can tell because I did not cut myself putting it together. B-i-L has a stash of hickory and already got me some pieces to use for an upcoming set of ribs I am going to prepare for the whole bunch. I have to cure the smoker first, but only takes an hour.

OK, and what part of “smoker” some knucklehead (probably from the Northeast) did not understand? Check this warning in the instructions.

Sometimes I wonder how they manage to breathe without constant instructions.

I will be posting pics of the ribs in a future post.