Introducing Humming Bird Ceramics: Last year at a dinner, my friend, Carey Lowell, told me about her small company, Hummingbird Ceramics – handmade pieces made in the most serene studio setting in Katonah, NY – and I was intrigued.

As evidence that actors are often radically different from their onscreen personae, Lowell has been quietly making pottery ever since she was introduced to clay in high school some 35 years ago.

FOR ME: A gas kiln for firing my work, so I can achieve the beautiful results that I can’t get in my electric kiln. I’M GIVING: Handmade porcelain ceramics, of course! FAVORITE HOLIDAY TRADITION: A bottle of Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé champagne on Christmas morning, while opening gifts.