Before we get into the items I sell, if you’re looking to get some Lebanese wine for someone (or yourself) within the U.S., I can offer my help curating some Lebanese wine from WHWC.

If you’ve got that squared away and you’re looking to throw in some other thoughtful elements or you just want something small and cute to acknowledge an invented day of love, check out the below lists of 10 of my own items and 10 more from other creative people out there (scroll to the next section).

It’s also my birthday on Valentine’s Day (February 14th) so if you feel like you get value out of the work I do here and you want to send me some love, consider upgrading to a paid subscription. You get access to the archive (all posts become paywalled 3 months after they’re published) and you help keep this independent platform running.

1. The Little Love Package, photographed above, includes 1 nice or naughty note of your choice, a 5-pack of anniversary bottle tags, love pencils, a 3-pack of Ferrero Rochers, a Rabbit wine stopper, a bottle of bubbles, and a tiny envelope of Hakeh Hearts - like “conversation” hearts but in Arabic, geddit?
   Optional: You can add a voucher for an online wine class.

2. One of the nice or naughty notes. There are 8.

3. A box of Hakeh Hearts (more hearts than the one in the Love Package).

4. The I Miss You postcard.

5. Or this one inspired by 10 Things I Hate About You.

6. Matching beanies in different colors.

7. Add a bottle of wine to this little card and go stargazing or…

8. Tape this one to a carton of some-pulp OJ and make a 5-star breakfast.

9. A shirt that doubles as a donation to Beit el Baraka.

10. A voucher for an online History of Lebanese wine class hosted by me!

All non-clothing orders need to be placed before Feb 4th as I’m going out of town and I won’t be able to fulfill orders until I’m back - which is after V-day!

Here are 10 more thoughtful gifts I recommend:

1. Watan’s Palestinian Valentine Cards!

2. Fantastic fruit jams from Saba Jam, made in SF by Iranian-American Saba Parsa. My personal favorite so far has been the aprium noyaux.

3. Pre-order Lara Atallah’s latest work of poetry Exits on a Seaside Highway. It’ll be out in March so it’s a delayed gift but special nonetheless.

4. It’s Not Nice For a Girl mini-zine by Christina Atik. When Penny & I moved out 5 years ago, I bought a print of the illustration that says, “it’s not nice for a girl to live alone.” It’s got a cat in it too so it felt perfect.

5. Also from Maamoul Press is Rawand Issa’s Inside the Giant Fish.

6. One or two issues of Al Hayya Magazine.

7. Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed. Here’s an interview of Deena by another graphic artist, Malaka Gharib.

8. A study of inks or a set of cards by Joumana Medlej.

9. A paid subscription to a few of the newsletters I’ve linked above or one to Bizri #6, Ora et Labora, or Sa’alouni el Nas.

10. Donation to Animals Lebanon because I hope everyone finds a lucky Penny.

A Quick Aanab No.4 Update

The arak issue is in its final stage and the Patreon has officially been shut down. No one was charged for January 2023. I’m aiming to have the final Bacchus mailers out the door before I leave town for a week in February. If you were a former Patreon subscriber or you have pre-ordered a copy and you have a new address, please let me know ASAP so nothing gets lost on its way to you.

Thank you once again for your support and patience!