Toys for Tots will gladly take it off your hands and give it to a child who will freak out with joy and happiness when they unwrap it.

http://www.toysfortots.org/

IMO send it back before they charge you twice. Seen it happen before after a company said not to worry about shipping extra stuff...

We bought a kit at (Cost Plus) Works Market that is nut free but it was processed in a facility that also processes nuts.

I looked at the ingredients at a kit I saw at QFC and it was the same deal.

It will depend on the extent of the nut allergy as to whether this is a problem.

I think I saw a kit for making a house out of Graham crackers at one of the grocery stores on 15th but I just caught it out of the corner of my eye.

HTH

Nope. Just asking for direct donations to Northwest Harvest foodbanks. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/11/21/introducing-the-slog-vs-gawker-holiday-charity-challenge

It's a super worthy cause, but I'm guessing that it won't raise as much money as Strangercrombie ever did. And while there's truth that it's hard times out there, I don't think that necessarily translates to "local businesses can't donate items/services right now." I mean, if they're managing their books properly, they get the right-off, so it can actually be beneficial. Ah well. Hopefully it will return next year.

If you check in with slog regularly, they're offering a few random drawing contest prizes, where everyone who donates during a specific timeframe is entered to win a prize (a case of wine, a restaurant giftcard, etc)

There was this same question a fewweeks ago here. Not happening this year. I think the original answereer posted a link to something on the strangers site explaining why

There is a place on 3rd ave NW and Holman Road that claims to be the cheapest. They have decent looking trees for $14. I got mine there.

DVDs and boardgames. It gets really boring over there. Books, crafts, even a coloring book.

As a parent of a child who is just now starting to outgrow the PSC (she's just turning 12) I agree with both posters below. The Burke is interesting maybe 1 -2x/yr, whereas PSC offers something like 6 - 7 different focus exhibits/yr, as well as the IMAX - you get several IMAX passes w/the membership and they have tons of educational movies; as well as they show popular movies (not accessible w/the free passes from membership) so a parent could combine a trip to IMAX movie w/a bit of time at the museum before or after. Agreed its way more itneresting for the parents as well (vs the Burke). Also the PSC membership entitles parents to sign up their kids for camps/classes at a discount. We've been members for maybe 7 yrs now, totally a great value and a wonderful gift!

I was pretty happy with these:
http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/Bluetooth-Headsets/MOTOROKR-S305-Wireless-Stereo-Headphones-US-EN

But traded them for buds after I kept getting the "your-music-is-leaking-stinkeye" on the trains.

Bartells and Walgreens have the cheapest, outside of amazon.com

Maybe little bits of Christmasy things that would be hard to come by over there - like a small plastic tree or a stocking. I've heard that you can discreetly send a bit of booze (in an unassuming plastic container perhaps) and that a little bit goes a long way when shared. They can't carry around much, solo little reminders of home traditions are appreciated.

Soundslike's clip idea is a winner. High quality cigars are always good for trades among marines and such. 2nd choice - Body armor or a covert vibe.

The Department of Defense issues shitty little clips for the M-16 that don't hold enough ammo to really solve problems in a bad firefight (so I've been told by a retired Marine). If she's in a combat zone, you might consider getting her a clip that holds more rounds. Troops are allowed to buy and have larger clips, but have to pay for them themselves, and they are expensive. Wade's Eastside Guns in Bellevue will know what you're talking about and could set you up. http://www.wadesguns.com/

Also, sunglasses are always a winner in Afghanistan, from what I'm told. The DoD has very strict regulations on what sunglasses are allowed (they have to be shatter resistant, so a minor explosion doesn't turn into permanent blindness), and the DoD approved glasses are quite expensive. You might consider getting her a pair of those.

Get her an empty box with a small card inside that says, "I was going to get you pajamas but I realized nothing would look as good as the sight of you lying naked next to me in bed every night."

Ta da! Christmas in style.

Gifts that make her feel 29 again.

for another option - Comfort and high quality can mean casual and sexy, and still be affordable- Zovo lingerie and their online outlet store are stocked full of pajamas and more and at great prices (10 bucks for an inky 3/4 sleeve cotton top) -though the supersexy things and bras are highpriced- it's a woman-owned shop with an appeal that the big neiman marcus type stores can't compete with.

Macy's is a good place to start. They have lots of choices, lots of different age-styles (sexy teddies to flannel pajamas to granny nighties). Lots of colors, lots of patterns, lots of fabrics. And if you get her something she ends up not liking, she can easily return them and find something else she'll like.

Pacific Science Center for the plethora of hands on and interactive exhibits and changing features throughout the year.

Check out the membership features page.

Go there and see for yourself.

Next year you could change to the Burke Museum and they could take on renewing the PSC Membership.

Sarabeth's Orange Marmalade.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=sarabeth+jam&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=7360767444&ref=pd_sl_5glfzvdlir_b

If it's an Android phone, plug it into a PC with a USB cable and enable "USB Mass Storage mode."

Then the phone will show up as an external drive in the Windows/File Explorer. You can then drag any .MP3 ringtone into the appropriate folder, which on my phone is:

/sdcard/media/audio/ringtones

If you have a song or sound file from which you'd like to take a sample, Audacity is a nifty free open-source sound-file editor. The directions on the website are straightforward:

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Do you have ringtones in mind? Were you looking for ready-made? Do you have songs or clips that you'd like use? Let me know and maybe I can help if all sounds like a bit too much.

They aren't too hard to make. When you do, just send the .MP4 as an email attachment and he can add it from there.

Don't know what kind of phone he has, but if it's a smart phone (or most others) there's no reason to pay for a ringtone. But without knowing the kind of phone it's hard to say what the best approach would be.

You can never have too many cookbooks.

Fingerless gloves

Houseplant

That's all I got.

I'm married to a 40-something year old woman, and in her case the "chocolate" answer is right on. More specifically, I believe the ticket would be "as much Theo chocolate (made in Fremont) as you can carry". Mrs. Fnarf makes funny little noises when she has a piece of their "Bread and Chocolate" bar.

Based on Ozchick's answer, a safe bet is good chocolate.

How about booking a place on one of the chocolate tours of Seattle?

Savor Seattle Chocolate Tour

Use the search terms, "chocolate tour seattle" and you will find lots of references for various chocolate tour experiences.