We tried, my sister and I. Every fall and winter, we discussed what extremely practical gift we should get our father for his September birthday and for Hanukkah. A flannel shirt, because his current two were fraying. A warm new sweater, because he disliked paying utility bills and always kept his apartment cool. A leather wallet, because his old one, stuffed with years of photos and credit cards and no-longer-relevant ID’s, was held together with rubber bands.