A year ago I was amazed by a Moka coffee maker, which perks up (instead of dripping down).

This year, more so, I am mesmerized by the locking mechanism on the terrace shutter doors. A good place to start, as always, is at the bottom of things:

Around this innocent-looking (but do not be fooled, lest you happen to trip over it) device on the left, the two doors (one with and one without a mechanism like the one on the right) fit snuggly into place:

How the mechanism manages to hold these pieces against themselves, thereby keeping the doors locked in place, is a marvel to behold:

Far be it from me to divulge the magician’s tricks of the trade.  Suffice it to say, it works.