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Gr'08 Expectations

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A Tribune staff report

Published: November 18, 2007

It's amazing how many new calendars you find in stores this time of year.

Sure, a calendar is a great holiday gift, what with the new year starting just a few days after the recipient tears off the wrapping.

What are the chances it'll get lost or tossed in that short time?

Still, you would think calendars would go the way of, um, other useful and entertaining things printed on paper. After all, you can set your cell phone/iPhone/Blackberry to alert you to every appointment/play date/soccer practice that comes up in a day. So who needs a paper calendar to scribble it all on?

Need. Want. They're two different things. We buy wall calendars as much for those 12 pretty pictures as we do for the 30 (plus or minus) tiny numbered boxes. We buy desk calendars because they give us an inspirational quote, a chuckle or some other little jolt to get us through the workday.

Plus, let's face it, nothing gooses one's sense of optimism as inexpensively as a blank calendar.

OK, except maybe a lottery ticket.

Calendar samples started landing on our desks a couple of months ago. Here are a few we think deserve a home in 2008.

Kim Folstad

Dream Cars - Race cars, concept cars, classic cars, hot rods - they're all here. Car fanatics will flip for this Page-A-Day calendar, which includes lots of fun facts and automobile history.

Our favorite: April 10 - the 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K. It's to sigh for. Workman Publishing, $12.99

Origami - With pages that double as folding papers and a 16-page key to basic folds and techniques, this Page-A-Day calendar is a complete origami kit. You'll find plenty of simple designs and some that will make you feel like a true artist.

Our favorite: June 13 - the emergency necktie. Workman Publishing, $12.99

Handbags - Wanna torture your favorite handbag hound? Get her this "gallery" calendar. Each brightly colored page looks as though it came out of an art book. The pouches pictured are so tantalizing, your friend will find herself pining for a new purse each and every day.

Our favorite: Nov. 8/9 - The novelty backpack by Anna Sui is shaped like a pair of angel's wings. (No, we'd never wear it! But the concept is heavenly.) Workman Publishing, $15.99

365 Bible Verses a Year - Taken from the King James Bible, these verses are meant to guide, challenge and inspire you throughout 2008. Each is paired with a nature photograph "to encourage meditation and reflection."

Our favorite: March 2 - As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Proverbs 25:25. Workman Publishing, $12.99

365 Cats - Cat lovers will adore this Page-A-Day calendar filled with cutie-pie kittens, crazy calicos and much-loved Persians. (Those who are a little feline-phobic, on the other hand, will want to avoid June 9.) There's also breed information, quotes and lore, health and care tips, and trivia.

Our favorite: Nov. 3 - a zaftig beauty named Belle, whose owner refers to her as "well-wrapped." Workman Publishing, $12.99

Bad Dog - People do funny things with their dogs. They dress them in costumes; they put them in wigs; they imagine what they would say if they could talk. All this and more happens on the pages of the Bad Dog calendar. Dog lovers will howl with delight.

Our favorite: Aug. 8 - 4-month-old Cocoa, a tiny Chihuahua, begs, "Tell me the truth, am I pathetic?" Cocoa, you have our permission to bite the hand that feeds you! Workman Publishing, $11.99

Vanishing Acts: A Camouflage Calendar - This is better than Waldo, and way better than those posters that promise a payoff for those willing to cross their eyes and stare at them just so. You'll find the animals hidden in these photos - a harbor seal, an African lion and more - but it isn't always easy.

Our favorite: April - The leaf insect, shaped just like its name, resembles something out of a sci-fi flick. Workman Publishing, $11.99

Trout of North America - Who knew that the trout could be a work of art? Anyone who has ever caught one, that's who! Speckled, spotted, banded and splotched, they come in all colors and sizes. Twelve trout get their due in this stunning wall calendar. Illustrated by Joseph R. Tomelleri, it includes habitat and insect "match the hatch" information.

Our favorite: January - the flamboyant Dolly Varden char. Workman Publishing, $12.99

Arctic: The Last Great Wilderness - You may want to wrap up a sweater as a companion gift to this chill-inducing wall calendar filled with frosty photos of polar bears, caribou and tundra vegetation. Brrreathtaking.

Our favorite: June - the arctic fox. Audubon/Artisan, $11.99

Out on the Porch - In the Tampa Bay area, we tend to do patios and decks better than porches. But, oh, who doesn't long for an old-fashioned wraparound with rocking chairs, planter boxes and a view? This wall calendar provides it all - including the view, from Malibu to Martha's Vineyard.

Our favorite: September - It's painful to pick just one, but we'll go with the back porch of a home in Hosmer Pond, Maine. Workman Publishing, $11.99

Birding Trails: Discovering America's Best Birding Trails - We're so blessed with beautiful birds here in Florida, it's easy to forget those that flock together in other parts of the country. This wall calendar shows them all at their best, with gorgeous photography and information about their habits and habitat.

Our favorite: June - A hummingbird sits in a teacup-sized nest built atop a pine cone. Audubon/Artisan, $11.99

Flowers - What makes this wall calendar different from others with pretty pictures of plants? The perfect pairing of flowers and containers. Bright orange roses and delicate white hydrangeas fill a pale green vase; orange-red Echinacea and yellow craspedia pop in a rustic metal bin; white roses rest in a simple ice-blue bowl.

Our favorite: June - orange nasturtiums in a small green vase that's tucked into a metal basket. Workman Publishing, $11.99

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