My stepfather loves seafood so two years ago, I sent him a giant salmon from Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle.

He liked it so much that last year I did it again.

This present satisfies on so many levels: when you send someone food, you can be fairly confident that you’re not contributing to the clutter in their house. Hanging out at on the Pike Place website is fun because it’s got lots of funny pix like these:

                                              

You can make the present as luxe as you like with all kinds of add-ons. I like to send the Pacific Northwest Gift Pack Sampler which includes: wild copper river sockeye salmon, dungeness crab, alderwood-smoked king salmon, Salmon Basting Sauce, tartar sauce, and cocktail sauce. $230 includes overnight shipping. It’s not cheap, but it’s a feast in a box and my step-Dad is worth it.

This year, my step-Dad was with us in New York for his birthday so I took him and my Mom to lunch at Le Bernadin, where we were lucky enough to run into Eric Ripert, who not only signed my step-Dad’s book, but also chatted with my parents in Spanish. Muy bueno.