Now, that's a tall order. And made more so by my penchant for being uninterested in shopping.

But I do have some thoughts on what I would like for my very own self and what I intend on giving the gardeners on my list so I will go so far as to share that with you.

The biggest thought I have this year is about two friends of mine that have been handed a bowl full of pits without a cherry in sight. It is my intention to help them with their gardens. Neither of them have asked me to, have not even implied the thought. But they love to garden and can't so I am going to give them a hand. I wonder if this is a present to them or to myself. What better gift than when the lines are blurred?

How about a library card, and put their section of gardening books to use? I have yet to make my way through everything they have to offer.

If you go up to Soldotna you might think about stopping by the Cooperative Extension office and take a look at the vast array of very pertinent gardening information that is either free or minimally priced. A short stack of interesting reading material on Alaska gardening would be just the ticket. They have everything from how to build a greenhouse to how to transplant a tree. I really wish they had an office down here again. At least a counter where their information is available. They are an important asset to gardeners and we do not really have the advantage of their presence.

On that note, think about taking the Master Gardening Class at Kenai Peninsula College, Kachemak Bay Branch. Now that would make an interesting gift. It is three credits (or you can forgo the credits) and is February 5-8 and April 8-11. Call the college for more details 235-7743 or www.homer.alaska.edu. Plus, the catalog was mass-mailed. Dig around in your piles, it has a slick cover this year. Tom Jahns, Cooperative Extension agent, is leading the class.

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show is early this year, February 4-8. This show is at the Convention Center in downtown Seattle. There are loads of good hotels, restaurants and shopping within striking distance. This would make a very impressive gift indeed. Think about this one. The hotels offer discounts for those attending the show. Check out the web page for more information. I really like this idea.

Now let's get a bit more practical. You know what this means: manure. Yes. A gift of a truckload of manure will be very well met. Believe me. There is never enough manure for the home gardener. Unless you have an animal that is producing what you need, you will need to seek out as much of the stuff as you can. My non-gardening spouse, John, drives an '87 Dodge pickup. The kind of pickup that is really used as a truck: no carpet. Manure does not faze this vehicle. Whereas our son Darren's '98 Dodge must stay as far away from manure as possible. Manure is a no-no for that one. I do hope you have the right truck. I went through two heaping loads last summer. John was convinced that I had at least two years worth of manure. Little did he know.

I still believe that vermiculture is the way to go here in the Far North. Which is a bold statement because I tried composting with worms for about two years and gave it up. I would like to try again but am looking for an appropriate place to put the box. A garage would be ideal. The attraction for this kind of composting is that you can do it all year long. Excellent. I know there are those of you who make the trek out to your compost pile all winter long. You deserve to feel smug. But there is something virtuous about feeding a box of worms and turning your kitchen scraps into dandy compost all winter long with very little effort. Look into this. There are specs for building the box yourself or you could use a Rubbermaid tote, get creative.

I think hammocks are coming into their own. It used to be we had such misty, moisty weather and the mosquitoes were so horrendous that the plausibility of lounging in a hammock was nil. If you don't have a tree to hang it from, they come with stands. Give this some thought.

Hammocks and garden sculpture seem to go hand in hand. Neither is really an essential but both are nice concepts. There are several local artists who are giving garden sculpture some thought. The gallery folks will put you in touch with them.

We can get as basic as waterproof slip-on clogs. They are inexpensive, locally available and indispensable. I love mine. Truly. They are always by the door and get slipped on and kicked off a million times a day. Hands free, who has time to tie?

Gloves are another piece of equipment that can make a gardeners life a bit easier. I truly love the really cheap ones that fishermen use. A knit hand with a waterproof palm and fingers, they fit close enough to not be cumbersome. I use them constantly.

So there you have a few ideas for Christmas. I hope it takes some of the pressure off you so you can enjoy the holiday and your family and friends.