Stocking Stuffers

A public service from your Head Trucker:  some gift ideas for those hard-to-buy-for people on your Christmas list.  First, for all ages and sexes:

City Slickers, 1991.  One of my all-time favorites.  Just saw it again last night, and it's still as hilarious as ever, with the wisecracking Billy Crystal at the top of his form.  Jack Palance is a trip as the scary, grizzled trail boss Curly.  And then there's Crystal's sidekick, the late Bruno Kirby, who has a studly stache and a spunky guy-next-door persona that winds my crank.  $13.99 at TLAvideo.com.

TLAvideo review:

An often hilarious and heartwarming farce about three adventure-seeking Manhattanite buddies who sign up for an "authentic" Western cattle drive. Along the way, they confront their fears, unfulfilled childhood fantasies, and their respective mid-life crises. This may sound like a recipe for cheap sentimentality, but thanks to solid performances and razor-sharp, quick-witted dialogue, the film is a fun-filled and poignant examination of the disillusionment of middle age. Palance (who won an Oscar) steals the show as the real-life cowboy who leads the round-up. (Sequel: City Slickers II)

Quote:  Women need a reason to have sex.  Men just need a place.

Or, for that mature gentleman on your list you'd like to, um, get to know a little better:

Hoyo de Monterrey Double Corona cigars, medium-full body, 6.75 x 48, pack of 5, $15.75.

JRCigars.com review:

Hoyo de Monterrey is a legendary Cuban marque, however, since the early 1970's, this brand has been crafted in Honduras by Villazon's master maker, Estelo Padrón, and it has become a legend in its own right. Beginning with tobacco seeds smuggled out of Cuba in a diplomatic pouch, this was the first true Habana-style cigar made outside of Cuba. For three plus decades, this full-flavored, earthy smoke has been the cigar of choice for those who crave old-world-style Habanas.

Hoyo de Monterey is a fine brand any cigar man would appreciate.  Add a miniature bottle - or two - of brandy in his stocking, and you'll probably end up at the top of his list to get stuffed in return.

He probably already has these if he's a cigar aficionado, but it wouldn't hurt to add a cigar cutter and a cigar punch, both available for just a penny apiece from JRCigars, one of the country's leading cigar sellers.

If you'd like to get into cigars yourself, but aren't sure how to begin - it's pretty easy to get the hang of, actually, just take it slow and don't inhale - for some great tips, check out howtosmokeacigar.com.  Woof.