With my Mom’s passing in September, I almost didn’t write the annual Solvitur Ambulando Holiday Gift Guide this year. Life seems different without her – now without either parent. The final vestiges of my childhood have shrivelled up and vanished, like the Ghost of Christmas Past in my beloved A Christmas Carol. Mom’s death has put me in a reflective mood – more somber, less cheerful than I usually feel this time of year. Still, I recall how much Mom reveled in giving gifts.