This is the 9th annual and highly anticipated What to Get an Architect for Christmas gift guide. It's hard for me to process that when I wrote the very first gift guide back in 2010 that this would become the most requested blog post that I would write every single year. In that first year, the guide was just my own personal gift wish list, but now I spend almost an entire year curating what sort of items should make the final cut. Apparently, some years I clearly want more stuff than others, and this year's list at 28 total items falls somewhat short of last year's intensive mega-book list (43 total items, 31 one of which were books.) Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Instant Pot [9:33 - minute mark] Bob Gift I own a 6-quart slow cooker (i.e. Crock Pot) and it gets used at least a few times every month and I think it's a good gift to give someone. As I was reviewing my list with my wife, she informed me that slow cookers are old school and these days, the smart buy is on the "Instant Pot". I clearly took this as a challenge because I then spent the next hour reading articles comparing instant pot versus slow cookers. After my trademarked exhaustive research, I am happy to report definitively that the winner is ..... it's a tie. As it turns out, they both basically do the exact same thing except the instant pot is a pressure cooker so you are able to prepare the food more quickly. Bocce Ball Set [13:32 - minute mark] Andrew Gift Fun outdoor time away from the office is always a good thing. This Bocce set is great for a relaxing competition among your friends over a few cocktails on a nice afternoon. This is a fairly simple game concept, but one that involves some precision and strategy which appeals to me as an architect. I want one of these for myself.  Also, you can take with you to a friend’s house, another architects office, or just about anywhere you want to throw a game. Noon Home [15:45 - minute mark] Bob Gift Installs like a normal switch, Noon Lighting controls feature an OLED controller called a "Director" that can control up to 10 extension switches. Utilizing your existing wiring, you can change out your light switches and take control of all the hardwired light fixtures in your house. The Director control comes with 3 professional scenes based on the bulbs you have in place but you have the ability to customize up to 6 additional scenes Utilizing a universal dimming base, NOON lighting controls work with all residential bulb and fixture types including LED, incandescent, halogen, fluorescent, CFL bulbs, and MLV, ELV light fixtures and there is no requirement for separate switches for multi-way installations. I actually have these in my own house and I love them ... at an irrationally high level. Eventually, I will write a full post on just how amazing these light switches are and how much better your life will be in you put them in your home. Update November 26th - If you buy these directly from NOON Lighting, they are on a huge sale right now - most products up to 50% off their normal price.